12/6/12 Support Independent Media

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Tonight, we feature two amazing independent films, a documentary and a narrative, that embody the values that we have at APEX Express: to be part of a broader social movement for justice and collective liberation for all oppressed people.

Enemy Alien tells the gripping story of the fight to free Farouk Abdel-Muhti, a Palestinian-born human rights activist detained in a post-9/11 sweep of Muslim immigrants. Marie Choi brings us an interview with filmmaker Konrad Aderer who confronts his own family legacy of incarceration in Japanese American internment camps  during the making of this film. This DVD will be available to you when you make a generous donation to KPFA. Please call 1.800.439.5732 from 7-8 p.m. to  so that your donation registers with APEX Express.

We also replay an interview with Director Patrick Wang about his award-winning film In the Family which returns to San Francisco on December 7. The film is an intimate and contemplative drama in which a man battles for custody of his son after the death of his partner. We have two pairs of tickets to a screening during this run.Community Calendar

• The Chinese Historical Society of America announces an exciting new exhibition program for 2013 called Creative Spaces. This builds on the concept of creating innovative interpretations of personal and community history. With this new project, they are reaching out to the creative community and invite artists, designers, curators and educators to submit unique ideas for interpreting and presenting history in the museum. For more information visit http://www.chsa.org/ The deadline is January 2nd.
• This Friday from 6-10 p.m., celebrate the holidays with Kearny Street Workshop. Food, cash bar, community performances, vendors, crafts, and the return of Asian Santa. FREE! Their office is at 1246 Folsom Street https://www.facebook.com/events/400487166684669/
• Also, the yummy Izakaya in West Oakland, Fuse Box, has started a regular dinner service on Saturdays starting December 8th from 5:30-9. And they now take credit cards! for more information visit fuseboxoakland.com
• On Sunday, there’s the Manilatown Holiday Boutique. This is a Gathering of Indigenous Artists at the International Hotel Manilatown Center. Descendants of residents of the old neighborhood return to offer their island inspired clothing, jewelry, and art to the general public. https://www.facebook.com/events/430706986996873/
• Finally, this Sunday is the 10th anniversary of Diwang Pinay at the Women’s Building in San Francisco. Diwang Pinay is an annual performance and silent auction showcasing Filipina/ Filipina-American performers, writers, and artists. Diwang Pinay promotes the work of Pinay artists and represents the expanding cultural backbone of the Filipina diaspora. This event is one of the few venues solely dedicated to providing Filipinas and Filipina-Americans a platform to display their triumphs and struggles through art, linking history to the narrative of today’s Pinay. Entrance is sliding scale $10-20 https://www.facebook.com/events/479278652093450/

3/15/12 SFIAAFF, Micropixie, and Jeremy Lin(sanity)!

This past week, San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival coalesced the community through the moving image. Robynn Takayama offers a short commentary about what the festival means to her. (Check out APEX Express collective member R.J. Lozada’s film, Among B-Boys)

The festival continues through this weekend and there’s a film you’ve got to catch. It’s called In the Family and Robynn also brings us an interview with Patrick Wang, the film’s director.

We also have an interview by Preeti Shekar with Micropixie aka MPX who performed at the festival’s DIRECTIONS IN SOUND club night.

Finally, the Shaolin B-Boy talks to his dad and cousin about a basketball-based disease that hit the nation in February and has a special effect on Asian Americans. They call it, Linsanity!

Community Calendar

• Are you a green card holder interested in becoming a U.S. citizen? As a U.S. citizen, you can live in the United States and can travel outside the United States without worrying about being deported or being denied entry, and can more quickly and easily be reunited with family overseas. Citizens also gain the right to vote, to serve on a jury, to apply for government jobs and certain government benefits. East Bay Naturalization Collaborative is holding a free Citizenship Workshop on Saturday, March 17 at Chabot Community College in Hayward.  Attorneys will be available to help eligible immigrants fill out the application for U.S. citizenship, answer questions and provide resources for you.  All participants must register in advance. For more information and to register, please call Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO) at 510-251-2846.
• The Balboa Theater in San Francisco hosts the Bengali Film Festival from March 16-20. Featuring contemporary and classic Bengali-language films, the festival will also spotlight Nagmoti — a film from the early 1980s by the now legendary musician, ethnomusicologist and filmmaker Gautam Chattopadhyay.
• In the Family screens on Saturday, March 17 at 8 pm at the Pacific Film Archive Theater.
• On Tuesday, March 20, Movie Night at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center brings us Thai film, Tears of the Black Tiger. According to IMDB, “With its loud acting style, exuberant sets and stunning shots in pastel colours, this Thai cult film is as much a parody as an homage to the Western and the romantic tearjerker.”