Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest This Weekend

SAN JOSE — The Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest (formerly San Jose J-Town FilmFest) is a celebration of the multi-ethnic community and rich history of Silicon Valley.

An all-volunteer-run effort by a diverse team of community members, the film festival showcases independent films primarily by Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) filmmakers and offers quality programming, giving the community a chance to interact with the creative talents behind these films.

This year’s festival will be held Nov. 1 to 3 at CineArts @ Santana Row, 3088 Olsen Dr. in San Jose. Note: The opening night film, “Love Boat: Taiwan” by Valerie Soe, and the documentary “Chinatown Rising” by Harry Chuck and Josh Chuck are sold out.

Featured films include:

“Norman Mineta and His Legacy: An American Story” (2018, 65 minutes), directed by Dianne Fukami, who will speak after the screening. Saturday, Nov. 2, at 11 a.m.

A documentary about injustice, redemption, and a burning desire for all people to be treated equally. The child of immigrants, Norman Mineta’s uniquely American story charts a path from the shame he experienced as a Japanese American inside a U.S. concentration camp during World War II to his triumphant rise to political prominence that shaped every level of government, and made him one of the most influential Asian Americans in U.S. history. His distinguished career is an unmatched slate of achievements, including 20 years in Congress and eventually serving in the Cabinets of two presidents from different political parties.

With a short, “Japantown: A Walk Through Memory.”

“Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066” (2018, 65 minutes), directed by Jon Osaki, who will speak after the screening. Nov. 2 at 1:30 p.m.

This documentary sheds light on the people and politics that influenced the signing of the infamous Executive Order 9066, which authorized the mass incarceration of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans. The film exposes the lies used to justify the decision and the cover-up that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. “Alternative Facts” also examines the parallels to the current climate of fear, targeting of immigrant communities, and similar attempts to abuse the powers of the government.

Short: “Moon and the Night.”

“Mayor Ed Lee” (2019, 65 minutes), directed by Rick Quan, who will speak after the screening. Nov. 2 at 4 p.m.

The son of working-class immigrants who grew up in Seattle’s public housing, Ed Lee became a San Francisco Chinatown lawyer, champion of civil rights and equal opportunity, and the first Chinese American mayor of a major U.S. city. This documentary celebrates his life of service and preserves his memory for future generations.

Short: “Zoetic.”

“Find Me” (2019, 104 minutes), directed by Tom Huang, who will speak after the screening. Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

An award-winning feature film about Joe, an emotionally wounded accountant, who decides to break away from soul-sucking routine to find his missing friend Amelia, who has left clues for him of her whereabouts throughout National Parks across the West. The film features his travels through some of the most beautiful areas of Zion, Death Valley and Yosemite National Parks.

Short: “My Mother, Myself and I.”

“Dating After College” (2019, 72 minutes), directed by Taylor Chan, who will speak after the screening along with producer Benson Quach and cinematographer Christopher Yang. Nov. 2 at 8:45 p.m.

This romantic comedy follows two post-grads as they try to navigate dating in the real “adult” world. Their separate searches will put them in new situations, face-to-face with new people, that will force them to reexamine everything they think they know about finding love.

“Finding the Virgo” (2018, 50 minutes), directed by Lauren Vuong, who will speak after the screening. Sunday, Nov. 3, at 11 a.m.

This story of compassion and gratitude traces the Vuong family’s journey from the shores of Vietnam, through their perilous journey at sea and eventually to their resettlement in America. Never forgetting their brush with death, the eldest daughter, Lauren, embarks on a decades-long search for the captain and crew of the LNG Virgo. their rescuers. This is the story of the American Hope and the American Dream. It is a timeless tale of war, desperation, survival, and the serendipitous heroes who embody the best of humanity.

Short: “In Full Bloom.”

“Happy Cleaners” (2019, 98 minutes), directed by Julian Kim and Peter S. Lee, who will both speak after the screening. Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.

When the Choi family lose their dry cleaning business, they learn to love each other to survive the crisis and heartaches that they cause each other.

For tickets and more information, go to: https://www.svapfilmfest.com/