Asian fusion is a difficult trick to turn. When merging ethnic groups under one umbrella term, there’s no easy way to pinpoint a single, shared experience that binds them together. Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Chinese, Laotian and Punjabi — none of these cultures share geography, language or grub. And they don’t all look the same.
This is why the menu of films featured at the San Diego Asian Film Festival is so tantalizing. The festival offers a plate of gorgeously crafted films by some of today’s leading directors (not all of them Asian) dealing with politics and exodus, identity and assimilation.
From its first film to its last, SDAFF promises to fuel your fever with a newfound love for Asian culture — not just Asian girls.
Thursday, Oct. 12, 7 p.m.
“Journey From the Fall”
This meticulous, painful film directed by Sundance-lauded, Vietnamese-American filmmaker Ham Tran follows the Fall of Saigon and the fate of a family divided by politics. With his family in exodus to America, Long Nguyen — a father, husband and son — decides to stay and fight for his country. After a series of torturous experiences, Nguyen comes to believe his family is dead and spirals into utter despair. But when news comes to him that his family is alive in America, he sets in motion a dangerous plan to escape. The film surges on from there, enthralling in its reawakening and re-exploration of Vietnam memories, this time from a Vietnamese perspective.
Friday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m.
“Blowfish”
Not a film, but a party — SDAFF 2006 gets the party going with their inaugural music and video showcase. South Asian, multilingual hip-hop artist Karmacy meets East Coast polemic duo Koba & DJ Boo, performing to projections of top music videos including Black Eyed Peas, Far East Movement, Thai, Karmacy and M.I.A.
Saturday, Oct. 14, 12:45 p.m.
“Chinese Restaurants: Latin Passions”
The story of the great Chinese diaspora told through its most recognizable icon: the family-run Chinese restaurant. Documenting the lives and passions of Chinese immigrants across Latin America, director Cheuk Kwan visits Peru, Argentina and Brazil to find Chinese expatriots engaging in the art of tango, cooking and soccer.
Sunday, Oct. 15, 6:45 p.m.
“Music Video Program (MVP)”
If you didn’t get enough of Friday night’s assault with “Blowfish,” SDAFF hosts a Sunday night of even more music videos led by underground Asian-American hip-hop and indie talent. Featuring “hiphoppunkfunkmamboska,” spoken word poetry, exorcisms and of course sex and bling, MVP offers up videos from Deerhoof, Dengue Fever, Kray Twinz, +/-, Invid, Jane Lui and oh so much more.
Monday, Oct. 16, 3 p.m.
“Last Atomic Bomb”
Properly named the Japanese holocaust, the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki at the end of World War II left devastating effects on the lives of ordinary Japanese citizens. The documentary traces the life work of survivor Sakue Shimohira, now 70 years old, and her efforts to provoke discourse among Japanese students to spread the message of the unviable politics of nuclear destruction.
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 7:45 p.m.
“Eve & the Fire Horse”
The Chinese-Canadian experience in the 1970s — perhaps not perfectly chronicled by Amy Tan, but similar in tone. Directed by Julie Kwan, this film guides a wild, confusing and emotional ride through playground racists, Catholic school and stretchy polyester to tell the coming-of-age story of the complications between a traditional Chinese home and modern diversions, and between Christian sainthood and Buddhist heritage.
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m.
“Animation: The Illusion of Life”
Asian animation has often denigrated itself to manga and anime, but SDAFF’s short animation program attempts to prove that when it comes to fabricating characters from scratch, there’s more than just the big-breasted, lean-thighed Barbie dolls pushed by manga artists. Feature films include “Fumi and the Bad Luck Foot,” a tale of female empowerment via wild moose attack and infant electrocution; “Gorilla,” where gorilla meets baby; “Pinpoint,” a horror story of a girl who struggles to survive in an orphanage where caretakers slip poison and “The Sunshine,” where a robot sacrifices himself for a young girl after he finds her starving to death. With such lunatic plots and props, who would resist?
Thursday, Oct. 19, 7:05 p.m.
“Always — Sunset on Third Street”
Everything was possible in late 1950s Japan: the war was over, the destruction was cleared and the men came home. A period piece about bad decisions made in the best of times (finding a job in an alien city, adopting a bartender’s child while drunk and inviting a stranger home), the film is a gorgeous rendition of Japan as most Americans never knew. Winner of 13 of Japan’s 14 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor), this film requires tissues.
