Still from the short Mother Tongue, directed by Eris Qian.
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), like many other organizations and film festivals, has turned to virtual programming to reach their audience as COVID-19 forces buildings and businesses to stay physically shut down. “We’re reimagining the festival experience,” explains their website. And they’re doing it with a week long, at-home online film festival.
Filipina American rapper, Ruby Ibarra.
CAAMFest Online: Heritage At Home launched yesterday, May 13, with an Opening Night Film titled I Will Make You Mine, a SXSW 2020 selection. The film, which was the third installment in the Surrogate Valentine Trilogy by writer/director/actor Lynn Chen, centers on three women who wrestle “with life’s difficulties while confronting their past relationships with the same man.” After the viewing, CAAMFest, hosted an online House Party featuring a live performance by musician Goh Nakamura.
The festival runs until Friday, May 22 and will feature “over 20 digital events, ranging from online film screenings to interactive panels, watch parties and house parties with live performances, all free of charge.”
Among the artists that will be participating during CAAMFest Online include Filipina American rapper, music producer, and spoken word artist Ruby Ibarra. Ibarra will be sitting down for an interview on Tuesday, May 19 at 5 PM to talk about her experiences as an immigrant from the Philippines, how it’s informed her work and what’s next for her music career.
The festival will also sit down with award-winning filmmaker Alice Wu on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 PM following a watch party of her narrative feature, The Half Of It, that same evening at 5 PM. The Half Of It, which recently debuted on Netflix, is a modern take on Cyrano de Bergerac with a Chinese American actress as the lead.
Still from The Half Of It, by Alice Wu.
Though gathering in person is not an option during this time, festival director Masashi Niwano says that the hope for this year’s CAAMfest is “to nurture the same sense of community and connection, bringing together viewers, media makers, and advocates together through our slate of virtual programs,”
“The Asian American community has been uniquely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the response from the community has been urgent and inspiring – whether it is working on the front lines, raising awareness about anti-Asian discrimination, or bringing creative solutions to the breakdown in social services across the country. It is more important than ever that CAAM takes this moment to listen to and amplify the diverse voices and experiences of the Asian American community. We are proud to continue our 40-year tradition of cultivating community through storytelling, particularly during these uncertain times.”
To find out more and to participate, visit their website.