This is for you, Dallas. The 2007 Asian Film Festival of Dallas kicks off tonight with the Opening Night presentation of (surprise, surprise) Justin Lin's Finishing the Game (yes, that's Dustin Nguyen and MC Hammer in the photo above), and runs throught August 30th at Landmark's Magnolia Theatre. It looks like they've put together a really solid schedule showcasing some of the best of Asian and Asian American cinema, including Sang-Il Lee's Hula Girls, Stephane Gauger's The Owl and the Sparrow and Joy Dietrich's Tie a Yellow Ribbon. The festivities close out next week with the South Korean gambling drama Tazza. So head on out to the festival, and join in on the fun. It's going to be a good-ass time. For more information, head here.
Speaking of film festivals, the 8th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival recently announced its slate of official selections, and it looks pretty damn good. I'm really digging it. The festival opens with Finishing the Game (right around the movie's theatrical release), closes out with Michael Kang's gangster drama West 32nd, and includes some of the best features from this year's festival circuit. Not only do they throw one of the funnest film festivals around, they've put together one hell of a film program—one of the best I've seen all year. The festival runs October 11-18.
Also, the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is currently accepting submmissions for the 2008 Festival. Presented by the Center for Asian American Media, it's one of the nation's biggest festivals of its kind. They're accepting films and videos of all lengths and genres, made by and/or about Asian Americans and Asians of any nationality. Maybe you've got something that needs an audience. SFIAAFF is there for you. The early deadline is September 7, and late deadline October 5. For more information on how to submit your film, go here. The festival is scheduled for March 13-23, 2008.
And finally, for our neighbors to the north... mark your calendars for the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, running November 1-4, and the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, running November 14-18. Canada cares about Asian cinema too.