Archives

The Inaugural UPAF Japanese Shorts Program

This is our glorious first Japanese Shorts Program. We called for applications in May, and had 72 responses within a month. We were pleasantly surprised and encouraged to see so many independent filmmakers in Japan! We are screening the 5 most powerful films among them. All the films are in Japanese with English open caption subtitles (audio descriptions and speaker IDs are occasionally [Read more...]

White Sun (सेतो सुर्य, Japan only streaming)

When his father dies, Chandra must travel to his remote mountain village after nearly a decade away. He was an anti-monarchical Maoist partisan fighter in the Nepaliese Civil War that lasted from 1996 to 2006 and ended with the removal from power of the authoritarian king. Little Pooja is anxiously awaiting the man she thinks is her father, but she’s confused when Chandra arrives with Badri, a [Read more...]

TEEN UPAF

This year’s Teen UPAF streams four powerful videos made by teenagers in New York City during the COVID-19 Lockdown. All in English (with some Spanish) with Japanese caption subtitles. This program is free of charge and is available on both Vimeo and YouTube. Read on to learn about the films and young filmmakers.

Tribute to Mel Baggs

Mel Baggs, a legendary autistic blogger and artist passed away at the age of 39 on April 11. 2020. I learned about Mel’s video “In My Language” 2 years ago from my former student now colleague Jordan Lord’s article which they wrote for my Third Cinema class at Hunter College. When I was looking for work for this edition of Uno Port Art Films, I remember how powerful it was and wondered if we could [Read more...]

Island Soldier

The untold story of Micronesian citizens fighting America’s wars at staggeringly high rates per capita. Told through the intimate personal odyssey of the Nenas, a family strives for their piece of the “American Dream”, and deals with the consequences of military service against the backdrop of a pristine Pacific island on the brink of economic collapse. Director & Cinematographer: Nathan [Read more...]

Love and Wolbachia

A new film by young Japanese documentarist Sayaka Ono (a disciple of the legendary Kazuo Hara), whose debut feature and self-documentary “The Duckling” made a sensation in Japanese doc world (screened at UPAF 2011). Love and Walbachia is a tapestry of lives and feelings of love of various sexual minorities - intersex, transgender, lesbian, and transvestite people in Japan, shot from a sensitive [Read more...]

Long Vacation in BK

Long Vacation In BK is a 26-minute diary. It is an ode to Taiwan and Asia written while I live in Brooklyn. The film opens with the news of a controversial and renowned Chinese photographer Ren Hang’s suicide, which drives me into my memories of my past life in Asia. During 2007-2017, I, myself, a female, me and my avatars, were traveling and searching, escaping from my family. Traveling the [Read more...]

It’s Easier to Raise Cattle / Lagi Senang Jaga Sekandang Lembu

Two teenage outcasts form an uncanny friendship in their remote village. As one discovers the other’s dark secrets, she observes the changes in her new friend to the point of violence, monstrosity and affection. Screened in competitions at Venice International Film Festival, Milano Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, among many others. Director: Amanda Nell Eu. Produced by Gan [Read more...]