The Asian Film Festival of Dallas will usher in its 12 year of programming with an expansion, moving from its old Magnolia digs to the extra spacious Angelika for 2013.
Last year's showcase pulled in huge titles like Ace Attorney, the latest release by Takashi Miike (Ishi the Killer, Audition), and packed the Magnolia's theaters for screenings of Dragon, Nightfall, The Great Magician along with other prominent imports. This is what AFFD's dedicated fans have come to expect from event, which has been growing its base since 2002. With more than a decade's worth of screenings, the festival has become synonymous with success, boasting the South's largest showcase of Asian and Asian American cinema.
The first six films have also been tagged. Two, Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I and its sequel, are animated southwest premieres by director Toshiyuki Kubooka (Giant Robo, Luner). There's also kung fu school turf wars in the Hong Kong set IP Man: The Final Fight; a 35mm tribute to Ozu's 60-year young masterwork Tokyo Story; an empire challenged in Bedabrata Pain's time-period saga Chittagong, and a look at love arranged via high-speed modem in Debbie Lum's Seeking Asian Female. All-Festival VIP passes are now on sale; AFFD runs July 11 to 18.