San Francisco Goodness

The 48th edition of the venerable San Francisco International Film Festival gets underway tomorrow night, Thursday, April 21.

More than 100 films will screen. Asian highlights include:

World Premiere

Woo Ming Jin's MONDAY MORNING GLORY (Malaysia)

North American Premiere

Edmond Pang's BEYOND OUR KEN (Hong Kong; also showing at Udine)
Deepak Kumaran Menon's THE GRAVEL ROAD (Malaysia)
Sumiko Haneda's INTO THE PICTURE SCROLL: THE TALE OF YAMANAKA TOKIWA (Japan)
Garin Nugroho's OF LOVE AND EGGS (Indonesia)
Yasmin Ahmad's SEPET (Malaysia)

US Premiere

MY MOTHER THE MERMAID (South Korea)

A personal favorite, featuring an astonishing lead performance from Jeon Do-yeon (UNTOLD SCANDAL, NO BLOOD NO TEARS).

Director Park Heung-shik creates a tone that deftly mixes aching romantic yearning with magical realism to produce something beyond reality, yet it feels absolutely authentic. Not to mention heartbreaking.

Also Screening

Kim Ki Duk's 3-IRON (South Korea), due for limited US release next week
Anuraq Kashyap's BLACK FRIDAY (India: also showing at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles)
Tian Zhuangzhuang's DELAMU (China)
Takashi Miike's IZO (Japan)
Im Kwon-Taek's LOW LIFE (aka RAGING YEARS; South Korea)
Itti-sunthorn Wichailak's THE OVERTURE (Thailand)
Saw Teong Hin's THE PRINCESS OF MOUNT LEDANG (Malaysia)
Three master directors' THREE...EXTREMES (Hong Kong/South Korea/Japan)
Jia Zhangke's THE WORLD (China)