(NAME-MCE) 2009 DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon

[Anselmo Villanueva]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Fong, Public Relations Chairperson

Phone: 415-596-5803  Email: laura at disorientfilm.org

4th Annual DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon

April 17-19, 2008 – Bijou Art Cinemas, Eugene, OR

EUGENE, OR - April 4, 2009 - The Chinese American Benevolent
Association is pleased to announce the return of the Fourth Annual
DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon, a truly grassroots
celebration of the art of filmmaking and community.  Over the last
couple of years, DisOrient has garnered a national reputation for
organizing a unique and quality film festival amongst industry and
filmmaking professionals.

Festival attendees can experience three well-rounded days of films,
workshops, parties, panels and special guests. Out of over 60 film
submissions this year, our jury selected only the best new films.
After its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Tze
Chun’s feature film CHILDREN OF INVENTION will open the DisOrient Film
Festival. The film has received rave reviews as a “powerful drama”
from independent film publications such as Filmmaker Magazine and
Film-Forward.com. DisOrient brings directors, actors and industry
professionals to Eugene, Oregon, to present their new films not yet
available in theaters. Film director Dave Boyle (of DisOrient 2008’s
BIG DREAMS, LITTLE TOKYO) and actor Hiroshi Watanabe (LETTERS FROM IWO
JIMA) will visit Eugene to show their latest film WHITE ON RICE for
DisOrient’s closing night on Sunday, April 19. Local
Eugene/Springfield middle school and high school Asian American
filmmakers will also premiere their work. This year’s program has
about seven features and 20 short films, including the world-premiere
of feature film I AM THAT GIRL. Some issues covered are immigration
rights, gender equality, Asian American identity and movement, and the
culture of American business and spending. Check the DisOrient Web
site for more updates at www.disorientfilm.org.

DisOrient was started in 2005 by a group of Asian American educators
and activists who dedicated themselves to bringing honest
representations of Asians to the silver screen.  We understand the
power of the moving image to combat the rampant Hollywood stereotypes
of Asians and Asian Americans as kung fu fighting houseboys,
hypersexual/asexual bodies, expendable villains, or nerdy and
anti-social geeks.  Film also allows us to tell compelling stories
about our experiences such as war, immigration, identity, family,
labor, globalization and other diasporic experiences. We use the
W.E.B. DuBois standard of "for us, by us, or about us" when selecting
new and exciting films for our festival.

For more information visit: www.disorientfilm.org