Austin Asian American Film Festival – Texas Shorts
After having a great time at the Austin Asian American Film Festival last year (as well as my first festival where I worked as press), I was delighted to be invited back. First program up was 5 short films all directed by Texas filmmakers. This included Still Drawing, Patsy, Rooftop Lempicka, Newbies and An Ongoing List of Things Found in the Library Drop, Usually Being Used as Bookmarks. (*exhale* What a title…)
As for these films are short in length, these will be short observations and reactions I had for each film showcased.
STILL DRAWING –
Directed by: Yuta Yamaguchi
Still Drawing is a documentary short that follows Indian-American, Vinay Chaturvedi, a man who spends his retirement looking for a purpose while rediscovering his passion for drawing. I found this short to be very meditative and tranquil. Vinay immediately grabs your attention as someone who seems very peaceful and wise. He often speaks with profound observations on life, relationships and his experiences (even during the Q&A after the screening). This is also translated to his artwork of beautifully drawn black and white pencil drawings. He’s able to convey his emotions and outlook on life spread out on a canvas. This short is warm and still that started this showcase off strong.
PATSY –
Directed by: John Valley
Patsy is a dark comedy/drama centered around a standup comedian (performed fantastically by Yola Jean Lu) currently going through a rough time in their life. Framed around a standup set, through her comedic anecdotes, we witness flashbacks revealing marital issues to dealing with a breakup and contemplation of suicide. Yet, while it touches sensitive subjects, it maintains a sharply funny tone throughout. One minute, you’re silent watching a disturbing scene of someone debating self harm but then it shifts tones and you’re laughing because Google Maps keeps getting them lost on the way to a bridge. It does a great job of juggling tones while never lessening the heaviness of the situation. The performances are also really strong and natural. Patsy and her friend group had believable chemistry with each other and their interactions is where I laughed the most. Patsy feels like it has potential to be extended into a longer film format. It makes even more sense when the filmmaker behind the short said in the Q&A that this was planned to be a pilot of a potential series. I wouldn’t mind seeing more episodes featuring this layered, relatable and interestingly witty character. Definitely my favorite short of the bunch.
ROOFTOP LEMPICKA –
Directed by: Hang Luong Nguyen
This short comes in as a close second but first in cinematography. It’s a beautifully shot piece. Taking place in 2002 Vietnam, a young girl named Thi befriends Ngoc, a night club waitress who recently moved into her family’s apartment complex. Unbeknownst to Thi, Ngoc is also an undisclosed sex worker. Shown throughout are moments where the innocent Thi is inquisitive about Ngoc’s activities outside of their regular hangouts. The viewer is then subjected to awkward and uncomfortable situations where a child is curious about subjects they’re simply too young for. It escalates to a disconnect between the two due to their age difference. It is sweet seeing this friendship form but is heartbreaking when the lonely Thi is cut off from a connection she was happy to make. It’s a short that doesn’t explicitly state what’s going on and relies on the point of view of Thi, seeing adult situations through the lens of her childlike curiosity.
NEWBIES –
Directed by: Kimiko Matsuda-Lawrence, Megan Trufant Tillman
Two queer strangers meet on the midnight train. What follows is a trip through their pasts showing how they ended up where they are. Told primarily through inner monologues, you’re able to get into their heads and fully understand every emotion they’re feeling. It is exquisitely shot, filled with icy blue hues and a gritty/cold New York City background. Personally, I felt this short was overlong. It was intriguing but I started to feel my attention wane by the time we met back up with them on the train at the very end. It is poetic but at times felt more pretentious.
AN ONGOING LIST OF THINGS FOUND IN THE LIBRARY BOOK DROP, USUALLY BEING USED AS BOOKMARKS –
Directed by: Kayla Abuda Galang
The title may actually be longer than the actual short. Not really, but it is VERY impressive with what this short accomplished in 3 minute and 30 seconds runtime. In this short amount of time we are shown *read title of short* told in an expedited and visually unique manner showing literal depictions/situations surrounding the found items. The dialogue consisting of a spoken word poem Taking place entirely in a library, visually made it more interesting, made it feel like a real daydream of a bored employee at work played out right in front of him. It kind of evokes the feeling of a Wes Anderson film in its wit and pace. The fact that they shot the whole short in the span of 12 hours is vastly impressive. The filmmaker mentioned after the film that the cast and crew consisted of family and friends and shot on a low budget. While their budgetary and location were limited, they made up for it in creativity.
The Austin Asian American Film Festival will be at the AFS Cinema until June 29th.
Here’s a link to the festival to learn more information and to see the upcoming schedule of films: https://www.aaafilmfest.org/
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