26th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
March 14, 2008 - March 22, 2008
Each year, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival brings you the best in contemporary cinema from Asia and the Asian diaspora. The 2008 program includes a tribute to the great Taiwanese director Edward Yang, who passed away last year.
Ticket prices for San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival screenings at PFA are: general admission, $10 before March 12, $11 on or after March 13; BAM/PFA and Center for Asian American Media members, $8 (limit 2 tickets per person per program); students, seniors, and disabled persons, $9 (limit 1 ticket per person per program). Please note that PFA’s second-feature discount does not apply to these programs. Tickets are nonrefundable, and may not be exchanged. Advance tickets for festival programs at PFA are available at the PFA Theater box office and BAM admissions desk or by phone at (510) 642-5249. For information about festival screenings in San Francisco and San Jose, or on purchasing PFA tickets in San Francisco or online, visit the SFIAAFF website at www.asianamericanmedia.org.
Many screenings will feature in-person appearances by the filmmakers; for updates, visit bampfa.berkeley.edu or phone (510) 642-1124. Program notes are adapted from the festival catalog.
Friday, March 14, 2008
7:00 p.m. The Princess of Nebraska
Stephen Gong, Richard Wong, Ling Li, and Patrice Banaïas in Person. The famed director of Chan Is Missing returns to his indie roots in this experimental portrait of a Chinese youth adrift in San Francisco.
Friday, March 14, 2008
9:00 p.m. The Terrorizer
Cora Miao in Person. Three interlocking stories in Taipei dominate Edward Yang’s Antonioni-esque masterpiece of urban life and emotional violence.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
4:30 p.m. A Gentle Breeze in the Village
The director of Linda Linda Linda returns with this winsome look at the first blush of young love in a small Japanese village.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
7:00 p.m. Slingshot
Brillante Mendoza in Person. Mendoza’s kinetic film thrusts viewers into a Manila slum full of junkies and thieves.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
9:10 p.m. I’m a Cyborg, but That’s OK
Love, insanity, and violence in a bizarre new Korean fantasy from the maker of Oldboy.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
3:00 p.m. Grandmother’s Flower
A family portrait turns up dark WWII-era secrets in this Korean documentary.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
5:00 p.m. Happiness
A new love story from Korea’s melodrama king (Christmas in August).
Sunday, March 16, 2008
7:50 p.m. Never Forever
Gina Kim in Person. Vera Farmiga stars in this Sundance-acclaimed look at interracial marriage.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
7:00 p.m. Serambi
The effects of the 2004 Asian tsunami are captured in this devastating Indonesian documentary, from the director of Opera Jawa.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
8:45 p.m. Buddha Collapsed out of Shame
The beauty and grief of contemporary Afghanistan, as seen by a young girl in Bamian. Directed by Hana Makhmalbaf (daughter of Mohsen).
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
7:00 p.m. Paper Cannot Wrap Up Embers
Documentarian Rithy Panh follows a group of prostitutes who’ve created a new community in Cambodia.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
8:50 p.m. The Voyeurs
Buddhadeb Dasgupta (Memories in the Mist) delivers a sly treatise on love, terrorism, and surveillance in the 21st century.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
7:00 p.m. Yi Yi
Edward Yang’s humanist gem tracks a year in the life of a multigenerational Taiwanese family. “A marvel of delicacy and humor.”—Rolling Stone.
Friday, March 21, 2008
7:00 p.m. 881
Royston Tan’s riotous musical tribute to the uniquely Singaporean performance genre of getai. Like Bollywood karaoke in rainbow-colored tights.
Friday, March 21, 2008
9:15 p.m. The Unseeable
A pretty young woman winds up in a very strange house in this Thai ghost story from the director of Citizen Dog.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
6:00 p.m. Desert Dream
A Mongolian farmer fights to turn barren desert into life-giving forest. From the Korean director of Grain in Ear.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
8:40 p.m. The Flight of the Red Balloon
Hou Hsiao-hsien’s experimental remake of the French children’s classic. Starring Juliette Binoche and the City of Light, Paris.
