Still from 'Best Friends Forever'

“We are so excited to bring together stories that reflect
relevant and authentic portrayals of Asian Americans and the Asian diaspora,”
said Stephen Gong, Executive Director of the Center for Asian American Media
(CAAM).  “CAAMFest San Jose is the
perfect vehicle to highlight how Asian Americans are creating the future of
Silicon Valley.”

The festivities kick off on Friday night, with the screening of
Arvin Chen’s sophomore feature film Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow.
Afterwards, all are invited to the opening night party at the San Jose Museum
of Art.   

In between screenings on Saturday, a private reception will be held in honor of the
subjects of the Taiwanese documentary Go Grandriders.  Afterwards, ten of the octogenarian
motorcyclists will ride from San Jose to Los Angeles.  Join director Hua Tien-hau, producer Yi-Ying
Lin, and their crew as they send the Grandriders off on their next journey in
style.

As a media and community sponsor, Hyphen will have the honor of
co-presenting the screening of Best Friends
Forever. The feature marks the directorial debut of
Brea Grant, who also plays one of the lead roles. Follow the adventures and
misadventures of besties Harriet (Grant) and Reba (Vera Miao) as they embark on
a life-changing road trip from Los Angeles to Texas.   

On Sunday afternoon, head over to the Japanese American Museum
for a free screening of Jake Shimabukuro:
Life on Four Strings, Tadashi Nakamura's 
 documentary
chronicling the early life and rise to fame of the Japanese American ukelele virtuoso.

The festival closes on Sunday evening with the screening of Crocodile in the
Yangtze, which focuses on the story of former English teacher
Jack Ma as he carves a name for himself as China’s first Internet
entrepreneur.   

Also keep an eye out for the following films:

Approved For
Adoption combines animation with live-documentary footage to
chronicle the childhood of co-director Jung Henin, a Korean adoptee raised in
Belgium, France, who later returns to Korea to help unravel his past.

Kerwin Berk’s feature film Infinity &
Chashu Ramen follows two ancient spirits (played by Hiroshi
Kashiwagi and Wendy Woo)  as
they attempt to keep the universe running smoothly, affecting the lives of
Japantown residents in the process. 

Harana
introduces audiences to the long-abandoned art of harana (serenade) in the Philippines, as co-producer and
classically trained guitarist Florante Aguilar meets and travels with three of
the last remaining haranistas, or
masters of Filipino courtship.

Future's Calling Shorts Program showcases the
various works of six Bay Area filmmakers. Leslie Tai, director of “Grave Goods”, will be in attendance.

Stateless,
a riveting documentary by Duc Nguyen, provides a glimpse into the world of
displaced Vietnamese war refugees who created lives for themselves on the
fringes of Manila after being unable to escape to America.      

In Bornilla Chaterjee’s Let's Be Out,
The Sun Is Shining, a search for love lures Diya (Lipica Shah)
into the underground circle of Brooklyn musicians and actors, where she learns
lessons about life along the way.

Tickets can be purchased at CAAMedia.org/CAAMFestSJ

 
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Lauren Shiraishi joined the Hyphen staff in January 2013 and recently
took over as Outreach Coordinator. She graduated from the University of
California, Davis in 2012.