Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival x cinéSPEAK present Saving Face

Join cinéSPEAK, PAAFF, and Queer Space Philly and Scissors PHL for a revival screening of the 2004 film Saving Face, directed by Alice Wu, and the East Coast premiere of Jess X. Snow's I Wanna Become the Sky.

**EVENT FLOW**

6:30 PM: (Off-Site) Pre-Screening Meet Up @ A La Mousse (145 N 11th St, Chinatown) *Not ticketed, pay for food and beverage as you go

8:00 PM: Doors

8:30 PM: Film Screening: Jess X. Snow's I Wanna Become the Sky (short film) and Saving Face (2004) (feature film)

Post-Screening Q&A with Jess X. Snow

**TICKETING**

Festival General Admission: $17

If you cannot afford the full 'General Admission' price, please use the 'Pay-What-You-Can' ticket option, No one turned away for lack of funds

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**ABOUT THE FILM PROGRAM**

About the Featured Films:

I Wanna Become the Sky *East Coast Premiere*

Dir. Jess X. Snow / 2023 / US / 12 min / English

When a young student visits the studio of a charismatic artist to get her first tattoo, she is forced to confront a shared cultural secret that awakens the burgeoning force inside of her.

Saving Face

Dir. Alice Wu / 2004 / US / 1 hr and 31 min / English; Mandarin; Shanghainese

Wil is a lesbian, but she doesn’t dare tell her widowed mother, Hwei-lan, or her very traditional grandparents. She's shocked, however, to find out she's not the only one in her family with romantic secrets when she learns that her 48-year-old mother is pregnant. Unwilling to reveal who the father is, Hwei-lan is kicked out of her parents' home and must move in with Wil, which puts a strain on Wil's budding relationship with openly gay Vivian.

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**COVID SAFETY**

This event is indoors. Masks are required in the theater but requested / strongly encouraged in all adjacent spaces. If you are feeling sick, we kindly request that you stay home.

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**ABOUT THE VENUE**

Asian Arts Initiative

Located in Philadelphia’s Chinatown North, Asian Arts Initiative is a multidisciplinary arts center offering exhibitions, performances, artist residencies, youth workshops, and a community gathering space.

Accessibility: This venue is ADA accessible and has non gendered restrooms.

Parking/Transportation: Nearby public parking lots are located along Vine Street as well as on Callowhill between 12th and 13th Streets. Street parking is available throughout the neighborhood. AAI is accessible via the Broad Street line (Race-Vine stop), Market-Frankford line (13th or 11th Street stops), Jefferson Station (Regional Rail), and the 22 and 45 SEPTA bus lines.

Learn More: https://asianartsinitiative.org/

Follow: @asianartsphilly

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ABOUT THE PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS:

cinéSPEAK:

cinéSPEAK is a Philadelphia-based arthouse cinema and journal that uses film as a cultural tool to celebrate and strengthen movements for collective liberation.

Our multidisciplinary work supports emerging artists and writers and ranges from screenings to salons to cultural reporting–all of which center the stories from those historically-excluded by engrained power structures. We bring independent films to new audiences, often partnering with community organizations to support grassroots movements and mobilize local cinephilia.

Learn More & Follow: @cineSPEAK

Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival: The Philadelphia Asian American Film Foundation (PAAFF) is dedicated to supporting and highlighting the experiences of the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora through creative community-focused programs, including films, live performances, culinary demonstrations, panels, lectures, and educational workshops throughout the year and at the annual fall film festival. The 2024 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival runs from November 7 to November 17. Check out the full festival lineup on the PAAFF website.

Follow:@PhillyAAFF

Queer Space Philly: Queer Space Philly is a grassroots organization that seeks to foster community for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals in the area.

Learn More & Follow: @QueerSpacePhilly

ScissorsPHL: A newspaper zine made by and for Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous & POC Dykes

Learn More & Follow: @ScissorsPHL

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GOT QUESTIONS?? Hit us up: [email protected]

Host or Publisher cinéSPEAK