Film Festival goers generally expect to spend their time cloistered in dim theaters enjoying the wafting aroma of popcorn and delighting in the images on the silver screen…
Well, good news. You can do all that and more at SFIAAFF30. But today we want to point your attention to SFIAAFF’s largest event, FESTIVAL FORUM, a FREE outdoor showcase of lively artists, performers and media makers in San Francisco’s historic Japantown Peace Plaza! It’s fun for the whole family! This year’s event will feature commemorative programs to mark the one-year anniversary of the March 11 Japanese tsunami and earthquake, in the hopes of continuing to raise awareness of ongoing rebuilding efforts.
This year, we’re featuring a line-up of tremendous live acts from soulful r&b and spoken word to energetic traditional dance and live bands, including the headline-grabbing PaperDoll, an energetic four-piece hailing from NYC. Fronted by the charismatic Teresa Lee, PaperDoll has rocked crowds from New York to Shanghai and has opened up for OhLand, Mos Def, and Joan Jett. PaperDoll also played at our Opening Night Gala and their music is featured in Quentin Lee’s White Frog, our opening night film.
Watch this video of one of PaperDoll’s latest singles, “You Can’t Stop It”
PaperDoll Gives us a Shoutout!
Read below for more FESTIVAL FORUM Details!
FREE OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES:
12:00 PM JAPANTOWN CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL PREVIEW
2:00 PM BAIYU
2:30 PM YOUTH SPEAKS
3:00 PM DREAMDATE
3:30 PM PAPERDOLL
4:00 PM NON STOP BHANGRA
SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY CINEMA FILM SCREENING
12:00 PM THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM
$12 General Admission
$11 Students/Seniors (65+)/Disabled
$10 CAAM Members
Buy Tickets »
FESTIVAL FORUM DETAILS:
JAPANTOWN CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL PREVIEW
At Festival Forum, join us for a preview of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (April 14-15 and April 21-22, 2012) featuring traditional Japanese dance and music, a showcase of this year’s Cherry Blossom Queen contestants, and more!
BAIYU is a Chinese-American singer-songwriter and actress and international pop culture icon. She has been featured in Celebuzz, GlobalGrind, TheSource, MTVIggy, SoulTrain.com, and various other blogs and magazines. In 2011 Baiyu donated all profits from her EP, “Fan Fair” towards Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief.
YOUTH SPEAKS creates safe spaces to empower the next generation of leaders, self-defined artists, and visionary activists through written and oral literacies. Youth Speaks challenges youth to find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voices as creators of social change.
DREAMDATE a female indie pop three-piece (from Oakland!) featuring Yea-Ming Chen, Anna Hillburg, and Sonia Hayden, kindles daydreams and crushes with their sweet, lo-fi tunes reminiscent of early 90′s garage movements.
PAPERDOLL (NYC) delivers good old fashioned dance-till-you-drop music to the international dance-rock scene. This energetic four-piece has rocked crowds from Shanghai to New York with an uninhibitedly raw live show and has opened up for OhLand, Mos Def, and Joan Jett. Their music can be heard in Quentin Lee’s “White Frog,” the opening night film for SFIAAFF30. PaperDoll is Teresa Lee (vocals/keyboard),Patrick Moloney (guitar), Jack Koch (bass), Will Haywood Smith (drums).
NON STOP BHANGRA is a unique experience that celebrates the beautiful and vibrant spirit of Bhangra, a traditional Punjabi folk music and dance. Non Stop Bhangra was founded in 2004 when Dj Jimmy Love teamed up with Dholrhythms founders Vicki Virk & Suman Raj, with the goal of bringing Bhangra to a wider audience. Since then, Non Stop Bhangra has made this traditional style a serious dance floor craze in San Francisco, drawing Bay Area’s most diverse crowds to join in the frenzy.
SEE HERE FOR PHOTOS AND MORE DETAILED ARTISTS BIOS
