Asian-American film fest goes beyond ethnic identity
Emily Wilson

SAN FRANCISCO—Asian-American cinema is coming of age as a new generation of directors as well as established filmmakers agonize less over identity, and instead cross borders to explore more universal themes. These fluid frontiers and global dynamics are being showcased at San Francisco’s 26th annual International Asian American Film Festival, the largest of its kind in North America, which opened Thursday.
“So many Asian-American filmmakers are looking abroad for stories and actors and financing,” said festival director Chi-hui Yang. He points to films such as “Both Never Forever” about adultery in a marriage and “West 32nd” which have both Korean and Asian-American actors. They also have Korean financing, Yang said, highlighting the kind of international co-production which is happening more and more.
This crossover is helping to blur the lines between Asian and Asian-American cinema, said assistant festival director Taro Goto. “Increasingly, I see that Asian-Americans no longer need to explain who they are,” he said. “It’s just a given and a subtext, not the subject matter.”
“Pretty to Think So”, which premiers at the festival, is an example of this trend, focusing on a love story set in the economy of post dot-com New York, rather than on the ethnicity of the main characters, Goto stressed. At the same time, Asian-Americans are returning to their roots and heading back to Asia, he said, pointing to such actors as San Francisco Bay Area native Daniel Wu who has moved to Hong Kong and become a superstar of Asian movies.
“Movie makers are graduating from the identity phase and embracing a more direct connection with Asia,” said Goto. “‘Always B-Boyz’ is set in Korea, ‘Amal’ is set in India and ‘Santa Mesa’ was made in the Philippines.” Wu leads the cast in “Blood Brothers,” set in 1930s Shanghai, which will be among the 120 movies screened at the 10-day festival.