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Roll the Film: The Work Behind the Chinatown Film FestivalWhile it may be easy to brush off the Chinatown Film Festival (the CFF) as just another film festival, that would be a mistake. The CFF will actually be much more than that. Slated to kick off in October 2008, the festival was created to not only showcase films from Asian countries but also as a platform to bridge Eastern and Western cultures. Simone Tarantino, one of its founders, took time from his busy schedule to answer a few of our questions You, Edward J. Cuccia and Ammy Lim "realized the need for greater cultural communication between the West and Asia." How did you three decide that a film festival would be the perfect way to fill this need? 
We decided to have a film festival because the film concept is one of
the most inclusive media. A movie has images, colors, sounds and all
those combined can transmit emotions onto the public. Although it is
named the "Chinatown Film Festival" we are not limiting ourselves to
just film, it will include theater, photography, dance, art and
performing arts in general. The actual film festival in October 2008 will be the peak of a series of events that are being organized at this current time. We are showing just how beautiful the Asian culture can be. We believe it is important to share the Asian culture with the Western World. We are creating a cultural bridge. Elenaor Roosevelt said that "the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Our dream is to build brick by brick this bridge that will connect every major Chinatown in the world. What has been the reaction to the CFF from the community and the business world? As we began, the reaction of the community patrons and those in the business world was minimal, but as we grew as an organization promoting the Asian culture, we began receiving an overwhelming amount of support from both the Asian community [and the business community]. In the beginning, we had a slow start because we were building community credibility. As the time passed and more community patrons became involved, with each passing day more and more people began showing interest in helping make the festival in October 2008 a giant success. Thankfully, to the great team work from our members, we were able to prove to the Chinatown community that we are working hard to revitalize the Chinatown economy and to re-brand Chinatown as an entertainment capital of the world. How is the CFF different from other Asian film festivals like the New York Asian Film Festival and the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival? The Chinatown Film Festival is a non-profit organization with a clear and strong mission -- work in favor of the Asian population through the Chinatown community. The biggest difference between us and the other film festivals is that our festival is actually taking place in Chinatown. We are bringing the Western culture to meet the beautiful Asian culture and heritage. The films that will be screened are to be from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. How and why were the countries chosen? We will aceept film submissions from every single Asian country. No one is excluded and no one will be. The majority of persons speaking Chinese comes from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. These countries represent the majority of the "Chinatown" community. For this reason, we are expecting the majority of submissions from these countries. Will the festival include Asian American films at some point or will it remain focused on films from Asian countries only? The Film Festival itself will accept only Asian movies, however, we will have several events and screenings to endorse American Asian talents. In addition to the festival itself, there will also be a magazine and a comprehensive website. Both of these will cover much more than just the films and the festival itself. What are the reasons behind this? 
Website first. The website is the real comprehensive point of contact.
It will contain the history of the Chinatown Film Festival as well as
all information about events and movies. We are in the process of
revising the website for the third time. We want to create a platform
that can completely support the mission of the Chinatown Film
Festival. The website will be soon a community where the Asian and
the Western cultures can exchange ideas, opinions and experiences.
Magazine: Our ultimate goal for the future of the film festival is to duplicate our success in every major Chinatown around the world. The magazine will be used as a medium to reach the people of each community, explaining the importance of this project. The magazine will be distributed free of charge. For those who may be interested in submitting a film, has the submission process begun? How long will it last? Who decides which films will make it into the five categories? We will begin to accept movies beginning January 2008. Starting November 15, 2007, movie makers, directors, production companies can find on our website www.cff2008.org, the guidelines on how to submit their movies. We will accept movies until end of June 2008. After that a jury composed of movie critics, Journalists, movie directors, and celebrity guests will nominate which movie make it into the top categories. As the film festival concludes, with the help of the general public, this jury will nominate the "General Winners" of the film festival. |
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