You Don't Look a Day Over 18: Hyphen's SFIAAFF 30 Coverage

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival makes every March exciting for Bay Area folk, but this year is a little different. SFIAFF turns 30 this year, and instead of planning to stumble around in inebriated existential crisis like I will some unnamed people will when hitting this milestone in 2012, the CAAM festival team is clearly ageing gracefully and has yet another incredible lineup of films and events for us.

Hyphen will be providing you with our reviews of select SFIAAFF films starting Monday, February 27, leading up to the festival kick off at San Francisco’s Castro Theater on Thursday, March 8 where they’ll be screening Quentin Lee's White Frog, starring veterans Joan Chen and B.D. Wong and young ‘uns Harry Shum, Jr. and Booboo Stewart. Yes. Booboo.

Quentin Lee's White Frog.

SFIAAFF spotlights Chen this year with screenings of Saving Face and her directorial debut Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl.

Also on schedule is the world premiere of Tadashi Nakamura’s documentary of ukulele god (and former Hyphen cover man) Jake Shimabukuro; Patrick Wang's indie festival powerhouse In the Family; and India’s official Oscar entry Adam, Son of Abu.

Jake Shimabukuro.

For those of you more looking forward to rubbing elbows than unleashing your inner film geek, check out SFIAAFF’s official after party Festival Social Club at Som Bar in the Mission. You can also head to Mighty for the always popular Directions in Sound to get down with DJ Neil Armstrong and emcee Hopie Spitshard, perhaps the only rapper on earth who can make you dance and also help you file a lawsuit.

Come back next week to read our reviews and catch some of our recaps of festival events. You can visit CAAM's website to brush up on all of the films and events offered up this year at SFIAAFF 30. Support Asian American film! Or else we’ll shame you into it.

Sylvie Kim

Sylvie Kim is a contributing editor at Hyphen. She previously served as Hyphen's blog coeditor with erin Khue Ninh, film editor, and blog columnist.

She writes about gender, race, class and privilege in pop culture and media (fun fun fun!) at www.sylvie-kim.com and at SF Weekly's The Exhibitionist blog. Her work has also appeared on Racialicious and Salon.

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