The San Diego Asian Film Foundation
(SDAFF), in collaboration with UltraStar Cinemas, launched its
Philippine
Cinema Showcase (PCS), a year-long film series offering Filipino films, intended to run
for 365 consecutive days following
its premiere August 22, 2008 at the UltraStar Chula Vista 10 theaters located at 555
Broadway, Chula Vista, California.
The PCS was part of SDAFF's new Asian
Picture Show program,
designed to increase awareness and appreciation of films from Asia, the
vast majority of which never receive U.S. distribution. During the PCS,
one contemporary Philippine film will be presented each week along with
older, rarely-seen titles. Films from other Asian countries would also
receive highlighting from time to time.
"We are very excited about this showcase, especially for our Filipino
American community, which makes up the largest Asian Pacific Islander
group in the county," said SDAFF Executive Director Lee Ann Kim. "We
know of no other such film series in the United States, so we expect
this series to generate widespread recognition and possibly serve as a
national model in other major cities."
UltraStar Cinemas co-founder, Senior Vice President, and CEO John
Ellison stated that the suggestion to program content of interest to
Filipino Americans came via a "cast member," the corporation's term for
its employees.
In the 2000 U.S. Census, Filipino Americans in San Diego County
numbered 145,000 as compared to about 40,000 Chinese, 36,000
Vietnamese, and 29,000 Japanese Americans, the next largest API groups.
(Reference Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California's
The
Diverse Face of Asians and Pacific Islanders in San Diego County,
February 2005.)
Arnold Marquez, co-founder and former Director of Programs at
SDAFF, curated the PCS. Mr. Marquez brought a cross-cultural
perspective
having previously managed San Diego Asian American Repertory Theater,
the Asian Pacific Historic Collaborative, as well as having served on
the boards at
Common Ground Theatre, San Diego’s oldest African American theater
company; the San Diego Performing Arts League; Keeping The Culture Arts
Foundation; and the San Diego Chinese Center.