24th San Diego Asian Film Festival 2023
Nov. 2, 2023
https://sdaff.org/2023/
https://sdaff.org/2023/
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- DirectorImran J. KhanStarsAlicia SilverstoneHasan MinhajRizwan ManjiFollows Ilyas, a 13-year-old boy who navigates the social hierarchy of his new school in California with a mustache his parents won't let him shave.
- DirectorFrank ShawStarsTomi MoriYutaka AbeHisa NumaThe scene opens in Japan, and in a number of wonderfully beautiful scenic settings the young love of Masao and the lovely Hisa are shown. Sweethearts from childhood, the two decide to marry, just before Masao goes away to study in America. Masao is very ambitious and makes a very great success at the University of California, taking many prizes for his athletic prowess, and becoming the favorite of both faculty and students. He is seen winning running and swimming races. The picture takes us back to his beloved Hisa, who is very lonely, and her grief is added to by the death of her father. As he is passing away he administers to her "Katano," or the oath of the sword, which means that in case she commits sin, she is bound by honor to commit hara-kiri, killing herself with the sacred family sword. She is left with her mother and brother. Then the film shows more triumphs of Masao at the University, and a letter from him telling of his love for Hisa. At a reception on the University field day he meets Captain Doane and his wife. Next we see Capt. Doane boarding his ship and going out through the Golden Gate. The ship is wrecked by a typhoon near the Japanese shore, and Doane, almost dead, is rescued from the water by Hisa and her brother. He is taken to Hisa's house, and when he is convalescent a love springs up between them, Hisa forgetting Masao completely. Misa's brother does not approve of the new love, but is powerless to prevent it, and we see Hisa married to Doane, who decides to forget his wife at home and take a new name. He establishes himself, and in another year is in control of the local fishing industry. Next we see Masao, after his four years' course, taking leave at college. He comes home, and not knowing Hisa is married, goes to her house. He finds her with a baby, and is astonished. Just then Doane comes in, and Masao recognizes and denounces him. Doane flees. Masao follows, and after a hard fight kills him. When Masao returns to Hisa's house he finds that she has kept the oath of the sword, and killed herself for the sin of her unfaithfulness.
- DirectorJessica YuStarsAwkwafinaSandra OhWill FerrellA game-show-obsessed woman and her estranged sister work together to help cover their mother's gambling debts.
- DirectorSing J. LeeStarsHiep Tran NghiaDustin NguyenDali BenssalahDuring a routine pickup, an elderly Vietnamese cab driver is taken hostage at gunpoint by three recently escaped Orange County convicts.
- DirectorSarah Kambe HollandStarsLouis TomeoBryson JonSteeleCarlos BasilAfter coming out to her parents, an Asian American teenage girl takes off on a road trip to meet her online crush with the help of her nerdy best friend.
- DirectorKevin Duncan WongTodd SillsKar Yin ThamFrom a single mother trying to find her missing daughter to an elderly woman who is going blind and facing eviction, the low-income residents of San Francisco's single room occupancy housing tell their stories.
- DirectorLeslie TaiAn intimate and kaleidoscopic voyage behind the closed doors of the Chinese birth tourism industry in the U.S.
- DirectorPrashanth KamalakanthanArtemis ShawStarsArtemis ShawPrashanth KamalakanthanCynthia TalmadgeAs a mysterious pandemic emerges, a squabbling couple in lockdown begin to act like children.
- DirectorMiko ReverezaStarsBernadette GutierrezAurora Fernandez ReverezaJet ReverezaProfound portrait of immigration, disillusionment, and the elusiveness of home.
- DirectorRooth TangStarsArt AgnosSunny AnguloWillie BrownA divisive character who dedicated her life to improving conditions in her community, Rose Pak was San Francisco's atypical kingmaker and a controversial power broker.
- DirectorOugie PakStarsArthur PengAnthony LienQi GuAt an underground hostess bar in the San Gabriel Valley, CA, a Taiwanese-American gang member breaks the cardinal rule of his job when he falls in love with the star hostess of the club.
- DirectorH.P. MendozaStarsGrant RosenmeyerPaul RaciLucy DeVitoIn the wake of a tragedy, a grieving widower turns to a mysterious self help book from the dark web written by an eccentric guru, which promises to unlock the power to fly.
- DirectorLinh TranStarsErik BarrientosQun ChiJoyce HaOver the course of a week-long beach side getaway, Amy, having recently undergone dramatic weigh loss, finds herself wrestling between loyalty to her best friend Kim and her attraction to Kim's new boyfriend.
- DirectorLay Jin OngStarsKang Ren WuJack TanKim Wang TanAbang and Adi are undocumented orphans in Malaysia. While the older brother who is deaf has resigned himself to a life of poverty, his younger sibling burns with indignation. A brutal accident upsets their relationship's fragile balance.
- DirectorJohn RogersStarsKhalil RamosAshley OrtegaAdrianna SoA fading social media influencer and a struggling musician exploit each other in a not-so- fake relationship.
- DirectorKim Jee-woonStarsSong Kang-hoLim Soo-jungOh Jung-seDescribed as an experimental and genre-defying drama shot entirely on sound stages in support of a film-within-a-film narrative.
- DirectorTae-hwa EomStarsLee Byung-hunPark Seo-joonPark Bo-youngSurvivors from a massive earthquake struggle for a new life in Seoul.
- DirectorTien-Yu FuStarsHsiao-Fen LuMeng-Po FuMing-Shuai ShihFor 40 years A-Rui has been running a barbershop. One day, she receives a phone call from the family of an old client who moved away, asking if she would be willing to travel to give the bedridden old man a haircut.
- DirectorWonsuk LeeStarsLee HaneeLee Sun-kyunGong MyoungA retired actress who marries an island chaebol and meets a 3-time-test-taker who lives next door.
- DirectorKeng Guan ChiuStarsAi Leng OngLi Xuan SiowFelina CheahWhen Mei Ling discovers that her daughter Kiki wants to further her studies in France, she takes it upon herself to learn French and earns more money so that she could accompany Kiki.
- DirectorNobuhiro YamashitaStarsDaichi AsaiRion FukumuroAki HanoAchu is a postal worker, known as the "disappointing handsome guy". Achu, who is one second faster than others, always wakes up one second before the alarm clock rings. Rinka is a seventh year photographer in college. Rinka, who was one second slower than others, always closed her eyes when taking photos and never opened them to take a commemorative photo.
- DirectorParis ZarcillaStarsEva-Jane WillisDavid HaymanLeanne BestAn undocumented Filipina immigrant lands a job as a care-worker for a terminal old man, securing a better life for her and her daughter. But a dark discovery threatens to destroy everything she's strived for and holds dear.
- DirectorDamon Fepulea'iStarsJohn-Paul FoliakiDimitrius Schuster-KoloamatangiIlaisaane GreenWhen Maka and Veni fail in getting tickets for the most important game of their lives, they decide to form a traditional Tongan marching band, just so they can go to the game. No one in their band of misfits knows anything about marching and they practice using plastic bottles and tin cans for instruments. It is a complete shambles and if they can't get their act together, they will embarrass their entire Tongan community in front of the world. However, what starts out as just a cynical scam to see a rugby game becomes a journey of self-discovery in which Maka and Veni will learn the importance of their Tongan culture.
- DirectorJunta YamaguchiStarsRiko FujitaniManami HonjôGôta IshidaOn a calm winter's day, a mountain inn becomes trapped in a time loop.
- DirectorJason YuStarsKim Gook HeeYoon Kyung-hoLee Sun-kyunA young, expectant wife must figure out how to stop her husband's nightmarish sleepwalking habits before he harms himself or his family.
- DirectorYee-Wei ChaiStarsMark LeePeter YuXenia TanTwo middle-aged fathers bond over their love for their daughters in this affecting dramedy about friendship in our golden years.
- DirectorWanweaw HongvivatanaWeawwan HongvivatanaStarsThitiya JirapornsilpAnthony BuisseretSupakson ChaimongkolA nostalgic, coming-of-age story of identical twin sisters who share every aspect of their lives with one another, until one day a boy walks into their lives and puts their strong bond to the test.
- DirectorHaofeng XuJunfeng XuStarsXu ChangchuJacky HeungMaotao HuFollows two bitter rivals as they duel for stewardship of a wushu academy.
- DirectorJiayin LiuStarsGe HuLei WuXi QiThe life story of a former writer who wrote eulogies for others.
- DirectorAnn HuiStarsCanran HuangWai-Tong LiuAh-Lam DengAnn Hui's personal encounters with some of Hong Kong's most notable poets, showing the topography of contemporary poetry on and of the city.
- DirectorRyûsuke HamaguchiStarsHitoshi OmikaRyô NishikawaRyûji KosakaTakumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a camping site near Takumi's house, offering residents a comfortable escape to nature.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsGi Ju-bongKim Min-heeA woman in 40s living at friends home answers briefly, and a man in 70s living alone end up giving longer answers, had visitor for lunch in front of their guests, coincidentally they both added hot pepper paste to their ramyun.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsShin Seok-hoHa Seong-gukKim Seung-yunA young actor explores the surroundings, waits for the right light to emerge and watches the horizon from the coast.
- DirectorSoi CheangStarsLok Man YeungCharm Man ChanTing Yip NgRevolves around a fortune teller and a murderer.
- DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsSakura AndôEita NagayamaSoya KurokawaA mother demands answers from her son's teacher when her son begins acting strangely.
- DirectorWang BingZhili is one of the centers of the textile industry and people around rural areas flock there for work. They toil away tirelessly, live in squalid conditions, face prejudice from their families, and have to fight for better pay.
- DirectorKanu BehlStarsMohit AgarwalPriyanka BoseVibha ChhibberA family and an exploration of space in an increasingly crowded world. It follows the quest for a sexual odyssey of an individual.
- DirectorJoseph Mangat
- DirectorThien An PhamStarsLe Phong VuNguyen ThinhVu Ngoc ManhA man returns to his hometown, where he's haunted by past memories and desires.
- DirectorKimi TakesueONLOOKERS offers a visually striking, immersive meditation on travel and tourism in Laos, reflecting on how we all live as observers. Traversing the country's dusty roads and tranquil rivers, we watch as elaborate painterly tableaus unfold, revealing the whimsical and at times disruptive interweaving of locals and foreigners in rest and play. Drawn to spectacle, tourists swarm to magnificent Buddhist temples, the ordered rituals of monks, and sites of dazzling natural beauty, then recede like a passing tide, leaving Laotians to continue with their daily lives. ONLOOKERS transports viewers on a sensorial journey of deep looking and listening, inviting audiences to reflect on their own modes of tourism, while asking the looming existential questions: Why do we travel? What do we seek?
- DirectorChloe AbrahamsA hypnotically cinematic love letter flowing through time and generations. Director Chloe Abrahams probes raw questions her mother and grandmother have long brushed aside, tenderly untangling painful knots in her family's unspoken past.
- DirectorAli AsgariAlireza KhatamiStarsBahram ArkAli AsgariSadaf AsgariOrdinary people navigate societal constraints in a series of vignettes.
- DirectorAmanda Nell EuStarsZafreen ZairizalDeena EzralPiqaAn 11-year-old girl who is carefree until she starts to experience horrifying physical changes to her body.
- DirectorJen WanStarsChiu-Yen ChenI-Chen KoMing-Ming SuAh-fei's mother, Hsin-chin, comes from a well off family headed by a doctor. Hsin-chin's marriage to a young engineer is not a happy one. Her circumstances change for the worse, and she can no longer count on her philandering husband to be the breadwinner. Her own family's fortunes have also declined with the death of her father. She is forced to pawn off her dowry to make ends meet. After paying off a bribe to some young men because her husband had had an affair with a married woman, Hsin-chin begins to asert herself as a matriarch. The family moves to Taipei where Ah-fei grows up and begins to show progress in her studies. Her father has changed into a meek and humble person, while her mother wields all the power. Ah-fei, being the daughter, is not favored by her mother, who looks more to her son. Thus Ah-fei must fight to convince her mother to let her go to a better school.
- DirectorCurtis ChoyAfter the Manongs labored to build America, their San Francisco Manilatown community is wiped out by urban renewal, and 50 old-timers are forcibly evicted from the International Hotel by 300 cops in the dead of night. This film documents destruction of the last block of Manilatown in Kearney Street.
- DirectorKaige ChenStarsLeslie CheungFengyi ZhangGong LiTwo boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.
- DirectorDuane KuboRobert A. NakamuraStarsMakoHiroshi KashiwagiPat MoritaThe film looks back at the life of a man named Oda and other Japanese Americans through the decades as they face great challenges and joys living in the United States.
- DirectorShinji SômaiStarsYuichi MikamiYûki KudôTomokazu MiuraThe movie takes place in the five-day period before, during and after a ferocious, seemingly liberating typhoon, which several students endure while marooned in their school gymnasium.