CAAM Annual Report 2008-2009

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C E N T E R

2008 2009

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ASIAN AME RICAN M EDIA

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The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing and exhibiting works in film, television and digital media.

COV E R I M AG E C R E D I T S : LEFT TO RIGHT

Filmmaker Ang Lee (photo by Albert Chau) FORGOTTEN WOMAN 24 CITY TREELESS MOUNTAIN THE MOSQUE IN MORGANTOWN Screenwriter Alex Tse (photo by Albert Chau) ADELA

I N S I D E COV E R I M AG E C R E D I T: FRUIT FLY cast at the Castro Theatre

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR

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BOARD + STAFF

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A CONVERSATION WITH DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA MICHELLA RIVERA-GRAVAGE

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CAAM SUPPORTS A NEW GENERATION OF ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA MAKERS

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CAAM PROJECTS 2008-2009

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29 YEARS OF POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT BOTH PERSONAL AND GLOBAL

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 27TH SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

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FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

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THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

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FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR

DEAR FRIENDS, Greetings and welcome to our 2008/2009 Annual Report! 2008/2009 was in several ways a remarkable year for us at the Center for Asian American Media, characterized by challenges, achievements, and above all, a reinvigorated commitment to our mission of presenting rich and diverse stories of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible.

As an organization premised on diversity, the election of Barack Obama as our President carried deep meaning for us. The makeup of America is dramatically shifting (in both demographic and symbolic ways), and the importance of diversity as a core asset of America is being recognized more than ever before. We are hopeful and optimistic about the future as we witnessed the way younger generations became empowered by the election through social media and cultural activism in their communities.

The commitment to embrace diversity as a core principle of our work requires that we engage more deeply with its complexity and provide America’s younger and more ethnically diverse audiences with rich and relevant content.

As the promise of America’s diversity has been reaffirmed by the recent general election, so too has the interconnectedness that we all share with the rest of the world in social, economic, environmental and cultural arenas.

If there is a constant to this time of change, perhaps it’s simply that we look to our artists and storytellers to make sense of chaos, to remind us of where we’ve come from, and to chart the directions in which we’re headed.

CAAM has always been committed to representing the diversity of Asian American communities from some of the longest standing like the Chinese and Japanese Americans to the newer immigrant communities from Southeast Asia. Furthermore, CAAM strives to fund and present works that broaden perspectives of what it means to be Asian American. It is work such as National Emmy Award winning SENTENCED HOME and Academy Award nominated NERAKHOON: THE BETRAYAL, both funded by CAAM, where vital Asian American stories can be told, recognized and heard within media and public broadcasting.

We invite you to look through this report and delve into CAAM’s many highlights of the past year, including our successful 27th SFIAAFF, innovative digital media projects, our support of a new generation of Asian American media makers, Media Fund projects of compelling documentary films for public television, and our distribution service to schools and libraries nationwide.

For twenty-nine years, CAAM has worked to fund, produce, exhibit and distribute rich and diverse stories of Asian Americans, correct often distorted portrayals of them in mainstream media, and create opportunities for the full participation of Asian American producers in public media. Looking ahead, there is still so much more to do. If you understand the importance of media in shaping attitudes, opinions, and public policy and if you enjoy seeing films that challenge the mainstream, join us and support a dynamic nonprofit organization that is making a difference in the way that Asian Americans are seen and perceived. o

Sincerely,

Stephen Gong

Dipti Ghosh

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R

B OA R D C H A I R

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CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

CAAM BOARD + STAFF

BOARD CHAIR PRESIDENT VICE CHAIR S E C R E TA R Y TREASURER

Dipti Ghosh David Lei Johnnie Giles Roger Kuo John Chung Gaurav Dhillon Lisa Hsia Ken Ikeda Bill Imada Philomena King Glenn Osaka Susie Jin Pak Parmila Ramchandani Ann Sung-Ruckstuhl Jean Tsien France Viana Mona Lisa Yuchengco

S TA F F A D M I N I S T R AT I O N E X EC U T I V E D I R ECTO R A D M I N I S T R AT I V E D I R E C T O R D I R ECTO R O F F I N A N C E OFFICE MANAGER

Stephen Gong Kar Yin Tham Lui Gonzales Nani Ratnawati D E V E LO PM E N T

D I R ECTO R M E M B E R S E R V I C E S & D O N AT I O N S M A N A G E R A S S O C I AT E

Rina Mehta Shelly Kim Frances Pomperada D I G I TA L M E D I A

D I R ECTO R A S S I S TA N T

Michella Rivera-Gravage Luis Mamayson E D U C AT I O N A L D I S T R I B U T I O N

MANAGER A S S I S TA N T

Nicole Tse Misa Oyama F I L M F E S T I VA L

D I R ECTO R A S S I S TA N T D I R E C T O R P R O G R A M & P U B L I C AT I O N S M A N A G E R

Chi-hui Yang Vicci Ho Christine Kwon MEDIA FUND

D I R ECTO R A S S O C I AT E

Sapana Sakya Ellen Park PUBLIC BROADCAST

D I R ECTO R O F P RO G R A M M I N G

Donald Young

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A CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLA RIVERA-GRAVAGE

MICHELLA RIVERA-GRAVAGE IS CAAM’S DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR, DEVELOPING NEW MEDIA PROJECTS AND MANAGING WEB ASSETS, VIDEO CONTENT, SOCIAL MEDIA, ASIANAMERICANMEDIA.ORG AND HAPAS.US.

BY FRANCES POMPERADA & MICHELLA RIVERA-GRAVAGE

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INTO DIGITAL MEDIA?

years, we're now seeing mobile media, game development and transmedia pathways become more available to indie makers. CAAM needs to be on the forefront of these

In college at UC Berkeley, I developed a love for film and video, especially works that grappled with themes of race, gender and sexuality. To learn more about storytelling

media strategies so we can reach people, guide our filmmakers and collaborate with new media producers.

in different formats, I started working at the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC).

At BAVC, I was inspired by the intersection of art and technology. So I decided to go after my master’s - an MFA in Digital Art and New Media. While earning my MFA, I focused on social media by creating transmedia projects that were multi-vocal and required community participation in order to be successful.

WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIGITAL MEDIA, AND HOW DO YOU FEEL IT IS SIGNIFICANT TO CAAM’S WORK?

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, CAAM RECEIVED A GRANT FROM THE WALLACE FOUNDATION. WHAT DOES THE GRANT ENTAIL, AND WHY IS IT SIGNIFICANT TO CAAM’S WORK? One of the foci of The Wallace Foundation is to increase arts participation. We proposed a strategy to use new media to facilitate arts participation by specific ethnic groups – Filipinos, mixed race Asian American, and South Asians. We wanted to increase the number of participants from these groups at our Festival. So we

I see several major changes in the creation and consumption of media that impacts CAAM’s work. Social media, including online video sharing, has really changed the game when it comes to distributing indie media. CAAM’s mission is to present Asian American stories to the broadest audience possible so it is only natural that we would employ digital media tools that enable us to distribute video online, connect

challenged ourselves to see if we could use targeted new media projects to outreach and engage these communities. We wanted to foster different types of engagement as well as channel that interaction into participation in our Festival. We selected these groups because, despite having large populations in California and the Bay Area specifically, they were underrepresented in our Festival.

to our communities via social networks and tell stories across different media platforms. Our audiences and public participants are already interacting with these

I think one of the really important connections we are measuring is the one between

types of media. They are already using twitter to connect at events, watching video

digital interaction and in-person interaction. Can one type of interaction encourage

on their phones and playing digital games. That is where we need to be, too. As

the other? That’s something that the Wallace grant has helped us think about. It

we’ve seen video tools become more and more accessible over the last twenty-nine

also allowed us to realize that there are other types of engagement. Butts in seats

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P H OTO BY J AY J AO

is one type of engagement, but then there are other types of engagement we can have

trying to figure that out – how valuable that experience is in terms of how people think

with people that could be strictly online but still meaningful and educational. We are

about issues and how it engages people with CAAM. We try to have all the online

discovering, too, the right mix of brick and mortar events and online activities like

assets connected so people can plug into what they are most comfortable with easily.

watching videos, sharing photos, participating in a digital game, etc. We need to

If they become fans on Facebook, they might follow us on Twitter, watch web videos

serve our constituencies through different media as holistically and comprehensively

or sign up for HAPAS.US. We've actually been involved with social media for a long

as possible.

time – four to five years. But we sort of hit the ground running in the last two years, being more active on Facebook, Twitter and coming up with ideas to get people to join

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY PROJECTS OR INITIATIVES THAT CAAM HAS DONE SO FAR? WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS BEEN IMPORTANT IN ENGAGING CONSTITUENTS WITH CAAM’S WORK?

FINALLY, ANY LAST WORDS ABOUT DIGITAL MEDIA?

We’ve done a combination of small and big projects. Last year, we launched

I think we need to be visible and dynamic in the current media landscape. People’s

HAPAS.US, a media-sharing site for multiracial Asian Americans. It is a space where

relationships to media have changed, and for us to stay vital, we need to be on top

representation and identity is multi-vocal and dynamic, where participants can share

of these changes. And I’m not just saying we need to know about the technology.

about the mixed race experience in whatever medium they are most comfortable.

As a public media organization, we need to be able to use new media in ways that

We designed the site so that it is very easy for the user to create videos. We

fit our mission, which is, first and foremost, about presenting the stories of our

wanted to make it easy for people to tell their own stories. We’ve also provided

communities in a meaningful and substantial way. Right now, we are in a really

tools for festival-goers to record and share their experiences at our Festival and

good position to think through what is powerful, effective storytelling in a new media

us and participate in physical spaces. In the nonprofit context, we're doing really well.

then shared these videos online.

context. o

In the past year, we have really grown and organized our content on the web. Online

*Be sure to visit the CAAM Channel at www.asianamericanmedia.org to see our latest

video is a way for people to find out about us, to keep up with what we are doing if

innovative videos and digital media projects.

they already know about us, and a dynamic way to promote CAAM. We are still

CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

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CAAM SUPPORTS A NEW GENERATION OF ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA MAKERS

F R U I T F LY

BY JONATHAN L. KNAPP

WITH ITS LANDMARK PROJECT THE PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA, CAAM ADDED A SIGNIFICANT NEW FACET TO ITS PRODUCTION REPERTOIRE: NARRATIVE FEATURES. PRINCESS paired iconic director Wayne Wang with a promising young cinematographer/director named Richard Wong, best known for festival hit COLMA: THE MUSICAL. On COLMA, Wong worked with composer/actor H.P. Mendoza, whom CAAM chose to write and direct its next major feature production, FRUIT FLY, also a musical that would be shot by Wong.

in subject from Chinese restaurants in Istanbul and South Africa to a Hawaiian watercress farm and a treasured annual event in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, when the Asian Chefs Association hosts a dinner for hundreds of homeless people.

On the surface a collection of short comedic episodes, the CAAM original web series ON THE CLOCK uses humor to spotlight creative Asian Americans and celebrate culturally vibrant trends. One episode shows photographer RJ Lozada competing in the Mr. Hyphen contest, while another follows a confused intern (ON THE CLOCK’s

Premiering at the 27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival,

protagonist) to a screening of the cult hit KAMIKAZE GIRLS, where he learns what

FRUIT FLY is an unabashed love letter to San Francisco and a frenetic musical

the term “Lolita” means to Japanese fashionistas.

celebration of 21st century multiculturalism: gay, straight, Filipino, white or - to use two of the film’s more colorful terms - versatile bottom or fag hag. The film, which features many CAAM staff members on both sides of the camera, confirms Mendoza as one of the most unique voices in the indie cinematic landscape. It also reunites him with COLMA’s lead actress and his longtime friend, L.A. Renigen, a worthy muse for Mendoza and his irreverent aesthetic vision. When the two share the screen, which they do quite often in FRUIT FLY, they demonstrate a genuinely loving rapport that any director would dream about.

CAAM recently found a new platform for this rapport: LALA, a Mendoza-directed series of shorts for the web and Comcast on Demand that is, above all, a showcase for Renigen's boundless charisma. It is also an exploration of Asian cuisine, primarily in and around Los Angeles, where Renigen now lives. Mendoza and producer E.S. Park, who is CAAM's Media Fund Associate, join Renigen to sample foods as diverse as stinky bean, jellyfish, beef liver sashimi, and Korean barbecue tacos. Boasting the

H P M E N D OZ A P H OTO BY M U H A M M A D A S R A N U R

same whimsical playfulness that COLMA and FRUIT FLY radiate, LALA is a celebration of a contemporary Asian American culture that honors tradition while embracing experimentation and ethnic cross-pollination.

Written, shot, edited, and starring CAAM staffers and interns, ON THE CLOCK is testament to the tremendous creative energy found within the CAAM family.

Through its work producing web programming and larger projects such as FRUIT FLY,

Asian cuisine also plays a prominent role in a series of documentaries that CAAM produced for Comcast on Demand during APA Heritage month in 2009. They range

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CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

CAAM is supporting and inspiring the next generation of Asian American media makers, who are taking their cameras to depict and shape the world around them. o

CAAM PROJECTS 2008 - 2009

AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY

By Kimberlee Bassford

B O L I N AO 5 2

By Duc Nguyen

HOUSE OF SUH

By Iris Shim

AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY is a one-hour documentary that explores the life and times of the late U.S. Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink (1927-2002), the first woman of color in Congress and driving force behind Title IX, the landmark legislation that mandated gender equity in education.

In 1988, a group of Vietnamese boat people attempted to flee their country in search of freedom. Once at sea, the boat’s engine died leaving over 100 people stranded in the ocean. What happened next was an unbelievable story of perseverance that changed the lives of the survivors forever.

The HOUSE OF SUH deconstructs the complex dynamics of a family torn apart. As the history of the Suh family unfolds, issues of cultural assimilation, gender inequity, traditional values and justice are examined, raising questions of guilt, innocence and the illusive gray area in between.

BROADCAST 2009 FUNDED 2006

FUNDED 2009

BROADCAST 2009 FESTIVAL 2009 FUNDED 2008

DELANO MANONGS

By Marrissa Aroy

KIP FULBECK: SELECTED VIDEOS, VO L U M E S O N E & T W O

By Kip Fulbeck

In the distant past, there was a moment in time when six movie theaters in San Francisco’s Chinatown crystallized the memories, beliefs, sorrows, aspirations, and experience of Chinese immigrant families through the films they loved – from Cantonese opera to Westerns. These Chinese movies reduced elders to tears, challenged the young to find out how they could be American and Chinese at the same time, and helped to bridge the gap between generations.

DELANO MANONGS tells the unknown story of a group of Filipino farm workers who toiled under the yoke of racism for decades, then rose up as old men to fight for fair wages and humane work conditions. The Manongs instigated one of the finest hours of the American labor movement, the Great Grape Strike of 1965, which led to the formation of the internationally recognized United Farm Workers Union and made Cesar Chavez a household name.

DISTRIBUTION 2009 FUNDED 2003

BROADCAST 2009 FUNDED 2009

A S O N G F O R O U R S E LV E S

By Tadashi Nakamura

H I G H T E C H , LO W L I F E

By Stephen Maing

During the 1970s when Asians in America were invisible to the country, the late Chris Iijima’s music provided the voice and identity an entire generation had been in search of.

Through animated photographs, intimate home movies, archival footage and Chris’ own songs, this documentary shows how Iijima’s music unleashed the contagious energy of the Asian American Movement with an unrelenting passion for social justice and a life well lived.

HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE follows the evolution of a young vegetable seller into one of China’s first citizen reporters as he challenges the boundaries of free speech by reporting on China’s censored news stories. At 26, Zhou Shuguang - known to his internet community as Zola - helped mobilize thousands of supporters throughout China, marking the beginning of his new life as a roving citizen reporter.

DISTRIBUTION 2009 FESTIVAL 2008 FUNDED 2008

HOLLYWOOD CHINESE is a captivating revelation on a little-known chapter of cinema: the Chinese in American feature films.

From the first Chinese film produced in 1916, to Ang Lee’s triumphant BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN almost a century later, HOLLYWOOD CHINESE brings together a fascinating portrait of actors, directors, writers, and iconic images to show how the Chinese have been imagined in movies.

Puerto RicanAmerican rapper Hamza Pérez pulled himself out of drug dealing and street life and became a Muslim. He moved to Pittsburgh’s tough North Side to start a new religious community, rebuild his shattered family and take his message of faith to other young people through hard-hitting hip-hop music.

NEW MUSLIM COOL takes viewers on Hamza’s ride through streets, slums and jail cells, following his spiritual journey to some surprising places in an America that never stops changing.

BROADCAST 2009 FUNDED 2001, 2005, 2006

BROADCAST 2009 FUNDED 2005

A MOMENT IN TIME

By Ruby Yang

A VIEW FROM A GRAIN OF SAND

By Meena Nanji Told through the eyes of three Afghan women - a doctor, teacher and women’s rights activist - this documentary tells the story of how war, international interference and the rise of religious fundamentalism has stripped Afghan women of rights and freedom. Together with rarely seen archival footage, their powerful stories provide illuminating context for Afghanistan’s current situation and the ongoing battle women face to gain even basic human rights.

FUNDED 2009

H O L LY W O O D C H I N E S E

By Arthur Dong

Spanning over a decade of creative, thought-provoking, and humorous work, Kip Fulbeck’s two-volume short film compilation addresses Hapa identity issues and Asian American media portrayals from many angles.

Featuring a total of thirteen shorts, notable titles include BANANA SPLIT, SOME QUESTIONS FOR 28 KISSES, and GAME OF DEATH among others.

DISTRIBUTION 2009

MADE IN INDIA

By Rebecca Haimowitz & Vaishali Sinha MADE IN INDIA is about the human experiences behind the phenomena of “outsourcing” surrogate mothers to India. The film looks at couples across the US whose struggle with infertility has led them to seek a surrogate mother to carry their child and the surrogates who choose to carry their fetuses for a fee. What unfolds is a complicated clash of families in crisis, reproductive technology and outsourcing played out across cultures and countries.

FUNDED 2009

N E W M U S L I M CO O L

By Jennifer Maytorena Taylor

BROADCAST 2009 FUNDED 2004, 2006

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CAAM PROJECTS 2008 - 2009

N I N OY

By Tom Coffman

SOMA GIRLS

By Nandini Sikand

THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR MEE

By Foung Heu

The Philippines’ Benigno Aquino, from a stance of defending constitutional government against martial law, was subjected to eight years in prison. In the process he evolved from a “Boy Wonder” politico into a deeply thoughtful and effective practitioner of nonviolent resistance. At a time when the vast majority of people everywhere were saddled with dictatorships, he became the archetype for using nonviolence as the method for driving out national dictators and strengthening the cause of constitutional government.

SOMA GIRLS is a half-hour documentary short which explores the lives of several girls (ages 6 to 17) who live in a home in Kolkata, India. Their mothers live and work in Kalighat, one of the largest red light districts in the city. Each girl is painfully aware of their individual circumstances but yet they play, dance and study and speak of wanting to grow up, to become independent and find a way to get their mothers out of the trade.

In January of 2002, Mee Moua became the first Hmong American to be elected to a statewide political office for the first time in United States history. This documentary details Moua’s historic and whirlwind campaign to become Minnesota State Senator as she navigates a competitive political field and mobilizes her immigrant Hmong community to become registered voters, all the while involving everyone in the great American political process.

FUNDED 2008, 2009

W I N G S O F D E F E AT

By Risa Morimoto & Linda Hoaglund

DISTRIBUTION 2009 FUNDED 2002

FUNDED 2009 T H E B E T R AYA L ( N e r a k h o o n )

By Ellen Kuras & Thavisouk Phrasavath OA K PA R K S TO RY

By Valerie Soe OAK PARK STORY recounts the journeys of three families who come to live at a low-income apartment complex in Oakland, California, encountering daily life in America’s underclass. Parents raised their children amidst drug dealing, gang violence and prostitution. Yet their worst problem was their landlord, who raised rents even when El Nino rains flooded their units. They join forces to sue their landlord and the film follows their struggle for justice.

Filmed over 23 years, THE BETRAYAL is the Academy Award®-nominated directorial debut of renowned cinematographer Ellen Kuras in a unique collaboration with the film’s subject and co-director, Thavisouk (“Thavi”) Phrasavath. After the U.S. government waged a secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War, Thavi's father and thousands of other Laotians who had fought alongside American forces were abandoned and left to face imprisonment or execution. Hoping to find safety, Thavi’s family made a harrowing escape to America, where they discovered a different kind of war.

BROADCAST 2009 FUNDED 1994

What were Japanese Kamikazes thinking just before crashing into their targets? When Risa Morimoto discovered that her beloved uncle trained as a Kamikaze pilot in his youth, she wondered the same thing. Through rare interviews with surviving Kamikaze pilots, Morimoto retraces their journeys from teenagers to doomed pilots and reveals a complex history of brutal training and ambivalent sacrifice.

BROADCAST 2009 FUNDED 2006

THE GOLDEN SPIKE

By Amy Y. Chan & Jim Choi

FUNDED 2009

ONE IN A BILLION

By Geeta Patel ONE IN A BILLION humanizes the common and quiet struggle of millions of first-generation Americans who struggle with the idea of not marrying within one’s traditional religion and culture. The film takes us inside the world of the Indian-American semi-arranged marriage industry and addresses questions at the heart of the American immigrant experience: is ‘cultural sameness’ a prerequisite to a good marriage, cultural preservation, and true love?

Funded 2009

R O OT S I N WAT E R

By Stuart Yamane The Sumida watercress farm in Hawai’i is a multigenerational organic farm that steadfastly refused to give up their values or business. For owner David Sumida, it’s also home to his punk musician alter ego ‘Beano Shots.’ ROOTS IN WATER is a warm and touching personal story that covers family, identity, land use, green farming, and sustainability issues.

DISTRIBUTION 2009

Although over 10,000 Chinese immigrants helped build the western half of the Transcontinental Railroad, their crucial contribution was largely overlooked for almost a century. The story of these forgotten workers is told with photographs, paintings, and political cartoons from the period. Even though these workers were absent from the famous photograph of the completion of the railroad at Promontory Summit, their strength and courage are clear from what they accomplished.

FUNDED 2005 DISTRIBUTION 2009

T H E M O S Q U E I N M O R G A N TO W N

By Brittany Huckabee A small university town in West Virginia becomes the unlikely battleground for the soul of Islam in America when Asra Nomani fights for the right of women to pray alongside men in the local mosque. THE MOSQUE IN MORGANTOWN is a thoughtful, even-handed documentary about a community struggling with change while trying to hold itself together.

BROADCAST 2009 FUNDED 2007

W O A I N I ( I LOV E YO U ) M O M MY (PREVIOUSLY WHITE STORK HOTEL)

By Stephanie Wang-Breal For the past eight years, China has been the leading country for U.S. international adoptions. WO AI NI (I LOVE YOU) MOMMY is a 60-minute documentary about Chinese adopted girls, their American adoptive families and the Chinese political and cultural pressures that led to their abandonment. The characters and events in this story challenge our traditional notions of family, culture and race.

FUNDED 2009

XMAS WITHOUT CHINA

By Tom Xia News reports slamming China drove proud immigrant Tom Xia to challenge his American neighbors to do Christmas without Chinese goods. The Joneses down the street accept eagerly. What follows is a humorous and surprising intercultural exchange that reveals the misunderstandings, bravado and yearnings of Americans in a world of great change and shifting identities.

FUNDED 2009

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CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

29 YEARS OF POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT BOTH PERSONAL AND GLOBAL

BY JONATHAN L. KNAPP

FOUNDED IN 1980 AFTER THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (CPB) BEGAN ACTIVELY SUPPORTING THE CREATION OF ETHNIC MEDIA, CAAM HAS A RICH HISTORY OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT. The organization has frequently found an outlet for this through the Public Broadcast Service (PBS), where it has presented hundreds of hours of programming, beginning with the anthology

P R OJ E C T K A S H M I R

series “Silk Screen,” which shed light on a variety of Asian American issues between 1982 and 1987. Today, CAAM is one of five minority public broadcasting consortia designated by the CPB to provide programming to PBS.

One such PBS program is Kimberlee Bassford’s 2008 documentary PATSY MINK: AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY, which traces the remarkable life of the first woman of color in the United States Congress. Born in Maui, Hawaii, to Japanese American parents, Patsy Mink entered politics shortly after she graduated from the University of Chicago’s prestigious law school but struggled to break into the male-dominated law field. By 1964 Mink had risen through the ranks of Hawaii’s Democratic party to land a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Here, she quickly gained notoriety as a tireless advocate for women, children, and the underrepresented.

A onetime presidential candidate and an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War, Mink refused to play by other people’s rules and, as such, endured great opposition throughout her career – both from obvious opponents on the right and from supposed allies on the left. Bassford’s documentary deals directly with this adversity and presents Mink as the American treasure that she is: a rare politician who refused to compromise her beliefs and a role model for Hawaiians, women, Asian Americans, and progressives of all stripes.

While PATSY MINK celebrates an important historical figure, another CAAM production, PROJECT KASHMIR (2008), strives to inspire dialogue in one of the world’s most disputed, and misunderstood, regions. Directed by Indian American Geeta Patel and Pakistani American Senain Kheshgi, PROJECT KASHMIR seamlessly melds the personal with the political. The film follows Patel and Kheshgi as they discover how their respective ethnic and religious identities (Patel is Hindu, while Kheshgi is Muslim) affect their perception of highly polarized Kashmir, where a Hindu minority rules over a Muslim majority.

Lest one think that Kashmir’s situation can be easily summed up by the equation “minority oppresses majority,” Patel and Kheshgi also discover the horrible suffering of Hindu villagers, who fled the territory to save their lives. As a fearless, wellconnected Muslim journalist explains to them, “This country is not simple.” He adds that Kashmir’s unrest is “not senseless violence.” To the contrary, the insurgency is carefully orchestrated and deeply passionate; outsiders have difficulty understanding its complexities. Through their elegant and beautiful film, Patel and Kheshgi hope to move toward an understanding.

PROJECT KASHMIR embodies key elements of CAAM’s mission. At once a nuanced exploration of the identities of two different Asian American women, the film also engages with one of the world’s most complicated conflicts. It and PATSY MINK show how political engagement and ethnic identity so often go hand in hand. o

PAT SY M I N K : A H E A D O F T H E M A J O R I T Y

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 27TH SFIAAFF

IN ITS 27TH YEAR, THE SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL (SFIAAFF) ATTRACTED OVER 25,000 ATTENDEES, INCLUDING OVER 200 FILMMAKERS, ACTORS AND INDUSTRY GUESTS. The Festival presented over 100 films and videos over its eleven-day span at Castro Theatre, Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, and other San Francisco venues as well as locations in Berkeley and San Jose. More than half of the Festival’s screenings were sold-out and the program featured six world premieres, one North American premiere and three U.S. premieres of feature length films.

The Festival opened with Lee Yoon-ki’s MY DEAR ENEMY and closed with So Yong Kim’s TREELESS MOUNTAIN, tracing an arc of new Korean/American cinema. In between, highlights included a boisterous, sold-out Centerpiece screening of H.P. Mendoza’s musical FRUIT FLY at the Castro Theatre, a retrospective of acclaimed Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who was on hand to present many of his films, and special on-stage conversations with Ang Lee, and WATCHMEN screenwriter Alex Tse. At the Festival, CAAM also launched its new media sharing website, HAPAS.US, which brings together the multiracial Asian American community online. A number of films also explored the multiracial Asian American experience, including an archival screening of Guy Green’s fascinating Hawaii-set, 1963 film DIAMOND HEAD.

27th SFIAAFF JURIED COMPETITIONS WINNERS AND AUDIENCE AWARDS:

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N A R R AT I V E CO M P E T I T I O N BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE: HALF-LIFE Directed by Jennifer Phang SPECIAL JURY AWARD: CHILDREN OF INVENTION Directed by Tze Chun D O C U M E N TA RY CO M P E T I T I O N BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: THE MOSQUE IN MORGANTOWN Directed by Brittany Huckabee SPECIAL JURY AWARD: DIRTY HANDS: THE ART AND CRIMES OF DAVID CHOE Directed by Harry Kim CO M C A S T A U D I E N C E AWA R D S NARRATIVE FEATURE: FRUIT FLY Directed by H.P. Mendoza DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: PATSY MINK: AHEAD OF THE MAJORITY Directed by Kimberlee Bassford

Some of the guests who graced the Festival were: actors Joan Chen (24 CITY), Leonardo Nam and Julia Nickson (HALF-LIFE), James Kyson Lee, Lynn Chen and Hiroshi Watanabe (WHITE ON RICE), Kavi Ladnier and Barnali Das (KARMA CALLING); and filmmakers Takahiko Iimura (subject of Festival Spotlight), Tze Chun (CHILDREN OF INVENTION), Christopher Wong (WHATEVER IT TAKES), Senain Keshgi and Geeta Patel (PROJECT KASHMIR), Jeff Adachi (YOU DON’T KNOW JACK: THE JACK SOO STORY) and Ed Radtke (THE SPEED OF LIFE). o

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CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

2

3

WORDS FROM STUDENT DELEGATES OF THE 27TH SFIAAFF

AIMED TO ENGAGE STUDENTS WITH ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN CINEMA, SFIAAFF’S STUDENT DELEGATE PROGRAM STRIVES TO CULTIVATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCHOLARS, ARTISTS, ADMINISTRATORS AND ACTIVISTS INVESTED IN THE FIELD OF ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA.

“I can’t even begin to express how amazing

“I really liked the energy of the Castro

this whole experience was and how much

Theatre, and remembering back to the

I feel like I’ve grown in just this short time.

Comcast representative’s quick speech,

I’m so inspired to make films now; I can

I realize that the audience tonight was really

barely contain it. Especially after seeing

a community that was fueled by film and

THE SPEED OF LIFE, which I ended up seeing

that this energy comes only from such

“The great part about documentaries is

twice and probably would have gone a third

a strong community. The long lines for

that the stories aren’t over when the films

time if it showed again. Something in it

tickets, the pictures, film crew, and finding

are over. Hearing about where the people in

resonated with me and I know it’s a film that

a seat, all of it was an experience. Also,

the films are now gives the screenings today

I’m going to carry with me for a long time.

of course one of the best parts was

a vitality unique to the documentary style.”

I only hope my films can evoke the amount

meeting all the other delegates and excitedly

of emotion that Ed Radtke was able to achieve

chatting before the film!”

“I’m super new to this film festival ordeal.

in that film. Meeting him also made it seem

The only ways I’ve experienced movies are

so reasonable, like filmmaking is not some

in regular theaters, on a small screen with

magic goal that only a couple of people

a few friends, or as a topic of discussion

can aspire to. If you are driven and passionate

in a classroom.

and believe in your

KARMA CALLING

work, you can have

was the kind of

it made.”

screening

University of California, Berkeley

that

really makes the

“To say I have been

festival setting win

looking forward to

my heart - the

the SFIAAFF would

audience was so

be a grand under-

enthusiastic during

statement. I can

the movie, cheer-

LAURA

— TRACY WANG, STUDENT

think of few things LAUREN

ing the hardest

more exciting than

during the opening and closing credits. And

to be able to view high-quality Asian

then the actor who played Peter stood up in

American

front of me and Lauren for the Q&A to join all

discussions with others who feel just as

the other people who were part of the film at

passionately as I do about the importance

the front of the room. Okay, considering I had

of this medium.”

no idea that most of the people I just saw on the screen were actually in the theater sitting

cinema

and

have

TRACY

in-depth

— LAUREN WINSOR STENMOE, STUDENT Academy of Art University, San Francisco

very close to us, I was kind of starstruck.”

— LAURA THATCHER, STUDENT University of California, Davis

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5

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CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

11

FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT

SUPPORT + REVENUE

Government Awards

86,100

Foundation Grants

117,200

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

921,363

4.6 % 6.2 % 48.7 %

Corporate Support

124,137

In-kind Contributions

184,263

Contributions & Memberships

145,642

Film Distribution

114,526

Festival Ticket Sales Other

6.6 % 9.7 % 7.7 % 6.1 %

182,040

9.6 %

16,702 0.9 %

1,891,973

Total

EXPENSES

Digital Media

257,984

Public Television

291,100

Media Fund

239,989

Festival

908,927

Special Productions

11.7 % 13.2 % 10.8 % 41.1 %

72,707 3.3 %

Film Distribution

143,756

6.5 % Administration

178,825

Fundraising

119,584

8.1 % 5.4 %

Total

12

2,212,872

CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

ASSET CHANGES

30-SEPT-09

30-SEPT-08

Cash + Cash Equivalents

485,451

533,991

Accounts Receivable

438,759

940,133

Prepaid Expenses

13,605

14,886

Property + Equipment

28,755

25,943

Investments

377,717

377,717

Notes Receivable

418,084

418,084

Accounts Payable

41,186

116,341

273,051

431,380

6,186

186

Unrestricted Net Assets

816,680

754,419

Temporarily Restricted Net Assets

625,268

1,008,428

1,441,948

1,762,847

Grants Payable Other Liabilities

Total Net Assets

CAAM fiscal year ending September 30, 2009.

Financial statements and Form 990s available upon request.

CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

13

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

FOUNDATIONS & GOVERNMENT Corporation for Public Broadcasting Grants for the Arts National Endowment for the Arts The Academy Foundation The Fleishhacker Foundation The Ford Foundation The Japan Foundation The Koret Foundation The San Francisco Foundation The Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation The Wallace Foundation The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation Union Bank of California Foundation

CAAM COMMUNITY PARTNERS 4Fifteen Clothing AcademyX All About Cute Audrey Dr. Kim Makoi, D.C., C.Ad. Encore Express Enterprise Rent-A-Car Fitzgerald Hotel Hyphen Indie Industries Jubili Kaya Press Kearny Street Workshop Kirin Brewery of America KoreAm Journal Le Soleil Lolonis Winery Lost Weekend Video Maharani Restaurant Nob Hill Hotel Numi Organic Tea Poleng Lounge Zaza Nail Spa

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CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

VISIONARY GOLD Bill Imada David and Linda Lei

ADVOCATE Denis Bouvier Ravi Chandra Johnnie D. Giles Roger Kuo

BENEFACTOR Desmond D. Chin Gary Chou Kai Fujita Stephen Gong and Susan Avila John C. and Chara C. Haas Christopher Hollstein and Samantha Eldredge Michael and Tonia Hsieh Bernadette Kim and Len Christensen A. Moy Parmila Ramchandani Jean Tsien Mona Lisa Yuchengco

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE Anonymous Lalit Balchandani M. Lucey Bowen Derek Chung Yi-Lun Ding David and Cheryl Jackson Dai Sil Kim-Gibson Amy K. Lee Jennie Lew and Cary Fong Thuy Nguyen Leroy and Claudia Quan Sumit Roy Calvin and Emma Yee Laura and Wallace Young

PATRON Frank Chan Eunice Chee Doug Chin, in Memory of Janice Sakamoto Willard M. Chin Heather Donnell Grace Eng Leon Hartwig Amy Lee and Steve Hom Takuji and Harumi Kasamatsu Lawrence Kim Jyhchi Ko Stefani Komaru Sylvia Komatsu and George Stone Edward Lee and Cindy Liu Russell and Sherlyn Leong Deann and Paul Liem Peter R. McGrath and Han Y. Wang Dr. Dennis M. Ogawa/Nippon Golden Network Steven Okazaki/Farallon Films Adolph Rosekrans Arthur Rothstein Dr. Marvin Sommer Victoria S. Taketa Diane Tokugawa Ho Chie Tsai & TaiwaneseAmerican.org Bob and Yvonne Uyeki Anna Whittington and Eddie Wong Bryan Yagi Erik Young

SUPPORTER Anonymous Tony An Christopher Au and Cindy Lee Terry Bautista Matthew Brictson Constance Chan James Q. Chan Darrin Chang Tom and Dorothy Chin, in memory of Janice Sakamoto Charles Y. Choi, Ph.D. Celia Chung Crosby & Kaneda Anna Dang Glenn Davis and James Takagi Tom Donald

Maria Fedel Netta F. Fedor Thomas Fujisaka Kay Gamo Sue Jean Halvorsen Jayasri M. Hart Liz Hoadley and Marsha Gale Kathy Im Doug Inouye Don Joe Sisi Kapp Lewis Kawahara Dr. Peter N. Kiang Yoko Knox Ken Kopp Bonnie Kwong Calvin and Helen Lang Jalyn Tani Lang Stephen Lawson Francis Lee Joyce Lee Waty Makmur Pamela Matsuoka Nadine May Paolo Mele Harry Mok Grace Murao Jim Nawrocki Noel and Penny Nellis Mike Hoa Nguyen Tony Van Nguyen Oakland Film Office Edmund W. Ow Theresa Owyeong Jiro and Yasue Oyama Caren Park Christina Pehl Armando and Renee Tajima-Pena Jean Pfaelzer Glenn Ramsdell Nani Ratnawati Sharon Rose Raymond and Maia Siu Indigo Som and Donna Ozawa Anthony St. George Peter L. Stein Earlene Taylor Janet Tom Wayne Wada

Morrie Warshawski Stephen B. Wilson, Jr Christopher Wong Wynnie Wong Margaret Yamamoto and Mark Hopkins Daniel Yu Phil Yu LaDonna Yumori-Kaku

FRIEND Anonymous (6) Calvin Abe Melissa Abrams Marissa Aroy and Niall McKay Doug Au Vivian Bejarin Chas Belov Michael Berkowitz E.B.S. Bockrath Maurizio Bronzetti Chris Bucoy Brown Tecoah and Thomas Bruce Jonathan Carter May-Lee Chai Claire Chang Mitzi Chang Tom and Jeanette Chang Pratap Chatterjee Ed and Janet Chen Jau-Jiun Chen James Chen and Wendy Nguyen Corey Cheng Michael Cheng Brian Cheu Preet and Surjit Chhokar S. Leo Chiang Arthur Chin Kevin Chin Michael Chin Andrey Chow Deborah Clearwaters Mark Decena Michael DeLong William Dere Michelle Dimapasoc and Michael Adelsheim Lorraine Dong Iris Erem Liza Marie S. Erpelo

Rosanne S. Estwanick Margaret Fajardo Sherman Fan Steve Fong Candice Fukumoto-Dunham Bernard Fung Roger Garcia and Lydia Tanji Phan Quoc Thai and Janet Gardner Paul Garlow Yvonne Gee Tomio Geron John F. Ghizzoni Alex Gin R.L. Gumnit Cari Gushiken Michael Haimovitz and Paula Forselles Brent Hall Darrell Y. Hamamoto Rasheed and J.B. Hanif Rita Hao Dr. David B. Hash Grace Hing John Hoffman Yunah Hong Lawrence Hsu and Linda Teng Elva Huang Jennifer Huang Jolene Huey Tommy Huie Gregory C. Hunter Satsuki Ina Christopher Ing Restu Ismail Cynthia Iwanaga Clark Jen Melissa Josue Keith Kamisugi Hiroshi Kashiwagi Dana Kawano Jeanie Kim Albert Lai Shu Lai and Angeline Yang Jesus Lara Betty Lee Marjorie Lee Jim Keefe Mark and Jacqueline Leslie Sandra Li John Lin

CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

15

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

Lillian Lin Matt Lin Sandy Lin Michael Ling Miriam and Belvin Louie Francis Lu, M.D. Kim Makoi Sheila Malkind Julie Mallozzi Joshua Maremont and Irene Loe Maimounah Masudi Susan McCabe Cher Min Atsushi Murase Mona Nagai Robert Nakamoto and Colleen Tani Nakamoto Jason Nou Susan Obata Betty Oen Eric Ohwa Kent A. Ono M H and H M Osbourn Yen Pang Susan Parini and Stefan Gruenwedel James Park Dave Parks Deepak Pateriya David P. Perlin Edward A. Radtke Ramey Ramzi Michael Reilly Jennifer Sato Karen Schiller Ken Schneider Gail Silva William Smock Joseph Smooke Son Julie D. Soo Michael Soon Robert Stanton Tess Taft Robynn Takayama Mabel M. Tampinco Chris Tashima Mon Thai Ching To Jennifer Tsan Benito Vergara Jason Wiener Benson Wong 16

CAAM ANNUAL REPORT 08 | 09

Jason M. Wong June Woo Wong Pearl Wong & Chil Kong Peter Wong Kaifu Wu Cary Yageman gayle k. yamada Robert Yamauchi and Barbara Parkyn J.B. Yee Jennifer Terng Yin

STUDENT/SENIOR Anonymous (2) Argentina Andoni Glenn Aquino Katie Birchard Linda Blackaby Bonita Bradley Hanley Chan Michael Chao Dr. Art Charles Alexander Cheng Derek Chin Jeffrey Chin Amelia Chua Diana B. Chun Jeff Clark Lynne Connor Jasleen Dhillon Anthony Estrada Eleanor M. Farrell Audrey Fong Maxine Fong Maryan and Bill Gong Marvin J. Halpern Kathryn Hashimoto Debra Hatanaka and Edwin Endow Ellen Helferd George A. Heymont Stephen Horowitz Dieu Huynh Adrienne Iwanaga Mei Jou Angela Kauranen Asian Americans for Community Involvement Sheilan Khailany Jane Kim Sue Kim Dong Kingman, Jr. Leanne Koh

Le Roy Latigue Caroline Le Hao Anh Le Lisa Lee Wenia Lee Connie Levy Yangjun Li Ty Lim Charles Lin Sheening Lin Monica Lonigro Vera Wing Lui Jilma Marshall Daniel Mart Jing Mu Maxine Neidich Matthew Nelson Emiko Omori Jimmy G. S. Ong Adam Pachter Vincent Pham Hongshu Qian Christine Quan Joseph Ramelo Hestia Sander Mimi Sasaki Bill Sato Epifanio Silva Silverman Fannie Siu Tanya Sleiman Brandon Sugiyama Roselyne Swig Calvin Tajima My Tang Michael Thomson Mary Tran Michael Tran Timothy Tsai Urmila Venkatesh Peggy Wang Stephen Wedgley Benji Wong Tamiko and Peter Wong Christopher Woon Anna Wu Cindy Wu Frank Yee Jr. Ryan E. Yip Mike Zimmerman

E D I TO R S : Stephen Gong, Debbie Ng, and Frances Pomperada P R O D U C T I O N : Frances Pomperada D E S I G N : Sharon B채den, B채den Design | BADEN DESIGN@MAC.COM I N S I D E B AC K COV E R I M AG E C R E D I T: Japantown Peace Plaza Screening of KAMIKAZE GIRLS

B AC K COV E R I M AG E C R E D I T: HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE

RE PO AN InRT 2008-2009, CAAM NU 22 hours AL presented of public television programming, reaching over 10 million viewers nationwide.

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distributed 789 titles through our Educational Distribution program, reaching thousands of individuals, students and groups. funded 12

projects:

3 Indian, 3 Chinese, 2 Filipino, 1 Korean, 2 Pan-Asian and 1 international series.

AN NU AL

exhibited over 100

films at the

RE PO RT

27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival over an eleven-day span in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose.

launched Hapas.us, a collaborative multimedia storytelling 2

project that enables multiracial Asian Americans to share their experiences about race and identity.

CENTER FOR ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA 145 Ninth Street, Suite 350 San Francisco, CA 94103 T 415.863.0814 F 4 1 5 . 8 6 3 . 74 2 8 INFO@ASIANAMERICANMEDIA.ORG W W W. A S I A N A M E R I C A N M E D I A . O R G

AN NU AL 2

RE PO RT