The San Diego Asian Film Festival kicked off its 17th season Thursday night.
Once again the festival serves up a diverse array of films from around the globe that try to push boundaries in terms of what genres or filmmaking can be or about how we think about Asians in film and television.
The films screening attempt to explode stereotypes with documentaries such as "Bad Rap," about Asian rappers or with films such as Sion Sono's "Anti-Porno" that puts you in the mind frame of someone who makes porn for a living.
This year the film festival serves up a number of tributes.
It will screen "A Taste of Cherry" in honor of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami who passed away earlier this year. Independent filmmaker Wayne Wang, whose 1982 film "Chan is Missing" helped define Asian American cinema, will be feted with a screening of a new director's cut of his film "Eat a Bowl of Tea."
In addition to paying tribute to veteran directors, the festival is also highlighting younger acting talent. Randall Park, who played Kim Jong-Il in "The Interview" and has a recurring role on "Veep," will host a retrospective of some of his short films.
The San Diego Asian Film Festival continues through Nov. 12 at UltraStar Mission Valley and will hold it's closing night at the Museum of Contemporary Art's Sherwood Auditorium with a screening of the documentary "Mifune: The Last Samurai."
You can listen to Brian Hu's full interview on Cinema Junkie Podcasy Episode 97.
