See What’s Cooking at the 18th San Diego Asian Film Festival

Posted September 25th, 2017 by Brian in Uncategorized

Things are coming to a boil in Asian America. The targeting of Muslims and Sikhs. Income disparity from the working class to Hollywood. The proposed deportation of thousands of immigrants. The ongoing whitewashing onscreen and behind the scenes that continues to perpetuate myths that Asian Americans have no value and are not part of the American narrative.

When things boil, we make noise. Feet hit the pavement, like those of the incarcerated warriors in Ciara Lacy’s OUT OF STATE. Artists grab the microphone, as the aspiring comedian does in STAND UP MAN. Tweets get replied and retweeted, like those of the titular anti-hero of WHO IS ARTHUR CHU?

But as any immigrant kid knows, when the rice boils, we overfill with anticipation, warmth, and the aromas of home. We may be fired up, but that’s also when we come together to the table with stories of struggle, of everyday life, of heartbreak and exhilaration, of secrets we can’t tell anybody else.

We need these stories more than ever and they are here. Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers once again fill the screens with heroic feats of storytelling. Filmmakers from Asia continue to remind us that Hollywood is far from being the sole chronicler of our times. When we get angry, we talk story, we paint pictures, and we shine a light in the darkness. Welcome to the 18th San Diego Asian Film Festival. Pull up a chair and see what’s cooking.