Hyphen Blog

'Supermen of Malegaon' Kicks Off 3rd I South Asian Film Fest Tonight

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

Director Faiza Ahmad Khan's behind-the-scenes documentary, Supermen of Malegaon, shows us DIY superpowers as she follows a ragtag group of amateur filmmakers in the titular textile town of Malegaon, India.

Led by Malegaon native Shaikh Nasir, the patchwork film crew produce a hyper-localized parody of a Superman flick. In their spirited, low-budget version, Superman dances about in blue flip-flops with bright red socks, has a 24-inch waist and often is the one in need of rescue whenever he encounters water.

Supermen of Malegaon is a montage of charming surprises. Nasir and his local talent improvise their own Hollywood resources, draping green cloth over a cargo truck for a green screen and using a bicycle in lieu of a dolly. The video editor, also the sound producer, sacrifices a full head of hair to fit an acting role as Superman's nemesis. The die-hard crew suffers production setbacks when Nasir accidentally dunks his only hand-held video camera in a river and his leading actor announces his last-minute wedding.

At the backdrop of all the excitement, Khan reveals a group of industrious men who also dream. Some want to escape the poverty of Malegaon, to move on to do major movies. Others, like Nasir, vow never to leave Malegaon as they strive to bring laughter and happiness to the locals through film. Yet all seem to share the same zeal for the art of filmmaking and the unlimited resource of human imagination.

Superman of Malegaon will be screened tonight at 7:15 at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco, a worthy opener for the 3rd I South Asian Film Festival.

3rd I Film Festival: 'IronEaters' by Shaheen Dill-Riaz

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:43:39 -0800

Looming skeletons of decommissioned ships dwarf the figures of workers trudging barefoot along the Chittagong beachfront in Bangladesh. The men navigate around piles of rusty iron, the vestiges of the ships that made their final stop at the inaptly named "Peace, Happiness and Prosperity" shipyard.

"We work like animals," one man says, wading ankle-deep in sandy muck. He's pulling a heavy cable over his shoulder as he turns to the off-screen cameraman.

In his third feature-length film, IronEaters, social documentary filmmaker Shaheen Dill-Riaz follows the frustrating experience of migrant workers from Northern Bangladesh. The workers, primarily farmers, venture south to the Chittagong shipyard when famine strikes at home, hoping for a way to support their families.

Don't Miss Mr Hyphen 2009!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:47:06 -0800

It is that time of year again... time to select the Most Visionary Asian American Male Activist Alive and crown him Mr. Hyphen 2009!

Saturday, November 14, 7 – 10pm
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
All ages welcome, 21+ for alcohol

News Round Up: Felicia Lee and More

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:44:36 -0800

+ This news is not new news, but I have been thinking a lot about Felicia Lee. I first read about her on Disgrasian, where they break down the disparity in coverage between Annie Le and Felicia Lee. A few weeks later, a former high school classmate of mine posted about her on Facebook. That's when I realized that Felicia was a classmate of mine, someone I barely knew and probably only talked to a few times. I am deeply saddened to hear about her violent death, and feel so sad for her friends and family members. Feels like I've been hearing about so many cases of abuse and violence against women, some perpetrated by strangers, and other ones, as this one is alleged, by her own boyfriend. This violence -- domestic, stranger violence, any kind -- against women MUST STOP. Especially in light of the recent Richmond High rape case.

+ Just heard a good segment on KPFA's Hard Knock Radio with Weyland Southon about the horrific Richmond rape case and rape culture. The guests are all men who share their perspectives. Please listen to it here, and also on their show this Friday.

New York Times Spotlights Racism in South Korea

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:39:17 -0800

by guest blogger Christine Pae

The New York Times recently published an article about racist tendencies in South Korea and what's being done to address it. Tell me something I don't know.

Yet there are some serious problems with how the situation is portrayed, for it is neither original nor enlightening, and makes rather grand generalizations about the nation. While there are some valid points to the article such as citing Korea's centuries-long history with imperialism and war -- a reasonable explanation for Korea's feelings -- the overall theme of the piece makes South Koreans sound overtly racist, as if it is a newfound development, a singular experience. Even the term "pure blood" is referred to more than once, making Korean nationals sound like a bunch of Death Eaters or something, if you get me.

3rd I Film Festival presents 'Zero Bridge' by Tariq Tapa

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:34:48 -0800

What does a year of immersive observation result in? For filmmaker Tariq Tapa, it resulted in Zero Bridge, a film about the everyday struggles of life in Srinagar, Kashmir. Tapa focuses closely on the core emotional and human elements of the two primary characters in the film, Dilawar and Bani.

This focus enables him to deftly avoid the obvious quagmire of judgments regarding politics, culture, and religion in Kashmir. The result is something that feels very true and very real. Zero Bridge never seems fictional, and that is the triumph of the film.

In person, Tapa is fascinating to talk to. He is dedicated to storytelling, and took just a brief break from his intensive writing practice to talk with Hyphen about the film and his creative process.

The Hyphenite's Social Calendar: AP/LGBTQ, First Expressions

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:08:13 -0800

Wednesday November 4th -- San Francisco

David Chang Speaks Out

Chef David Chang -- of Momofuko fame -- will join a panel discussion on food, art, and anything goes. He'll be joined by Momofuku cookbook co-author Peter Meehan, Chris Cosentino, and Meadowood chef Chris Kostow.

7 pm
Cafe du Nord
2170 Market St, San Francisco
FREE
RSVP to events(at)7x7(dot)com with "Changtastic" in subject line.

'Searching for Sandeep' at the 3rd I South Asian Film Festival

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:17:57 -0800

In a moment of naivety, I opted to watch Searching for Sandeep prior to bed -- choosing it over Warrior Boyz (to be reviewed soon!) under the rationale that a documentary about love would be far less disheartening than a feature on South Asian gangs in Canada. Although I cannot directly compare the hardships of relationships with gang warfare, I had forgotten how terrifying love can be. The aforementioned statement is particularly true for Searching for Sandeep's protagonists -- two queer women who foster an intimate relationship in spite of geographical, racial, and personal differences. Searching for Sandeep, one of the films slated to be screened at the 3rd I South Asian Film Festival, is a fascinating documentary that highlights the complex, central role of identity in relationships.

NBA Commentator Calls Jianlian Yi "The Chinaman"

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:36:41 -0800

Classy.

The title of this entry is pretty much self-explanatory. As you can hear for yourself, one of the NBA commentators refers to Jianlian Yi of the New Jersey Nets as a Chinaman right around the 0.50 mark. I'm sort of grateful that I can embed this video for you all to watch, but I also think it's a laughing matter that NBA.com did not catch this and has it up on its official website.

I can already imagine what's going to happen if we call the commentator out on this.

9500 Liberty Offers Compelling Look at Immigration Debate

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:13:12 -0800

For those in urban centers who are insulated from the immigration debate, 9500 Liberty offers revealing view of the contentious battle going on elsewhere in the country. The documentary film, produced by Eric Byler and Annabel Park, chronicles what happened in Prince William County, VA, after a law was passed in 2007 requiring police officers to question anyone they believed had "probable cause" to be an undocumented immigrant.

Awesome Theater: 'Sunday Will Come'

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:21:53 -0800

It's one of the great tragedies of art that the best innovations are impossible to describe.

Now, I'm not sure that the unfortunately titled The Future Project: Sunday Will Come will revolutionize live stage performance as we know it, fix the health care crisis, and make you love your mother more. But it is a terrific piece ... and I am having trouble describing it.

Let's try this: ever feel like you're living in a fish bowl?

Documentary 'The Recess Ends' Gets Folks Talking About the Recession

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:01:30 -0800

Since the recession hit, much attention has been focused on banks, politicians, economists, and the myriad of theories on what sunk us and what will lift us out. In their documentary The Recess Ends, filmmaking brothers Austin and Brian Chu look at the recession through a revolutionary lens: a human one.

Asianspotting: Asian Female in Miley Cyrus' New Hit

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:37:14 -0800

Check it.

After the whole Miley Cyrus "slanty eye" gesture incident a couple of months ago (which I don't think she ever apologized for since she believes she was merely making a "goofy face"; we're all just crazy right?)*, looks like homegirl is trying to make it up to the community she offended by strategically placing an Asian person in her chart-topping song, "Party in the USA." Hmmm...

Tell me I'm just reading too much into it.

*Apparently Miley "did" apologize the second time around, but in my honest opinion, I wouldn't really consider that an apology. Seriously. Someone needs to write a book on the art of apologizing. I'll stop before I get too mean.

On Godzilla, Ken Jeong, and the End of the World

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:55:02 -0800

In the terrible 1998 remake of the Japanese monster-flick Godzilla, the mayor of New York is an arrogant buffoon who nearly dooms the city. The rumor? The character -- Mayor Ebert -- is a stab at the movie critic Roger, who has blasted Emmerich in the past for an overreliance on special effects and spectacle, at the expense of character development and plot. Consider the opening paragraph from this, his review of Emmerich's 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow.

Anyway, I have a feeling that, upon watching the trailer for Emmerich's upcoming film 2012, Roger Ebert and I had the same reaction: not this shit again.

Calvin Sun's Keynote Speech at SERCAAL

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:12:08 -0800

I thought this was an excellent keynote speech given by Calvin Sun at last week's Southeast Regional Conference of Asian American Leaders (SERCAAL)*. I first came across Calvin's work several years ago on Asian American female body image while he was still in college, during which time he also helped create an annual college film festival and was also Columbia's former senior class VP. He's usually involved in a million different passions, activist and not, and it says a lot that he was chosen to speak, given the other speakers they've had. I believe the experiences, perspectives, and ideals he shares here sound representative of a lot of other passionate mid/late-twenties Asian American activists right now helping to shape the country in their own ways. Sun mentions being inspired by Better Luck Tomorrow, which leads me to wonder how influential BLT has been in awakening other Generation-Y Asian Americans...

*conference name corrected, with thanks to Julia Yip