Asian American film, mon amour
The 23rd San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival gets real

BASKETBALL, AN avant-garde toy piano, crime-fighting schoolgirls, scholarly curmudgeons, life after war, and food, wonderful food, be it life-affirming Chinese takeout or magically restorative dumplings: these are some of our favorite things at the 23rd San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the largest of its kind and old enough to know better – and the best in filmmaking by and about Asians and Asian Americans. Studded with ambitious programs like Lav Diaz's 10-hour-plus epic Evolution of a Filipino Family (yes, there's an intermission), the fest is keeping it real this year, with an emphasis on Asian American filmmakers, from the opening-night debut by San Jose native Alice Wu (Saving Face, starring Joan Chen), a closing-night feature by Michael Kang (The Motel), and a tribute to OG documentary maker Steven Okazaki, whose latest film, The Mushroom Club, commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.


The Mushroom Club, a documentary by Steven Okazaki on life
after the blast (an image from artist Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen.)
So here are the numbers: this year the National Asian American Telecommunications Association turns 25, as its centerpiece, the film festival, turns 23 with an event featuring 131 films and videos from not just Asian countries (and the United States) but also Australia, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Italy, and other points across the globe. The subject matter is equally diverse, mixing truth-is-stranger-than-fiction docs with narratives exploring family strife, romance (and lack thereof), cultural issues, and the occasional need in life to seek hardcore, ass-kicking revenge. Back this year is the popular "Directions in Sound" program – described by the fest as a "musical sidebar" – showcasing live bands and DJ acts like IQU, Citizens Here and Abroad, Seksu Roba, Triple Threat DJs Apollo and Vin Roc, Kero One, and Massive Selector's Panty Robber. Music fans will also want to check out producer extraordinaire Dan "the Automator" Nakamura's and local South Asian sound system Dhamaal's set at the festival's opening-night gala at the Asian Art Museum.

Finally, the facts: the film festival runs March 10 to 20. Venues are the AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres, 1881 Post, S.F.; Castro Theatre, 429 Castro, S.F.; PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft, Berk.; and Camera 12 Cinemas, 201 S. Second St., San Jose. Tickets (most shows are $7 to $10) are available by calling (415) 478-2777 or going to www.naatanet.org/festival.

Kimberly Chun and Cheryl Eddy