TaiwaneseAmerican.org is pleased to support the premier Asian American Film Festival in the San Francisco/Bay Area. CAAM Fest, the Center for Asian American Media’s annual festival features amazing works in film, TV, and digital media. This year, their events and screenings are scheduled May 13-23 and available to most audiences in a virtual format to honor Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
With new support from Taiwan Academy, CAAMFest 2021 is proud to showcase “Direct to Taiwan,” a four-film presentation including two features and two shorts. Explore the rich diversity of Taiwanese cinema in this dynamic collection of stories.
We invite you to join TaiwaneseAmerican.org in supporting the Asian and Asian American arts community by virtually attending the films and festivities!
Join us at these screenings:
Taipei Suicide Story | Directed by KEFF (2020) | Drama
Language: Mandarin Chinese with English Subtitles | Length: 45 minutes
At a suicide hotel in Taipei, a receptionist (played by Tender Huang) and a hotel guest (played by Vivian Sung) find their lives crossing at an unexpected intersection. As he begins to defy hotel guidelines and as her emotions begin to rapidly complexify, the pair form an unusual friendship — one that is necessarily transient and yet, perhaps resultantly, strangely profound. Directed by KEFF, TAIPEI SUICIDE STORY tells a gripping tale that reflects on the confluence of unshakeable isolation and genuine human connection — and how the stakes of that relationship are heightened at the precipice that delineates between life and death, and across the immutable passage of time.
TAIPEI SUICIDE STORY, a film by KEFF won the Slamdance 2021 Narrative Grand Jury Prize Award, Audience Award and Acting Prize for the star of the film, Tender Huang.
About the filmmaker: KEFF is a Taiwanese American writer/director and a recent graduate of the NYU Graduate Film program. His first short, “Secret Lives of Asian at Night”, was supported by the Spike Lee Film Fellowship, and award the Jury Prize for Best Asian American Film by the Director’s Guild of America.
Co-Presenter: TaiwaneseAmerican.org
Purchase Tickets to Taipei Suicide Story
Radio! Ready Oh! | Directed by Hong Zipeng | Comedy
Language: Mandarin Chinese with English Subtitles | Length: 94 minutes
On a serendipitous New Year’s Eve, a young interviewee lands a position at a company by mistake and encounters a series of quirky events. The only person who can save this miserable situation is locked in the storage room. While a radio station is facing bankruptcy, an evil cult is out for revenge, and a gathering of crazy DJs, a new battle is about to begin. It is believed that all problems would be resolved before the clock strikes 12, but with this New Year, here come new problems.
About the filmmaker: Director: Tzu-Peng HUNG graduated from Shin- Hsin University, Department of Film and Media study. His works are various, including horror movies like CIRCLE OF NOOSE and TV dramas like THE FEARLESS. RADIO! READY OH! is his first feature focusing on comedy, semi-based on his past personal experiences. He would like to use this title to cheer up the world, for there is always the silver lining.
Co-Presenter: TaiwaneseAmerican.org
Purchase tickets to Radio! Ready! Oh!
Swingin’ | Directed by Shang-Sing Guo | Coming of Age Stories, LGBTQ+ (Shorts)
Language: Mandarin Chinese with English Subtitles | Length: 20 minutes
When sixth-grader boy Qiu is bullied in school for having gay dads, his stepfather Howard, a flamboyant Jazz trumpet player, must confront his own nightmares of childhood bulling before he can provide his son a feeling of security. Swingin’ is the first dramedy/music film of its kind since Taiwan became the first (and only as of today) country in Asia to legalize same-sex in 2019.
About the filmmaker: An alumnus of Berlinale Talents and NYU Graduate Film Program, GUO writes, directs and acts for both film and theatre. Notable works include: Kong Peh Tshat or: How I Learned to Tell a Lie (2012) that competed in festivals including Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, and: Only Meal of the Day (2010) that traveled to festivals worldwide.
Kuroshio Current | Directed by Kun-Yu Lai | Shorts (World Premiere)
Language: Mandarin Chinese with English Subtitles | Length: 20 minutes
A man searches for the amulet his mother gave him before he left for America. He embarks on a surreal journey where he faces his regrets as well as his new future. Writer/director Kun-Yu Lai perfectly captures the sorrow that lies within the immigrant experience, where starting anew creates both tragedy and opportunity.
About the filmmaker: Graduated from Chapman University Film Production, Kun-Yu Lai is a multi-functional filmmaker base in the U.S. Using emotional connections as bones and Taiwanese elements as fresh, he dedicates making films to discuss the people and the society. His works have been selected by San Diego Asian Film Festival, Bolton Film Festival, and The Lift-off Sessions.
Purchase Tickets to Kuroshio Current
CAAMFest on Demand will feature 80+ films available for people to watch at their own convenience between the festival dates. Most of the films will include pre-recorded Q&A’s and shorts will be curated into 14 programs.
Film Schedule: https://caamfest.com/2021/schedule-2/
Free Films & Events: https://caamfest.com/2021/free-screenings-and-events/
How to View CAAMFest On Demand: https://caamfest.com/2021/how-to-on-demand/
CAAM, the Center for Asian American Media, presents CAAMFest, celebrating 39 years of Asian American stories, May 13th through 23rd in San Francisco and online. CAAMFest offers a diverse showcase of live streaming, on-demand, and drive-in programs featuring emerging and veteran filmmakers from around the world. For showtimes and tickets, go to CAAMFEST.com.
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