NORTHWEST ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
FEBRUARY 26 - MARCH 1, 2009 | SEATTLE, WA
home > blog
 

NWAAFF update, April 13, 2007


Lots going on in the next couple weeks (see below for details):

  • Tomorrow, April 14: A free screening of the powerful documentary SENTENCED HOME at Northwest Film Forum
  • Friday, April 20: Seattle theatrical premieres for our two most popular films from NWAAFF 2007, JOURNEY FROM THE FALL and THE CATS OF MIRIKITANI

If you were unable to watch JOURNEY or CATS at our festival, here's your chance to see what you missed!

Other news of note:

Also, lots of great pictures from NWAAFF 2007 on flickr.com. (Follow the link or search for the tag "nwaaff2007.")

P.S. Save the date: NWAAFF 2008 takes place January 24-27, 2008. Call for entries coming soon!

---------------------------------------------

APRIL 14 Sat at 4pm
NORTHWEST FILM FORUM, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle WA 98122
ITVS COMMUNITY CINEMA AND NORTHWEST FILM FORUM PRESENT:
SENTENCED HOME
(Nicole Newnham & David Grabias, USA, 2006, DVD, 73 min.)

Filmed in Seattle and Cambodia, SENTENCED HOME tells the stories of three young Cambodian refugees who each made a rash decision as a teenager that irrevocably shaped their destiny. Now facing deportation back to Cambodia years later, they find themselves caught between a tragic past and an uncertain future by a system that doesn’t offer any second chances. Local participants will attend. Admission free with RSVP to rsvp@communitycinemaseattle.org or (800) 930-6060.

Outreach website: www.itvs.org/outreach/sentencedhome

---------------------------------------------

JOURNEY FROM THE FALL

Inspired by actual events, JOURNEY FROM THE FALL follows one family's fight for freedom in the wake of war-torn Vietnam, communist political prison camps, and the mass exodus of boat people.

On April 30th, 1975, Long Nguyen chooses to stay in Vietnam against his wife's wishes and fight for his beloved country. Knowing that his decision may separate him from his family forever, he asks his wife, Mai, to leave their homeland for safer shores. Together with her son and mother-in-law, Mai reluctantly boards a tiny fishing boat bound for America and they begin a perilous journey across the sea, with nothing but hope to keep them alive.

Meanwhile, as the city of Saigon falls under communist rule, Long is captured and imprisoned in a series of re-education camps. There, he endures solitary confinement and witnesses the death of his friends, spiraling him downwards into a deep despair. Believing his family is dead, Long's faith is revived when a mysterious visitor brings news of their survival in the new world. In one moment his fate becomes clear, and he sets in motion a dangerous plan to escape and join his family in freedom.

Special Jury Prize, Newport Beach Film Festival • Audience Award, San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival • Grand Jury Award, San Diego International Film Festival

Official website: www.journeyfromthefall.com

STARTING 4/20/2007

SEATTLE (DOWNTOWN), WA: Regal Meridian 16
SEATTLE (COLUMBIA CITY), WA: Columbia City Cinema

---------------------------------------------

APRIL 20-26 Fri-Thurs at 7, 9pm
NORTHWEST FILM FORUM, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle WA 98122
SEATTLE THEATRICAL PREMIERE
CATS OF MIRIKITANI
(Linda Hattendorf, USA, 2006, 35mm, 74 min)

Unsentimental and frequently funny, CATS OF MIRIKITANI shows how individual goodness can mitigate against greater evils. “Make art not war” is Jimmy Mirikitani's motto. He’s a fiercely independent octogenarian artist. By 2001, however, he was living on the streets of New York City. Filmmaker Linda Hattendorf first noticed him bundled against the weather, concentrating on his colorful drawings. She began documenting their meetings. On 9/11/01, she found Jimmy still outdoors, coughing in the toxic dust. Bringing him to her apartment, they become impromptu roommates. The unassuming filmmaker and elderly artist explore Mirikitani’s painful past and seek out his long-lost relatives-aided and abetted by Hattendorf's pet cat. Mirikitani even travels back to the camp where he was interned, to make peace with the past. But most importantly, he shares his story with someone who listens.

After the Friday 7pm screening, special guests Linda Ando (2006 Tule Lake Pilgrimage Participant and Seattle CATS rep) and Cassie Chinn (Wing Luke Asian Museum Deputy Director of Programs and organizer of Jimmy Mirikitani's Seattle art exhibit in July 2006) will be available for Q&A.

After the Saturday 7pm screening, special guests Stan Shikuma (Tule Lake Pilgrimage Committee Member and Northwest CATS rep) and Linda Ando, (2006 Tule Lake Pilgrimage Participant and Seattle CATS rep) will be available for Q&A.

Official website: www.thecatsofmirikitani.com

Buy tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/11048

---------------------------------------------

New DVD from the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors!

"… biting, incisive, devastating comedy …"

—Ossie Davis, activist/actor, Do the Right Thing, Get on the Bus

Female Circumcision. Dancing Testicles. Bruce Lee Cooking. Chinese Geishas. These subjects are the basis for an average day of side-splitting sketch comedy from the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, an audacious pan-Asian comedy troupe from California. Hailed as one of the most devastatingly funny acts of the past decade, most of America has never heard of them. Mighty Warriors of Comedy provides a rousing introduction to the members and a thoughtful exploration of whether or not after twelve years of performing, the group will break out. The film traces the struggle that fringe artists face, and how that battle is complicated further by cultural identification.

To purchase:
http://catalog.asianamericanmedia.org/film/249

Official website: www.mightywarriorsofcomedy.com

---------------------------------------------



// posted by Wes on Friday, April 13, 2007  /
Comments:

Post a Comment


Links to this post:

Create a Link

northwest asian american film festival is a production of northwest asian american theatre