The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of For their essential role in making

ir essential role in making Asian American Showcase possible,

Chicago and the Foundation for Asian American Independent Media
(FAAIM) present the 13th edition of “Asian American Showcase,”
April 11 through 24. This year’s theme is “Lucky 13” as we celebrate
film and video production by Asian American directors through 13
Chicago-premiere programs and a “Lucky 13”-themed exhibition by
Asian American artists in our gallery/café.
Our opening night film PING PONG PLAYA is the fast-paced and very
funny first comedy by Academy Award-winning documentary director
Jessica Yu (IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL). The film’s star/
screenwriter Jimmy Tsai will be here in person. Our closing night film is
SANTA MESA, a poignant coming-of-age drama set against the chaotic
milieu of Manila street life.
Director appearances highlight a powerhouse selection of new features.
Michael Kang (MOTEL) appears with WEST 32ND, an edgy crime
drama distinguished by superb acting. Amyn Kaderali presents his
surprising comedy KISSING COUSINS, in which a guy accustomed
to terminating relationships gets an unwelcome lesson in love. First-
time directors Francis Hsueh and Steven Hahn appear with PRETTY
TO THINK SO, in which three Manhattan singles become entangled
through money, love, and the past.
Feature documentaries include THE KILLING OF A CHINESE
COOKIE, a humorous but fact-filled history of that questionably
Chinese treat, and WINGS OF DEFEAT, in which surviving WWII
kamikaze pilots speak of their experiences for the first time. Chicago
director Kai-Duc Luong appears with acclaimed blues performer Vance
Kelly, one of the subjects of his journal film SOMEPLACE ELSE.
Body-image dilemmas facing the Asian American woman are explored
in NEVER PERFECT.
Our selection of shorts includes a program of films by students of the
School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The 50s-themed musical DAMN
THE PAST! is a highlight of the shorts program “Life, Love, and
Everything in Between.”
Check our web site for additional listings of “Asian American Showcase”
activities and events in the coming weeks.
the Gene Siskel Film Center thanks FAAIM founding members
Sooyoung Park, Ben Kim, and William Shin; festival director Tim
Hugh; the Alphawood Foundation; American Airlines; the National
Endowment for the Arts; the Illinois Arts Council, A State Agency;
and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
—Barbara Scharres
Wow, 13 years! It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long ago since we first
started the Showcase, but, when you look back at some of our early years,
we were just starting to discover the talents of people like Justin Lin, Greg
Pak, Chris Chan Lee, and Michael Kang. From their student short films
to their multiple features, it’s been exciting to see the growth of Asian
American filmmaking. The Showcase was started and The Foundation For
Asian American Independent Media (FAAIM) was formed to promote
film, video and other media by and about Asian Americans, and to
support the artists who create them. FAAIM’s mission is to presents these
media in order to:
• Educate communities – Asian American and mainstream, local and
national – about Asian American history and issues.
• Introduce Asian American perspectives into the ongoing self-
definition of our multicultural society in Chicago, the Midwest,
and the United States.
• Foster understanding across lines of race, ethnicity, religion, age,
and region.
• Sustain growth and encourage excellence in Asian American culture,
and elevate Chicago’s place within it.
I’d like to thank Ben Kim, Sooyoung Park, and William Shin, along
with all the filmmakers and artists who have been a part of our festivals,
all the volunteers and staff members who have helped us along the way,
Barbara Scharres and the staff of the Gene Siskel Film Center who have
generously helped us and supported our dream, and you, our audience
who helps keep the dream alive. Hope you enjoy our “Lucky 13”!
— Tim Hugh

The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art
Institute, Chicago’s Premier Movie Theater, is located at
164 N. State St.
Tickets to each screening are $9/general admission, $7/
students, and $5/Film Center members. All tickets may be
purchased at the Film Center Box Office; hours of operation:
5:00-9:00 pm, Monday-Friday; 2:00-9:00 pm, Saturday;
and 2:00-6:00 pm, Sunday. Only general admission tickets
are available through Ticketmaster, 312-575-8000, www.
ticketmaster.com, and at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Tickets to the Film/Lecture Series are $9/general
admission, $7/students, and $4/Film Center members.
A Film Center membership is a year-round ticket to great
movies for only $5 per screening! Memberships are $45
(Individual) and $75 (Dual). For more information, call
312-846-2600 or visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org.
Discounted parking is available for $14 for nine hours at
the InterPark SELF-PARK at 20 E. Randolph St. A rebate
ticket can be obtained from the Film Center Box Office.
For more information about the Film Center, call 312-
846-2800 (24-hour movie hotline) or 312-846-2600
(general information, 9:00 am-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday),
or visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org.
Celebrating 36 years of excellent film programming,
the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago is a world-class cinematheque
dedicated to showcasing emerging artists, world cinema,
independent filmmakers and the classics. Presenting over
1,500 screenings and more than 100 visiting filmmaker
appearances annually, the Gene Siskel Film Center is
Chicago’s premier movie theater.
A leader in educating artists and designers for 142 years, the
School of the Art Institute of Chicago offers undergraduate
and graduate programs to nearly 2,800 students from
around the world. In addition to the time-honored study of
painting, sculpture, printmaking, and design, SAIC’s studio
programs embrace film and new media, electronic and
sound arts, and creative writing. To complement its studio
programs, SAIC offers academic degrees in disciplines from
art history to arts administration, visual and critical studies
to historic preservation. Located in the heart of Chicago,
the School promotes contemporary discourse about art and
design through venues such as the Gene Siskel Film Center,
Video Data Bank, Betty Rymer Gallery, Gallery 2, the
Division of Continuing Studies, and in conjunction with
the Poetry Center.

www.siskelfilmcenter.com www.faaim.org
FRIDAY 11 8:30 OPENING PING PONG PLAYA (Feature)
SATURDAY 12 5:00 LIFE, LOVE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN (Shorts Program)
8:00 KISSING COUSINS (Feature)
SUNDAY 13 3:00 NEVER PERFECT (Documentary)
MISS CHINATOWN, USA (Documentary)
5:00 WINGS OF DEFEAT (Documentary)
MONDAY 14 6:00 KISSING COUSINS (Feature)
8:00 SOMEPLACE ELSE (Documentary)
THURSDAY 17 8:15 OPTION 3 (Feature)
FRIDAY 18 6:30 OPTION 3 (Feature)
8:00 PRETTY TO THINK SO (Feature)
SATURDAY 19 5:30 AGAINST THE GRAIN (Documentary)
VINCENT WHO (Documentary)
8:15 WEST 32ND (Feature)
SUNDAY 20 5:15 THE KILLING OF A CHINESE COOKIE (Documentary)
MONDAY 21 6:00 SOMEPLACE ELSE (Documentary)
7:45 SAIC STUDENT SHORTS SHOWCASE (Shorts Program)
TUESDAY 22 6:15 THE KILLING OF A CHINESE COOKIE (Documentary)
7:45 PRETTY TO THINK SO (Feature)
THURSDAY 24 8:15 CLOSING SANTA MESA (Feature)

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR SPECIAL THANKS TO

Tim Hugh Mr. Lee and Ivan (Aloha Eats)
Juli Kang
VISUAL ARTS COORDINATOR
Chi-Hui Yang, Taro Goto (CAAM)
Larry Lee
George Lin (SDAFF)
GRAPHIC DESIGN Laura Kina Aronson
Vincent Chung Catherine Park
WEB TECH Apatcha Chong
Tony Kang, Sooyoung Park, Walter and Carol Hugh
Favorite Medium LLC Sue Anne Tae
Emily Wang Evan Lee

THE GENE SISKEL FILM CENTER SPONSORS

Jean de St. Aubin, Barbara Scharres,
Marty Rubin, Karen Cross Durham
Jim Dempsey, Brandon Doherty
Alphawood Foundation
American Airlines
The National Endowments for the Arts
The Illinois Arts Council, A State Agency
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
 11
FRIDAY
6:00pm–8:30pm
LUCKY 13 OPENING RECEPTION
Gene Siskel Film Center Gallery/Café
164 N. State St.
Free admission, April 11–May 25
Triskaidekaphobia aside, this exhibit features the work of 13
artists from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, both
current and alumni, who have interpreted and drawn inspi-
ration from the number 13 in an ostentatious celebration of
the 13th anniversary of the Asian American Showcase at the
Gene Siskel Film Center.
Featured artists: Frances Ahn, You Ni Chae, Yu-Ling Chiu,
Hsuan-Hsiu Hung, Nancy Kim, Cheng-Yung Kuo, Mar-
quise Johnson, Alex Lee, Samia Mirza, Mitsu Okubo, Chae
Eun Rhee, Esteban Schimpf, and Mat Tom
8:30pm
OPENING NIGHT FILM!
PING PONG PLAYA
Jessica Yu | 96min | 2007 | USA
with Jimmy Tsai, Smith Cho, Roger Fan
Award-winning documentary director Jessica Yu (In the
Realms of the Unreal) brings crackling energy to her first
comedy feature while putting a new spin on some ethnic
stereotypes. Christopher “C-Dub” Wang (Tsai) is the jiving
motor-mouth loser in a clan of serious over-achievers. When
a freak accident renders him the temporary mainstay of
his mom and dad’s modest little sports franchise, this Peter
Pan-from-the-dark-side is challenged to channel his hustle
and hyperactivity into defending the family honor in the an-
nual ping pong tournament that is their claim to fame. The
character of C-Dub first appeared at our showcase in 2005,
in Jimmy Tsai’s short films, The Venom Sportswear
Ad Campaign. We’re glad to see him back! (BS)
Actor, writer, and co-producer Jimmy Tsai will be present
for audience discussion.
 12
SATURDAY

5:00pm 8:00pm
LIFE, LOVE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN KISSING COUSINS
Various directors | 83min | 2007–8 | USA, Canada Amyn Kaderali | 99min | 2008 | USA
with Samrat Chakrabarti, Rebecca Hazlewood
In the course of life, you experience a vast array of emotions,
some good, some bad, some happy, some sad, some you think Seasoned bachelor Amir, a relationship termination specialist
about, and some you act upon. In this collection of short films, by trade, crushes dreams and breaks hearts for hire so
live lessons are lived and learned. cowardly lovers don’t have to do it themselves. One day, crazy
MIKEʼS by Ted Chung COOKIES FOR SALE by Wes Kim
cousin Zara, his childhood nemesis, shows up from the UK,
Roommates suck. Well, maybe not. A little girl tests her mettle, trying to and he gets duped into introducing her as his girlfriend. The
CHINESE DUMPLINGS by Michelle Hung
sell cookies to a grumpy neighbor. game is on but the stakes are still uncertain in this sprightly
Two younger sisters will do SLOW MACHINES by Bernard Badion comedy with a surprise ending. Although Kissing Cousins is
anything to miss violin practice. A music video by The Gold Medalists. Amyn’s first feature film, his short, Call Center, has been seen
JUST A GAME by Leon Cu A THOUSAND WORDS by Ted Chung by over 1 million viewers on the Web. (BS)
Georgio lives for video games. Is A train passenger forgets her camera,
he ignoring reality, or teaching us a or did she leave it on purpose? Director Amyn Kaderali will be present on Saturday for
lesson in perseverance?
DAMN THE PAST by Juli Kang
audience discussion.
EMILY, I by Dan Lee A mute auto mechanic meets his This program will also repeat Monday, April 14, 6:00pm.
A music video by Scrabbel dream girl. Can he win her over when
he can only expess himself in song?
YEAR OF THE DOG by Kevin Lau
Director Juli Kang will be present for
On New Year’s Eve, a stranger holds
audience discussion.
a family hostage, exacting a long-
sought vengeance.
 13
SUNDAY

3:00pm 5:00pm
NEVER PERFECT WINGS OF DEFEAT
Regina Park | 64min| 2007 | USA Risa Morimoto | 90min | 2007 | USA, Japan
MISS CHINATOWN, USA
A story never before revealed because the survivors kept their
Kathy Huang | 25min | 2006 | USA
secret out of shame, Wings of Defeat investigates the motives
and feelings of Japanese kamikaze pilots, the notorious suicide
Never Perfect follows young Vietnamese American Mei Ahn
bombers of WWII, through interviews and personal histories.
as she contemplates cosmetic surgery to widen her eyes,
Director Morimoto traces the story of her own uncle to
just one more step in the series of life changes meant to
expose the grim reality of fear and resignation experienced
differentiate her from her immigrant mother. Mei Ahn’s
by these men, many barely older than boys when forced to
story is the centerpiece of director Park’s inquiry into the
volunteer for death. (BS)
opposing cultural pressures on today’s Asian American
woman: to embody the virginal good-girl of her parents’
ideal or the seductive commodity of Western fantasies.
Miss Chinatown, USA unreels the story of a Seattle student’s
decision to compete in the high-profile San Francisco beauty
pageant to please her parents. (BS)
 14
MONDAY

6:00pm 8:00pm
KISSING COUSINS SOMEPLACE ELSE
Amyn Kaderali | 99min | 2008 | USA Kai-Duc Luong and Avisheh Mohsenin
With Samrat Chakrabarti, Rebecca Hazlewood 70min | 2008 | USA

Seasoned bachelor Amir, a relationship termination special-
ist by trade, crushes dreams and breaks hearts for hire so
cowardly lovers don’t have to do it themselves. One day,
crazy cousin Zara, his childhood nemesis, shows up from
the UK, and he gets duped into introducing her as his girl-
friend. The game is on but the stakes are still uncertain in
this sprightly comedy with a surprise ending. Although Kiss-
ing Cousins is Amyn’s first feature film, his short, Call Center,
has been seen by over 1 million viewers on the web. (BS)
This program also played on Saturday, April 12 at 8:00pm.
An engagingly informal profile of Chicago blues-soul-funk
musician Vance Kelly weaves through director Luong’s film
journal, extending from his first days in Chicago as a foreign
student to his three-year struggle to find his voice as an artist
through filmmaking. Extended performance sequences of
Kelly and his Backstreet Blues Band at the Chicagoland
clubs pose a contrast to the personal and poetic quality of
Luong’s reflections on Chicago. (BS)
Director Kai-Duc Luong, Avisheh Mohsenin, and Chicago
blues artist Vance Kelly will be present for audience discussion.
This program will also repeat Monday, April 21, 6:00pm.
 17
THURSDAY
8:15pm
OPTION 3
Richard Wong | 72min | 2008 | USA
with Preston Conner, Theresa Navarro
Independent Spirit Award-nominated Richard Wong
(Colma: The Musical) takes off in a new direction with an
avant-garde chase film that begins with a young woman’s
disappearance from a San Francisco restaurant. A mysterious
caller directs her frantic boyfriend to a series of addresses,
each one a red herring. With tongue in cheek, the director
couldn’t resist mounting one big soulful musical number
with backup violinists. This talented Bay Area filmmaker
once again thinks outside the box with his vivid imagination
and creative approach to filmmaking. (BS)
This program will also repeat Friday, April 18, 6:30pm.
9:00pm–1:00am
HIPHOPISTAN: SOUTH ASIAN HIP HOP
SHOWCASE AND AFTER PARTY
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place,
2233 S. Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago
Enjoy a multi-regional hip hop show with six MCs followed
by a party with DJ Rekha spinning hip hop, bjangra, and
reggae music. Presented in conjunction with the Association
for Asian American Studies Conference.
18+ only; $2 admission; students free; cash bar in a separate
room for 21+
 18
FRIDAY
6:30pm
OPTION 3
Richard Wong | 72min | 2008 | USA
with Preston Conner, Theresa Navarro
Independent Spirit Award-nominated Richard Wong
(Colma: The Musical) takes off in a new direction with an
avant-garde chase film that begins with a young woman’s
disappearance from a San Francisco restaurant. A mysterious
caller directs her frantic boyfriend to a series of addresses,
each one a red herring. With tongue in cheek, the director
couldn’t resist mounting one big soulful musical number
with backup violinists. This talented Bay Area filmmaker has
once again gone outside the box with his vivid imagination
and creative approach to filmmaking. (BS)
This program also played on Thursday, April 17, 8:15pm.
8:00pm
PRETTY TO THINK SO
Francis Hsueh and Steven Hahn | 105min | 2008 | USA
with Pia Shah, Louis Ozawa
Sexual tension bonds three Manhattan singles in an uneasy
triangle as dotcoms crash. A link with the past threatens to
derail the relationship between an unemployed financial
analyst and her corporate lawyer boyfriend when she meets
his new client, a squeaky-clean youth minister with a
secret gambling addiction. First-time directors Hsueh and
Hahn prove adept at weaving the aura of Manhattan and
the flavor of yuppie watering holes into a drama rife with
primal conflict. This NYC filmmaking duo are not afraid to
take chances. Both left the corporate law world to bring us
this ground-breaking love triangle between a South Asian
women and two East Asian Men. (BS)
Co-directors Francis Hsueh and Steven Hahn will be present
for audience discussion on Friday.
This program will also repeat Tuesday, April 22, 7:45pm.
 19
SATURDAY
5:30pm
AGAINST THE GRAIN:
AN ARTIST SURVIVAL GUIDE TO PERU
Ann Kaneko | 64min | 2007 | USA, Peru
VINCENT WHO?
Tony Lam | 40min | 2008 | USA
Against the Grain documents the careers of Peruvian art-
activists before, during, and after the Fujimori dictatorship
through work including audacious street-actions, graphic
sculptures masquerading as religious art, mock flags, and
provocative murals that push the limits of Peru’s freedom of
speech. In Spanish, English, Japanese, and Quechua with
English subtitles.
Vincent Who? reviews Vincent Chin’s legacy more than 25
years after his shocking murder served as a catalyst for Asian
American activism. (BS)
Directors Tony Lam will be present for audience discussion.
Co-sponsored by the A/P/A Institute of NYC
8:15pm
WEST 32ND
Michael Kang | 91min | 2007 | USA
with John Cho, Jun Kim, Grace Park
This stylish, fast-paced crime drama foregrounds ruthless
ambition in two men on opposing sides of the law: John
(Cho), a young hotshot lawyer aiming for a promotion
to partner, and Mike (Kim), a hardened Koreatown gang
member with a hair-trigger temper. The manager of a swanky
brothel is executed gangland style one night and a 14-year-old
boy is charged. John steps up to the defense pro bono for the
prize he imagines to be the kid’s shyly alluring sister, but no
one including John, is who they seem. We’re proud to have
Michael Kang back. It’s been about 10 years since we first met
Michael with his short, A Waiter Tomorrow. Then, in 2005, he
brought us his stunning feature debut, The Motel. In English
and Korean with English subtitles. (BS)
Director Michael Kang will be present for audience discussion.
 20
SUNDAY

5:15pm
THE KILLING OF A CHINESE COOKIE
Eric Shimoda | 74min | 2008 | USA

Director Shimoda dares ask the question at the back of

everyone’s mind: who invented the fortune cookie, and
where do they get those “fortunes”? Contrary to popular
opinion, the traditional Chinese meal doesn’t conclude
with a tasteless tidbit with a scrap of paper inside. This
playful but fact-filled history highlights the prescient pastry’s
disputed origins—in San Francisco, the brainchild of a
Japanese restaurateur, or in Los Angeles, the invention of
the Hong Kong Noodle Company—and the trial that was
meant to settle the rivalry. (BS)
This program will also repeat Tuesday, April 22, 6:15pm.
 21
MONDAY

6:00pm 7:45pm
SOMEPLACE ELSE SAIC STUDENT SHORTS SHOWCASE
Kai-Duc Luong and Avisheh Mohsenin Various directors | 85min | 2005–8 | USA, Canada
70min | 2008 | USA
Otherwise known as “The World of Emily Wang”—
An engagingly informal profile of Chicago blues-soul-funk
a selection of narrative, animated, and experimental shorts
musician Vance Kelly weaves through director Luong’s film
by current and former students of the School of the Art
journal, extending from his first days in Chicago as a foreign
Institute of Chicago. Curated by Emily Wang.
student to his three-year struggle to find his voice as an artist
CREATION THE ABSENCE OF YOU
through filmmaking. Extended performance sequences of
by Mi Sa Lee by Sam Chow
Kelly and his Backstreet Blues Band at the Chicagoland
RGB LITTLE CHINA and
clubs pose a contrast to the personal and poetic quality of
by Kerry Yang THE WOMAN FROM THE UNDERGROUND
Luong’s reflections on Chicago. (BS) by Hsin Yu Lin
BEST WISHES
This program also played on Monday, April 14, at 8:00pm. by Ko Kaleng THE MISSING KIDS
by Tzu-Han Wang and Ko Kaleng
HAIRY WORLD
by Junil Min CLOUD IN A SHELL
by Jiekai Liao
GOOD MORNING PEOPLE!
by Tulapop Saejaroen

PILL PHOBIA, THE MANSION,

and ALLIGATOR
by Yicky Wei-Hsuan Yen
 22
TUESDAY

6:15pm
THE KILLING OF A CHINESE COOKIE
Eric Shimoda | 74min | 2008 | USA
Director Shimoda dares ask the question at the back of
everyone’s mind: who invented the fortune cookie, and
where do they get those “fortunes”? Contrary to popular
opinion, the traditional Chinese meal doesn’t conclude
with a tasteless tidbit with a scrap of paper inside. This
playful but fact-filled history highlights the prescient pastry’s
disputed origins—in San Francisco, the brainchild of a
Japanese restaurateur, or in Los Angeles, the invention of
the Hong Kong Noodle Company—and the trial that was
meant to settle the rivalry. (BS)
This program also played on Sunday, April 20, 5:15pm.
8:00pm
PRETTY TO THINK SO
Francis Hsueh and Steven Hahn | 105min | 2008 | USA
with Pia Shah, Louis Ozawa
Sexual tension bonds three Manhattan singles in an uneasy
triangle as dotcoms crash. A link with the past threatens to
derail the relationship between an unemployed financial
analyst and her corporate lawyer boyfriend when she meets
his new client, a squeaky-clean youth minister with a
secret gambling addiction. First-time directors Hsueh and
Hahn prove adept at weaving the aura of Manhattan and
the flavor of yuppie watering holes into a drama rife with
primal conflict. This NYC filmmaking duo are not afraid to
take chances. Both left the corporate law world to bring us
this ground-breaking love triangle between a South Asian
women and two East Asian Men. (BS)
This program also played on Friday, April 18, 8:00pm.
 24
THURSDAY

8:15pm
Closing night film!
SANTA MESA
Ron Morales | 85min | 2008 | USA/Philippines
with Jacob Kiron Shalov, Melissa Leo

The sudden death of his mom plunges 12-year-old Filipino

American Hector into the poverty of the Manila slums to
live with the stern grandmother he’s never met. Dangerous
choices loom when he’s recruited by a street gang and finds
friendship with an abused girl who’s one of their own. The
home invasion meant to be his gang initiation goes wrong,
and Hector faces the most dangerous choice of all. Director
Morales subtly conveys the lush beauty and colorful extremes
of Manila in all its vibrancy. The story was inspired by his
own experiences of culture shock when he spent time in
province of Bataan in the Philippines. Although this is his
feature debut, Morales carefully crafts a coming-of-age story,
bringing to life the identity of a Filipino American experience.
In English and Tagalog with English subtitles. (BS)
Director Ron Morales will be present for audience discussion.
 12
SUNDAY

The Gold Medalists

‘The City Lights Us
On Fire’ (act11)

The debut full-length from

eE and Total Shutdown
member Peter Nguyen.

“Peter Nguyen is one of the

finest drummers I know and
now a fine songwriter. His
first collection of songs only
whisper at the enormous
potential to come.”
- Yoshi Nakamoto,
The Aislers Set

“Peter Nguyen is the best

thing happening in the Bay
Area right now.”
- Sooyoung Park , Seam

_________
Out Now

“Actually, Records.”
www.actuallyrecords.com
www.siskelfilmcenter.com www.faaim.org