2021 Festival Lineup
Opening Film
Eternals (137 mins, USA)
AWFF Opening Film Screening & Reception
Sponsored by KCCLA and Double Happiness Foundation
Synopsis: The Eternals, a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years, reunite to battle the evil Deviants.
Closing Film
Escape from Mogadishu (120 mins) — South Korea
South Korea's Official Submission for Best International Feature Film
Presented by Korean Cultural Center, LA, & Well Go, USA
Synopsis: Dramatically constructed based on a true story: as civil war rages in Mogadishu, rival North and South Korean diplomats are left trapped. With no aid from either government, their only shot at survival may require uniting with bitter adversaries to escape.
Centerpiece Film
Qazaq History of the Golden Man (113 mins) — Kazakhstan
After 30 years as President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev opens up to reveal never before heard stories and challenges of being the Kazakhstan leader, balanced with a deep exploration of Nazarbayev’s family dynamic and his purpose in life. As he opens his heart and mind to interviewer Oliver Stone, the film engages viewers with revealing conversations that demonstrate Oliver Stone as a master interviewer who knows the power of storytelling as only great dramatists can do.
Genre: Documentary
60th Anniversary & Tribute to Nancy Kwan
Flower Drum Song (133 mins) — USA
Synopsis: Chinese stowaway Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) arrives in San Francisco with her father to meet her fiancé, wealthy nightclub owner Sammy Fong (Jack Soo), in an arranged marriage, but the groom has his eye on his star singer Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). This film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical is filled with memorable song-and-dance numbers showcasing the contrast between Mei Li's traditional family and her growing fascination with American culture.
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Taiwan Film Day
Hotel Iris (100 mins) — Taiwan
Genre: Drama, Suspense, Erotic
Presented by Dream Flare Film Festival and Taipei Film Festival
Synopsis: Somewhere on the coast of Taiwan is Hotel Iris, a moldering seaside establishment run by a cold and thrifty Japanese woman (Nahana) and her lonely half-Taiwanese daughter Mari (Lucia). One night, Mari hears the cries of a woman from the upper floors. Heading up to investigate, she witnesses a distraught woman in a red camisole dress escape an impeccably dressed but violent man (Nagase Masatoshi) whose cold voice is entrancing. Mari's initial shock turns into a strange fascination which drives her to follow the man to discover more about him. He is a translator who lives on an isolated island one can only reach by boat and rumors swirl around him and recent murders. The closer she gets to the man, the more a hidden layer of Mari's personality awakens as she allows herself to be engulfed by his strange passions.
A Leg (115 mins) — Taiwan
Synopsis: The story begins with an amputated leg. The leg's owner is Zi-han, who passes away after the operation. His wife Yu-ying decides to find his vanished leg. During the course, she recalls how they first met, how they fell in love and how their relationship gradually shattered. Retrieving the leg is how she tries to say farewell to the man she once loved. Only after that can she begin her own journey.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Vietnam Film Day
Dad, I'm Sorry (Bố Già) (128 min) — Vietnam
Synopsis: In the soul of small-alley Saigon life, Ba Sang (Tran Thanh), is a chronic meddler whose heart is too big for his own good. Flanked by a hyper-dysfunctional family, Ba Sang sacrifices day-to-day to preserve the tenuous balance between his bullying siblings and his rising YouTuber son, but then slips into a predicament that threatens to rip his family apart.
Genre: Comedy, Family Drama
The Emperor’s Gift (Phượng Khấu) (90 mins) — Vietnam
Synopsis: The Emperor's Gift follows the life of Pham Hieu Nguyet, the Mien Tong prince's concubine. Hieu Nguyet was favored but also experienced jealousy and envy. After the death of her daughter, Hieu Nguyet gradually recognized the selfishness and cruelty of the royal family and fought daily to protect herself and her children from the plotting and conspiring within the palace. Through her own strength and determination, Hieu Nguyet overcame the hatred of the court, placed her son on the throne to be Hong Nham Emperor, and ultimately became the most powerful woman of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Television series.
Official Selection
200 Meters (96 mins) — Palestine
Synopsis: Mustafa and his wife Salwa live 200 meters apart in villages separated by the Israeli border wall. One day he gets a call every parent dreads: his son has been injured in an accident. Rushing to cross the Israeli checkpoint, Mustafa is denied on a technicality. But a father’s love won’t give up and he will do anything to reach his son. A 200-meter distance becomes a 200-kilometer odyssey, as Mustafa, left with no choice, attempts to smuggle himself to the other side of the wall.
Genre: Drama, Jewish, Thriller
Asu (95 mins) — Sri Lanka
Synopsis: Nelum is a six-month pregnant and 31 years old mother. Her happy family is shocked when she is diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer. Not wanting to put the unborn baby's life in danger, Nelum vehemently refuses any medical treatment and decides bravely to battle cancer. Her decision puts the doctors in dilemma and despairs the husband, who wants to choose her loving wife over the unborn.
Genre: Drama
Al Garib (The Stranger) (112 mins) — Palestine
Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film.
Synopsis: In a small village in the occupied Golan Heights, the life of a desperate unlicensed doctor, who is going through an existential crisis, takes another unlucky turn when he encounters a man wounded in the war in Syria. Overturning all community expectations in times of war and national crisis, he ventures forth to meet his newly found destiny.
A Writer’s Odyssey (130 mins) — China
Synopsis: A Writer’s Odyssey tells the story of Kongwen Lu (Dong Zijian), the author of a fantasy novel series following a heroic teenager, also named Kongwen, on a quest to end the tyrannical rule of Lord Redmane, under the guidance of a Black Armor (Guo Jingfei). But through a strange twist of fate, the fantasy world of the novel begins to impact life in the real world, leading Guan Ning (Lei Jiayin) to accept a mission from Tu Ling (Yang Mi) to kill the author.
Presented by CMC Pictures
Brighton 4th (90 mins) — Georgia
Oscar Submission for Best International Feature Film
Synopsis: Former wrestling champion Kakhi (Levan Tediashvili, himself a former Olympic wrestling champion) always has his family on his conscience, and in Brighton 4th, this leads him on a journey from his home in the Republic of Georgia to visit his son Soso (Giorgi Tabidze) in the Russian-speaking neighborhood of Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. There he finds Soso living in a shabby boarding house populated by a colorful group of fellow Georgian immigrants. And Soso is not studying medicine, as Kakhi believed, but is working for a moving company and has accrued a $14,000 gambling debt to a local mob boss. Kakhi sets his mind to helping his hapless son out of his debt, leading to situations as often comic as they are dire.
Fire (82 mins) — Kazakhstan
Synopsis: Tolik is a bright representative of a middle-aged family man who lives an ordinary life, makes his best to feed the family and it seems that his problems will never end. The endless debts, Kazakh weddings, and funerals, everything needs money. Once he finds out that his teenage daughter is pregnant. Tolik plans to find out who the father is in order to talk to him about his daughter’s future and their future intentions. With this entire burden, Tolik gets involved in an absurd adventure that almost costs the life of his best friend. Money stealing, police chase, car accident, one failure follows the other. Going through all the troubles he finally understands what are the most important things in life. And this understanding and acceptance fires the hope.
Genre: Social Drama, Comedy
Let It Be Morning (101 mins) — Israel, France
Synopsis: Sami lives in Jerusalem with his wife and kid. An invitation to his brother’s wedding forces him to return to the Arabic village where he grew up. After the wedding, with no explanation, the village is put under lockdown by Israeli soldiers. Chaos rises overnight amongst those stuck within the walls. Cut off from the outside world, trapped in an unexpected situation, Sami watches as everything falls apart.
Genre: Drama
Grand Cancan (123 mins) — Russia
Synopsis: All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players…
The film is divided into two distinct stories with the same setting: the back-stage of the Moscow Operetta theater with the Can-Can metaphor which is a high-energy and physically demanding dance. Human relationships, betrayals, and the relationship between parents and children are the same common denominator found in the two parts of the film.
Genre: Musical, Drama
Prayer: Figments of Nagasaki (110 mins) — Japan
Synopsis: Nagasaki, 1957. Twelve years after the second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki and destroyed the Urakami Cathedral. Two devout Catholic women bearing heavy physical and emotional scars from the war secretly gather fragments of the Blessed Virgin Mary statue at the ruins of the church before they are relocated by city developers. Their struggles lead to a miracle on Christmas Eve.
Genre: Drama, Historical
Pebbles (75 mins) — India
Synopsis: A young boy follows his violent and alcoholic father on a quest to find his mother, who has run away from his abuse.
Genre: Drama
Shambala (98 mins) — Kyrgyzstan
Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film
Synopsis: Based on the novella The White Ship, by Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov, Shambala tells the story of a lonely, impressionable, seven-year-old boy who lives in a protected forest, high in the mountains, with his grandfather, step-grandmother, auntie, and uncle. He spends his time exploring and listening to legends from his grandfather, in particular tales about the sacred Mother Deer. The world of myths and folklore eventually conflict with the harsh reality of the world of adults, who are faced with their own personal problems and dilemmas.
Raging Fire (126 mins) — Hong Kong
Synopsis: Bong (Donnie Yen) is a highly respected hardline cop with a long history of success on dangerous cases. However, his past unexpectedly comes back to haunt him when a sting operation is attacked by a mysterious group of criminals led by Ngo (Nicholas Tse), his former protégé, a talented former officer who had once respected and admired Bong. However, a terrible mistake years prior landed him in prison, quickly turning the once-rising star into a furious man with a grudge, and the will to destroy everyone who had wronged him—including his former mentor.
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
The Road to Eden (121 mins) — Kyrgyzstan
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: The main character of the film Kubat Aliev is an outstanding and retired writer, a widower living alone in his apartment. One day, Kubat finds out that his writer friend is sick. He sells his flat in order to pay for his friend’s treatment but at the same time, his younger brother is beaten by the collector for the debts. Kubat finds himself in a dilemma - to help a brother or a writer friend?
US Premiere
Should the Wind Drop (100 mins) — Armenia
Synopsis: Under forced circumstances, an orphan boy born from the streets of Dongri, grows up to be a local goon. His life changes when he meets a bright and a compassionate young woman named Ananya who guides him to take the right path. With love and guidance, he finds his calling in sports and takes up the journey into becoming a world class Boxer. This is an inspiring story. Even the poor and marginalized, beaten by life circumstances, can become the heroes of the nation by giving up the other part of life and adopting the right path. Toofaan is set in Bombay. The city of Bombay is like the third character of the film. Bombay is is Megapolis and one of the greater city in India. It is a true cosmopolitan city and a melting pot for various cultures and religions. Mumbai runs on the spirit of Mumbaikars. This “spirit” is indeed Mumbai’s proudest possession which we also see in our film through our characters.
Yusif (92 mins) — Lebanon
Oscar Submission for Best International Feature Film from Armenia
Synopsis: An auditor is charged with appraising if Stepanakert Airport in the small, breakaway Republic of Artsakh in the Caucasus meets international aviation standards. He finds himself connecting with a young local boy to help the isolated territory open up to the outside world.
Hail, Driver! (Prebet Sapu) (84 mins) — Malaysia
Pakistan's Official Submission for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards®
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: After his father's death, the unemployed Aman returns to Kuala Lumpur and embarks illegally on a ride-hailing service, as he fails to obtain a driving license due to his color blindness. When his landlord chases him out of his rental accommodation, he ends up sleeping in his car. A chance encounter with Bella, a Chinese 'escort girl', grants Aman a temporary residence at her place. In return, she asks Aman to become her driver. As they become closer, Bella confides in Aman about her intention to leave Malaysia. Complications ensue when Bella finds herself pregnant and decides to have an abortion.
Wuhan Wuhan (90 minutes) — China
Presented by Starlight
Synopsis: When the city of Wuhan, China locked down at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was nearly impossible to get a clear sense of what was happening. But award-winning filmmaker Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze) and a group of intrepid videographers were able to document life at the epicenter, including portraits of a couple expecting a baby, quarantined families in a byzantine shelter, dedicated medical workers, and a psychologist facing her own family crisis while helping patients with the unknown threat. In a time when the world needs greater cross-cultural understanding, WUHAN WUHAN is an invaluable depiction of a metropolis joining together to overcome a crisis.
Genre: Documentary
Yuni (95 mins) — Indonesia
Synopsis: In her last year of secondary school, a bright Indonesian student is determined to pursue her education and resist getting married, despite the expectations of her community.
Genre: Drama
Toofan (163 mins) — India
Genre: Sports/Drama
Synopsis: Every single life has its own stories and events for every human. “Yusif” is a feature narrative film that shows the life of a 25 years old youth, who has an illness called (Dream Reality Confusion). “Yusif Ibrahim” is a university student studies Arabic literature in Beirut, he suddenly starts to live two separated lives before he decides to stop taking the treatment, and then joins a weapon trading Mafia that works in Lebanon and Syria in one of his two lives, and he does that to protect his brother “Firas” after he died in his other life while he (Firas) was trading in weapons.
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Special Screening
Ahimsa Gandhi: The Power of the Powerless (92 min) — India
Synopsis: A middle-aged, Korean-drama-obsessed widow from Singapore travels out of the country for the first time to Seoul and ends up getting lost. Her journey becomes an unexpected road of self-discovery, as she comes to terms with the life she truly wants for herself, beyond her roles of daughter, wife, and mother.
Genre: Documentary
Americanish (91 mins) — USA
Synopsis: In Jackson Heights, Queens, career-driven sisters Maryam and Sam and their newly-immigrated cousin Ameera must navigate the consistent and sometimes conflicting demands of romance, culture, work, and family. Serving both as a lighthearted reimagination of and critical divergence from the classic romantic comedy, AMERICANISH tackles and celebrates the complex intersectionalities of womanhood by welcoming us into the world—with all its joys and tribulations—of these three marriage-aged women.
Genre: Comedy
Chí Phèo (Ngoại Truyện) (95 min) — Vietnam
Synopsis: The Mark Twain of Vietnam, Nam Cao’s “Chi Pheo” is a cautionary tale about a man who is a beggar with a scared face that went against the establishment by killing his boss and ultimately killing himself. Throughout its history, the cautionary tale had become a part of comedic pop culture and is regularly used to reference a loser.Danny Do’s 2017 interpretation, “Chi Pheo Ngoai Truyen ( I am not Chí Pheo)” retells the story for modern audiences. Na, the lead female meets a man named Chí (a street thug who was given the name, Chí Pheo) who was living under the alias believing a lie, that the name Chí Pheo was to represent a leader, but when taught about its truth by a police officer while in jail, Chí starts to realize he was living his lie and now wants to live his truth.
Genre: Comedy
Fathers (110 mins) — Cambodia
Synopsis: Based on a true story, Losing one leg, Aman lives on his cyclo-trisaw drives to provide for two children his wife abandons at a pagoda’s corner. Despite his handicap, he works from dawn till dust delivering stuff to a nearby market, driving his cylo-trisaw, scavenging, hint car drivers while carrying his youngest child with him and sending his elder daughter to school. In the end, he falls so incurably sick that he has to sell off his cyclo-trisaw and blood, to earn money in return for drugs for his child. How does this man struggle to keep his children alive?
Genre: Drama
My Sunny Maad (85 mins) — France/Czech Republic/Slovakia
Synopsis: When Herra, a young Czech woman, falls in love with Nazir, an Afghan, she has no idea what kind of life awaits her in post-Taliban Afghanistan, nor of the family she is about to integrate into. A liberal grandfather, an adopted child who is highly intelligent, and Freshta, who would do anything to escape her husband's violent grip.
Genre: Animation, Drama
Journey From the Fall (135 mins) — USA
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: Thirteen years after the end of the Vietnam War, a family who was tragically affected by the war are forced to emigrate to America.
Tribute to Kieu Chinh
The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu (88 mins) — USA
Tribute to Lisa Lu 65th Anniversary in Entertainment
Synopsis: Aware that her time is running short, irascible Wu family matriarch Lily (Lisa Lu) is eager to repair the strained relationship with her adult daughter Mary (Michelle Krusiec) and help her shy 18-year-old granddaughter Emma (Rochelle Ying) find her voice. As her final wish, she persuades longtime friend Charlotte (Joely Fisher), Emma and Emma's best friend Karen (Tiffany Wu) to spring her from her Los Angeles nursing home and all four set out on a wild road trip up the coast to Carmel - without telling the girls' parents.
The Villainess (124 mins) — South Korea
Synopsis: Bloody revenge is at the heart of this stylish, kinetic action-thriller that gives a welcome shot of adrenaline to the classic femme fatale story. Honed from childhood into a merciless killing machine by a criminal organization, assassin Sook-hee is recruited as a sleeper agent with the promise of freedom after ten years of service - and she jumps at the chance for a normal life. But soon enough, secrets from her past destroy everything she’s worked for, and now nobody can stand in her way as she embarks on a roaring rampage of revenge.
Presented by Korean Cultural Center LA
We Are Never Alone (53 mins) — USA
Synopsis: Gabriella comes home to find her 16-year-old son hanging in his room. Life changes in an instant. Gabriella needs to understand what was going on in her son’s mind. Seeking answers, she meets Deepak Chopra and other teachers, and asks all the difficult questions. The answers that emerge are a fascinating bridge between ancient wisdom and modern, holistic practices integrating neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology, scientific data, spirituality, and consciousness. The Teachers (Chopra, Beckwith, Hayes, and other counselors and experts) embrace Gabriella, open their hearts and share their wisdom with a universal simplicity—accessible and beneficial to all.
Genre: Documentary
Window To Africa
Fatsani - Tale of Survival (113 mins) — Malawi
Synopsis: A young girl who lives with her grandmother is forced to sell bananas in the streets for survival after her school is closed due to sanitation issues and corruption. We see her struggling, as she suffers various forms of abuse from the ones who are supposed to protect her.
Genre: Drama
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) (116 mins) — Nigeria
Synopsis: A middle-aged electrical engineer and a young hair dresser live in the same neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria. Both try to move to Europe in hopes of a better life, but their situations are difficult to escape.
Genre: Drama
Oscar Submission for Best Picture and Golden Globes Submission for Best Foreign Language Film
The White Line (100 mins) — Namibia
Synopsis: Set in 1963, after the Old Location uprising that shook South West Africa, a black maid's life is changed forever when she encounters an Afrikaner police officer on a routine passbook check. Their illicit love for each other grows over time through the letters they write to each other, and they endure many obstacles beyond the color of their skin. The White Line is an authentic Namibian story that shows how apartheid laws were extended to the territory of Namibia prior to independence, under the South African administration.
Dawn of Thunder (X mins) — Nigeria
Synopsis: Sango is a popular god of thunder from Oyo State in Nigeria with his signature thunderbolt ax that causes lightning and disruption when used by him. We explored his childhood a bit, from where it all started, the questions he asked, the answers he was given, the visions about his future encounters, and ultimately how these experiences will shape his future. Having heard and known all this, what will his approach be towards events as they unfold?
Genre: Animation, Drama
HFPA SCHOLARSHIP — SHORT FILMS
The short films listed below were created by young Asian Filmmakers and have been selected for consideration by an HFPA Jury for a $5000 Scholarship.
21st and Colonial - Angelo Reyes (USA/Philippines)
Bodies - Morvarid Kashiyan (Iran)
Daily Massacre in Tehran - Hessam Hamidi (Iran)
Fantasy of Alice - Phyllis Tam (USA/China)
Grandpa – Qiuyan (China)
Home - Nejla Özge Alban (Turkey)
Mr. Strange - Zhu Ling (China)
Nostalgia - McFloyd Nguyen (Vietnam)
On the Silk Road - Sherzod Nazarov (Uzbekistan)
Reunited - Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri (India)
Salvador Dali - Eldiyar Madakim (Kyrgyzstan)
The Hunt: Savage Within - Fabien Garcia (USA/Philippines)
Yuan - Eddie Zhao (Malaysia)