The comedic feature film 'Joy Ride' kicks off the 41st CAAMFest 2023

JOYRIDE

The stars of "Joy Ride" hold nothing back in the raucous comedy.

CAAMFest 2023, the world’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian film, food and music programs, annually will be presenting over 100 works in San Francisco and Oakland starting May 11. 

The 41st CAAMfest featuring movie features, shorts, documentaries and celebration of AANHPI dance and food will be in-person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

Kicking off the festival on May 11 is a screening of is the stereotype-busting, raunchy comedy Joyride, which could be as impactful among Hollywood studio heads as 2018's Crazy Rich Asians.

Often described as a female Hangover, the movie is a hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery centers on four unlikely Asian American women who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. It stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Sabrina Wu and Oscar-nominated Stephanie Hsu and directed and co-written by Crazy Rich Asians screenplay writer Adele Lim.

After the Joy Ride screening at the funky Castro Theater, the Opening Night Gala will follow at the ornate Asian Art Museum.

“The recent Oscars was a historic night for Asian Americans,” says Stephen Gong, CAAM Executive Director, referring to the Oscar wins of Everything, Everywhere All at Once, including best picture. 

“We hope to continue seeing more of our stories not only just represented on the big screen, but present throughout our communities. Since our first film festival over 40 years ago, CAAM has been working to lift these stories and change perceptions about our ever-evolving Asian American narratives.”

CAAMFest screenings, receptions, and events will be held in San Francisco and Oakland, including venues in neighborhoods rich with Asian American history, such as San Francisco’s Filipino Heritage District in the South of Market and Chinatown. This 11-day festival will be more experiential than ever.

Some of the other highlights include:

• The Accidental Getaway Driver, a feature that was awarded the director's award for Sing J. Lee at Sundance Film Festival. An elderly Vietnamese American driver picks up nightmare passengers who kidnap him. Set in an unnerving tone, intensity is punctuated by moments of humor and warmth. Less a crime film, but a stirring portrait of this lonely, old man. It screens at the Castro Theater, May 12, 6 p.m. The director is expected to be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening.

• The highly-anticipated Disney series, American Born Chinese, fresh off a special screening at the White House, will be shown at the Castro Theatre on May 13 at 3 p.m. Gene Yang, whose graphic novel is the inspiration for the series, will be in attendance along with the show creator Kelvin Yu , an Emmy-award winning writer for a question and answer session following the screening.

• Sneak Peek: Larry the Musical on Sunday, May 14, 6 p.m. at the Great Star Theater. Larry The Musical is based on the book, Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong by Dr. Dawn Mabalon and Gayle Romasanta. Join members of the production team as they take us through the journey of bringing to life the story of Filipino labor organizer, Larry Itliong, who fought for dignity in the fields and united for the first time with the Mexican community in Delano, California.

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  "The Right to Rock" is about the historic Filipino American female band of the 1970s

  
  

• Fanny: The Right to Rock is a documentary about a band formed by Filipina Americans from the Central Valley in the 1960s. The film explores Fanny’s uphill battle to complete and release their new album, with the fascinating herstory of the band’s improbable journey during their 70s heyday. It will screen on May 19, 5:30 p.m. at the SFMOMA Phyllis Wattis Theater. Expected guests include filmmaker Bobbi Jo Hart and Fanny members Brie Darling, Alice De Buhr, Jean Millington, June Millington, and Patti Quatro.

• The band Fanny will give a live performance the next day, May 20, 1 p.m. at Yerba Buena Gardens for Directions in Sound: Fanny and Friends, Saturday, May 20, 1:00 PM | Yerba Buena Gardens Directions in Sound, CAAMFest’s fresh music showcase, returns once more to the SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Heritage District for a renewed collaboration with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. They'll be joined by rapper  Ruby Ibarra and Peaboo and the Catz

“All of our communities have been so completely transformed these last few years. As we emerge from a place of isolation, CAAMFest becomes a necessary space and practice in how to gather once again,” says Festival and Exhibitions Director Thúy Trần. 

“CAAMFest is a call to gather, an open invitation to everyone to join us in reimagining how we connect through acts of joy, healing, advocacy, and discovery.”

FYI:

• For the complete CAAMFest schedule of films and events, click here.
• General admission tickets $15; seniors and students, $13; not including special events. Click here for box office information.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

Biden hosts largest gathering of AANHPI at the White House to screen "American Born Chinese"

SCREEN CAPTURE

Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan introduced President Joe Biden May 8.

President Biden hosted the largest AANHPI event ever held at the White House with Hollywood celebrities in attendance alongside community leaders and Washington politicians to attend a screening of "American Born Chinese," a new television series based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang.

The May 8 screening doubled as a celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month. "Across America we see the community give life to our cities, our small towns, our rural communities in every part of America," said Biden.

"You know, together you embody the truth that our diversity is our strength as a nation. And that’s not hyperbole. That’s a fact."

“American Born Chinese” chronicles the trials and tribulations of a regular American teenager whose life is forever changed when he befriends the son of a mythological god. This is the coming-of-age tale of a young Chinese American's battle for his own identity, told through family, comedy and action-packed kung fu.

Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan, who is part of the American Born Chinese cast, introduced the President. "It is with profound humility and gratitude that I stand before you tonight. I do not take this moment lightly, because I know this building is a monument to a country that opened its arms to me once upon a time," Quan said.

Also in attendance were stars of the Disney series, including: Ben Wang, Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Daniel Wu, Jimmy Liu and Sydney Taylor, as well as the series’ creative team, including executive producer and author of the graphic novel Gene Luen Yang, executive producer and director Destin Daniel Cretton, series creator and showrunner Kelvin Yu, and executive producers Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan and Erin O’Malley. Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Alex Aiono, stars of the Disney+ Original series “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.”  were also in attendance.

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The cast and producers of "American Born Chinese" were at the White House screening.

Biden reminded the audience acts his administration has taken to combat anti-Asian hate and gun control, two subjects atop AANHPI concerns, according to recent polls.

Speaking about representation and a Hollywood producing more series and movies about AANHPI, Biden continued: "We see groundbreaking works that capture courage, character, and the imagination and spirit of this remarkable community — diverse, remarkable community.

"When I think about this story, (of 'American Born Chinese') I think about the courage it took for so many of you and your ancestors to start the journey in America and continue the traditions of Native Hawaiians who have been engaged in that process for centuries; to adopt the old traditions anew and tell the ongoing story of America, stories of possibilities."

FYI: "American Born Chinese," will premiere with all episodes on May 24 on Disney+.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.