Asian American Film Fest - Pacific Showcase

PHILADELPHIA ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
2018 PACIFIC SHOWCASE

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival warmly invites you to the 2018 Pacific Showcase. We have curated an excellent program focusing on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities this year—the best yet. These are gorgeous, timely, and award-winning documentary and short films that feature the phenomenal voices and talents of these communities that have been overlooked for too long. We are so excited to share them with you.

ANOTE'S ARK
Sunday, November 11 | 4:30PM–6:00PM | Lightbox Film Center, 3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Screened at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The low-lying Pacific nation of Kiribati faces a daunting challenge: imminent annihilation from sea-level rise. As Anote Tong, Kiribati’s President, races to find a way to protect his nation’s people and maintain their dignity, many iKiribati are seeking safe harbor overseas. Set against the backdrop of international climate negotiations and the fight to recognize climate displacement as an urgent human rights issue, Anote’s personal struggle to save his nation is intertwined with the extraordinary fate of Sermary, a young mother of six, who decides to migrate her family to New Zealand. At stake are the survival of Sermary’s family, the iKiribati people, and 4,000 years of iKiribati culture—yet the story also serves as a cautionary tale for low-lying populations everywhere.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE2_maYEqF8
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1954947911477569/
Tickets: https://paaff.gala-engine.com/2018/films/anotes-ark/

BEING BRUNO BANANI
Friday, November 16 | 6:00PM–7:40PM | Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

BEING BRUNO BANANI tells the unique story of the first and only Tongan luger who managed to qualify in an amazingly short amount of time for the Sochi 2014: XXII Olympic Winter Games. Through his name, he also acted as the first “living brand,” using a completely new and disputed way to get around the strict IOC’s advertising regulations.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmlVsuEb2QA
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/283426932268825/
Tickets: https://paaff.gala-engine.com/2018/films/being-bruno-banani/

EXPERIMENTAL NATIVE HAWAIIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER SHORTS SHOWCASE (with Q&A) (free)
Saturday, November 17 | 11:00AM–12:30PM | Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Told through visual poetry and narrative, and infused with stunning color and sound, these award-winning shorts recognize the trials and triumphs of family, explore the environmental traumas inflicted upon Oceania, and share the pride and resilience of these communities throughout history to the present. Subjects include Maunakea and the impact of the U.S. military’s nuclear testing upon the Marshall Islands. AFTEREARTH Producer Adriel Luis is expected in attendance for post-film Q&As throughout the day.

Website: http://jessxsnow.com/AFTEREARTH
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/251921432191979/

AFTEREARTH - Immersive Three-Panel Installation (with Q&A) (free)
Saturday, November 17 | 12:30PM–9:00PM | Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

As rising sea levels threaten the loss of their motherland in Hawaii, the Philippines, China, and North America, four women fight to preserve the volcano, ocean, land, and air for future generations. In a deeply immersive artistic experience, they channel their mothers and ancestors in song, dance, and poetry, and take a bold and ultimate stand against the corruption of the elements and natural resources by humankind. AFTEREARTH is an immersive three-channel documentary created by a mostly queer, genderqueer, and transgender cast and crew of Asian/Pacific Islander elders and youth. Producer Adriel Luis is expected in attendance for post-film Q&As throughout the day.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/570277776722902/

LEITIS IN WAITING
Saturday, November 17 | 6:05PM–7:15PM | Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

LEITIS IN WAITING is the story of Joey Mataele and the Tonga Leitis, an intrepid group of native transgender women fighting a rising tide of religious fundamentalism and intolerance in their South Pacific Kingdom. The film follows Joey, a devout Catholic of noble descent, as she organizes an exuberant beauty pageant presided over by a princess, provides shelter and training for a young contestant rejected by her family, and spars with American-financed evangelicals threatening to resurrect colonial-era laws that criminalize the Leitis’ lives. With unexpected humor and extraordinary access to the Kingdom’s royals and religious leaders, Joey’s emotional journey reveals what it means to be different in a society ruled by tradition, and what it takes to be accepted without forsaking culture and tradition. LEITIS IN WAITING is an inside story, created by a Polynesian transgender woman who once competed and won the crown in Joey’s beauty pageant.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu8EP3K7v1s
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/711971859181605/
Tickets: https://paaff.gala-engine.com/2018/films/leitis-in-waiting/

CORRIDOR FOUR (with Q&A)
Sunday, November 18 | 5:45PM–6:45PM | Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

The image of the American hero is challenged in this heartfelt portrait of 9/11 Pentagon first-responder Isaac Ho’opi’i. A nationally recognized K9 Unit Officer, Isaac Ho’opi’i was responsible for saving numerous people from the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Countless articles were written about his heroism following 9/11, and he even ran the Olympic Torch on its way to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics. After the news cameras had been turned off and the lights dimmed, Isaac was left with the horrific images he had seen and the memory of those he was unable to save. CORRIDOR FOUR is a feature-length documentary that illustrates Isaac’s story in the first-ever look at how the Pentagon handled mental health care in the aftermath of 9/11. Officer Ho’opi’i is expected in attendance for a post-film Q&A.

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/519935498473514/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJZerIKMdio
Tickets: https://paaff.gala-engine.com/2018/films/corridor-four/

PHILADELPHIA ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL (PAAFF)
PAAFF is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 to educate and expose the Philadelphia region to films by and about Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders bringing year round awareness with exciting events that include tastings, mixers, meet & greets, cultural experiences, and of course, screenings. The annual award winning film festival held each November is the first of its kind in Philadelphia. PAAFF is proud to have presented dozens of culturally relevant films and exciting programming to broad and diverse audiences.

2018 Program: http://www.tiny.cc/PAAFF18program
2018 Tickets: https://www.tiny.cc/PAAFF18tickets
2018 Festival Trailer: https://www.tiny.cc/PAAFF18trailer

Website: https://www.phillyasianfilmfest.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PAAFF
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/paaff
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phillyasianfilmfest