| NYC's First Home To Asian Cinema Celebrates 30 Years |
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Now in its 30th year, the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) continues its reign as the longest-running Asian-American film festival. This year's festival will take place exclusively at the Asia Society, with a global showcase of feature narratives, documentaries, short films, and special programs
Asian American International Film Festival July 19-July 28, 2007 Admission: $10 Asia Society and Museum 725 Park Avenue, at 70th Street http://www.asiasociety.org/ http://aaiff.org/ Now in its 30th year, the Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) continues its reign as the longest-running Asian-American film festival.This year's festival will take place exclusively at the Asia Society. The AAIFF is an annual global showcase of feature narratives, documentaries, short films, and special programs. The 2007 festival marks both a glimpse into the future of Asian American filmmaking, highlighting the works of a new generation of emerging talents, and a look back at the historic place of Asian cinema in New York City. Included among the 25 new features are 17 New York premieres and one U.S. premiere, with selections from Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, UK, The Netherlands, United States, among others. Launched in 1978, the AAIFF was created with a mission to provide a formal annual showcase for filmmakers of Asian descent. The AAIFF is one of the first festivals in North America to introduce the public to such internationally acclaimed directors as Oscar winner Ang Lee as well as Oscar nominees Zhang Yimou, Mira Nair, and Ismail Merchant. This year's AAIFF opens with the New York Premiere of "Finishing The Game," a film by acclaimed director Justin Lin ("The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift"). A hilarious “faux documentary,” the film documents, cinema vérité style, the frantic search by Hollywood executives to find a replacement for martial-arts star Bruce Lee, after his fatal accident on the set of his unfinished "Game of Death." Starring Sung Kang and Roger Fan, with appearances by James Franco and MC Hammer, the film features a motley group of Bruce Lee wannabes all vying to become the next big kung fu star. Lin, Fan, and Kang will be in attendance and a gala reception will follow the screening. Tickets for the gala are $50 and can be purchased at aaiff.org. The closing night feature is the New York Premiere of writer-director Gina Kim’s "Never Forever," a critical hit at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Vera Farmiga ("The Departed") stars as Sophie, who is happily married to a successful Korean-American lawyer. When her impotent husband falls into depression, Sophie attempts to save their marriage by paying an undocumented Korean worker, Jihah, to impregnate her. A throwback to the melodramas of Douglas Sirk and Frank Borzage, Never Forever is an honest and emotional look at female desire and interracial relationships. For more information and a complete schedule of screenings, visit aaiff.org. Tickets: Available online at www.aaiff.org and at the Asia Society box office (725 Park Ave. at 70th St.) or by calling 212.327.9385. |
