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2017 San Diego Asian Film Festival

All Films & Events

  1. NO DATE, NO SIGNATURE

    Vahid Jalilvand / Discoveries / Iran / 2017 / Drama / 104 mins
    The day after his car collides with a motorcycle, a forensic pathologist notices that the boy he hit has died at the hospital in which he works. Plagued with guilt, the doctor goes on a nervous quest to find the forensic truth – and exonerate his conscience.
    NO DATE, NO SIGNATURE

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Wednesday, Nov 15, 2017 8:30PM


  2. OH LUCY!

    Atsuko Hirayanagi / Special Presentations / Japan, USA / 2017 / Comedy, Drama / 95 mins
    A middle-aged woman in Tokyo escapes dull office life when she chances upon an English class taught by a charming American. Soon she’s renamed Lucy, she develops a penchant for hug-hellos, and she’s following a postcard from San Diego to find love, adventure, and her spunky niece in Southern California.

    Preceded by: CRAVE

    Opening Night Film: OH LUCY!

    San Diego Natural History Museum, Kaplan Theater
    Thursday, Nov 9, 2017 7:00PM


  3. ONE DAY

    Lee Yoon-ki / Asia Pop! / South Korea / 2017 / Drama, Fantasy / 114 mins
    After the death of his wife, an insurance agent is assigned the case of a blind woman in a coma. But upon visiting her at the hospital, he encounters someone who appears to be her spirit. As the two spend days wandering the hospital grounds, sensitive states of recovery and transcendence emerge, as if waking from a dream.
    ONE DAY

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Sunday, Nov 12, 2017 5:10PM

    ONE DAY

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Monday, Nov 13, 2017 5:50PM


  4. ONE THOUSAND ROPES

    Tusi Tamasese / Discoveries / New Zealand / 2017 / Drama / 98 mins
    Samoan former boxer Maea now uses his hands to deliver babies. Beneath his wrinkles are wounds of sadness and the memories of wounds he’s inflicted as a father. When his adult daughter arrives, beaten and pregnant, Maea is forced to confront the ghosts, both literal and symbolic, along his road to atonement.
    ONE THOUSAND ROPES

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Thursday, Nov 16, 2017 6:35PM


  5. OUR TIME WILL COME

    Ann Hui / Masters / China, Hong Kong / 2017 / Drama, Historical / 130 mins
    During WWII, Japan has invaded Hong Kong, and a schoolteacher gets involved in efforts to smuggle activists and writers to safety across the border. Alternatingly spectacular and ordinary, Ann Hui’s historical drama captures the daily grind and the start-stop rhythms of ordinary folks – especially women – enlisted into the fight for national survival.
    OUR TIME WILL COME

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Monday, Nov 13, 2017 8:15PM

    OUR TIME WILL COME

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Wednesday, Nov 15, 2017 2:00PM


  6. OUT OF STATE

    Ciara Lacy / Asian American Panorama / USA / 2017 / Documentary / 79 mins
    Due to overcrowding in the islands, Hawaii has been shipping its prisoners to a for-profit detention center in Arizona. But in this exile community, and against the coldness of the prison industrial complex, the inmates embrace their native identity and forge a Hawaiian “home” across oceans of sadness and displacement.

    Preceded by: MOTHER’S DAY

    OUT OF STATE

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Friday, Nov 10, 2017 7:50PM


  7. LIVE PODCAST PANEL 1: SATURDAY SCHOOL

    Asian American Panorama / Panel / 60 mins
    Where are the Asian American films for kids? Join Saturday School podcasters Ada Tseng and Brian Hu as they're joined by special guest Lee Ann Kim to discuss Mulan, Moana, and more!
    PANEL 1: SATURDAY SCHOOL

    Marriott Mission Valley
    Saturday, Nov 11, 2017 1:00PM


  8. LIVE PODCAST PANEL 2: FRESH CREATIVES

    Asian American Panorama / Panel / 60 mins
    Fresh Creatives is a podcast about creating new stories! Join hosts Marvin Yueh, Jess Ju, and Stand Up Man director Aram Collier as they create fresh story ideas from scratch with your help.
    PANEL 2: FRESH CREATIVES

    Marriott Mission Valley
    Saturday, Nov 11, 2017 2:45PM


  9. LIVE PODCAST PANEL 3: THEY CALL US BRUCE

    Asian American Panorama / Panel / 60 mins
    Two pioneers of Asian American journalism Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.
    PANEL 3: THEY CALL US BRUCE

    Marriott Mission Valley
    Saturday, Nov 11, 2017 4:30PM


  10. PARADOX

    Wilson Yip / Asia Pop! / Hong Kong / 2017 / Martial Arts, Thriller / 101 mins
    After his daughter goes missing, a Hong Kong cop finds himself in Thailand, where he shows down with local police, some low-life heavies, and none other than Tony Jaa. High kicks and high drama ensue. Bone crunching brought to you with pleasure by action choreographer Sammo Hung.
    PARADOX

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Tuesday, Nov 14, 2017 8:55PM

    PARADOX

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Thursday, Nov 16, 2017 8:50PM


  11. THE PROBLEM WITH APU

    Michael Melamedoff / Asian American Panorama / USA / 2017 / Comedy, Documentary / 49 mins
    South Asian American comedian Hari Kondabolu confronts his long-standing “nemesis” Apu Nahasapeemapetilon – better known as the Indian convenience store owner on The Simpsons.
    THE PROBLEM WITH APU

    Museum of Photographic Arts
    Saturday, Nov 18, 2017 7:45PM


  12. REEL VOICES

    Asian American Panorama / 120 mins
    Eleven high school students from San Diego create documentaries based on subjects in their own lives.

    In This Program: GROWING UP HIP HOP, BELOW THE SURFACE, WHAT DOES GAY LOOK LIKE?, PERCEPTIONS, ANDROGYNE, A(MEXI)CAN, IRENE, BLACK HAIR MAGIC, TELEWOMEN, HOME AWAY FROM PHTEAH, PLAN A PLAN B

    REEL VOICES

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Sunday, Nov 12, 2017 12:00PM Buy Tickets


  13. SAMUI SONG

    Pen-ek Ratanaruang / Masters / Germany, Norway, Thailand / 2017 / Drama, Noir / 108 mins
    A soap opera star has had enough of her husband, a disciple of an off-putting, lurid cult. A chance meeting with a slick-haired problem solver gives her a possible way out, though things may not be as they seem. Pen-ek Ratanaruang is back with another eerie slow-burn noir as stylish as it is strange.
    SAMUI SONG

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Friday, Nov 10, 2017 8:20PM

    SAMUI SONG

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Sunday, Nov 12, 2017 6:30PM


  14. SHINJUKU SWAN II

    Sion Sono / Asia Pop! / Japan / 2017 / Thriller / 133 mins
    Pimpery slays when rival escort recruitment agencies escalate their turf war into a battle of businessmen with scruples only imaginable by the incorrigible Sion Sono. Impossible to take seriously, impossible to look away, this is Japanese pop cinema infused with brash energy and the tawdriest manga mise-en-scene.
    SHINJUKU SWAN II

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Saturday, Nov 11, 2017 8:55PM


  15. SHOPPING FOR FANGS

    Quentin Lee, Justin Lin / Special Presentations / Canada, USA / 1997 / Comedy, LGBT, Thriller / 91 mins
    On the 20th anniversary of the famed “Class of 1997,” we world premiere the new digital restoration of SHOPPING FOR FANGS, the shape-shifting comedy about restaurant flirtations, marital mistrust, and a guy who thinks he’s turning into a werewolf. Starring John Cho and directed by Justin Lin and Quentin Lee, soon to become pillars of Asian American cinema.
    SHOPPING FOR FANGS

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Saturday, Nov 11, 2017 2:40PM


  16. SHORTS: BEST OF ASIAN ANIMATION

    Asian American Panorama / 85 mins
    Memories of childhood and visions of the timeless come to life through diverse animation styles in this series of shorts from Japan, Taiwan, India, and the United States.

    In This Program: ELECTRIC CHARM, TRAVELLING THROUGH BRUSH AND INK, SCENT OF GERANIUM, WHAT A PEACEFUL DAY, TOUGH, THIS MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE NOW, BUT DON’T WORRY, IT WILL., OPAL WALTZ, I FEEL NAKED, RRRRRAAAAAMMMMM, PANDA, SEMBLANCE, THE ART OF APING, NEGATIVE SPACE, MAGNITUDE RITUALS, ELSEWHERE, WHITE TUNNEL, CRUSHED IN SPACE, TINY LISA

    SHORTS: BEST OF ASIAN ANIMATION

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Sunday, Nov 12, 2017 5:50PM


  17. SHORTS: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

    Asian American Panorama / 106 mins
    Whether empowering, expressive, long-lost, or ghostly, some voices demand to be heard.

    In This Program: ON THE ORIGIN OF FEAR, DISTANCE, FLIP THE RECORD, JAZZ ABROAD, SINGLE MOTHER ONLY DAUGHTER, MY EYES ADORE YOU, SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL, VIBRATION

    SHORTS: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Wednesday, Nov 15, 2017 4:00PM Buy Tickets


  18. SHORTS: DISINHERIT ME

    Asian American Panorama / 98 mins
    Stories of family and their unexpected and unwanted legacies, told with derision, laughter, anxiety, and love.

    In This Program: FLOATING LIGHT, LUNCH TIME, PRIA, HOW TO CRACK HARD-BOILED EGGS, FIRST TO GO: STORY OF THE KATAOKA FAMILY, LOST DOGS

    SHORTS: DISINHERIT ME

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Thursday, Nov 16, 2017 4:00PM Buy Tickets


  19. SHORTS FOR SHORTIES!

    Asia Pop! / 45 mins
    Kid-friendly short films about family, friendship, acceptance, and resilience.

    In This Program: THE ADVENTURE OF THE AFTERNOON, IRON HANDS, EAT, PRAY, BIRD, RICEBALLS, MOSQUITO: THE BITE OF PASSAGE, TO & KYO

    SHORTS FOR SHORTIES!

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Saturday, Nov 11, 2017 11:00AM


  20. SHORTS: INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERIES COMPETITION

    Discoveries
    Rooted in luminous landscapes or the trenchant imaginations of their artists, these offbeat and off-road short films are some of the most visionary from Asia this year. They compete for the inaugural SDAFF International Discoveries Award.

    In This Program: AFTERNOON CLOUDS, IT’S EASIER TO RAISE CATTLE, LATE SUMMER, ONLINE SHOPPING, PLEASE COME AGAIN, ANIMAL

    SHORTS: INTERNATIONAL DISCOVERIES COMPETITION

    UltraStar Mission Valley
    Wednesday, Nov 15, 2017 5:45PM