To celebrate its sweet 16th, the San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) is proud to welcome and pay tribute to entertainment and film legends and pioneers during its 10-day film festival, November 5-14, 2015. Presented by Pacific Arts Movement, the SDAFF is the largest showcase of Asian cinema on the West Coast with more than 130 films and programs from 20 countries.
This year, the SDAFF presents the West Coast premiere of documentary TYRUS, paying tribute and welcoming entertainment legend Tyrus Wong, a 105-year-old Chinese American artist who is best known for inspiring the artwork in Disney's original classic Bambi. The SDAFF also welcomes contemporary pioneers Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken, The Hangover) and Eugene Lee Yang (BuzzFeed) to San Diego, highlighting their contributions to the ever-changing entertainment industry.
The SDAFF will be at six venues across San Diego County including the film festival's home base of the UltraStar Mission Valley at Hazard Center, opening and closing night films at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCASD) in La Jolla, special programs at UCSD's Calit2 and the Museum of Photographic Arts, its gala and awards ceremony at San Diego Marriott, and its final day at the historic La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
Opening Night Film: MISS INDIA AMERICA
San Diego Premiere- Nov. 5, 7:00 PM, MCASD Lily is a college-bound valedictorian with a gilded future, so beauty pageants are way below her. But when a case of sass strikes, she finds out what shes not above: some good ol fashioned competition. Thanks to a wily script and Tiya Sircar's knockout comedic performance, nobody is safe from Lilys schemes. Director Ravi Kapoor, cast and crew scheduled to attend
Centerpiece Film: SEOUL SEARCHING
San Diego Premiere- Nov. 7, 6:00 PM, UltraStar Don't you forget about 1986, when the Latin Lover collided with the punk and the pastor's daughter on a Seoul summer camp for overseas Korean youth to discover their roots. And by roots, we mean soju, laughs, and that weird science of young love. Director Benson Lee, cast and crew scheduled to attend
Closing Night Film: MADE IN JAPAN
San Diego Premiere- Nov. 13, 7:00 PM, MCASD Howdy neighbors! So says Tomi Fujiyama to her friends in the U.S. who are about to discover just what kind of neighbor she is. With cowboy hat and guitar, she's determined to re-take the Grand Ole Opry stage, where in 1964, she became the country music institution's first Japanese star. Film subject Tomi Tujiyama schedule to attend
DIGITAL PIONEER- BUZZFEED
Nov. 6, 5:00 PM, UCSD Atkinson Hall Auditorium The website BuzzFeed has become not only one of the most formidable presences on the internet, but also one of the most significant platforms for Asian American artists. We welcome BuzzFeed producer and performer Eugene Lee Yang and other members of the BuzzFeed team to talk about BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, changing demographics, and new opportunities for filmmakers. Eugene Lee Yang of BuzzFeed scheduled to appear
GETTING INTIMATE WITH DR. KEN
Nov. 7, 3:10 PM, UltraStar Join us for a probing, awkwardly intimate conversation with everyone's favorite doctor-turned-comedian Ken Jeong, star of Community, the Hangover films, and the new ABC sitcom Dr. Ken. Ken Jeong and co-star Suzy Nakamura scheduled to appear
TYRUS
West Coast Premiere- Nov. 7, 3:40 PM, UltraStar This enchanting documentary follows the Chinese American pioneer from his art school beginnings during the Depression to his years as a production illustrator leaving indelible brushstrokes on Hollywood history. Director Pamela Tom and Tyrus Wong scheduled to attend
GALA AWARDS NIGHT and AFTER PARTY
Nov. 7, 7:00 PM, San Diego Marriott Mission Valley More than 600 celebrities, community and business leaders will attend as the community leaders and celebrity presenters announce film award winners. Proceeds will benefit Pac-Arts' REEL VOICES, a documentary filmmaking program for high school students in the San Diego area and other year-round programs. Scheduled to emcee: comedian Jenny Yang (stand-up comedian known for Key and Peele and BuzzFeed videos) and actor Leonardo Nam (Fast and the Furious, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
WORLD, US, AND WEST COAST PREMIERES OF MAJOR NEW TITLES
LOVE & PEACE (Sion Sono, Japan) (US premiere)
THE WHISPERING STAR (Sion Sono, Japan) (US premiere)
MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (Jia Zhang-ke, China) (west coast premiere)
CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand) (west coast premiere)
REUNIFICATION (Alvin Tsang, USA) (world premiere)
THE ROYAL TAILOR (Lee Wonsuk, South Korea) (west coast premiere)
ZINNIA FLOWER (Tom Lin Shu-yu, Taiwan) (US premiere)
16th San Diego Asian Film Festival #SDAFF2015
November 5-14, 2015
Ultrastar Mission Valley at Hazard Center
(Main Theater & Box Office)
7510 Hazard Center Drive | San Diego, CA 92108
Tickets are available online for all shows. Tickets can also be purchased on-site at specific screenings one hour before show time. For all screenings at Ultrastar, tickets can be purchased at the Ultrastar Mission Valley box office (Member $9| General $12) starting October 30. Student/Military/Senior and Group discounts are available at the door. Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing Night tickets are $15 for General, $12 for Members. Limited All-Fest Passes are available for $250. For ticketing info, full film details, and schedule, please visit festival.sdaff.org or contact 619.400.5911 | info@pacarts.org
Major sponsors of the San Diego Asian Film Festival include Barona, AARP, Sharp Health Plan, McGregor & Associates, Wells Fargo, PROVEN Staffing, Qualcomm, The San Diego Union-Tribune, KPBS, and NBC7.
Pacific Arts Movement (Pac-Arts) is one of the largest media arts organizations in North America that focuses on Pan Asian cinema. Pac-Arts programs include the ann
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
15/06/2026
Detach from Direct-Attached: How Remote Editing with EVO Keeps Creative Teams Mo...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
To celebrate its sweet 16th, the San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) is proud to welcome and pay tribute to entertainment and film legends and pioneers during its 10-day film festival, November 5-14, 2015. Presented by Pacific Arts Movement, the SDAFF is the largest showcase of Asian cinema on the West Coast with more than 130 films and programs from 20 countries.
