Twin Cities! Please welcome the very first Minneapolis/St. Paul Asian Film Festival. "In Search of Asia" is a new pan-Asian film festival highlighting top contemporary filmmakers in Asian and Asian American cinema, presented by the Film Society of Minneapolis/St. Paul. It's happening November 3-13 at the St. Anthony Main Theatre.
The festival will offer over 30 films from over a dozen countries, ranging from comedy to documentary to drama. Things kick off on Wednesday with the Opening Night Film That Girl In Yellow Boots, directed by Anurag Kashyap. The film tells the story of Ruth, a young woman from Brighton who travels to the bustling city of Mumbai in search of her long lost Indian father.
Other films in the mix include the historical drama City of Life and Death, Quentin Lee's indie sex comedy The People I've Slept With, the Vietnamese action flick Clash (Bay Rong), the coming-of-age drama Raspberry Magic, and Donnie Yen in the period martial arts sequel Ip Man 2: The Legend of Grandmaster. Also be sure to check out all the great works in the Asian American Shorts Program.
The film I'm actually most interested in watching is Mark Tang and Lu Lippold's documentary Open Season, which examines the 2005 homicide case of Chai Vang, the Hmong immigrant who was convicted of killing six white hunters in Wisconsin. No doubt, the screening and its subject matter will hit home for this Twin Cities audience.
For more information about the festival, including the full schedule of films and events, ticket purchasing info and venue details, go to the In Search of Asia website here. Also take a look at this Star-Tribune article: Asian film festival hits close to home.