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.