A special segment on Marilou Diaz-Abaya at NYC film festival

Asian CineVision will present a tribute to Filipino filmmaker Marilou Diaz-Abaya (1955-2012) as well as other female filmmakers in the 36th Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) from July 24th to August 3rd.

This year AAIFF is presenting 26 feature films and 44 short films, for, by and about Asians and Asian Americans, with works from 18 countries including Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey, UK, and the U.S.

With the themes of Asian American Achievements, Exploring Asian Filmscapes, LGBTQ Spotlights, Taiwan Cinema Days and a tribute to Diaz-Abaya and other female filmmakers, the AAIFF aims to give viewers a comprehensive picture of the Asian and Asian American independent cinemas.

“AAIFF is proud to present the best most recent cinematic achievements by this class of emerging storytellers whose work will resonate for years to come,” says Asian CineVision Executive Director John C. Woo. “I have not witnessed this amount of rising new talent ever in my years.”

“The wide range of genres, visual styles, and storytelling approaches speaks to the diversity and richness of Asian and Asian American cinemas. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to program this survey of cinema that reflects on Asia as well as on being Asian in America,” stated organizers La Frances Hui and L. Somi Roy.

In “Celebrating Female Filmmakers – In Memory of Marilou Diaz-Abaya,” AAIFF will be celebrating female filmmakers and honoring Diaz-Abaya, one of the most important female directors of her generation. These female filmmakers work to tell stories based on either experiences or imagination, but all within the frameworks of the industry and the nation, said a press statement.

AAIFF will host the documentary “Marilou Diaz-Abaya: Filmmaker at Voyage” (dir. Mona Lisa Yuchengco) at the Philippine Consulate on Fifth Avenue, as well as one of her earlier works, “Karnal” (1983).

Female directors of feature-length films include Brea Grant (and producer Vera Miao) for “Best Friends Forever,” Quan Ling for “Forgetting to Know You,” Megumi Nishikura and Lara Perez for “Hafu: The Mixed-Race Experience in Japan,” Wong Chen-hsi for “Innocents,” Yang Yonghi for “Our Homeland,” and Nadine Truong for “Someone I Used to Know.”

For a complete screening schedule, visit asiancinevision.org.