#aapifilmz

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#31DayzofAAPIFilmz: Chan is Missing. There would be no Asian-American cinema if there wasn't Wayne Wong's Chan is Missing. Shot in black and white film, this indie noir story follows Jo, a cab driver in San Francisco's Chinatown and his nephew Steve who tries to track down Chan, after Chan disappears with their money. For the first time on screen, we get to finally see an "ABC" (American-Born Chinese) story told in their own voice as we get an all access pass into the mysterious and often misunderstood terrain and people of Chinatown. It is the simplicity of the plot and authenticity of its characters that makes this movie such a classic film. Even after 20 years, Chan Is Missing doesn't feel dated, it's laugh-out-loud dialogue (they actually uttered the words FOB!) and moody tone rather captures why Chinatown continues to be an enigma because unlike most places, Chinatown runs by its own rules! #AAPIFilmz ‪http://ow.ly/wxcC30bDWcd

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31 Days of #AAPIFilmz: ADVANTAGEOUS (http://ow.ly/91Tp300jxDj) I don't think I even remember any science-fiction starring Asian-Americans in the forefront besides #JenniferPhang's #Advantageous. It could definitely be the first! In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter Jules do all they can do to hold onto their joy together, despite the instability surrounding their world. Adapted by her 23-minute short, Phang presents a thought-provoking and quietly disturbing sci-fi drama that touches on what happens to females as mothers, workers, and as simply humans, once civilization is in decline. It might be a hit or miss to some people but if you let the film's message marinate, you will see the beauty and tragedy of what the future holds for us. Trailer: http://ow.ly/5yVt300oaSC

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31 Days of #AAPIFilmz: Twinsters (http://ow.ly/4nooZs) If you haven't seen #RyanMiyamoto and #SamanthaFuterman's #Twinsters already, you have not felt, experienced, and seen beauty of what this crazy life has to offer! Sam Futerman's world gets turned upside down when one day she receives an unexpected and life-changing email from a French fashion student Anais Bordier, claiming that they might be twins. Twinsters presents the surprisingly intimate and emotionally-potent portrait of two disparate but connected women, following their journey together to find solace within themselves and to reclaim their heritage--no matter how incredulous their circumstances might have been. It's one of the best documentaries I've seen in recent memory that'll have you reaching for the nearest tissue. Guarantee. Trailer: http://ow.ly/1whl300aOdA

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31 Days of #AAPIFilmz: PING PONG PLAYA (http://ow.ly/4nooZs) #PingPongPlaya is exactly the kind of Asian-American comedy that I've been waiting for! Probably because of the fact that minus the story being centered around an Asian family, the core of the film unraveled like any other low-brow underdog sport film that's released in mainstream media today. Christopher "C-Dub" Wang is a wannabe baller and a supreme slacker but he must step up to the plate when his family's business and their ping pong champion reputation is on the line. Laugh out loud hilarious and a damn good leisure watch, I hoped other people liked it too. But in the context of knowing that this film is Academy Award winning filmmaker, #JessicaYu's first narrative feature after working on groundbreaking and daring documentaries, I can see why people would feel disappointed in her shift in projects. Regardless, seeing this NBA-loving slacker turned ping-pong playa reminded me so much of the AzN guys I've grown up with, I just sat back and laughed my ass off. Trailer: http://ow.ly/oWvX3005T38

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31 Days of #AAPIFilmz: MYSTERIOUS SKIN (http://ow.ly/4nooZs) Anyone who has watched #GreggAraki's #MysteriousSkin knows how vital and essential the film is to the Queen Cinema canon. This is Araki's 8th film and first time using someone else's source material. Adapting Scott Heim's novel of the same name, Araki constructs Mysterious Skin with brutal intimacy and visual poeticism to tell a sensitive story about two different boy's journey into young adulthood after being sexually abused by their baseball coach. This is the film that put Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the map and even till this day, his performance is single-handedly still one of the most complex and audacious performances I've ever seen. This film is a bold, thoughtful and illuminating cinematic experience that you surely won't forget. Trailer: http://ow.ly/8Lnd3003FXq

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31 Days of #AAPIFilmz: FARAH GOES BANG (http://ow.ly/4nooZs) #MeeraMenon's directorial debut feature, #FarahGoesBang tells an important female-centric story about what it means to be a multicultural person in modern America. This coming-of-age story focuses on three best friends' intertwining lives that explores female sexuality, cultural identity, and friendship in the backdrop of the very specific era of John Kerry's ill-fated 2004 presidential campaign. Its timely story speaks volumes on the pains of growing up as well as the state of the country itself. #AAPIHM #AAPIHeritageMonth

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31 Days of #AAPIFilmz: SIN NOMBRE http://ow.ly/4nooZs

#CaryFukunaga's directorial debut film, Sin Nombre blew me away the first time I watched it. Never had I seen a film where the story followed three different character's journey only for them to collide mid-way through the film. It was so refreshingly bold and captured the grim realities of what Mexican immigrants experienced coming to America with such acute sensitivity, I was shocked to know that a Japanese-American man directed the film. It will always be, hands down, one of the best debut films I will ever see. #AAPIFilmz

Trailer: http://ow.ly/4nlpJ8