Girls Will Be Girls directed by Shuchi Talati won the Narrative Competition Award; and Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement directed by Quyên Nguyen-Le and Tadashi Nakamura won the Documentary Competition Award at Center for Asian American Media’s CAAMFest 2024. Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement also won the Audience Award for Documentary Feature.
On Girls Will Be Girls, the jury commented, “As a debut feature, the jury commends the masterful crafting of the emotional journey we embark on with 16-year old Mira. With strong performances by each actor, Girls Will Be Girls takes us through an evolution of relationships, with strong attention to how each character navigates romantic and familial intimacy, and strong attention to how each relationship impacts another. This film models a development of agency for Mira’s young character that is powerful, refreshing, and poignant. The jury also applauds the film’s tender, normalized attention to the exploration of sexuality. Talati’s and her team’s work asks the audience to consider how empathy operates, and how our interwoven relationships teach us about ourselves and each other.”
In selecting Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement, the jury said, “Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement by Quyên Nguyen-Le and Tadashi Nakamura is the untold story of a very important living community activist who embodies history in the present moment. She’s a fully realized intersectional artist who has dedicated her artistry to community, bridge building, and the fight for justice. This film shows all of her multitudes coming together for the first time. We believe this story offers her life, her career, and her commitment to the community the gravitas they deserve. It illustrates the important role film plays in connecting the dots between history, culture, and the personal and yet makes it universal. At this time in history, we believe a story about coming together across racial, ethnic, and intergenerational differences is incredibly powerful and important.”
Other competition jury awards including the Loni Ding Award for Social Justice Documentary went to Unpacking Immigration directed by Harleen Kaur Bal; and the AT&T InspirASIAN Student Film Award went to White Butterfly directed by Catherine Nguyen (Undergraduate Winner) and Unpacking Immigration directed by Harleen Kaur Bal (Graduate Winner).
The CAAMFest Audience Awards went to 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime directed by Tarek Albaba along with Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement directed by Quyen Nguyen-Le and Tadashi Nakamura for Documentary Feature; and The Lyricist Wannabe directed by Norris Wong won for Narrative Feature.
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) celebrated a successful return of CAAMFest 2024, with more than 6,000 people in attendance and 11 days of expanded programming for film, food, and music across San Francisco and Oakland. CAAMFest presented 38 programs at 10 different venues. This year’s festival also showcased a newly expanded Industry Hub and Filmmaker Summit, bringing together over 430 attendees including filmmakers and industry professionals.
“It has been so invigorating to experience the multitude of Asian and Asian American stories seen on screen, nourished across dinner tables, and danced into existence at our concert garden,” says Festival and Exhibitions Director, Thúy Tran. “Our stories are powerful, resonant, and timely, expanding our capacities to feel and hold each other in community.”
CAAMFEST 2024 AWARD WINNERS
CAAMFEST 2024 NARRATIVE COMPETITION AWARD
Winner: Girls Will Be Girls, directed by Shuchi Talati
CAAMFEST 2024 DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION AWARD
Winner: Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement, directed by Quyên Nguyen-Le and Tadashi Nakamura
LONI DING AWARD FOR SOCIAL ISSUE DOCUMENTARY
The Loni Ding Award for Social Justice Documentary recognizes the film and filmmaker that most reflect the passions of the pioneering independent filmmaker Loni Ding. Ding devoted her life to advocacy and played a key role in the founding of several public media organizations, including CAAM.
Winner: Unpacking Immigration, directed by Harleen Kaur Bal
AT&T InspirASIAN Award
This award recognizes promising voices in Asian and Asian American media, the InspirASIAN Student Film Award is presented to college students who exemplify the voice of a new generation. One award is presented to an undergraduate student, and a second award is presented to a graduate student.
Undergraduate Winner: White Butterfly, directed by Catherine Nguyen
A return to Vietnam offers a Vietnamese American daughter a portal into her late mother’s Hau Dong ritual practice.
Graduate Winner: Unpacking Immigration, directed by Harleen Kaur Bal
A Punjabi Sikh meatpacking community in California’s Central Valley reflects on migration, labor, and belonging.
CAAMFEST 2024 AARP AUDIENCE AWARDS
Documentary Feature Winner: 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime, directed by Tarek Albaba
What started on February 10, 2015, with the death of three young, innocent Muslim American students, launched a four-year quest for justice.
Documentary Feature Winner: Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement, directed by Quyen Nguyen-Le and Tadashi Nakamura
Through rare archival footage, Nobuko Miyamoto’s life is an unfolding sonnet of a multi disciplined artist raised in the civil rights era, and the places, people, and events that cultivated a life-long art practice rooted in activism.
Narrative Feature Winner: The Lyricist Wannabe, directed by Norris Wong
Amidst setbacks and betrayals, an aspiring lyricist navigates a tumultuous journey from school talent shows to the pop music industry, finding solace and purpose in her unyielding passion for music. This screening was part of the Hong Kong Cinema Showcase, made possible with support from the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in San Francisco.