Lewis Kawahara is an instructor at the College of San Mateo (CSM) and creator of the San Mateo Asian Pacific American Film Festival. The film festival will take place on Saturday, March 20, starting at 1pm for the afternoon matinee and 7pm for the feature film portion of the program.

The matinee is FREE for the public and the feature film viewing is $5 for general admission, $3 for students and seniors. Parking is FREE!

Go to the College of San Mateo website (collegeofsanmateo.edu) for more information.

Tell us about the San Mateo Asian Pacific American Film Festival - why and how did you start it?
I teach an Ethnic Studies course called "Ethnicity in Cinema" at CSM. From this experience I thought that the college as well as our student population would be interested viewing films that had an Asian Pacific American viewpoint to them.

After discussing the possibilities of holding a film festival with Frederick Gaines, Chair of Ethnic Studies, we expanded our conservation with other faculty and staff persons on campus. Everyone felt that it was a good idea and we should move beyond the idea and make it happen.

I met with CSM president, Michael Claire, who was immediately on board with the film festival idea. With his backing and direction we were able to establish a time and date, and he willingly agreed to give a short welcome address to the audience for both the afternoon matinee and the evening program.

I should also give credit to Ms. Linda Springer, CCLPEP staff member, who was very helpful in locating California Civil Liberties Public Education Programs (CCLPEP) films and their filmmakers. And special credit to all the filmmakers who are attending.

Many may want to know if this festival is connected with the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival being held around the same time as your event. Tell us about any possible connections, similarity, differences, and things that they may see at the San Mateo festival that they may not see in San Francisco.
Unfortunately for us, we are NOT connected with the Center for Asian American Media's (CAAM) 28th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival which runs from March 11-21, 2010. CAAM staff is very supportive of our efforts and has given us ideas and suggestions on how to organize a film festival event.

It is my hope, in the future, that we can join forces with CAAM because they have a great reputation with their film festival. This will be their 28th year of producing their film festival.

Differences….CSM is offering a FREE afternoon matinee of California Civil Liberties Public Education Program's (CCLPEP) films.

Similarities…."Colma: The Musical" premiered at the CAAM Film Festival as did there "sing-a-long" version which we will be presenting. It's a sing-a-long - get your singing voices ready!

Please tell us about the movies that will be shown at your festival.

Our APA Film Festival is divided into two sections. (See the section at the end of this article for complete descriptions)

The movies that you are showing for the matinee were created with the support of the California Civil Liberties Public Education Fund (CCLPEP). For our readers that are not familiar with CCLPEP, tell us a little bit about this state grant program and it's connection with your festival.
CCLPEP was created with the passage of the California Civil Liberties Public Education Act (AB1915) in 1998. The legislation was authored by Assemblyman Mike Honda and was renewed in 2000 (AB1914) by Assemblyman George Nakano. In 2003, Assemblywoman Wilma Chan and others led the way for the Legislature to continue the program by removing the termination date and making CCLPEP subject to annual budget authorizations, making it a permanent state program. The purpose of the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program is to sponsor public educational activities and development of educational materials to ensure that the Japanese American Concentration Camp Experience during World War II will be remembered.

For me personally, I like all these films a lot and I am sorry that we could not show ALL the other CCLPEP-funded films (hopefully with CCLPEP help we will be able to show more films at next year's CSM Asian Pacific American Film Festival). The films being screened at our festival are only a few of the CCLPEP films available. We are offering the viewing public a chance to see film that are not seen often or FREE.

The CSM APA Film Festival will bring former students and the general public to the College of San Mateo and they will see the many changes to our campus - from the new construction of buildings, to the beautification of the campus landscape. Everyone is welcome and we have FREE parking.

Thank you very much Lewis.

NOTE: The California State Librarian, Ms. Stacey Aldrich, will be in attendance.

This is the first year for the CSM Asian Pacific American Film Festival and CCLPEP has granted us with funds to show their funded movies. We hope to make this a continuing joint venture.

Piecing Memories: Recollections of Internment
Starting time: 1:20PM
Directed by Dianne Fukami.
The Japanese American Services of the East Bay (JASEB) provide services to seniors living in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. JASEB's Quilt Making class is the subject of this film which shows how the art of quilt making can tell a beautiful story of a group of people working together.

After screening, a Q&A session with Filmmaker Dianne Fukami with facilitator Lorrita Ford, CSM Librarian, Director.
Guest: Ms. Bess Kawachi-Chin, Quilt Teacher. We will also be exhibiting the quilt that is shown in Piecing Memories: Recollections of Internment.

Ruth Asawa: Community Artist
Starting time: 2PM
Produced by Dianne Fukami, Bridge Media, Inc., with the San Francisco State University Journalism Department.
The project is a short, web-based video documentary honoring the career of Ruth Asawa, a prominent California artist and the designer of the sculpture in the Garden of Remembrance at San Francisco State University. The SFSU Garden of Remembrance designers/gardeners was Isao Ogura and Shigeru Namba who also created the Tanforan Memorial Garden at Tanforan Shopping Center in San Bruno. Known worldwide for her intricate wire sculptures and other artworks, Asawa was a 16-year-old student when she was incarcerated in the Rowher, Ark., internment camp with other Japanese Americans during World War II. Ruth Asawa: Community Artist chronicles her development as an artist, the numerous public art projects that she has designed and her contributions to the community as an activist and advocate for arts education.

After screening Q&A with Filmmaker Diane Fukami and Jon Funabiki, SFSU Professor, Journalism Department, with facilitator Alex Guriba, CSM Program Services.

Hidden Internment: The Art Shibayama Story. Starting time: 2:30PM
Casey Peek, Director. Produced by Peek Media in association with the Japanese Peruvian Oral History Project (JPOHP).
Hidden Internment reveals the lesser-known history of the Japanese-Latin American internment through the life story of Art Shibayama who, at age 13, was taken from Peru on March 22, 1944 and interned in Crystal City, Texas for two years. Despite this internment, Art was denied redress equal to that provided to Japanese Americans. Working with the Campaign for Justice, Art continues to seek a just resolution through both the Organization of American States and through the legislative route.

After screening Q&A with filmmaker Casey Peek with facilitator Michele Alaniz, CSM Librarian.

Stand Up For Justice: The Ralph Lazo Story. Starting time: 3:25PM
Stand Up For Justice explores the enduring values of friendship and loyalty between teenagers of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. It powerfully addresses the violations of civil liberties that Japanese Americans faced during World War II and reveals the unique, true story of how one person's actions earn the undying gratitude of a community.

The film recreates the chaotic days when tens of thousands of Japanese American families on the West Coast were forced to board trains and buses to unknown destinations. Ralph Lazo, a Mexican American, surprises his friends by appearing at the train station to see them off as they are about to depart for one such place: Manzanar-five hours away in the Owens Valley at the foot of the Eastern Sierras. His subsequent acts of friendship and honor take him on a unique journey as witness--and participant--in the sad chapter of America's concentration camps.

After screening Q&A with filmmakers Amy Kato and John Esaki with facilitator Dr. Kate Motoyama, CSM Speech Professor.

After Closing Remarks, light refreshments will be served in the Lobby. The Refreshment is being provide by the San Mateo Japanese American Citizens League.

Big Drum: Taiko in the United States
Starting time: 7:15PM
The film contains rare historic footage as well as new documentaries featuring performances and interviews with key figures in the development of taiko drumming in America. It shows the phenomenal growth of taiko in the United States and North America, beginning with three grassroots groups in California and ballooning to an estimated 200 performing ensembles throughout the United States and Canada.

While taiko has been an integral part of Japanese culture for centuries, ensemble or group performance was born in the years after World War II, with American groups developing their own traditions in the 1960s and 1970s. The film explores the social and political meanings of taiko for many pioneering players; that reflect the significant participation of women; and that reflect the way in which new generations of players continue to transform it.

After screening, a Q&A session with the filmmaker John Esaki, with facilitator Rudy Ramirez, CSM Professor.

Ever been to Colma? A town right next to San Francisco where the dead outnumber the living 1500 to 1 (cause of its cemeteries, don't get any crazy ideas). Best friends Rodel, Billy, and Maribel live in Colma and they love it! (not really). After graduating from high school the trio finds themselves in a state of limbo; fresh out of high school, they are just beginning to explore a new unstructured world. Like most kids, they are on the brink of self-discovery, but aren't in much of a rush. They are having too much fun doing nothing or crashing college parties. But when newfound revelations and romances challenge their relationships with one another and their parents, the trio must assess what to hold onto, and how to best follow their dreams.

Oh, by the way - there is singing - it's a musical! Colma: The Musical boasts 13 musical numbers featuring all original music by HP Mendoza and "Colma" marks Richard Wong's feature directorial debut.

After screening, a Q&A session with TBA, with facilitator Frederick Gaines, CSM Professor, Chair Ethnic Studies.