Festival captures spirit of Asian experience

By Tu M. Tran
Staff Writer

ndependent films have been somewhat mainstream for the last few years. By now, everyone has heard of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's breakthrough film, "Good Will Hunting," for which they won an Oscar. Best Original Screenplay for. Even independents filmmakers like Kevin Smith whose film credits include "Clerks," "Mallrats," and "Chasing Amy" is now a hot commodity and a big time Hollywood player. Yet, most of you, I'm sure, haven't heard of many Asian-American independent filmmakers, even though there is an abundant amount of them.
Even at independent film festivals, such as Sundance and Toronto, Asian-American-made films rarely are invited. So where do these films by Asian American filmmakers go? How can people view these films, since no one wants to pick them up for distribution? They end up at Asian-American film festivals across the country.
Los Angeles will hold its 13th annual Asian-American Film and Video Festival, presented by Visual Communications, which will premiere at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Directors Guild of America with USC alumnus Eric Koyanagi's new film, "hundred percent," an interesting, fresh look at young Asian Americans living in Venice, California.
"Hundred percent" is the first feature from Koyanagi, in which he follows the lives of three Asian-American male friends and what will unfold within three days. The three men are contrastingly different, dealing with their own separate issues.
There is Troy, the aspiring actor, played skillfully by Garrett Wang, who is on the brink of stardom. Yet despite his pending fame, Troy is not content with his situation because of a director's insistence of having him play the typical Asian stereotype of the kung fu master, which will jeopardize his relationship to his long-time girl friend (Lindsay Price). It is within this storyline, that Koyanagi delivers a poignant message on the current state of Asian- American actors and their struggle to break from the ideals that Hollywood has created for them.
Then there is Isaac (Dustin Nguyen), a coffeehouse proprietor, as well as an idealist romantic. His life turns chaotic when a mystery woman with a secret past comes walking through his door, played luminously by Tamlyn Tomita.
The funniest storyline, comes from Slim Jim (Darion Basco), a wannabe rasta and his best friend Casey (Keiko Agena), as they are on the run from a local gangster who wants his lowrider back after he loses it in a poker game. Agena is great as a spunky, wisecracking sidekick, and is a joy to see every time she is on the screen.
Also featured at the festival is the film, "Fakin' da Funk," a hysterical picture that isn't for those who are easily offended, written and directed by another USC alumnus, Tim Chey. The film is raw and brash and doesn't hold back on racial stereotypes and remarks.
The film breaks the usual black and white paradigm that is often found in contemporary cinema, and discusses the issue of racial identity in a fresh manner. The film revolves around a Chinese baby who is adopted by an African-American couple (Pam Grier and Ernie Hudson). As he grows up and moves to south central LA Julian (Dante Basco) is conflicted with proving that he truly is black on the inside even though he looks Asian on the outside. The film is supported by an all-star cast which includes many familiar faces, like Margaret Cho, Chris Spencer, Tatyana Ali, Nell Carter and Tone-Loc.
The festival is also filled with dozens of short films, many of which were made in film school, yet some are quite satisfying despite its limited time length.
A few worthwhile shorts, is USC alumnus Minh Duc Nguyen's touching yet funny film, "Sunshine," about a woman who is confronted with growing old in America, as well as dealing with a new machine that her children have brought home -- a washing machine. Victor Vu's 20-minute film, "Firecracker," gives a different view of life in America. Told through the eyes of a 7 -year-old boy, who is faced with a broken home and the silence of domestic abuse, all of which concurs with the celebration of the Vietnamese Tet Festival.
Closing out the festival on a strong note is, "Soong Sisters." The film is different from the other films, though it's cast is Asian, the film is foreign made, and subtitled in English. "Soong Sisters" is a touching epic tale of China's history, told through the stories of three sisters, one of whom becomes Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. Michelle Kahn (Yeoh), Maggie Cheung and Vivian Wu, stars as the Soong sisters, giving powerful and moving performances.