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For
Immediate Release
15 June 2004
ASIAN CINEVISION KICKS OFF
THE 27th ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Presented by HBO and Time Warner
July 16 – July 24, 2004
New
York, NY – Asian CineVision (ACV), a non-profit
media arts organization dedicated to promoting and preserving
Asian and Asian American media expressions, in association
with Asia Society today announce the 27th Asian American
International Film Festival. Presented this year by
HBO and Time Warner, the festival will run from Friday,
July 16 through Saturday, July 24 at the Asia Society
and Museum and ImaginAsian Theater (www.imaginasiantv.com).
Select films will also be shown at the Cinema
Arts Centre in Huntington, Long Island (www.cinemaartscentre.org)
from July 30 – August 1.
The AAIFF – the nation’s oldest and longest
running festival devoted to works by filmmakers of Asian
descent – annually showcases over 100 films representing
countries from Bangladesh to Thailand. The festival
opens with the gala screening and U.S. premiere of acclaimed
Hong-Kong director Ann Hui’s Goddess of
Mercy (Yu Guan Yin), a thriller starring Zhao
Wei and Nicholas Tse. Buddhist lama Khyentse Norbu’s
spectacular Travellers and Magicians
about a Bhutanese man and his desires to come to America
will be the centerpiece presentation on July 23. The
festival will close on July 24 with the screening of
first-time feature director Nikhil Advani’s Tomorrow
May Never Come (Kal Ho Naa Ho)
where Queens, NY meets Bollywood.
“The AAIFF has always been unique in taking risks
to showcase provocative works not only by internationally
acclaimed filmmakers, but also works of independent
filmmakers who creatively explore unconventional cultural
and social themes,” said Diana Lee, Festival Director.
“In addition to our regular programming of films,
workshops and panels this year, we are excited to include
a new animation program and an ‘Excellence in
Short Filmmaking Award.’”
"The Asia Society is pleased to be hosting this
exciting film festival for the third year in a row,"
said Vishakha N. Desai, Senior Vice President and President-elect
of Asia Society. "In this short time, the AAIFF
has become an important part of Asia Society's programming
and has also become an important platform in presenting
and promoting the accomplishments of Asian and Asian
American cinema."
Festival highlights will include the feature premieres
of After the Apocalypse, (directed
by Yasuaki Nakajima), a futuristic drama about five
survivors trying to make sense of a New World after
a devastating urban catastrophe challenges all their
human needs; Ebolusyon (directed by
Lavrente Diaz), a nine-hour epic narrative about the
struggles of a rural Filipino family; Night
Passage (directed by Trinh Minh-ha), a trans-cultural
journey made in homage to Kenji Miyazawa's novel, Milky
Way Railroad; Slow Jam King (directed
by Steve Mallorca), an offbeat comedy about three guys
on the road who find themselves in the heart of the
Nashville country music scene and Winter Days
(directed by Kawamoto Kihachiro), an animated feature
that brings to life the poems of one of Japan’s
most famous haiku poets, Matsuo Basho. Shorts premieres
will include Lest We Forget (directed
by Jason DaSilva), a documentary that parallels the
treatment of detainees post 9/11 with the treatment
of Japanese-American internees during WWII in America;
Perfection (directed by Karen Lin),
starring Ming-na about an Asian American woman seeking
perfection and Sangam (directed by
Prashant Bhargava), a story about the relationship and
contrasting views of an Indian-American and Indian immigrant.
Other program highlights will include the presentation
of the “Emerging Director Award” and a “64
Hour Shoot-Out” competition in collaboration with
the Asian American Filmmakers Collaborative. ACV will
also hold a special advanced screening of Harold
& Kumar Go to White Castle (directed by
Danny Leiner) which will be released by New Line Cinema
in theaters nationally on July 30th.
Launched in 1978, the AAIFF was created with the mission
to provide a formal annual showcase for filmmakers of
Asian descent. For over two decades, the AAIFF was one
of the first festivals in North America to premiere
and introduce to the public now internationally acclaimed
directors including Oscar-winners Ang Lee, as well as
Oscar-nominees Zhang Yimou, Mira Nair, and Ismail Merchant.
Since its inception, the AAIFF has also helped to pave
the way for the establishment of other Asian film festivals
in major cities – including Chicago, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver.
The 27th AAIFF is sponsored by ImaginAsian TV, JP Morgan
Chase, Woo Art International, Proctor & Gamble,
Southwest Airlines, Cinema Advertising, The New York
Times, NYU Asian/Pacific/American Studies, and Village
Voice.
Tickets will be available for purchase online beginning
June 25 and at the box office at the Asia Society (212-327-9341
or www.asiasociety.org) on June 28. For complete program
information, please visit www.asiancinevision.org or
call the Festival hotline at (212) 989-1422.
###
Asian
CineVision, Inc.
Asian CineVision, Inc. (ACV) is a not-for-profit
national media arts organization dedicated to the promotion
and preservation of Asian and Asian American media expressions.
Since 1978, ACV has annually presented the Asian American
International Film Festival (AAIFF) to showcase cinema
works by international artists of Asian descent. In
addition to the festival, ACV’s programs and services
include film exhibitions, mentoring and educational
outreach, training workshops, publications, and a media
archive. ACV is based in New York City. For more information,
please visit www.asiancinevision.org.
Asia
Society
The Asia Society (www.AsiaSociety.org)
is America's leading institution dedicated to fostering
understanding of Asia and communications between Americans
and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific, through innovative
Asian and Asian American programming.For more information
about Asian CineVision, or to arrange an interview with
Festival Director Diana Lee and other ACV programmers,
please contact:
Jeannie Yip
Bricker & Associates, Inc.
jeannie@brickerandassociates.com
(212) 957-1635
Henry Woo, Asian CineVision, Inc.
publicity@asiancinevision.com
(212) 989-1422
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