Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month 2020: Films from CAAM | San Francisco Public Library

Downloadable Video - 2014

Nearly 30 years ago, Pol Pot overtook Cambodia and more than one million people perished in the Khmer Rouge's brutal "killing fields." Many othe...Show more Nearly 30 years ago, Pol Pot overtook Cambodia and more than one million people perished in the Khmer Rouge's brutal "killing fields." Many others were forced into unspeakable acts in order to survive; Arn Chorn Pond is one of these survivors. Now, after living in the United States for 20 years, Arn is a musician and activist, traveling the country and giving lectures on human rights. He is also on a mission to reconcile the demons of his past. The Flute Player chronicles his return to Cambodia, where he has launched a master musician project to revive the traditional music that disappeared under the Khmer Rouge. A complex and moving film, it reveals the history and tradition lost to Arn's generation and the search for healing and forgiveness in a country wounded by war. 2003. 51 minutes. Show less

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The Slanted Screen

Downloadable Video - 2006

From filmmaker and San Francisco public defender Jeff Adachi, The Slanted Screen explores the portrayals of Asian men in American cinema, chronicling the ...Show more From filmmaker and San Francisco public defender Jeff Adachi, The Slanted Screen explores the portrayals of Asian men in American cinema, chronicling the experiences of actors who have had to struggle agains ethnic stereotyping and limiting roles. Winner of the Best Short Documentary award at the NY International Independent Film & Video film festival. 2006. 54 minutes. Show less

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Silence Broken

Korean Comfort Women

Downloadable Video - 2014

A powerful and emotional documentary about Korean women forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II, Silence Broken dra...Show more A powerful and emotional documentary about Korean women forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II, Silence Broken dramatically combines the testimony of former comfort women who demand justice for the "crimes against humanity" committed against them, along with contravening interviews of Japanese soldiers, recruiters and contemporary scholars who deny the existence of comfort women or claim that these victims "did this for money." In the film, these women demand an official apology, admission of moral as well as legal guilt, and compensation from the Japanese government. They want human dignity and justice restored to them. The individual testimonies in Silence Broken, combined with unusual archival footage and dramatized images, shatter the half-century of silence and create a collective story filled with soulful sorrow and amazing resilience of the human spirit. 1999. 56 minutes. Show less

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Morning Sun

Downloadable Video - 2015

Morning Sun attempts to create an inner history of the Cultural Revolution (1964-76) and provides a multi-perspective view of a tumultuous period as seen ...Show more Morning Sun attempts to create an inner history of the Cultural Revolution (1964-76) and provides a multi-perspective view of a tumultuous period as seen through members of the high school generation that came of age in the 1960's. The film offers a psychological history, offering a cinematic account of experiences and emotions represented by people and events of the period. 2003. 1 hr 57 minutes. Show less

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Meeting At Tule Lake

Downloadable Video - 2015

Among the ten Japanese Internment that imprisoned 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, Tule Lake Segregation Center was the site for over 18,00...Show more Among the ten Japanese Internment that imprisoned 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, Tule Lake Segregation Center was the site for over 18,000 "disloyals." Fifty years later, seven former internees discuss their past and how they came to terms with their identity, politically and socially, both during and after their camp experience. The viewer is challenged to reconsider what loyalty and citizenship really mean in a country deeply rooted in a history of racism. Created to be shown during a pilgrimage to Tule Lake in 1994, Meeting At Tule Lake is the result of a community studies approach to research, teaching, and filmmaking. 1994. 33 minutes. Show less

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Sentenced Home

Downloadable Video - 2005

Like many young Cambodian Americans who arrived in the U.S. as refugees in the '80s, Loeun Lun, Many Uch and Kim Ho Ma hoped for the best. Little did they...Show more Like many young Cambodian Americans who arrived in the U.S. as refugees in the '80s, Loeun Lun, Many Uch and Kim Ho Ma hoped for the best. Little did they know that their destinies, guided by youthful mistakes and the unforeseeable events of 9/11, would bring them full-circle decades later: from birth in Cambodia to an unwilling return. After fleeing the Khmer Rouge and settling in Seattle, each was drawn into gang life, and ultimately jail. According to U.S. immigration law they should have been deported, but Cambodia did not accept deportees at the time of their sentences. However, after September 2001, the U.S. pressured Cambodia into changing its policy. As a result, thousands of individuals were separated from their families and returned to a land that many barely knew. Moreover, Loeun, Many, Kim Ho and many others faced the prospect of paying a double penalty: having already served their original prison sentences and moved on with their lives, they now faced deportation. At the opening of the film, Loeun is married with two young children and has a full-time job. Many seeks redemption for his past by coaching a Little League team in Seattle, while Kim Ho is just days away from being deported. Traveling from the U.S. to Cambodia, directors David Grabias and Nicole Newnham bring to light their heart-breaking stories, and reveal the human cost of an inhumane immigration policy. 2005. 1 hr 17 minutes. Show less

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Issei

The First Generation

Downloadable Video - 2014

A "lost" 1984 documentary, rediscovered and restored, about Japanese men and women who, at the turn of the century, immigrated to the West Coast...Show more A "lost" 1984 documentary, rediscovered and restored, about Japanese men and women who, at the turn of the century, immigrated to the West Coast of the United States. These pioneers tell their own stories of struggles and triumphs in a new land. 1984. 53 minutes. Show less

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