Pacific Arts Movement (presenters of the San Diego Asian Film Festival) has curated a special collection of films that will celebrate the elders in the Asian community during its 10th Spring Showcase. The presentation includes three films: “The Wash“, “Cosmopolitan“, and “And Thereafter”. The films are available to stream online from April 23 through May 2 nationwide. Never before released on DVD, “The Wash” and “Cosmopolitan” (converted from Laser Disk technology) — a special feature of the presentation that remembers what life used to be like, especially for the very elders that this presentation aims to celebrate. With films from 3 different countries, “Songs Our Elders Taught Me” will be an exploration of the unique stories of love, history, and culture of the elders in our community and provide a space for these stories to be told.
This festival, historically the largest platform of Asian cinema on the west coast, strives to represent the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community through storytelling. Especially now, in a time of crisis, film has been ever more important in representing the Asian and Asian-American story. This special program aims to humanize elders by sharing their heart-warming, relatable stories and illustrate that they, too, have just as much of a right to the beautiful things in life.
“Recent events have shown what happens when Americans see Asian elders are anonymous and helpless streetwalkers. Our series ‘Songs Our Elders Taught Me' remind us of their secret worlds — their desires, their romances, their histories — that go untranslated by a society that's chosen to see them as less-than human,” says SDAFF Artistic Director, Brian Hu.
“…affirming Asian American elders' humanity requires making them visible. Not just visible onscreen, but bursting with life, dialogue, and passion. It means acknowledging their faults, their hang-ups, and even their biases. It means seeing their lives as connected with our own, whether as their children, grandchildren, neighbors, or fellow Americans” Hu writes in a recent essay about the program.
ABOUT THE FILMS:
“AND THEREAFTER” | USA & Korea, 56 min, directed by Hosup Lee
Hosup Lee's award-winning documentary about a Korean woman who marries an American GI and ends up an outsider in New Jersey.
“COSMOPOLITAN” | USA, 55 min, directed by Nisha Ganatra
After his family leaves him, a recent retiree takes an interest in leftover Cosmo magazines and an intriguing neighbor.
“THE WASH” | USA, 94 min, directed by Michael Toshiyuki Uno
Three legends (Mako, Nobu McCarthy, Sab Shimono) headline this rare 1988 drama about love after separation.
TICKETING:
Tickets are available online at pacarts.org, along with instructions on how to access films. For ticketing info, full film details and schedule, please visit sdaff.org, call (619) 400-5911 or email [email protected]. To learn more about Pac Arts membership, email [email protected].
