TO BE TAKEI opening 2015 Seattle Asian American Film Festival

Seattle Asian American Film Festival opening with To Be Takei. The 2015 Seattle Asian American Film Festival will begin with the documentary To Be Takei, an exploration of the life of actor George Takei. Other landmark films being featured at the festival include Documented, a documentary on Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and his status as an undocumented immigrant; the romantic comedy “How to Fight in Six-Inch Heels”; “Sriracha”, a film that follows the history of the famous hot sauce; and “Cambodian Son”, a documentary on being Cambodian American. The festival has grown in popularity each year, and offers unique and exclusive examinations of Asian American issues such as immigration, cultural preservation, cuisine, and misunderstandings. Billing itself as “the only film festival in Seattle to provide a space for Asian American voices, perspectives and histories by screening independent films that reflect the diversity and richness of the city’s Asian American community,” the festival is a great opportunity for people to enjoy little-known films that are humorous, insightful, and poignant.

Since its beginning in 1985, the festival has focused on showing works of Asian American directors, writers and actors living in the Pacific Northwest. A full festival pass costs $75, and feature-length and short films will all be screening at the festival, including comedies, science fiction, animation, drama, and documentaries. All screenings will take place at the Tateuchi Story Theatre of the Wing Luke Museum. For viewers interested in attending individual screenings, tickets range from $8 to $13. Some screenings will also include discussions and Q & A sessions with directors, for audiences to discover more about the films they’ve seen.

This year, one of the major attractions of the festival is To Be Takei (2014), an official selection at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival that tracks George Takei through his childhood in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II, his acting career and his role as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, and his work as an activist for gay and civil rights.

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Source: 2015 Seattle Asian American Film Festival, The Seattle Times, The Seattle Globalist