Can we celebrate yet?

A year after we cancelled the 2020 SDAFF Spring Showcase as the country sank into shelter, our spirits could use a major jolt. Our eyes and ears could use some cinematic sparkle. How about a Taiwanese rom-com about our missing days? Or a peppy documentary about high school students triumphing over the toughest year of their lives? Why stop at movies altogether? These past 12 months, TV and movies blurred into one long binge, so let’s see what one of world cinema’s most unnerving directors can do with a ten-episode series.

Yes, let’s celebrate.

Now, more than ever, let’s celebrate Asian American elders with a retrospective of classics unavailable on any streaming service. Let’s salute pioneers like documentarians Puhipau and Joan Lander who fought for Hawaiian cultural, economic, and political sovereignty with their cameras.

It’s 2021. We still have many battles to fight and comrades to support. But a year in the trenches have sharpened our resolve and our hunger for stories and images of Asians and Pacific Islanders on our own terms. So grab your Chromecasts and HDMI cables, gather your bubble buddies and vaccinated family, and get ready to let out a long-gestating cheer. The 10th SDAFF Spring Showcase is finally here.

–Brian Hu, Artistic Director