If you’re a Bay Area fan of Asian and Asian American independent filmmakers, the 2024 San Francisco Independent Film Festival lineup is a great place to find new names and movies to catch your interest. For 26 years, SF IndieFest has curated new films for Bay Area residents to discover.
“Now, with the age of computerized algorithms, a human touch is needed more than ever to curate a unique cinematic experience,” says Festival Director Jeff Ross, adding that the festival “continues to provide new and unusual alternatives to the Hollywood Industrial Complex.”
This year’s festival includes 55 shorts and 35 features from 15 countries that you can check out both in person and via streaming online. Running from Feb. 8 through Feb. 18 at the famed Roxie Theater and the 4 Star Theater in San Francisco. Mochi had the chance to watch several of the movies featuring Asians and Asian Americans in front of and behind the camera.
Keep reading for more about a few of our favorite Asian and Asian American films at SF IndieFest.
“Tokyo Cowboy”
Directed by Marc Marriott and written by Ayako Fujitani and Dave Boyle, the multi-award-winning “Tokyo Cowboy” is a classic fish-out-of-water movie interspersed with a bit of the “evil corporation” trope. Overconfident businessman Hideki (Arata Iura) persuades his Tokyo bosses he can transform a failing Montana cattle ranch into a top-performing asset for their investment portfolios. However, when his Japanese Wagyu-beef expert is injured, Hideki’s failure seems imminent unless he can figure out the key to saving the ranch (and his job).
The initial setup has Hideki convincing the owner of a specialty chocolate company to sell their family business to his corporation. We watch as Hideki tells a convincing story about how he comes from a family of watermelon farmers, how he will take care of the owner’s chocolate business like his own, even as he introduces new efficiencies. Of course, as soon as the owner…
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