November 7: San Diego Asian Film Festival Sets Out To Build A More Compassionate Society with First-Ever Virtual Festival
- Diverse array of programming including 29 premieres, over 50 Q&As, 2 drive-in screenings, and a variety of unique online experiences
- Opening Night to showcase documentary 76 DAYS on the lockdown in Wuhan, China at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
Pacific Arts Movement (Pac Arts) presents the 21st Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) from October 23-31, 2020, the most comprehensive portrait of Asian and Asian American cinema in North America. SDAFF will showcase more than 125 films from 24 countries in 34 different languages with over 50 Q&As online. In addition, SDAFF will host 2 drive-in screenings in Convoy District at the Zion Market parking lot in partnership with Asian Business Association.
This curated lineup of films includes the best in both award-winning and cutting-edge cinema from around the world including 29 premieres—15 West Coast premieres, 9 North American premieres, 4 US premieres, and 1 International premiere. In addition, audiences will have access to special live and pre-recorded intros, Q&As, and other unique programming, including SDAFF's Twitch streaming experiences with a virtual lobby in Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons game, to evoke the in-person festival experience that has made SDAFF so unique. The winning independent films and filmmakers will be recognized through a virtual Awards Gala on Sunday, November 1, hosted by Pac Arts Founder Lee Ann Kim and actor Leonardo Nam from HBO's Westworld.
The festival will highlight films that reflect on the defining moments of 2020. 76 DAYS will premiere opening night, a documentary covering the first 76 days of the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan, China. In this story of humanity and compassion, 76 DAYS follows medical staff and patients alike as they battle the COVID-19 pandemic during its early days in Wuhan.
SDAFF's centerpiece film, DOWN A DARK STAIRWELL, is a harrowing and contentious documentary that recounts the murder of Akai Gurley by Peter Liang, a Chinese American police officer in a dark stairwell of a New York City public housing project, igniting a complicated fight for accountability and justice. The case sparked one of the largest Asian-American protests in history.
For two decades, the San Diego Asian Film Festival has been a centerpiece of Asian American culture to the region. Pac Arts influenced how Asian and Asian American cinema evolved during this time and strives to represent the AAPI community through storytelling. In a time where racism and xenophobia towards Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) is increasing and frontline workers are fighting for basic needs, film is a powerful medium to bring communities together in sharing unheard stories and voices from around the world.
QUOTES:
“This year, we're starting the festival with a film that reminds us why we're virtual in 2020. 76 DAYS is about the most devastating pandemic of our times, but it's also about how individuals and institutions will respond to unprecedented challenges” says SDAFF Artistic Director Brian Hu. “We hope that it will bring hope and inspiration to our audiences, and we hope it will re-awaken everyone's excitement about interacting with bold filmmakers like Hao Wu, whose document of front-of-line compassion will be cherished for generations to come.”
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
- Friday, October 23 at 9:00 p.m.
- Opening Film: 76 DAYS
- Q&A: Director Hao Wu
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/special_events/qa-76-days
- Raw and intimate, this documentary captures the struggles of patients and frontline medical professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan.
- Sunday, October 25 at TBD
- Centerpiece Film: DOWN A DARK STAIRWELL
- Q&A: Director Ursula Liang
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/special_events/qa-ursula-liang
- A Chinese American police officer kills an unarmed Black man in a story that divides a city in the fight for justice.
- Saturday, October 31
- Closing Night Film: MOGUL MOWGLI
- Q&A: TBD
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/movies/mogul-mowgli
- A British Pakistani rapper is on the cusp of his first world tour but is struck down by an illness that threatens to derail his big break.
- Sunday, November 1, 3:00 p.m.
- SDAFF Virtual Awards Gala
- Join audiences from around the world to celebrate the top independent films and filmmakers of this year's San Diego Asian Film Festival. This year's virtual awards show will present 10 awards, look back at past festival winners, and showcase acts from local artists. Proceeds from the annual Awards Gala help to support Pacific Arts Movement's Reel Voices educational program – as the students from the Class of 2020 will also be recognized.
- Saturday, October 24 at 9:00 p.m.
- Film: DEFINITION PLEASE
- Q&A: Director Sujata Day
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/special_events/qa-sujata-day
- A former Scribbs Spelling Bee champion must reconcile with her estranged brother when he returns home to help care for their sick mother.
- Sunday, October 25 at 12:00 p.m.
- Film: REEL VOICES SHORTS PROGRAM
- Q&A: Student filmmakers from the REEL VOICES Class of 2020
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/special_events/qa-reel-voices
- Nine filmmakers, nine stories exploring filmmaking from the teen perspective. From our Reel Voices documentary filmmaking program.
- Sunday, October 25 at 5:00 p.m.
- Film: A THOUSAND CUTS
- Q&A: Director Ramona Diaz, film subject and Time Magazine Person of the Year journalist Maria Ressa, moderated by journalist/filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/special_events/qa-ramona-diaz
- Follow journalist Maria Ressa as she places the tools of the free press — and her freedom — on the line in defense of truth and democracy.
- Thursday, October 29 at 8:30 p.m.
- Film: I WILL MAKE YOU MINE
- Q&A and Music Performance: Director Lynn Chen, actors Goh Nakamura & Yea-Ming Chen
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/special_events/qa-lynn-chen
- Three women wrestle with life's difficulties while confronting their past relationships with the same man.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
- Organization: Pacific Arts Movement
- Dates/ time: October 23-31, 2020
- Location: VIRTUAL
- Tickets: Available October 3 at sdaff.org/2020/tickets
- Interviews available: For interviews with filmmakers, actors, or festival staff and a list of available screeners, please fill out a media accreditation form and contact [email protected].
- Link to use in your story: sdaff.org
ADDITIONAL FESTIVAL HAPPENINGS:
- SDAFF Drive-In!: October 24-25
Location: Zion Market Parking Lot
7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92111
- SDAFF x Twitch- Animal Crossing Virtual Lobby
- October 26 and 28, @5PM-7PM (PT)
- Location: Twitch.tv/pacartsmovement
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/sdaff-on-twitch
- SDAFF x Twitch- Mystery Kung-Fu Theater
- October 24, 8:30AM-11:30AM (PT)
- Location: Twitch.tv/pacartsmovement
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/sdaff-on-twitch
- SDAFF x Twitch- Mystery Kung-Fu Theater on 16MM
- October 27, TBD
- Location: Twitch.tv/pacartsmovement
- Link: sdaff.org/2020/sdaff-on-twitch
TICKETING:
Tickets ($8–$12 per screening) and passes (starting at $149) are available now online at sdaff.org. Tickets for films and Q&As will be available on our website at sdaff.org. Most films will be accessible to all residents with billing zip codes inside the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. A select number of films will be restricted to California or San Diego County residents only. While most films will be available to stream during our entire festival (12:00 a.m. Oct. 23, 2020 through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 31, 2020), a select number of films will have limited screening windows.
