Preview – The Seattle Asian American Film Festival, February 22-25, 2018

The Seattle Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF) presents its 6th annual festival February 22-25, 2018, at Broadway Performance Hall (Opening Night), Northwest Film Forum and the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. SAAFF is the only film festival in Seattle to provide a space for Asian American voices, perspectives, and histories. The 76 films on the 2018 program feature the best in recent independent cinema by and about Asian Americans. SAAFF’s mission is to spotlight Asian American voices, perspectives, and histories by screening independent films that reflect the diversity and richness of the Asian American community.

The Opening Night program on Feb. 22, which runs from 7:00 pm to midnight, will feature the award-winning feature comedy Signature Move and a party for all ages at 9:00 pm filled with Asian American contemporary entertainment.

Festival highlights include:

Signature Move – This year’s opening night film tells the story of Zaynab, a Pakistani Muslim woman who finds romance with the free-spirited Mexican American woman Alma, and inspiration through Lucha Libre wrestling. Her newfound passions force her to confront her relationship with her recently widowed mother whose great escapes include watching soap operas and finding her daughter a husband. Zaynab must navigate all of her desires and identities in this heartwarming, hilarious, and painfully familiar coming-of-age story.

Opening Night Party – Headlining act Lions Ambition (indie-rock/hip-hop fusion band from Seattle), plus Groove Clan (Seattle-based popping collective), Champagne Honeybee (jazz and soul singer Rani Weatherby, and her trusty ukuleles), Jyun Jyun (acoustic-electronic hybrid artist with audiovisual installations and recordings), and Malicious Allure (a people-of-color and femme-identified waacking and voguing collective).

Island Soldier – This documentary follows members of the Nena family from Kosrae, one of the most remote islands in the world, to the training grounds of Texas, and the battlefields in Afghanistan. The death of Sapuro “Sapp” Nena in Afghanistan makes waves through Kosrae, where nearly everyone is connected to the U.S. Military directly or through family members. Sapuro’s best friend in the Army, Mario Robles, heads to Kosrae to meet Sapp’s parents for the first time and pay his respects on Veteran’s Day. It is an emotional gathering of two families from opposite sides of the world, bound by love, loss, and honor.

The Apology – This documentary follows the personal journeys of three former “comfort women” who were among the 200,000 girls and young women kidnapped and forced into military sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Some 70 years after their imprisonment in so-called “comfort stations,” the three “grandmothers” know that time is running out to give a first-hand account of the truth and ensure that this horrific chapter of history is not forgotten.

Window Horses – This animated feature tells the story of Canadian poet Rosie Ming as she travels to a poetry festival in Shiraz, Iran. She’d definitely rather go to Paris. But once in Iran, this sheltered young woman finds herself in the company of poets and Persians who regale her with stories that finally force her to confront her past. A visual delight, this animated film truly captures the feeling of finding your own voice through poetry.

Closing Night Party – 8:00-10:00pm at Rein Haus, 912 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122. Free. All ages.

Full schedule and ticket booking facility available at the festival website.

Ticket Prices:

Opening Night including film: $18 (general) / $15 (students/seniors) Party only: $10

Regular Tickets: $12 / $10

Festival Pass: $80