VOLUNTEERING AT THE ASIAN AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

by Vanessa Gopez
 

From July 15 to July 24, 2005, Asian Cinevision exhibited a series of movies in the Asia Society and the IFC Center in NYC, and the Cinema Arts Center in Huntington, as part of the Asian American Film Festival. The event is meant to increase awareness of Asian American film production in the United States.

This year, I had the privilege of volunteering for Asian Cinevision in the Asia Society during the festival. There are many benefits to volunteering for the event. For example, the most common reason people volunteer is to see films for working a certain amount of time. If a volunteer worked on three different days, that person receives free membership to an Asian film organization, which will inform the person of upcoming events and provide discounts.  In addition, volunteers may receive various items provided by sponsors if they participate during certain days such as goodie bag stuffing.  

Volunteering is also a great opportunity for those interested in film production to network.  Many of the volunteers and other workers are already involved in film production. There are also many opportunities to meet them outside of the job because they have several get-togethers after the event.

On July 21, 2005, I was able to see the film, Maladaptive, written and directed by Adam Chin. Although the film is not directly related to Asian culture or contains any Asian character, some of its ideas about love can be considered universal. The title, Maladaptive, refers to the characters’ strong tendencies toward destructive behavior when it came to ideals such as love, romance, and companionship.

The movie introduces its audience to six characters connected in some way.  They each have a somewhat different approach to relationships.  A brief synopsis is found at http://www.maladaptivethefilm.com/synopsis.htm.  

Of the men, Graham was impulsive but remorseful; Roger was cynical as well as prideful; Stewart was simply naïve and inexperienced. Of the women, Emily was fickle and impulsive; Abby was committed and unchanging; Clare was mysterious and unpredictable. It seemed that most of the characters quickly moved on from one love to the next except for the committed woman. All of the characters always put their feelings before what was logical and responsible. Although this attitude is realistic, it seemed wholly exaggerated when one of the characters changed from wanting to get married to wanting to move out within a mere week.

The movie portrayed a relationship of companionship as the most long lasting. The committed woman remained with the impulsive man at the end of the story because they had been together for a long time and knew they were right for one another. However, the movie ended on the point that there is a special feeling a person gets when he or she falls in love, and it is one of the greatest things anyone can experience. It appeared to be a great contradiction to what was implied earlier in the movie.

The movie was followed by a question and answer period with the director and two actors from the movie. The director’s speech gave me a better understanding of certain choices he made during the course of making this film. It also helped me see why his female characters seemed so unreal. In truth, he was simply guessing how women think.

Overall, I disliked the movie. The camera operation seemed highly amateur due to awkward positioning and frequent changes in viewpoint. In addition, the characters were far too impulsive and irresponsible to seem real to me. The males seemed to be doing what they think about doing frequently while the females chose to either accept them or reject them. Although it made an interesting point regarding the value of companionship, it did not seem to contain much meaning.

Despite my disappointment with this movie, I would still recommend volunteering for this organization.  For more information about the Asian American International Film Festival and other events related to Asian American film, check their website: http://www.asiancinevision.org