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Southeast Asian films shine in this year’s Seattle Asian American Film Festival

February 9, 2018

If you’re still craving more Southeast Asian films in the wake of our recently concluded SEAxSEA Film Festival, don’t worry! This year’s Seattle Asian American Film Festival is coming in a few weeks, and many of the featured films focus on Southeast Asian stories. Here’s list of just some of the films you need to watch out for.

The Construct: Female Laborers and the Fight for Equality
Sunday Feb 25, 2018 11:30 am, Northwest Film Forum Screen 1
Myanmar has been rapidly changing and modernizing during the past few years, but these developments also come with their own set of social issues. This documentary follows San Thi Da, a 20-year old laborer working on construction sites, and Cheery Zahao a human rights activist, as they explore the complexity of feminism and opportunity within different socio-economic classes in Yangon, Myanmar.

NGUYENing: The Lee Nguyen Story
Saturday Feb 24, 2018 2:00 pm, Northwest Film Forum Screen 2
Lee Nguyen is the footballer son of two nations who traveled the world to find his footing. This gorgeously shot and inspiring short documentary explores what it means to be Vietnamese, what it means to be American, and what it means to be a little bit of both.

The Apology
Sunday Feb 25, 2018 2:30 pm, Northwest Film Forum Screen 1
The experiences of comfort women are well known throughout Southeast Asia (as well as the rest of the region); now it’s time for the rest of the world to know as well. This documentary follows three former “comfort women”—Grandma Gil in South Korea, Grandma Cao in China, and Grandma Adela in the Philippines— 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. As they face their twilight years, they continue to fight for reconciliation, healing, and justice.

Getting Lao’d: The Rise of Modern Lao Music and Films
Friday Feb 23, 2018 6:30 pm, Northwest Film Forum Screen 1
After 25 years of silence, the private Lao music and film industries are reawakening. Filmed over 10 years, this documentary by Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology at California State University Steve Arounsack follows a new generation of young pioneers as they reimagine Lao media in a Communist country.

Other films to watch out for in the festival:

The Seattle Asian American Film Festival runs from February 22 to 25, 2018, with screenings at the Broadway Performance Hall, Northwest Film Forum, and the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience. Please visit their website here for more details.