Basically, it comes down to creating a new home for Asian American cinema. As much as I love the film festival circuit, the reality for a lot of great films is that they don't find a distributor, and don't reach the audiences they deserve. Initiatives like this create a new opportunity for films and fans connect.
One of the challenges faced by the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival was that new films would often premiere at the festival and then never be seen again because of their failure to obtain a distributor. Together with CAAM's Executive Director, Stephen Gong, Giles explored what Comcast might be able to bring to the table.Chi-hui was the heart and brains behind the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival for the better part of the last decade. He's largely the reason why I have so much confidence in this new On Demand venture. I can't wait to see all the great Asian American film programming they make accessible for the average subscriber.
At the time, Chi-hui Yang was the Director and Programmer of CAAM's San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Although Yang resigned from his position early in 2010 to pursue some academic goals (after a decade of providing some of the most consistently interesting and challenging film programs in the Bay Area), Chi-hui recently became the curator/programmer for Comcast's Cinema Asian America.