ImaginAsian Film Festival

ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH FILM FESTIVAL EVENTS

In partnership with The Calgary International Film Festival, Mongrel Media and The Glenbow Museum, Asian Heritage Foundation will screen three Asian films, presented free of charge.

KABEI: OUR MOTHER - Japan (2008)

Showtime: Friday, May 13 – 7:00pm
Location: Conoco Phillips Theatre, Glenbow Museum, 130 9th Ave SE
Storyline: The latest film froTm Yôji Yamada depicts the strong bond between a mother and her family during WWII. Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to maintain the household and bring up her two daughters with the support of Shigeru’s sister Hisako and Shigeru’s ex-student Yamazaki, but her husband does not return. WWII breaks out and casts dark shadows on the entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her cheerful determination, and sustains the family with her love. This is an emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace.
Language: Japanese, with English subtitles
Runtime: 133mins
Rating: PG

CJ7 - Hong King (2008)

Showtime: Saturday, May 21 – 2:00pm
Location: Conoco Phillips Theatre, Glenbow Museum, 130 9th Ave SE
Storyline: Ti is a poor father who works all day, everyday at a construction site to make sure his son Dicky Chow can attend an elite private school. Despite his father’s good intentions to give his son the opportunities he never had, Dicky, with his dirty and tattered clothes and none of the “cool” toys stands out from his schoolmates like a sore thumb. Ti can’t afford to buy Dicky any expensive toys and goes to the best place he knows to get new stuff for Dicky–the junk yard! While out “shopping” for a new toy for his son, Ti finds a mysterious orb and brings it home for Dicky to play with. To his surprise and disbelief, the orb reveals itself to Dicky as a bizarre “pet” with extraordinary powers. Armed with his “CJ7″ Dicky seizes this chance to overcome his poor background and shabby clothes and impress his fellow schoolmates for the first time in his life. But CJ7 has other ideas, and when Dicky brings it to class, chaos ensues.
Language: Mandarin, with English subtitles
Runtime: 86mins
Rating: PG

My Amenisa Girl - Philippines (2010)

Showtime: Saturday, May 28 – 2:00pm
Location: Conoco Phillips Theatre, Glenbow Museum, 130 9th Ave SE
Storyline: Apollo and Irene were a perfect couple, and engaged to be married. It all ended when Apollo had a bout of cold feet and left Irene alone at the altar. Now Apollo feels that he’s ready to settle down, but there’s only one problem. Irene pretends to have no recollection of Apollo, having acquired “amnesia” shortly after their separation. Apollo sees this as the perfect opportunity to pursue Irene again, and be able to undo all the mistakes he made in the past, by offering Irene the best memories she could ever have. True love is difficult to resist, they learn. Just when they find themselves ready to commit to each other, the pains from the past catch up with them, challenging them to finally own up to the mistakes made and lies told, and eventually realize what it is to forgive and forget.
Language: Tagalog, with English subtitles
Runtime: 110mins
Rating: PG

Admission is free. Donations will be collected at each screening to benefit Japan
disaster relief efforts.