OUR HOMELAND Director YANG Yong-hi
The 36th Asian American International Film Festival closed on August 3rd at Asia Society with YANG Yong-hi’s OUR HOMELAND (2012) and an insightful Q&A between director YANG and Asia Society’s film curator La Frances HUI. The screening was followed by an awards ceremony.
THREE LIGHT BULBS, dir. Min DING. Photo by Niko
Excellence in Fiction Short Filmmaking: THREE LIGHT BULBS, dir. Min DING
Nominated: ONLY CHILD dir. Christian GOSSETT; DAWN dir. Leon LE; NO LONGER THERE dir. Nobuyuki MIYAKE; COUCH AND POTATO dir. Chris LAM and Eunsoon JEONG; ADVANTAGEOUS dir. Jennifer PHANG
The jury consisted of Peilin Kuo, film director, producer of the Cannes selection PRESCOTT PLACE; Andrew K. Li, film director and producer; Will McCord, screenwriter, director, producer, and IFP Emerging Vision Program participant; Shih-ching Tsou, film director, producer, and Independent Spirit Awards nominee; and Jonathan Yi, creator and director of HBO’S Asian Heritage Series EAST OF MAIN STREET.
MEMORY OF FORGOTTEN WAR, dir. Deann Borshay LIEM. Photo provided by AAIFF
Excellence in Documentary Short Filmmaking: MEMORY OF FORGOTTEN WAR, dir. Deann Borshay LIEM and Ramsay LIEM and THE TRAIL FROM XINJIANG dir. Dongnan CHEN
Nominated: MORE THAN A FACE IN THE CROWD dir. Samantha CHAN; HOWARD dir. Carolyn WONG
The jury consisted of Ryan Harrington, director of Documentary Programming for the Tribeca Film
Institute; Yunah Hong, award-winning documentary filmmaker; Lynne Sachs, renowned video artist and
filmmaker; and Dr. Ying Zhu, Chair of the Department of Media Culture at the College of Staten Island –
CUNY.
WHEN I WALK dir. Jason DASILVA. Photo provided by AAIFF
Emerging Director in Documentary Feature: WHEN I WALK dir. Jason DASILVA
Nominated: HARANA dir. Benito BAUTISTA; GO GRANDRIDERS dir. HUA Tien-hau; HAFU: THE MIXED RACE EXPERIENCE IN JAPAN dir. Megumi NISHIKURA and Lara Perez TAKAGI The jury consisted of Ryan Harrington, director of Documentary Programming for the Tribeca Film Institute; Yunah Hong, award-winning documentary filmmaker; Lynne Sachs, renowned video artist and filmmaker; and Dr. Ying Zhu, Chair of the Department of Media Culture at the College of Staten Island – CUNY.
Emerging Director in Narrative Feature: NOOR dir. Çagla ZENCIRCI and Guillaume GIOVANETTI
Nominated: REQUIEME! dir. Loy ARCENAS; BEST FRIENDS FOREVER dir. Brea GRANT; TOGETHER dir. Rox Chao-Jen HSU; FORGETTING TO KNOW YOU dir. QUAN Ling; OUR HOMELAND dir. YANG Yonghi
The jury consisted of Radium Cheung, cinematographer, writer and director (STARLET); Eric
Nakamura, founder of Giant Robot; Elizabeth
GO GRANDRIDERS dir. HUA Tien-hau. Photo provided by AAIFF
Audience Choice Award for Documentary Feature: GO GRANDRIDERS dir. HUA Tien-hau
Audience Choice Award for Narrative Feature: STEVE CHONG FINDS OUT THAT SUICIDE IS A BAD IDEA dir. Charlie LAVOY
The winners of the Audience Choice Awards were determined by audience vote among the feature-length
presentations (excluding special presentations).
STEVE CHONG FINDS OUT THAT SUICIDE IS A BAD IDEA dir. Charlie LAVOY. Photo by Niko
One To Watch Award: Barak COHEN of Ben-zvi High School, Kiryat-ono, Israel for the direction of his short film IN HER SHOES
The One To Watch Award is awarded to a filmmaker under the age of 21 who demonstrates an exceptional talent for film.
Asian American International Screenplay Competition: THE CHINESE DELIVERY MAN by Isaac HO
The other honorable mentions of the 2013 Asian American International Screenplay Competition include:
FAREWELL, GREAT LEADER by Ashley PERRYMAN
GUNNER by Nadine TRUONG
MARRIAGE MADE IN HELL by James HUANG
SHADOWS OF HIROSHIMA by Tristan THAI
The jury consisted of Lee Skaife, film director, producer, and video artist; Clarissa de los Reyes, film
director and producer; Nancy Bulalacao, veteran cultural programmer; Lily Mariye, award-winning
director, actress, and producer; and Chris Tashima, Academy-Award winning actor and director.
Brian YANG. Photo provided by AAIFF
Rémy Martin Asian American Achievement Award in Film and Television: Brian YANG
The Rémy Martin Asian American Achievement Award in Film and Television is awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the Asian American arts community through film and television. As someone who has been involved in the media industry for over 10 years, Brian YANG is recognized for his perseverance and his work in HAWAII FIVE-O and LINSANITY.
For more information on these award recipients, please visit aaiff.org.
AAIFF Closing Night. Photo credit Zinno Park
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