CAAMFest, the annual festival for Asian and Asian American showcases presented by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), brings 25 films produced or funded by CAAM to its 2018 event. CAAM supports filmmakers throughout the year by providing resources, funds, fellowships, and other means to bring important new voices to light.
CAAM has provided funding for over 300 films to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting since 1982. Over the last 10 years, CAAM funded films have received over 400 awards and award finalist designations. A few highlights include:
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL (2018 Oscars, Feature Documentary Nominee)
AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS (2014 Peabody Award)
JAKE SHIMABUKURO: LIFE ON FOUR STRINGS (2014 Gotham Audience Award)
CAAMFest36, the 36th festival showcase presented by CAAM, celebrates a wide array of CAAM funded or produced work, including several feature films.
Program highlights produced or funded by CAAM include:
FAMILY PICTURES USA: DETROIT IS THE FUTURE AND IT’S OKAY! – CAAMunity Screening
Partnered with the Oakland Museum of California
Friday, May 18 – Oakland Museum of California, 7:00pm
Director Thomas Allen Harris
A CAAM co-produced PBS series and transmedia project, this pilot episode explores personal moments, shared experiences, and family connections found in the captured photographic memories of Detroit, MI. This PBS series was co-produced by CAAM.
HALFWAY HOME: ASIAN AMERICAN ART IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY – CAAMunity Screening
Partnered with the Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Saturday, May 19 – Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 7:00pm
Director S. Steve Arounsack
Spotlighting four artists in California’s Central Valley, this CAAM co-produced project is an affirmation of the cultural and artistic practices Asian communities are often force to shed through processes of immigration and assimilation. This film was co-produced by CAAM.
MEMORIES TO LIGHT – Shorts Program
Tuesday, May 15 – AMC Kabuki 8, 7:10pm
Directors John C. Liau, Yuriko Romer, Tina Takemoto
The power of collective memory and media bring life to the experiences of Asian American communities from across the country. A truly unique arts experience that collectively and aesthetically construct shared social, cultural, and political representations of Asian America directly from the community itself. This program is part of a multi-year CAAM initiative that collects Asian American home movies.
MUSLIM YOUTH VOICES 3.0 – Shorts Program
Sunday, May 13 – New People Cinema, 7:10pm
Funded by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art’s Building Bridge Program, this year’s Muslim Youth Voices is the final presentation of CAAM’s multi-year effort celebrating Muslim life produced by youth from Plano, Texas and Portland, Oregon. This is a free event. This is a national CAAM initiative amplifying young people’s expression and celebration of Muslim cultures that concludes this year.
NAILED IT – Documentary Feature Film
Saturday, May 12 – AMC Kabuki 8, 4:50pm and Saturday, May 19 – Roxie Theater, 12:30pm
Director Adele Pham
For mixed-race filmmaker, Adele Pham, it’s personal as she confronts her own conflicts with the Vietnamese nail salon culture and $8 billion-dollar industry. This film is a recipient of the CAAM Documentary Fund.
PACIFIC GATEWAY: ANGEL ISLAND – Special Programming
Director Felicia Lowe
This is an immersive virtual reality experience, the first for CAAM, exploring poems written by Chinese immigrants detained on Angel Island. This project was produced by CAAM. Please note that this program is by invite only.
THE REGISTRY – Documentary Feature Film
Sunday, May 13 – AMC Kabuki 8, 2:40pm
Director Bill Kubota
Two aging Japanese Americans who joined a secret WWII unit called the Military Intelligence Service painstakingly create the first comprehensive record of those who served in this mysterious Army unit. This film is a recipient of the CAAM Documentary Fund.
STORIES FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTH – Shorts Program
Sunday, May 13 – AMC Kabuki 8, 4:30pm
Directors PJ Raval, Ellen Spiro, Huay-Bing Law, Robbie Fisher, Dudley Percy Olsson, Rita Phetmixay, Jennifer Crandall
Social justice and cultural identity issues of the southern region of the United States are uniquely curated by Asian American voices in a series of short films. This program is part of CAAM’s American South Initiative.
