Wendy posted on April 07, 2010 14:28
On Saturday March 27th, 2010 NAAAP Chicago partnered with the Foundation for Asian American Independent Media (FAAIM) again to host an exclusive preview of films to be showcased at the 2010 Chicago Asian American Film Festival (April 2-15 at the Gene Siskel Film Center). Over 30 NAAAP members took advantage of the opportunity to watch trailers and enjoyed food and drinks at the lovely Lincoln Hall near the DePaul University campus. Tim Hugh, the passionate force behind the festival's success regaled the NAAAP audience with behind the scenes tales of the film makers and actors. In addition to being entertaining and amusing, Tim's accounts indicated how extensive the network of Asian American film makers in the US is and yet how intimate and interdependent it is on the involvement and support of its constituents.
The venue for the festival is the esteemed Gene Siskel film center located in downtown Chicago. This is the largest Asian American film festival in the United States strictly dedicated to two whole weeks of daring and creative production. It surpasses signature cities like New York, San Francisco, and LA in the number of films previewed and by concentrating on its mission to bring awareness about independent film making. This year, the festival boasts a whole gambit of poignant creations being chosen and shown.
The festival opens with Quentin Lee pushing the envelope with "People I've slept with", a comedic string of sexual encounters of a young woman played by Karin Anna Cheung who takes everyone on a journey of self discovery while balancing an Asian conservative family and friend’s circuit in the hopes of eventually discovering true love. Mike Cheng and Ben Wang have put together "Aoki", a documentary that speaks about a Japanese American who was one of the founding members of the Black Panthers that challenges racial-ethnic divide, stereotypical Asian behavioral norms, and above all to follow the desire to carry out what one believes to be is the right cause. "Transcending- The Wat Misaka story" takes the viewers through the journey of the first colored male drafted in what is the now NBA who was a Japanese American during the turbulent times of World War II. The documentary truly is about transcending traditional icons of physical excellence in American sports and delivers a key message of confidence to break out of any self or externally perceived physical limitations to pursue one's passion. The festival is closing out with award winning documentary director Leena Pendharkar's debut as a feature film director with "Raspberry Magic" which is a coming-of-age story about an 11 year old girl who believes she must win the science fair in order to bring her father back after he runs out of the family. This is a touching depiction of innocent motivation of a child attempting to fix the dysfunctions of her family.
These are just some of the gems that will be sparkling during the next two weeks and the NAAAP Chicago preview event was an excellent venue to give a taste to its audience, leaving them thirsty to run out to the theater to break out of the rise of 3-Dimensional Hollywood productions for some raw quality content that will touch, inspire, and bring awe to its viewers so they can appreciate the multi dimensional talent that is on the rise in the Asian American community. For a complete list of films, please visit www.faaim.org.
Bharat Walia
Event Co-Chair
Cultural Awareness
NAAAP Chicago
National Association of Asian American Professionals
