Held from July 21 to July 30 at eleven venues in Manhattan and Queens this year’s edition of the AAIFF included 28 narrative  feature and documentary films and 40 short films from more than 15 countries as well as four panels. The festival offered for the first time a special adjunct program from August 5-6, the Chinese Art Film Festival-NYC Stop, curated by the Shanghai Art Film Federation with four award winning films premiering in New York City. As district from other film festivals such as the New York Asian American and the South East Asian film festivals presenting productions from that region, the AAIFF is organized by the non-profit Asian Cine Vision and is closely linked to the Asian American community.  It is noteworthy that the festival does not have major corporate or media sponsors but works with close to forty community partners. In this 39th AAIFF  edition films selected covered social, political, and personal issues, as well as problems experienced in the Asian American communities in the United States and  Asian countries where half of the films came from. As in past AAIFF editions each of the films shown was sponsored by one or more community partners. As noted by festival director Judy Lei in her introduction to the program, the festival does not offer big stars but provides realistic independent productions that humanize the Asian and Asian American experience. The programming philosophy is not guided by an effort of placing productions into commercial distribution or having films which have a public diplomacy function showcasing the merits of a country.

The festival tries to identify innovative Asian and Asian American film and video makers from around the world with problem oriented challenging films on topics not covered otherwise.  This year films focused in several selections on stories covering conflicts and cultural repercussions of LGBT issues and identity formation. The thematic range included coming of age narratives, reconciliation with the past, political activism and startling crime films to name but a few topics.

Among the films of special interest were

Happiness, Andy Lo, Hong Kong, 2016

This feature presented in an original screenplay two superbly played characters.  Young Yuk has left China for Hong Kong to search for his father who had abandoned his family. He starts living with the much older woman Fen after becoming homeless.  Andy Lo offers an outstanding presentation of the development of their relation.   Yuk is rejected by his father who has married again and is only concerned with his new family and is left by a young woman who he grew close to.  Fen showing sometimes erratic behavior he does not understand turns out to suffer from the early stages of Alzheimer’s and cognitive impairment. Yet these two lonely souls slowly establish an emotional attachment and Yuk is taking care of her. Both characters are rather different with respect to their background and psychological make up and reflect difficult challenges but the actors provide an outstanding performance.  Kara Wai as Fen and Carlos Chan as Yuk have received awards for Happiness.

Spa Night, Andrew Ahn, USA, 2016

The issues of non-traditional sexual identity and its fit with the sub-cultural Korean family understanding are paramount in this feature by Andrew Ahn.  The protagonist David is the single son of a first generation immigrant family and does not want to conform to the all American dream of his parents, who run a failing restaurant, which is going to church, taking prep classes for college and having a family. Instead he decides to work for a spa which covertly serves a gay clientele.   The safer and secluded Korean life style of his parents is in sharp contrast to his venture into city life and his coming of age with a gay identity. Joe Seo received the Sundance Special Jury Award for his acting performance in Spa Night.

Front Cover, Ray Yeung, USA, 2015

Concluding the festival, Front Cover is an exemplary comedy feature with serious undertones. It depicts contrasting corporate cultures and the divergent acceptance of being gay in traditional and diaspora Chinese families and communities.  Ryan Fu is a well know New York City based fashion stylist very much in demand by the magazine industry and receives a contract to prepare Ning, a famous Chinese actor, for his entry into the American media scene. While Ryan seems to have assimilated into US culture, is openly gay and distant from his heritage, Ning is bound by his Chinese background, traveling with an entourage of female actresses and his fiancé. He actually makes fun of Ryan’s gayness. Still, they work together, get close, and eventually have a sexual encounter. Meeting Ryan’s family which has accepted with some misgivings their son’s orientation, the parents advise Ning to be true to himself.  A tabloid uses a photo of Ryan and Ning to suggest that they are having an affair and the contradictions come to the fore. Privately, Ning admits to Ryan that he is a closet homosexual and begs him to deny that they were intimate, a demand that Ryan reluctantly follows. If Ning were identified in China as gay his career as an actor would end and his family relations frayed. Conversely, though in love with Ning, Ryan could not follow him to China because he is an admitted homosexual, an identity which is considered perfectly acceptable in the American fashion business but not in China.  Front Cover is a most enjoyable film with great sets, persuasive exchanges and great acting performances clarifying questions about the fit between gay and Chinese identities.

An important and special adjunct program for the 2016 AAIFF edition was the inclusion of the Chinese Art Film Festival-NYC Stop which had the goal of bringing innovative Chinese art films to the international stage. Among the award winning films selected were Young Love Lost. , Xiang Guoqiang, 2015  on an individual’s misspent youth in a provincial town in South China; River, Sonthar Gya, 2015, covering the coming of age of a little Tibetan girl in a nomadic shepherd’s family; Deep in the Heart, Xin Yuon, 2015, showing how a village chief, his son and associates are drawn into the abyss of an interconnected accidental killing and death confounding all participants in this dark comedy.

The most impressive feature was Farewell My Concubine: The Bejing Opera, Teng Juncie, 2014.   Recorded in 3D with Chinese developed technologies the tale depicts the rise and fall of the Chinese emperor Xiang at the end of the Quin Dynasty 2200 years ago and his defeat by the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. Dominating the story is Xiang’s love for Yu Jin, his concubine who advises him against his failing military strategy. She kills herself to facilitate his escape from the Han forces, but he decides to follow her into suicide rather than facing the shame of causing the death of thousands. Contrary to my expectations, the opera held my attention to the very end due to its abstract nature, that entailed outstanding dancing, story design, and singing all presented in a manner unique me. It reflected traditional Chinese art as currently fostered by the government, the sustenance of art forms far away from what the traditional narrative music in the West.

Claus Mueller   filmexchange@gmail.com