The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) announced the fully in-person program lineup for CAAMFest 2023, taking place May 11-21, 2023 in San Francisco. Opening Night of this year’s festival is headlined by the film Joy Ride directed by Adele Lim at the Castro Theatre.
“These last few years have deeply altered us and we are only starting to journey towards each other again,” says Festival and Exhibitions Director Thúy Trần. “CAAMFest 2023 is a call to gather so that we may witness each other’s transformations, restore our bonds, and bask in our joys.”
“As we’ve seen in the latest awards season, Asian American stories resonate with audiences,” says CAAM Executive Director Stephen Gong. “Some of those stories come from Hollywood, and others originate in communities like the ones we live in here in the Bay Area. That’s why it’s been the mission of our festival for over 40 years to bring the diversity of Asian American narratives to local audiences.”
The festival program for CAAMFest 2023 is outlined below. .
GALA AND SHOWCASES
OPENING NIGHT FILM: JOY RIDE
Directed by Adele Lim
The hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery centers on four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. When Audrey’s (Ashley Park) business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo (Sherry Cola), her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat (Oscar-nominated Stephanie Hsu), her college friend turned Chinese soap star; and Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), Lolo’s eccentric cousin. Their no-holds-barred, epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are. This screening is made possible with support from Amazon.
OPENING NIGHT GALA
Asian Art Museum
Following the debauchery-on-film that is Joy Ride, let’s continue to embody pure merriment at our ritual CAAMFest Opening Night Gala! We are back at the Asian Art Museum for a glittery evening together with succulent treats from Hết Sẩy Cali and Tacos Sincero, vegan nom noms by Chef Reina, and (oh, honey) sooooooo much more. Amidst the shimmer of it all, we are bringing Tarot and henna to adorn your deserving spirit and body. And spoiler alert, you WILL BE lured onto the dance floor by only the best in beats. It will be the moment of moments, punctuated by the city’s finest drag artists, where we as a community will know without a doubt how collectively worthy we are of this JOY! The truest kind of welcome to CAAMFest 2023! This program is made possible with support from Amazon and the Asian Art Museum.
CENTERPIECE DOCUMENTARY: LIQUOR STORE DREAMS
Directed by So Yun Um
Director and liquor store baby, So Yun Um and her father have never seen eye to eye on anything, especially not her career choices. Although his liquor store has provided her financial stability to dream big, there’s tension between father and daughter, and how their Korean culture and store have had a complicated past within a Black community. So goes on a journey to unpack this tension as well as the generational divide between her and her father. In contrast, in the wake of his father’s passing, Danny Park quits his dream job at Nike and returns home to help his mother run the family store on Skid Row. LIQUOR STORE DREAMS is a portrait of two second-generation Korean Americans trying to create their own future by honoring their parents’ past through understanding and healing.
CENTERPIECE DOCU-NARRATIVE: STARRING JERRY AS HIMSELF
Directed by Law Chen
Jerry is a retired, divorced Taiwanese immigrant living in Orlando. One day, he gets an urgent call from the Chinese police. They inform him that he’s the prime suspect in an international money laundering investigation where $1.28mm was illegally moved through his Florida bank account. Under threat of arrest and extradition to China, the police force Jerry to cooperate and be an undercover agent in their case. After months of keeping the investigation a secret, Jerry finally reveals everything to his family. His three sons decide to document his ordeal and discover the truth about what really happened and how it changed Jerry’s life forever.
CENTERPIECE NARRATIVE: THE ACCIDENTAL GETAWAY DRIVER
Directed by Sing J Lee
Long, a Vietnamese driver in Southern California answers a late-night call for a ride. Already in his pajamas, he reluctantly accepts, picking up a man, Tây, and his two companions. But the men, recently escaped convicts from an Orange County jail, take Long hostage at gunpoint, thrusting him into their getaway plan. When complications arise, the fugitives and their hostage hole up at a motel, and a tense waiting game unfolds. Sing J. Lee’s striking visuals and mood-driven aesthetic set the tone for unnerving intensity, punctuated by moments of humor and warmth. Inspired by a true story, this is not just a crime film, but a stirring portrait of this lonely, old man and his relationship with Tây. It’s hard to overstate the captivating presence and poignance of Hiệp Trần Nghĩa in carrying the burdens of Long’s past —expressed through lyrical and gently surreal interludes: war, re-education camp, family estrangement, and now his marked isolation, having lost every “home” he’s ever known.
RETROSPECTIVE SPOTLIGHT
For this year’s Retrospective Spotlight, CAAMFest honors the trailblazing Rea Tajiri.
“CAAMFest is thrilled to shine its Retrospective Spotlight on artist and filmmaker Rea Tajiri, whose recent work, Wisdom Gone Wild, continues a career-spanning exploration of history, memory, family, and trauma,” says CAAM Executive Director Stephen Gong.
In addition to presenting Tajiri’s latest documentary, Wisdom Gone Wild, the festival will also revive the historic History & Memory and Strawberry Fields for a rare screening.
Wisdom Gone Wild, directed by Rea Tajiri
Wisdom Gone Wild, reflects elder consciousness, the power of listening, and the healing empathy of being heard. Filmmaker Rea Tajiri partners with her mother, Rose Noda, to create a film about entering the world of a person living with dementia. Together, they nurture their connection through listening, art, and song. Expected guests: Filmmaker Rea Tajiri and Associate Producer Reiko Tahara.
Strawberry Fields, directed by Rea Tajiri
Set in 1971, against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, Strawberry Fields, tackles the minefield between cultural history and personal memory. After a visitation from the ghost of her sister, a rebellious 16- year-old Japanese American girl hits the road with her boyfriend in search of a better life. Hooking up with activist friends along the way, Irene comes to an important realization about her past; her parents were incarcerated in an internment camp during WWII. She detours her road trip, ditches her boyfriend, and drives off into the Arizona desert in a determined search for the truth that will set her free. With music from Chicago Indie bands: SEAM, Veruca Salt, Tortoise, Squash Blossom, and others. Expected guest: Filmmaker Rea Tajiri.
History And Memory, directed by Rea Tajiri
Groundbreaking and haunting, this film is a poetic composition of recorded history and non-recorded memory. Filmmaker Rea Tajiri’s family was among the 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans who were imprisoned in internment camps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. And like so many who were in the camps, Tajiri’s family wrapped their memories of that experience in a shroud of silence and forgetting. Ruminating on the difficult nature of representing the past – especially a past that exists outside traditional historic accounts – Tajiri blends interviews, memorabilia, a pilgrimage to the camp where her mother was interned, and the story of her father, who had been drafted pre-Pearl Harbor and returned to find his family’s house removed from its site.
History and Memory will be preceded by the following shorts:
Many Moons, directed by Chiasa Hughes
Let Me Take You Home, directed by Evelyn Hang Yin
Blue Garden, directed by Natalie Murao
HONG KONG CINEMA SHOWCASE
Deliverance, directed by Kelvin Shum
A fractured family of four brothers & sister confronts haunting memories of their mother’s passing 15 years ago. 15 years have passed, Nicole (Summer Chan) returns home to Hong Kong reuniting with her three brothers, gradually clinging onto the shattered memory from the night of her mother’s passing. Through hypnosis sessions with her big brother Joseph (Simon Yam), the trauma that the family sustained is unexpectedly reawakened when she desires to connect back with her memories. As a result, the world around this family takes on a dark form and love becomes almost undefinable.
PACIFIC SHOWCASE
Family Ingredients
Emmy Award-winning Family Ingredients is a first-of-its-kind series that celebrates Pacific Islanders’ stories through food, connecting our genealogy to what we eat. A cinematic beautyscape, Family Ingredients showcases Hawai‘i’s small town communities and highlights untold stories and exhilarating experiences that cross the Pacific Ocean. The show is a joyful ode to farmers, food producers, and families.
Kāinga, directed by Michelle Ang, Ghazaleh Golbakhsh, HASH, Nahyeon Lee, Angeline Loo, Asuka Sylvie, Yamin Tun, and Julie Zhu.
Kāinga navigates the thorny terrain of home in Aotearoa New Zealand from the perspectives of 11 Pan-Asian women. Writers and directors from Māori-Chinese Aotearoa, China, Philippines, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Tamil Eelam, explore the historical connection to tangata whenua, feelings of isolation, community support in lieu of family, home precarity, excitement about making a home, longing to be “back home”, being othered at home, and finally claiming home. Each 10-minute story, set in the same house across several decades, honors these experiences one brick at a time.
PACIFIC SHORTS PROGRAM
Forget pineapples and palm trees. These are the real stories from and about Hawai’i and its people. From the housing crisis to conservation to loss of land to water population, these films reflect the issues they face and the hopes and struggles of their daily lives and the future of their communities.
After The Endling, directed by Daniel A. Kelin, II
E Mālama Pono, Willy Boy, directed by Scott W. Kekama Amona
Pō’ele Wai, directed by Tiare Ribeaux
The Last Rodeo, directed by Alison Week & Liz Barney
FILM
DOCUMENTARIES
Big Fight In Little Chinatown, directed by Karen Cho
Big Fight in Little Chinatown is a story of community resistance and resilience. Set against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic and an unprecedented rise in anti-Asian racism, the documentary takes us into the lives of residents, businesses, and community organizers whose neighborhoods are facing active erasure. Expected guest: Filmmaker Karen Cho.
This film is preceded by the short, Don’t Be Sorry by David Au, about a timid but resilient ajumma who feels empowered to fight back when she discovers face-slapping competition videos on the internet.
Crossings, directed by Deann Borshay Liem
In Crossings, a group of international women peacemakers sets out on a risky journey across the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, calling for an end to a 70-year war that has divided the Korean peninsula and its people. The groundbreaking mission of Women Cross DMZ is captured in an intimate cinema vérité style, framed with historic newsreels of the Korean War and punctuated with dramatic contemporary news coverage. Expected guests: Filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem and activist Christine Ahn.
Fanny: The Right To Rock, directed by Bobbi Jo Hart
Fanny: The Right to Rock is about a band formed by Filipina Americans from the Central Valley in the 1960s. The film explores Fanny’s uphill battle to complete and release their new album, with the fascinating herstory of the band’s improbable journey during their 70s heyday. This screening is made possible with support from Mona Lisa Yuchengco. Expected guests: Filmmaker Bobbi Jo Hart and Fanny members Brie Darling, Alice De Buhr, Jean Millington, June Millington, and Patti Quatro.
Jeanette Lee vs., directed by Ursula Liang
Jeanette Lee vs. is an intimate portrait about the life and career of the world’s most famous pool player, Jeanette Lee—also known as The Black Widow. Rising to fame and dominance in the 90’s the Korean American phenomenon took the world by storm. Her style, fierce play, and media savvy made her a household name at a time when strong women and Asian Americans were often marginalized. This feature documentary, directed by Ursula Liang (Down a Dark Stairwell) and produced by Cora Atkinson (Summer of Soul), takes fans and newcomers behind the glitz and glam and shows Jeanette unfiltered and candid about her journey through fame, trauma, family and pool. An extended conversation with icon Jeanette Lee and filmmaker Ursula Liang to follow.
Jeanette Lee vs. is preceded by the short, TEAM CHOI by Sangsun Choi, about Hayun, a 12-year-old archery prodigy.
Nurse Unseen, directed by Michele Josue
Nurse Unseen explores the little-known history and humanity of the unsung Filipino nurses risking their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic while facing a resurgence of anti-Asian hate in the streets. Expected guest: Filmmaker Michele Josue.
Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story, directed by Jennifer Takaki
An intimate portrait of Chinese American photographer Corky Lee whose pioneering work documented the richness and complexity of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) experience for half a century. Lee’s fascinating photographs of daily life, cultural celebrations, and social justice movements reveal a rare record of a community often overlooked by mainstream media – and demonstrate the power of photography as a tool for advocacy and social change. Expected guests: Filmmaker Jennifer Takaki and Producer Linda Woo.
This film is preceded by the short, TRACING HISTORY by Jalena Keane-Lee about the filmmaker and her mother’s journey of self-discovery and reclamation as they tour the railroad sites built by their ancestors six generations ago.
Unconditional, directed by Richard Lui
Unconditional is a revealing film about the arc of mental health that challenges 50+ million families each year. It is a film that shows us how mental health is not what we think it is. It is not only the polar extremes of what the media often describes it to be. It comes in hundreds of shades and in places we do not notice. Filmed over seven years, three families open up their lives as they explore what a hidden wound is and how to talk about it. This screening is made possible with support from AARP. Expected guest: Filmmaker Richard Lui.
Unseen, directed by Set Hernandez
Most people dream of a better future. Pedro, an aspiring social worker, is no different. But as a blind, undocumented immigrant, Pedro faces political restrictions to obtain his college degree, secure a job in his field, and support his family. As he finally graduates, uncertainty looms over Pedro. What starts as a journey to provide mental health care for his community ultimately transforms into Pedro’s path toward his own healing. Through experimental cinematography and sound, “unseen” reimagines the accessibility of cinema, while exploring the intersections of immigration, disability, and mental health.
NARRATIVES
B-Side: For Taylor, directed by Christina YR Lim
A year after the sudden death of her mother, Taylor, a 14-year-old Korean-American adoptee becomes increasingly desperate to find her birth parents, especially as her relationship with her father grows more estranged. But when a Korean family unexpectedly immigrates to her all-white neighborhood, she befriends a new maternal figure who connects her to her roots and helps her uncover the truth about her birth family’s whereabouts.
Jamojaya, directed by Justin Chon
A father-son relationship is put to the test when an up-and-coming rapper at the crossroads of his career decides to let go of his manager, who is also his father. This decision forces them to confront the past and figure out what they want from each other
Land of Gold, directed by Nardeep Khurmi
When Kiran Singh, a 1st Gen Punjabi-American truck driver and expectant father, hears pounding coming from inside his truck’s trailer, he finds Elena, a young Mexican-American girl stowed away onboard. Kiran’s already tumultuous life takes a drastic turn as he seeks to reunite her with her family. As the pair ride across the changing American landscape, Kiran faces what it means to be a father while Elena learns how to trust again. They connect through family, dreams of the future, and a healthy debate over God’s existence, all while the ghosts of the past, racially charged encounters, and the threat of I.C.E. linger over their journey. Expected guest: Filmmaker and actor Nardeep Khurmi.
Last Summer Of Nathan Lee, directed by Quentin Lee
18-year-old Nathan Lee finds out he has brain cancer and asks his best friend Dash to document his remaining life which he vows to live with passion. Expected guests: Filmmaker Quentin Lee, writer/producer Dennis Escobedo, actor/producer Harrison Xu, actor Matthew Mitchell Espinosa, and actor Dru Perez.
The Harvest, directed by Caylee So
After a car accident leaves his family in need of his help, Thai returns home to Southern California, only to find his whole world in disarray. With mounting medical bills and secrets of their own, the family watches as Cher, a tough and stubborn Hmong father, suffers through the devastating effects of kidney failure. Thai struggles to choose between his fractured relationship with his family, or a life free from the burden of traditions. Expected Guest: Filmmaker Caylee So.
This Time, directed by Sebastien Tobler
Long lost high school sweethearts, Laela and Colin, unexpectedly reunite in Los Angeles 23 years after being separated during the 1998 riots in Jakarta, where they were torn apart without notice, unable to say goodbye, and flown away to different countries. When they see one another again, the temptation to reconnect with a kindred spirit is irresistible despite Laela’s looming deadline and Colin’s impending move to Pennsylvania. As the star-crossed lovers examine the choices that led them down their separate paths and back again, Laela and Colin must decide if they’re still in love or just nostalgic for the past.
Topline, directed by Romeo Candido
Topline is a musical dramedy about the world of professional songwriters for young adults. It is a series about growing up. About how relationships can bend and break in the wind of ambition. About finding the strength to overcome obstacles and finding the true value of your own voice. Expected guest: Filmmaker Romeo Candido.
Waiting For The Light To Change, directed by Linh Tran
Over the course of a week-long beachside getaway, Amy, having recently undergone traumatic weight loss, finds herself wrestling between loyalty to her best friend Kim and her attraction to Kim’s new boyfriend.
SHORT PROGRAMS
AYCE (ALL YOU CAN EAT)
We’re not surprised that people love making and watching films about food. Food is one of the most inclusive and beautiful ways to access a culture. These shorts show that the duality of food is endless – an expression of love or a weapon of control, an anchor to tradition or imagination of what could be, or all of these things at once. Wear your stretchy pants for this one.
Becoming Yamazushi, directed by G Yamazawa
Cambodian Futures, directed by Dustin Nakao-Haider
Eid Mubarak, directed by Mahnoor Euceph
Matsutake, directed by Theodore Caleb Haas
Shallots And Garlic, directed by Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
THE MOURNING AFTER
After the last four years, we are here. In a place where we are NOT not grieving. Whether it is the reality of never returning to the before times, the passing of loved ones, or climbing out of burnout, our grief IQ is a real thing. In their way of saying it’s okay to not be okay, these ardent filmmakers confront how death hits those left behind, gifting these stories to help metabolize our emotions together in a dark theater. Bring your tissues for this one.
Carrion, directed by Yvonne Zhang
Lahi, directed by Reina Bonta
Take Me Home, directed by Liz Sargent
The Van, directed by Bernard Badion
MAMA TRAUMA
Mom! She can be your best friend or the reason for your therapy bills (likely both), and you wouldn’t be alone. This collection of films explores the complex, rich, nuanced, upsetting, and loving relationships between mothers and their children and gives us a mother’s-eye view of what happens when you take on “the world’s hardest job.”
Elite Match, directed by Kathy Meng
Instant Noodle, directed by Michelle Sastraatmadja
Overdue, directed by Abigail Pañares
Oyakodon, directed by Roxy Shih
Post Term, directed by Saleem Gondal
JAM SESH
We make playlists for every season, road trip, and life milestone. We assign songs to the way people make us feel. The right chord can sweep us into a dense nostalgia, a bassline can liberate us. Soundtracks do not belong only to movies, we belong to this music. This soul-serving collection of short films and music videos showcases a love note to the tune of life. From an elderly statesman of the Philippine jazz scene to an immigrant mother’s escape into a karaoke fantasy to a rocking reflection of one carefree youthful summer.
Different Than Before, directed by Mayumi Yoshida
Little Sky, directed by Jess X. Snow
Supermarket Affairs, directed by Hang Luong Nguyen
Teen Troubles In Dirty Jersey, directed by Waley Wang
The Body Of My Name, directed by Rosie Choo Pidcock
Winston, directed by Melanie Lim
COMPANION PASS
From reluctant new relationships to old friendships put to the test, this block of short films highlights the importance of finding connection and community to help get us by. Some friends make you, some friends break you. We’re here for it all.
Hearsay, directed by Banban Cheng
Perry and a Pause, directed by Tess Paras
Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, directed by Sean Wang
The Last September, directed by Sophia Shi
Well Wishes My Love, Your Love, directed by Gabriel Gabriel Garble
When You Left Me On The Boulevard, directed by Kayla Abuda Galang
RITES & WRONGS
A cup of coffee in the morning. Praying to your ancestors. Saying grace. A 17-step skincare routine. We all use rituals to get us through our days. But what happens when our faith, either in ourselves or a higher power, intersects with a difficult decision?
Birdsong, directed by Hrishi Bardhan
Company, directed by Ilnaz Kheyrkhah
Esperanza, directed by Shruti Parekh
Last Hand, directed by Chung Fan Lam
Say Something, directed by Jiin Oh
The Old Young Crow, directed by Liam LoPinto
OUT/HERE
More powerful and inspired stories from the LGBTQIA+ diverse communities return in a beloved (and crucial!) CAAMFest institution OUT/HERE. These stories are all love stories, whether it is for our beautiful complicated selves or an undying crush. These are moments that transform us.
All I Ever Wanted, directed by Erin Lau
Here Hopefully, directed by Hao Zhou
Luv, Me, directed by Yen Dinh & Nicolas Jara
Skin Can Breathe, directed by Chheangkea leng
Still Queer, directed by Yuelei Song
The Resemblance, directed by Derek Nguyen
Wuss, directed by Rubing Zhang
REALITY BITES
These filmmakers not only contort scenes and manipulate the characters on the screen but the concept of reality in each of us – reminding us of the power film has on us in real life. Whether we are seeing things, feeling the things, or questioning the very things that we thought were true, reality sometimes isn’t so real after all.
Autopilot, directed by Jennifer Zhang
Morgue, directed by Sepideh Sharivar
Open And Shut, directed by Kulap Vilaysack
Reality Dad, directed by Charlene DeGuzman
Tequila Sunset, directed by Jinsui Song
DESI BLOCK PARTY
South Asian talent is in full force! These joyful and imaginative films celebrate the wide variety and spectrum of talent in the Desi community in front of and behind the camera.
Brown Elephant, directed by Fawzia Mirwa
Crazy For Bollywood, directed by Imran Khan
Dos Bros Force, directed by Jyothi Kalyan Sura
Running, directed by Arpita Mukherjee
COMMUNITY CARE
House Party, sourdough starters, mutual aid networks, tips on trying to hunt down covid tests or vaccination appointments, our heroic essential workers, the great resignation, and a lot of grief (too much of it). We believe more and more we are in a “Post” Covid moment (cuz #science), but we are barely auditing that experience emotionally, and how we are altered by it. It will take time to process it all and center our honest stories of that time. These two filmmakers document the ramifications of COVID on two communities in Philadelphia and Texas.
Angel Dose, directed by Sami Khan
Chronicles Muslim-American nurse Tarik Khan’s earnest attempts to vaccinate his city during the COVID-19 Pandemic and lead a positive change across Philadelphia.
Kapwa Texas, directed by PJ Raval
Three young Filipino women wrestle with the ramifications of the COVID-19 Pandemic and racial tensions. They find themselves on a journey of self-discovery and self-reflection within their families and communities, finding new meanings of Kapwa.
BEING, BELONGING & BEYOND: A DANCE ON FILM FEST
When one creative medium (DANCE) is lifted up by another (FILM), nothing short of alchemy emerges. We are invited to become sacred witnesses to these AAPI stories in cinematic motion, where dancers and collaborators reflect upon their cultural heritage in these vivacious two-dimensional pieces. 500 Capp Street, Asian Pacific Cultural Center (APICC), and Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) co-present Being, Belonging & Beyond – SF Bay Area AAPI Dance Film Festival on May 14 at Kapwa Gardens in SOMA Pilipinas. Screenings include dance films by Lenora Lee Dance, Alleluia Panis, Sammay Dizon, and culminates in the world premiere screening of HOME(in)STEAD, a site-specific dance work by 500 Capp Street artists-in-residence Megan Lowe and Johnny Huy Nguyen.
And The Community Will Rise, directed by Lenora Lee
Filmed at the Ping Yuen Public Housing and various locations in SF Chinatown inspired by the activism of residents and advocates in the fight for public housing and solidarity in Chinatown.
Breathe (Hinga), directed by SAMMAY
A ritual performance film and time capsule honoring the sacred grief, life force, and resiliency of the Filipinx community in the Bay Area during COVID-19.
Out of the Dust, directed by Yayoi Kambara
Dedicated to Janice Mirikitani, this is a dance film told through ghosts who come to life through her poetry. The film is an homage to her poetry book “Out of the Dust”.
Home(in)stead, directed by Megan Lowe
A site-specific dance performance that utilizes the historical David Ireland House as a visceral canvas for exploring means of feeling, finding, creating, and healing home through dynamic architecture-oriented movement.
IDEAS
FILMMAKER SUMMIT
CAAM’s Filmmaker Summit is a day of panels and conversations to connect Asian American documentary filmmakers, media organizations, and community leaders to discuss trends and issues and be inspired to make positive change in the world. CAAM Mentors and industry leaders will be facilitating sessions on critical areas of filmmaking including fundraising, producing, and relationship building. This program is made possible with support from the Jessie Cheng Charitable Foundation, ITVS, American Documentary, Inc., and WGBH.
INDUSTRY PANELS
CAAMFest 2023 is excited to highlight industry partners from Amazon, Comcast NBCUniversal, and WBD Access that are leading the charge in developing dynamic content and elevating diverse creatives in front of and behind the camera.
AMAZON PANEL
Program details to be announced.
COMCAST NBCUNIVERSAL PANEL: INTERSECTIONALITY IN TELEVISION
Producers and cast from NBCU hit series discuss the importance of telling intersectional stories and their approach to showcasing nuanced perspectives of different communities.
WBD ACCESS FIRESIDE CHAT
Join WBD Access and talent who have gone through the WBD pipeline for a conversation on breaking into the industry and building your career as a storyteller in Hollywood. Learn about WBD’s Access programs and get tips on how to successfully navigate fellowship programs for writers and directors.
Jarod Lew in Conversation with Helen Zia
As “Please Take Off Your Shoes” will be on view at SFMOMA as part of photography exhibition, Kinship: Photography and Connection, starting May 20, we can’t help but feel like this is a moment where the universe conspired to make this conversation happen, and not just for CAAMFest but for Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month too. Especially because it is Jarod Lew, who photographs the Asian American experience in hopes to visualize communities who would be otherwise overlooked or made invisible, and the one Helen Zia, award-winning author/ journalist, multi hyphenate truth seeker.
Photographer Jarod Lew is Chinese American
Writer and activist Helen Zia is Chinese American
FOOD
BENKYODO: THE LAST MANJU SHOP IN J-TOWN, directed by Tadashi Nakamura and Akira Boch
Join the world premiere of BENKYODO: The Last Manju Shop in J-Town, a short documentary capturing the last 6 months of San Francisco Japantown’s first and last traditional Japanese-American confectionery. Celebrate the 116-year legacy of Benkyodo with the community in the heart of Japantown at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC)! Enjoy beautiful bites, beverages, and beats by J-Town’s very own, alongside local artists and vendors.
EVER-GREEN VIETNAMESE WITH ANDREA NGUYEN AND SOLEIL HO
Finally, a vegan fish sauce recipe worthy of our attention! Godmother of Vietnamese cooking and James Beard Award-winning author, Andrea Nguyen, returns with her 7th cookbook, Ever-Green Vietnamese: Super-Fresh Recipes, Starring Plants from Land and Sea. Never a virtuous or regimented eater but driven by the realities of a changing body in her mid-life, Andrea sets out to reimagine Vietnamese dishes, with a renewed determination to cultivate and lift the exciting flavors, textures, and colors of the vegetable kingdom. In the process, she debunks public perceptions of Viet cooking as just beefy pho and meat-filled sandwiches. Vietnamese culinary foodways have been steeped in the resourcefulness of its cooks, rich Buddhist traditions, and emphasis on vegetables, plant-based protein, and seafood. Andrea builds upon this foundation to craft accessible and meticulously researched plant-forward recipes that push Vietnamese flavors to new imaginative heights.
Andrea Nguyen will be in conversation with former San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho followed by a book signing with Eastwind Books.
FUTURIST FLAVORS: ABACÁ x ANIMAE
An interstellar collaboration with these two chef-visionaries is serving all the stars in our eyes and the stories of a familiar future on a plate with a fork and spoon. Executive Chef Tara Monsod of Animae and James Beard nominated Chef-Owner Francis Ang of Abacá’s menu promises unique untold flavors of possibility, designed to transport us into and beyond diaspora, time, and place.
Gone are the days of punching down flavors to appease the unseasoned palette. We’ll be calling these culinary wayfinders in for a spirited conversation, learning firsthand how chefs are paving the way towards a future that’s rich in collaboration, bold profiles, and unapologetic swag. Our chefs will be dishing up indulgent courses family-style amidst the backdrop of sonic beats so pull up a chair, we want you there!
This program is made possible in part by Dave Liu and Lauren Wu.
FUTURIST FLAVORS: CALABASH
The calabash is a gourd with multidisciplinary properties; carried from Asia to Africa, Europe, and the Americas through human migration. They’ve been turned into food, tools, instruments, and utensils. Like its namesake, Calabash, a joint project by Chef Nigel Jones (formerly Kingston 11) and Chef Hanif Sadr (Komaaj), seeks to be a hybrid restaurant, market, and events space. It is a place ripened with global innovation; a home for creative local chefs and producers to bring the uniqueness of their culture and flavors to The Town. Join us for a vibrant evening filled with delicious Jamaican and Iranian food and a conversation with Chef Nigel and Chef Hanif about how they’re transforming the way we gather.
A SOY STORY with Second Generation Seeds
Join modern-day stewards of our ancestors’ seeds, local chefs, and eaters as we journey through the culinary landscape of the soybean in all its forms in a night of storytelling and tastings. Second Generation Seeds reminds us that seeds carry memories and histories transported through time and space. This event is a collaboration with KQED, featuring Kristyn Leach of Namu Farm, Steve Joo of Joodooboo, eco-educator Aileen Suzara of Sariwa, and more.
MUSIC
DIRECTIONS IN SOUND: FANNY AND FRIENDS
Directions in Sound, CAAMFest’s fresh music showcase, returns once more to the SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Heritage District for a renewed collaboration with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Tearing up the stage will be the legendary Fanny, the first all-female rock band – co-founded by two Filipina American sisters – to release an LP with a major record label in the US. They will be joined by rapper Ruby Ibarra and newcomer, Peaboo and the Catz. This program is made possible with support from AARP.
Sneak Peek: Larry the Musical
Set to premiere at the Brava Theater in October 2023, CAAMFest audiences will get a sneak peek of LARRY THE MUSICAL, based on the book, Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong by Dr. Dawn Mabalon and Gayle Romasanta. Join members of the production team as they take us through the journey of bringing to life the story of Filipino labor organizer, Larry Itliong, who fought for dignity in the fields and united for the first time with the Mexican community in Delano, California.
I Can’t Keep Quiet, directed by Eurie Chung
An intimate portrait of one woman’s quest for healing reverberated around the globe through her song “Quiet,” an anthem for the women’s movement. Five years later, we take a deeper look into the song’s impact on MILCK’s journey of reclamation: reclaiming trust in herself, her sense of belonging, and her sisterhood with the song’s co-creator, AG. As we follow MILCK’s path of activism and artistry, we get a window into how she’s awakened by the stillness of quarantine and the reckoning of our country’s racial justice movement. Her acknowledgment and accountability for her blindspots give her and AG a renewed sense of freedom as they celebrate that it’s never too late to reclaim our voices. A performance with MILCK, and a conversation with Director Eurie Chung, Executive Producer Grace Lee, Anna Saalfeld of P&G Studios, and MILCK to follow.
CLOSING NIGHT: JUICY FRUITY PARTY
Lace up your platform heels and join us for a JUICY FRUITY collaboration with the iconic Soulovely. Stewarded by three powerful cultural practitioners: Aïma the Dreamer, Lady Ryan, and the Emancipation, this trio has a gift for curating celebratory spaces that uplight the beauty and resilience of Oakland’s queer and trans-BIPOC communities to affirm our radical queer past, present, and future. We’ll be bringing in top-of-the-line queer DJs that’ll take your moves all the way to the bottom of the dance floor ALL NIGHT LONG (until 11p)! We’ll have seasonally inspired craft dranks and sumptuous eats. Let’s be in this sparkling moment together to celebrate each other, this community, and another amazing festival season!