The San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) is an annual event organized by Pacific Arts Movement (formerly the San Diego Asian Film Foundation) that takes place every November in San Diego, California. Founded in 2000, the festival has become the largest showcase of Asian and Asian-American cinema on the North American West Coast. The 2015 festival took place from November 5 through November 14 and screened over 130 films from 20 countries across the world.
Video San Diego Asian Film Festival
Background
SDAFF is the flagship event for the non-profit organization Pacific Arts Movement (Pac-Arts, formerly the San Diego Asian Film Foundation), which also puts on several other arts and culture events throughout the year. The mission of Pacific Arts Movement is to present Pan Asian media arts to San Diego residents and visitors in order to inspire, entertain and support a more compassionate society. Throughout the year, Pacific Arts Movement offers student internships, cultural literacy programs with local high schools and colleges, and a high school filmmaker project entitled "Reel Voices." Pacific Arts Movement also teams up with several movie production and marketing companies to promote both independent and mainstream films that are inline with the mission of the organization.
Maps San Diego Asian Film Festival
History
SDAFF found its inception in August 2000 when it was first organized as a fundraiser by the Asian American Journalists Association. After receiving numerous film entries, both domestically and internationally, and seeing sold out crowds at its inaugural festival, Lee Ann Kim, the founding director, saw the potential of making SDAFF an organizational entity of its own. Kim teamed up with several journalists, writers, filmmakers, and community leaders to turn the film festival into the larger non-profit organization that Pacific Arts Movement is today. Since then, the org and SDAFF have consistently grown in size and recognition with each passing year.
SDAFF films and events
2016
Notable films
- The Tiger Hunter - opening night film
- AKA Seoul - Centerpiece
- Mifune: The Last Samurai - closing night film
Notable appearances
- Discussion with The Edge of Seventeen actor Hayden Szeto
- Retrospective and discussion on the short films of Randall Park
- Wayne Wang - Lifetime Achievement Award honoree
2015
Notable films
- Miss India America - opening night film
- Seoul Searching - Centerpiece
- Made in Japan - closing night film
Notable appearances
- Discussion with Buzzfeed producer Eugene Lee Yang
- Discussion with Ken Jeong, star of the new sitcom Dr. Ken
- Tyrus Wong - Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, and subject of the documentary Tyrus
2014 - 15th anniversary
Notable films
- Revenge of the Green Dragons - opening night film
- Meet the Patels - closing night film
- Fresh Off the Boat - world premiere of the television comedy
Notable events
- A Conversation with Anna Akana - at UC San Diego
2013
Notable films
- Finding Mr. Right - opening night film
- When I Walk - centerpiece film
- Documented - closing night film
Notable events
- Mapping event with Jason DaSilva at Liberty Station, San Diego
2012
Notable films
- Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey - opening night film
- Eden (2012 film) - centerpiece film
- Love Strikes! - closing night film
2010
Notable films
- Legend of the Fist - opening night film
- A Brand New Life (2009 film) - adoption spotlight
- Au Revoir Taipei - closing night film
Notable events
- Asian Americans in Hollywood (Panel) - featuring: Ellen Wong, Harry Shum, Aaron Yoo, Jon M. Chu, and CS Lee.
2009 - 10th anniversary
Notable films
- Children of Invention - opening night film
- Ip Man (film) - centerpiece film
- Red Cliff (film) - closing night film
2008
Notable films
- Ping Pong Playa - opening night film
- Always 2: Sunset on Third Street - closing night film
Notable events
- A Celebrity Panel: Asian Americans in Hollywood - featuring: Aaron Yoo, James Kyson Lee, Leonardo Nam, Smith Cho, Sheetal Sheth, and Jimmy Tsai.
- From Comics to Film - featuring: Greg Pak and Jim Lee
2000 - Festival launch
Notable films
- The Debut - opening night film
- Girlfight - closing night film
Notable appearances
Margaret Cho, Tamlyn Tomita, and Dante Basco
Annual Spring Showcase
The Annual Spring Showcase, introduced in 2011 is a smaller festival than SDAFF, featuring around a dozen films each year. Notable films
- 2011 Little Big Soldier - inaugural opening night film
- 2012 Sunny - opening night film
- 2013 Linsanity - opening night film
- 2014 To Be Takei - won the audience award at the 4th Annual Spring Showcase
- 2015 In Football We Trust - opening night film
Reel Voices
Each year since 2005, Pacific Arts Movement offers students from local San Diego schools the chance to join this 12-week film internship program. The program accepts around 10 students per year. Students are paired with a mentor and helped to compose a nonfiction documentary film by the Reel Voices staff and volunteers. The final product is screened at SDAFF where the students participate in a Q&A session after the showing.
In 2014, Reel Voices expanded programs to launch a media arts elective class at the Monarch School in San Diego's Barrio Logan for high school students interested in film production and digital storytelling.
Venue
Most of SDAFF's film screenings occur at the Hazard Center UltraStar Cinemas in San Diego, near Fashion Valley Mall, but some events have taken place at other locations such as UC San Diego and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
References
External links
- Pacific Arts Movement
- San Diego Asian Film Festival
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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