March 11-21, 2010

The 28th Annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) brings the best Asian and Asian American films from around the globe to venues in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose.

The Japan Society is delighted to co-present two films at this year’s festival: LT. WATADA and DEAR DOCTOR.

In LT. WATADA, Lieutenant Ehren Watada is the bravest man in the military, or the best friend of Al Qaeda, depending on whom you ask. Court marshaled after refusing to deploy to Iraq, he has become a heroic model of resistance for those who oppose a war based on, as he says, “intentionally manipulated intelligence.” Documentary filmmaker Freida Lee Mock allows the very well spoken lieutenant to tell his tale of resistance, one that finds its bravery not on the battlefield, but in the soul.

One of Japan’s most promising young filmmakers, Miwa Nishikawa, delivers her most fully realized and emotionally satisfying work in her third feature, DEAR DOCTOR. The film begins with the sudden disappearance of Ino, the only doctor in a small, rural village. Flash back two months, when a young intern from Tokyo arrives in a red convertible for his residency with Ino. Through the intern’s eyes, we see a portrait of a kindhearted country doctor revered as a savior by the villagers. But when Ino and an elderly female patient decide to keep her potentially fatal illness hidden from her family, Ino’s own secrets start to slowly unravel, and force everyone to question whether a lie is a sin if told in the name of compassion. The film features a refreshing, bluesy harmonica score and a stellar performance by Tsurube Shofukutei—one of Japan’s most popular comedians—as Doctor Ino.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the 28th Annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival website.