April 20, 2022 • By Christine Pasalo Norland
Embedded Files
The 11th San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) Spring Showcase returned in-person at the UltraStar Cinemas Mission Valley in San Diego. Organized by the Pacific Arts Movement (Pac Arts), one of the largest media arts organizations in North America that focuses on Asian American and Asian international cinema, the eight-day event ran from April 21 through April 28, 2022 and featured over 15 films from China, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Canada, and the U.S.
Launched in 2011 as a mini version of Pac Arts' flagship Fall event, this year's Spring Showcase celebrated the impact that Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities continue to have on popular culture. The selected films featured a timeline of Asia and Asian America’s pop culture history, from Japan in the 1950s and 1960s, to Hong Kong in the 1980s and 1990s, and a recap of Asian America’s unique evolution throughout the times, told by the icons and stars themselves.
FORTUNE FINDS LADY NIKUKO SCREENS ON APRIL 22 & 23. FILM STILL COURTESY OF STUDIO4°C.
YUNI SCREENS ON APRIL 26 & 28. FILM STILL COURTESY OF FOURCOLOURS FILMS.
Complementing the Spring slate of films was a program of community events that included opening and closing receptions, live Q&As with filmmakers, and a panel discussion with Philip Wang and Peabody Trailblazer Awardee Phil Yu about their book RISE: A Pop History of Asian America From The Nineties To Now written with Jeff Yang. Copies of RISE were also made available for purchase onsite from the AAPI-owned and operated Comikaze Comics & Pop Culture Store.
All guests attending the SDAFF Spring Showcase were asked to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the event. Additionally, masks were required for all festival patrons. Receptions held in outside spaces did not require masks. Full COVID-19 protocols are available on the festival's official website.
“Our 11th Spring Showcase marks more than just a return in-person for the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander stories we share,” said Kent Lee, Executive Director. “It reminds us just how important it is for communities to gather and connect over experiences that help to uplift our collective voices.”
FILM MINI-REVIEWS
After the Rain
Within the first two minutes of this documentary, director Fan Jian lays bare the weight of the circumstances and emotions that will be explored in the film. A young child swims from the top to the bottom of the screen as a woman's voice speaks over, saying (in translation), "Your elder sister's life was traded for yours." The next scene centers a pixelated and choppy phone video of a little girl holding a kitten, as a man's panicked voice speaks over, alluding to an earthquake. Over the next minute, Fan takes viewers back to 2008 and archival footage of men standing on the rubble of a public school, desperately listening for voices as they work to free children trapped underneath the fallen building.
The second in a trilogy of documentaries by Fan on the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, After the Rain is a compelling film that asks how parents and families cope with the grief of losing a child. What is the long-term impact and shadow of such a tragedy, especially on children born as if in replacement of their lost siblings? Can joy and hope be regained?
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko
On the surface, the portrayal of Nikuko in this anime vibes insensitive–from sound effects to camera angles. And then one realizes that this perception isn't authoritative, but a reflection of the narrator and protagonist, Nikuko's athletic and waif-like 11-year-old daughter Kikurin. Kikurin's portrayal does not speak true to Nikuko as a person, as she and we come to learn. Directed by Ayumu Watanabe, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is a story about embracing individuality and emotional (and biological) maturity, while also celebrating chosen families.
Yuni
A moving universal story about self-discovery, Yuni follows a teenage Indonesian Muslim girl as she struggles to know herself beyond the context of gender and culture. How does one navigate the constant bombardment of binary choices to live liberated from them? Directed by Kamila Andini. Written by Kamila Andini and Prima Rusdi. Starring Arawinda Kirana as Yuni.
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The SDAFF Spring Showcase 2022 took place from Thursday, April 21 through Thursday, April 28, 2022 at the UltraStar Cinemas Mission Valley-Hazard Center. All-Access badges were available for purchase, as were tickets to each individual screening and the RISE panel; discounts were available for Pac Arts Members, Seniors, Students, Military, SD Public Library Card holders, and groups of 10 or more. Visit SDAFF.org for complete festival information, including the official film and programming schedule and COVID-19 protocols.
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UPDATE MAY 23, 2022 TO INCLUDE MINI-REVIEWS. UPDATED MAY 5, 2022 TO REFER TO EVENT IN PAST TENSE.
HEADER GRAPHIC COURTESY OF SDAFF • TAGS: ART NEWS
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