Tonight kicks off the San Jose leg of SFIAAFF, if your crew hangs closer to the Silicon Valley side of things, with a screening of David Ren's Shanghai Kiss. I'd been hearing about this film for a couple of years, when it was still in its baby stages... and from what I hear, the wait has been worth it. Word on the street is, it received quite a bit of festival buzz—at least from the people I talked to. The film stars Ken Leung and Kelly Hu, among others... and if you're not in San Jose tonight, hopefully you'll be seeing it soon.
Last night, winners were announced at the festival's Closing Night Awards cerememony... Stephane Gauger's Owl and the Sparrow won Best Narrative Feature, and Eric Byler's Tre took home the Special Jury Award. As for documentaries, Socheata Poeuv's New Year Baby took Best Documentary Feature, with the Special Jury Award going to Tami Yeager's A Dream in Doubt. The Audience Awards for narrative and documentary went to Desmond Nakano's American Pasttime and Lisette Marie Flanary's Na Kamalei: The Men of Hula, respectively. Be on the lookout for these films at a film festival near you...