San Diego Asian Film Festival 2009

At thirty-something, Joyce De Leon, has done very well for herself as a well-paid executive at a high tech firm in the Philippines. Despite success at work, her personal life has taken a turn for the worse. Not only is the man of her dreams married with a baby on the way, but a visit to the doctor reveals shocking news – she has inoperable breast cancer. With six months to live, Joyce (played by Mylene Dizon) keeps her cancer a secret from everyone and quits her job to put her life in order. With the end of her life looming, Joyce writes a list of things she wants to do before she dies on one hundred Post-It notes displayed on her bedroom wall. From buying a coffin, indulging in the most decadent meals, traveling, and reconnecting with a former boyfriend, Joyce begins taking down the Post-Its one-by-one. At first, her list of tasks - mostly closures and practical undertakings – are easily accomplished. However, as the Post-It notes are whittled down to a final few, Joyce continues to procrastinate about sharing news of her terminal cancer with her mother, who has already lost her husband to the disease. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2008 Pusan International Film Festival, 100 is the directorial debut of screenwriter Chris Martinez, whose film examines the betrayal of the body, celebrates the senses and contemplates the end of life and how to live it. Director Chris Martinez scheduled to attend Oct 17 screening. Sponsored by: Debbi Spungen Sharp Health Plan Co-presented by: Miramar College Diversity/International Education Committee UCSD Kaibigang Pilipino USD Filipino Ugnayan Student Organization (FUSO) Kuya Ate Mentorship Program

West Coast premiere From its confrontational opening scene of a man furious that he had heard Spanish at the local hardware store, 9500 LIBERTY sets the stage of a complex, politically charged drama unfolding in real life. In the center of the storm is one of the richest and most diverse counties in the nation – Prince William County, Virginia – which became ground zero in America’s explosive battle over immigration policy in July of 2007. This is when elected officials adopted a law requiring police officers to question anyone they suspected to be an undocumented immigrant. Opponents cried foul, saying the law legalizes racial profiling while supporters hoped it would be the catalyst to send “illegals” back home. Clashes consumed this community, and caught in the crossfire were filmmakers Eric Byler and Annabel Park who captured hours of raw debate. They turned this footage into a series of videos on Youtube as part of an interactive documentary, which eventually gained the attention of the The Washington Post, and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. 9500 LIBERTY reveals the devastating social and economic impact of the “Immigration Resolution,” felt in the lives of real people in homes and in local businesses. But the ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse this policy unfolds inside government chambers, on the streets, and on the Internet. 9500 LIBERTY provides a front row seat to all three battlegrounds. Directors Eric Byler and Annabel Park are scheduled to attend Screening co-presented by: Anti-Defamation League UCSD Cross Cultural Center USD Trans-Border Institute Bayside Community Center Border Angels MAAC Project ACLU San Diego

World Premier of Director's Cut SDAFF Extreme , "the other side of the San Diego Asian Film Festival," brings you four films on the edge of sanity, including the North American premiere of the director’s cut of Takashi Okazaki’s masterpiece AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION. A masterpiece of the bloodiest kind, Resurrection kicks off SDAFF Extreme with what may be one of the most popular anime in recent history. Afro Samurai (Samuel L. Jackson) has finally found peace after avenging his father’s death and becoming the number one Samurai in the world. But his life of peace soon ends when a mysterious woman from his past returns. While Sio (Lucy Liu) is prepared to destroy Afro just as he destroyed so many to avenge for his father’s death, Afro struggles to understand why? Led by the voice talents of Jackson and Liu, Mark Hamill (Star Wars), and The RZA, the story of Afro Samurai thrills with blood, sex, and the baddest man in a headband ever! As SDAFF Extreme's opening night film AFRO SAMURAI: RESURRECTION fits the bill as top-flight, action-packed entertainment which fuses Asian and African-American cultures like no other. With musical production by the RZA, crisp direction from Fuminori Kizakil, the writing talents of creator Takashi Okazaki, and writer/producers Leo Chu and Eric Garcia, AFRO SAMURAI ranks as the ultimate in first class extreme cinema! - Phil Luque Producers Leo Chu and Eric Garcia to attend Sponsored by: Funimation Spike TV Gonzo Entertainment Film School Confidential Co-presented by: Japan Society of San Diego and Tijuana

A free collection of films for the young at heart. Appropriate for anyone ages 8 and up. EGG ROBOT MOMO Director: Shinhee Kim | 7 min | Video | 2007 Momo - the offspring of a chicken robot and a human robot – goes on a search to find the mother who abandoned him. ALDOW Director: Winston Tao | 9 min | Video | 2009 There's only one thing standing between Lee and getting into Berkeley. Waldo. DEADLINE Director: Bang-yao Liu | 5 min | Video | 2009 Oh, the lengths students will go to procrastinate on homework! THE WHEEL Directors: Jonathan Miller, Patrick Shen | 12 min | Video | 2008 Set in the Old West: three criminals, two bounty hunters, one wheel. MONSTER COINS Director: Vince Vang| 9 min | 35mm | 2008 Two naughty kids discover a special coin at school that unleashes a monster from the vending machine. NEW AGING Director: Jason Wong | 6 min | Video | 2007 A New Age pamphlet peddler gets mugged by a homeless woman and follows her through Chinatown to retrieve his wallet. SPACE TIME DESTROYERS Directors: Chito Arellano, Roman Cortez | 11 min | Video | 2001 Three b-boys try to get their groove on until an evil space overlord gets infected by their universal beat.

Boreak has dreams just like any other little boy. He wants to be a football star, a wrestler, or a rap artist - but at the age of six, he was in a landmine accident. Even after three crude operations and the loss of his right arm, Boreak still has a remarkable sense of optimism and refreshingly lacking in self-pity. Like most children, he is mischievous and inquisitive and rarely acts as if his disability is a hindrance. This film looks at the world through Boreak’s eyes. It is a world that was once bleak, but now brimming with possibilities. Through Boreak, we also meet Aki Ra, a former child soldier, trained by the Khmer Rouge army to lay landmines. Now in his 30s, he hopes to undo what he’s done and tries to make amends by giving children like Boreak a home. He has set up Siem Reap's Landmines Museum and helps remove millions of landmines still buried in his country, Cambodia. AKI RA’S BOYS offers a unique point of view to the effects that a devastating weapon has on its victims and survivors. – Cypress Villaflores

Filmmaker Mark Tran was a 19-year-old San Jose State University student when he wrote the screenplay for his feature debut All About Dad (Audience Award winner, Cinequest FF), based on his experiences growing up in a large Vietnamese family in California. The main character Ty, is based loosely upon himself – a biology major about to give up his studies to pursue filmmaking (a.k.a. the worst thing a Vietnamese father could ever hear from a son). Newcomer Chi Pham steals the show as the patriarch of the Do family, the head figure who only sees hard work, Catholicism, higher education, and loyalty to family as the only means to achieve happiness and success in life. But Mr. Do discovers the inner passions and dreams of his four children, and his world seems to unravel. This often intense family drama is at times also hilarious, touching, and heartbreaking as Mr. Do comes to terms with disappointment, realizing he must learn to accept his children as they truly are or risk losing them. Despite the familiar story of tradition versus modernity, the film never comes off as didactic or heavy-handed. Mr. Tran’s first feature is a fine portrait of a Vietnamese American family just trying to keep up with the times. – Mye Hoang Director/writer Mark Tran and actor Chi Pham scheduled to attend. Co-presented by: Vietnamese-American Youth Alliance of San Diego Vietnamese Student Association of SDSU

Celebrate the diverse Asian experience, cultural identity, and connections to the past. PARALLEL ADELE Director: Adele Pham | 16 min | Video | 2008 Two half-Vietnamese filmmakers, both named Adele, discover their parallel journeys with other “hapas” who share the growing mixed-race experience. BE AWARE Director: Joe Kamimura | 4 min | Video | 2008 A man embarks upon a mysterious adventure that ends in self-reflection. MOTHER DAUGHTER Director: Ileana Chan | 15 min | Video | 2008 An unexpected inheritance leads a young Chinese American woman to uncover her mother’s past, leading to questions about her own life and relationships. I WANT TO BE A DESI 2 Director: Allan Tong | 6 min | Video | 2009 Being Desi—a South Asian immigrant or descendant—requires a bit more than bhangra and spicy curry. YELLOW BROTHERHOOD Director: Tadashi Nakamura | 18 min | Video | 2004 The inspiring story of the “Yellow Brotherhood,” an Asian American community group formed around a basketball team in the 1960s, and how the sons of YB are affected 30 years later. WELCOME TO MY LIFE Director: Elizabeth Ito | 5 min | Video | 2008 An animated story about a family of monsters struggling to be accepted in America. HALF KENNETH Director: Ken Ochiai | 22 min | Video | 2008 1945: after the death of their father, Ken and Jo escape Japanese American internment camp to find their Caucasian mother, but discover something neither of them could have anticipated.

How do you coax life out of thin air? Find out in this program dedicated entirely to the Magical Art of Animation. Deng Long Director: Yu-Heng Chiang | USA | 2 min. | Video | 2009 A Chinese man tries desperately to light an uncooperative lantern before daybreak. Medium: CGI 3D; software: Maya. Life On A Limb Director: David Chai | USA | 6 min. | Video | 2008 Irreconcilable enemies, a tree and a lumberjack, are stuck in a waiting room together. Inevitably, conflict ensues. Will they end up burying the hatchet, or will they end up burying the hatchet? Medium: Traditional 2D; software: Adobe Production Studio Unbelievable Four Director: Sukwon Shin & In Pyo Hong | USA | 4 min. | Video | 2009 An infamous team of superhero politicians takes preemptive action against hundreds of approaching Evil Spaceships but their plan backfires. Medium: CGI 3D; software: Maya. Deadline Director: Bang-Yao Liu | USA | 2 min. | Video | 2009 While rushing to meet a deadline, a student’s wall literally comes alive in the form of thousands of Post-It notes. Medium: live-action stopmotion. The Enlightened Monk Director: Emily Tse | USA | 2 min. | Video | 2009 A monk attempts to defeat a monster that attacks his town through his quick thinking. Medium: CGI 3D; software: Maya. Shuttle T-42 Director: Joon Hyung Kim | USA | 3 min. | Video | 2009 Shuttle T-42 crash lands on an unknown planet leaving young Jay and his mother stranded and helpless. Medium: CGI 3D; software: Maya, Renderman Emotions Director: Kun-I Chang | USA | 2 min. | Video | 2009 Emotions is an animation excerpt from the documentary "Masizakhe” that explores the collective identity of South African activists through their ideologies and diverse initiatives. Medium: live-action & motion graphics; software: AfterEffects Subconscious Director: Jason Chen | USA | 4 min. | Video | 2008 A newborn butterfly emerges from the darkest depths of sadness to begin a new life. Medium: live-action stopmotion Self Portrait Director: Will Kim | USA | 3 min. | Video | 2009 ‘Self Portrait’ is an animated film about an artist’s inspirations and tools that allow him to create a self-portrait of himself. This film deals with the filmmaker’s agony, inner struggles, and unity. Medium: mixed media 2D; software: Photoshop, AfterEffects The Soliloquist Director: Kuang Pei Ma | USA | 6 min. | Video | 2008 A modern fable about the complications of loneliness, fantasy and illusions. Medium: 2D + 3D; software: Photoshop, AfterEffects The Veiled Commodity Director: Dickson Chow & Vinh Chung | USA | 6 min. | Video | 2009 A film that employs various design and animation techniques to retell the history of slavery and the problems of its present day counterpart – human trafficking and the victimization of people around the world. Medium: CGI 3D; software: AfterEffects, 3ds Max Fear Of Change Director: Kun-I Chang | USA | 2 min. | Video | 2009 (see Emotions above) Confine(s) Director: Makoto Yabuki | JAPAN | 3 min. | Video | 2007 A surreal mindtrip into the microscopic world of organic polygons. Medium: CGI 3D; software: Maya Keep Right Director: Sun-woo Yang | USA | 8 min. | Video | 2008 Sunoki, a paranoiac has an adventure of a lifetime in the surreal world of a Korean subway station. Medium: CGI 3D; software: Maya VIOLA:The Traveling Rooms of a Little Giant Director: Shih-Ting Hung | USA | 9 min. | Video | 2008 On a stumble on slippery moss at the 4 o’clock bus stop, little giant Viola steps outside of her own world to reach out for an adventure. She is going to search for the true meaning of Loneliness. Medium: mixed-media & live-action; software: AfterEffects Kudan Director: Taku Kimura | USA | 9 min. | Video | 2008 An uncommunicative man is transformed into a cow-bodied monster and learns a simple lesson about father & son love. Medium: CGI 3D; software: Maya Monster Coins Director: Vance Yang | TAIWAN | 9 min. | 35mm | 2008 One night at school, two naughty kids discover a monster coin that when inserted, makes a monster appear from within a magical vending machine. He grants them a wish that they will never forget. Medium: CGI 3D; software: Maya, Renderman Articles Of War Director: Daniel Kanemoto | USA | 12 min. | 35mm | 2008 A young American pilot fighting in 1944 writes what may be the final letter of his life, bearing his soul to the man who inspired him to enlist… his father, a stoic veteran of World War I. Medium: 2D+3D; software: AfterEffects Co-presented by: Platt College