33rd Asian American International Film Festival Hosts Community Screenings in New York City

33rd Asian American International Film Festival Hosts Community Screenings in New York City

NEW YORK, NY (June 22, 2010) Asian CineVision (ACV) will present free community screenings at the Maysles Institute in Harlem and the Flushing Library in Queens from July 22 through July 24, 2010 as part of the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF'10).

"The aim of the AAIFF10's community screenings is to bring our films to a more diverse audience," says John Woo, Acting Director of Asian CineVision (ACV). "Given the success of last year's community screenings, we hope that the AAIFF'10 will continue to reach out to communities in the New York City area."

The Maysles Institute in Harlem will screen Academy award winning director Freida Lee Mock's latest documentary Lt. Watada on July 22, 2010. Mock's film follows the journey of Lieutenant Ehren Watada, the first commissioned military officer to speak publicly on his refusal for deployment and to challenge the Presidential war policy in Iraq.

Eight screenings will take place in the Flushing Library over the course of two days. On July 23, Stephanie Wang-Breal's documentary Wo Ai Ni Mommy and Leena Pendharkar's Raspberry Magic will be screened alongside two shorts programs Oh Family Where Art Thou? and It's a Little Bit Funny. The programming for July 24 will also consists of two features and two shorts programs. Ian McCrudden's The Things We Carry and Gerry Balasta's The Mountain Thief will screen in addition to short programs Untold Stories and Eye on Taiwan .

The 33rd Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF'10) will screen throughout various venues in New York City including Chelsea Clearview Cinema, the Quad Cinema, and the Museum of Chinese in America. This year's festival includes 23 features and 71 short films that showcase the latest works created by filmmakers of Asian descent in addition to films that explore new constructs of Asian and Asian-American cinema.

For more information on the AAIFF'10, visit www.aaiff.org/2010

About the Asian American International Film Festival
The Asian American International Film Festival is the first and longest running festival in the country devoted to showcasing films created by media artists of Asian descent and about the Asian community. Founded in 1978, AAIFF harbors a unique curatorial vision. More than an expression of collective identity, the festival is anchored by the distinct contributions of its members. It is a platform for filmmakers of all backgrounds to develop the constructs of Asian cinema and cultivate the next generation of talent. 33 years after its inception, AAIFF continues to be a leading showcase for Asian American film and video, placing a substantial focus on local and independent works and working to enrich New Yorks Asian cultural community.

About Asian CineVision
Asian CineVision, Inc is a not-for-profit national media arts organization dedicated to the development, promotion and preservation of film and video arts by and about people of Asian descent. Founded in 1976 ACV began as a social service media activist organization in New York City's Chinatown. The organization continues to serve the Asian American community by presenting, promoting and preserving the works of Asian and Asian American mediamakers, and providing a window to the diverse experiences and livelihoods of the Asian diaspora.

About Maysles Cinema
The Maysles Cinema, the only movie theater in northern Manhattan dedicated to documentary film, serves as a site of community based, low-cost popular education and entertainment. Our programming is selected in collaboration with engaged viewers, independent curators, educators, filmmakers and in alliance with our city's informal and well-established community and cultural groups. Drawing on Harlem's history of cultural innovation and political agency, the Maysles Cinema provides a unique space for passionate and interactive exploration of topics of community interest. Breaking down the wall of disengagement found in the traditional film going experience, our presentations and series explode with life, reckoning and celebration.

About Queens Library
The Queens Library serves 2.2 million people from 62 locations plus seven Adult Learning Centers and two Family Literacy Centers. It has circulated among the highest number of books and other library materials in the country since 1994, and is the second largest public library in the U.S. in terms of size of collections.