Films featuring Asian American actors, culture, and issues will be presented this year in five different venues across the Boston area. The Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF), facilitated by the Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW), will include 14 independent films and videos, five screening events, a workshop on Asian Americans in film, and 13 community presenting partners. Ranging from comedies to dramas and short films, the festival will offer a wide breadth of topics for Greater Boston audiences.
BAAFF kicked off with a fundraiser launch party on Wednesday, October 20th, at Splash Ultra Lounge. Attendees networked, enjoyed food and drinks, played trivia, and learned of the film festival’s line-up.
The event attracted students and young professionals interested in learning more about the films. One such attendee was Amber Ying, a resident of New Hampshire, who discovered that the festival is featuring a movie that she’s heard about and is interested in watching.
The last time that such a festival took place in Boston was back in 2008. This year, the festival will run from November 11-14th across Boston and Cambridge.
The theme for the Boston Asian American Film Festival 2010 is Ideas in Motion. Opening at the Stuart Street Playhouse, the festival will move to the Paramount Center, Tufts Medical Center, Harvard University Science Center, and the Brattle Theater. BAAFF chair, Susan Chinsen, explained that this year, they tried to find the best films highlighting Asian American culture and issues that otherwise would not be shown in Boston: “As an Asian American activist, it’s something that I wanted to bring to Boston. We often don’t have the same opportunity to see things that are shown in the Asian American communities in L.A. or New York.”
Chinsen also expressed hopes to expand the film festival. In May, BAAFF is partnering with WGBH for a similar film screening.
For more information about BAAFF and a complete list of screenings and films, please visit baaff.org.
Joanne Wong is a Sampan correspondent.
