ASIAN FILMS TO WATCH OUT FOR

manila skies As something of an antidote to Hollywood’s summer blockbusters, the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) in New York delivered some refreshing cinematic treats. The AAIFF—which wrapped up in late July, is the first and longest-running festival of its kind, spotlighting work by and about Asians. Like its West Coast counterpart, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (which takes place in March), the AAIFF grants rare access to films that are otherwise inaccessible to western audiences.

Jacklyn Amor and Minnie Li, the festival's co-directors, crafted a programme of 23 feature-length films and 71 shorts. The week-long festival opened with "Manila Skies" (pictured) by Raymond Red, a Cannes Palme d’Or-winning director from the Philippines. The film is about an poor worker named Raul (Raul Arellano) who ends up hijacking a plane. Through haunting vignettes, Red captures the harsh realities that plague lower-class workers in the Philippines. He grants a a glimpse of the deplorable living quarters of migrant workers and the deadened eyes of a young prostitute as she is led off by a Western tourist. These scenes are subtle and powerful.

The festival also included several stunning documentaries. The big standout was "Wo Ai Ni Mommy" ("I Love You Mommy"), which will air on PBS in America on August 31st. The film poignantly chronicles the first two years of an adopted Chinese girl's life with her new American family (an eight-year-old orphan who moves into a Jewish home in Long Island). This impressive, patient study duly earned its director, Stephanie Wang-Breal, the festival's award for best new documentary filmmaker.

Many of the films screened at the AAIFF had a grittiness and authenticity that often comes with a lower budget. A particular gem is "Miss Kicki", in which Hakon Liu, a Swedish-Taiwanese director, narrates a story of a Swedish mother and son who try to repair their difficult relationship while travelling through the stunning scenery of Taipei (and speaking in Swedish, Mandarin and English). In what can seem like a small and geographically specific story, Liu has found something universal.

The films curated in the AAIFF highlight the incredible talent percolating beyond our borders. Hopefully this festival and others will galvanise enough interest to bring more of these films into our cinemas.

~ ALESSANDRA HENDERSON

Picture Credit: AAIFF