Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth cautioned millions about the devastating effects of global warming. For the Takū people, who live on a small atoll off the coast of Papua New Guinea, such effects are no longer conjecture, but reality. The Takū have retained their cultural traditions of sharing resources equally, and are the last in the world to practice their Polynesian religion. As their coastline begins to disappear beneath rising tides, they must choose whether to flee their homeland or remain on an island that may soon disappear. While Island does not propose solutions, the film reminds us that our personal and political decisions reverberate across the sea. Robynn Takayama
Photographed by March. (56 mins, In English & Takū with English subtitles, Color, Video)
Preceded by: Moke Action (Aina Paikai, U.S., 2011). From the University of Hawai'i film school comes the hilarious tale of a confrontation in Yuen's Grocery on a hot afternoon. (5 mins, In Pidgin English with English subtitles)
Total running time: 61 mins
(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.
PFA General:
2575 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 92027
(510) 642-1412
