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November 10, 2005
This year’s San Francisco Asian American Film festival was full of surprises.
This coming Monday, November 14th, I will take you there on video i! More than 23,000 people turned up to check out the largest event in the nation dedicated to screening Asian American and Asian films. Let me give you some highlights:
A candid interview with actress Bai Ling:
Now you might know her more for her barely there outfits (photo example in my interview section) than her on-screen personas, but this tiny woman is truly an enigma. She’s at once bold and demure, soft spoken yet has a lot to say. You may know her best for her roles in Wild Wild West or Anna and the King. When I talked to her at the festival, she was very warm and gracious, and had quite a few festival goers drooling with her slinky green blouse, teensy weensy mini-skirt, and purple peeka-a-boo thong. However, this actress has managed to defy quite a few odds to become a recognizable actress in Hollywood. Born in China, she enlisted at age 14 in the People’s Liberation Army, then participated in the infamous Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests. Kicked out of China, her beloved home, she tried her hand at acting in the U.S. without knowing a lick of English. As you will see in this interview, Bai is incredibly philosophical, believing in living for the moment and appreciating natural gifts that are usually taken for granted. She is uninhibited, and has this aura of freedom about her that reflects her way of dress. Soon after the interview, an Asian photographer started snapping pictures of her seemingly at 100 frames per second . Without hesitation, Bai then got up on the table, took her top down to her waist, wearing only a jean jacket to hide her breasts, and started posing along with each camera flash. Gives new meaning to the cliché less is more!
Conversation with renowned filmmaker, Steven Okazaki:
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki has never been one to shun controversy. He meets intense subject matters head on, bringing us documentaries about Nagasaki and Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors, Japanese victims of American internment camps, teenage heroin addicts, adults living with HIV, and Asian Americans that have dealt with racism. Heavy stuff. In this episode of video i, I really wanted to learn what made this incredible filmmaker’s mind tick, and despite his achievements, he is refreshingly humble.
Spotlight on film...Punjabi Cab
The Asian American Festival is truly committed to providing a voice for the voiceless, including the South Asian point of view in a film called Punjabi Cab. It seems like no nation today is immune to internal ethnic as well as religious unrest. As the riots from immigrant populations in France continue, we should take an introspective look and learn from our mistakes here in the U.S. This documentary is an effective tool in this introspection. The Sikhs from North Indian Punjab form a relatively large and prosperous immigrant group in San Francisco. One of the expressions of their faith is their long uncut beards and colored turbans. In the days following 911, some Americans threatened, attacked, and even murdered Sikhs because their look reminded them of Al Qaida terrorists. This documentary uncovers this delicate subject through interviews with several Sikh cab drivers, giving us a personal glimpse of their humanity, courage, and deep faith. Of course you can see these exciting interviews and films by checking out video i, this Monday night at 10:00 pm on KTEH. To see where video i airs in your area, check this out:
http://kteh.org/programs/programs_channels.html.
And by the way, thanks to all of you that sent in such positive comments on last week's show with the airing of the documentary, Occupied Minds!
Pho—the ultimate Asian comfort food…
The days are shorter, the leaves are falling, the air is colder, hopefully you’re all over your candy coma from Halloween. In the spirit of the Asian American Film Festival and the colder winter months, there is nothing better, or healthier, than a warm, comforting bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup, called Pho. I first discovered this bowl of paradise while working in San Jose 10 years ago, where there is a prominent Vietnamese population. Unlike traditional chicken noodle soup, where the broth can be starchy, Pho is clear yet very full bodied. A good pho house will have the soup simmering for hours, so that the delicate flavors of anise, ginger, and beef or chicken stock meld perfectly. While the perennial favorite is the beef noodle soup, or pho tai, my favorite is the seafood or chicken noodle soup, called pho ga. Sweet basil, sprouts, lime, jalapenos, red onion, plum sauce, and hot sauce come on the side, so all you have to do is pick the condiments you like best, throw them in the piping hot bowl of rice noodle soup, and stir it around till the sprouts cook a little. One taste of this broth, and winter will be that much more bearable. Be sure you try their five spice barbecued meats as well—if you’re addicted after that it ain’t my fault! ;)
Until next time…
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