A serious and unflinching look at a side of Asian America that rarely gets portrayed in film. Hyphen Magazine
Bang Bang is the story of two Asian American teenagers dealing with deteriorating family lives and escalating gang violence. Thai Ngo, best known as real-life Portland rap artist Thai, debuts as a resilient Vietnamese youth looking for a way out of the gang life. He may find it in an unlikely outlet: hip-hop—but an escalating turf war may drag him back into the game. A film that “always rings with truth” (Hyphen Magazine), Bang Bang won the Best First Feature award at the 2011 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Ben Wang
Written by Byron Q. Photographed by Jeff Siljenberg. With Thai Ngo, David Hyunh, Jessika Van, Hoang Bui. (101 mins, Color, Video)
(in conjunction with) San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
Each year, the Center for Asian American Media brings us the best in contemporary cinema from Asia and the Asian diaspora. The thirtieth installment of this adventurous festival at the PFA Theater features films and documentaries from China, the Philippines, New Zealand, Cambodia, South Korea, the United States, and a rarity from Burma. An intimate conversation with child star and playwright Cherylene Lee, a poetic meditation on the 2011 Japanese tsunami, an unusual look at a women’s prison in Kabul, and the epic Asian American indie feature In the Family round out a week of discoveries and revelations.
We anticipate having filmmakers and special guests in person at many of the screenings—please check bampfa.berkeley.edu for the latest updates. For even more national and regional cinema, alternative media, and special events, check the complete festival schedule at caamedia.org.
Steve Seid, Video Curator
A presentation of the Center for Asian American Media.
Program notes are adapted from the festival catalog.
Special admission prices apply:
General admission: $12; CAAM and BAM/PFA members, UC Berkeley students: $10 (limit 2 tickets per person per program); Non-UC Berkeley students, seniors, and disabled persons: $11 (limit 1 ticket per person per program). Advance tickets for festival programs at the PFA Theater are available at the PFA Theater box office and BAM/PFA admissions desk, online, or by phone at (510) 642-5249. Please note that our second-feature discount does not apply to these programs. Tickets are nonrefundable, and may not be exchanged.
