FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Denver Film Media Contacts:
Ambriehl Turrentine: ambriehl@denverfilm.org
Marty Schechter: marty@schechterpr.com
Colorado Dragon Boat Media Contact:
Sara Moore: sara@cdbf.org
ANNOUNCING THE COLORADO DRAGON BOAT FILM FESTIVAL LINE-UP
Ji-young Yoo to receive inaugural Golden Dragon Award
as part of celebration of best in AANHPI+ programming
Tickets on sale at denverfilm.org/cdbff
DENVER – Feb. 12, 2024 – Denver Film and Colorado Dragon Boat have announced the line-up for the 9th Annual Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival, opening March 14 and running through March 17 at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave.
Full festival passes are $65 for Denver Film Members/$75 Non-Member, and individual film tickets are $12 for Denver Film Members/$15 Non- Member.
Individual tickets and full festival passes are on sale at denverfilm.org.
Founded in 2016, this year’s Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival continues its fifth-year partnership with Denver Film. The four-day all Asian and Asian American Film Festival is programmed with the
theme “Connecting Through Cultures,” which honors individuals, organizations and films that highlight the rich cultures and experiences of AANHPI communities.
The Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival returns to the Sie FilmCenter March 14 with an Opening Night presentation of Happy Sandwich, a colorful exploration of Okinawa cuisine and culture told
through a blend of documentary and fiction. The Festival will conclude March 17 with a presentation of the science fiction comedy Moon Man, which follows an astronaut who finds himself stranded on the moon after an asteroid wipes out life on earth. A reception will follow the screening.
“We are honored to continue our partnership with Denver Film and the Sie FilmCenter to provide Colorado audiences with the only Asian and Asian American Film Festival,” said Colorado Dragon
Boat Executive Director Sara Moore. “This year’s theme for the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival is ‘Connecting through Cultures: Art, Food, Cinema, & Beyond!’ Attendees will have the opportunity to immerse themselves with films from all over Asia and the USA, explore interesting topics at our free community conversations, shop til they drop at our Asian marketplace, and have their taste buds explode with flavor at our culinary event. There is truly something here for the whole family.”
In addition to a diverse film lineup, this year’s festival includes Q&As with filmmakers, two creative conversations featuring local community members, and the special presentation of the Golden
Dragon Award on Friday, March 15 to actress Ji-young Yoo.
Born in Denver, Ji-young Yoo attended Colorado Academy, before moving on to the University of Southern California to major in Cinema and Media Studies. In addition to SMOKING TIGERS,
which Yoo won the Best Performance in a U.S. Narrative Feature at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, she can currently be seen in the Amazon Prime series, EXPATS, opposite Nicole Kidman. Yoo also stars
in FREAKY TALES by filmmaking team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck which recently premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Previous credits include MOXIE, THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE
and SWEET HOME.
On Saturday, March 16 from 10 to 11 a.m., Colorado Dragon Boat will host “Connecting Through Cultures with Asian American Adoptees,” a community conversation exploring the ways in which Asian American adoptees add texture to the dissonance they may encounter and honoring the
multifaceted layers of their cultural journeys. On Sunday, March 17 from 10 – 11 a.m, Colorado Dragon Boat will host “Connecting Through Cultures with Food & Food Ways,” showcasing how
food becomes a powerful vehicle for connection to one’s home culture. Attendees are encouraged to participate and bring their own experiences to share. Both conversations will be held at the Sie
FilmCenter.
The festival will also feature live Q&As with filmmakers immediately following the Saturday, March 16, 11:30 a.m. presentation of the Short Films Showcase and the Emerging Artist Showcase, Sunday,
March 17 at noon.
Other highlights include: An Asian Marketplace featuring gifts, artwork, crafts and novelties from local AANHPI-owned businesses on Saturday, March 16 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. in the Sie FilmCenter
lobby, a Centerpiece presentation of the Taiwanese family drama Old Fox on Saturday, March 16 at 7:15 p.m, and a culinary experience and reception in the Sie FilmCenter lobby on Sunday, March 17
at 11 a.m.
Click to see the full schedule and purchase tickets and passes.
Members of the press interested in covering the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival may contact Denver Film’s Ambriehl Turrentine at ambriehl@denverfilm.org, Marty Schechter at
marty@schechterpr.com, or Colorado Dragon Boat’s Sara Moore at sara@cdbf.org.
FILMS IN PROGRAM:
HAPPY SANDWICH
Director: Tsukasa Kishimoto
Opening Night – Thursday, March 14, 7 p.m.
In this uplifting documentary/fiction hybrid, Shogo Manna, the owner of a local BBQ joint, is told by
Shinto priests to make a sandwich to offer to the gods. In order to fulfill this request Manna travels
around to interview people involved in all aspects of food in Okinawa. In his conversations with the
producers and chefs, he listens to their thoughts on their food and lifestyles, and moves toward his
own idea of what could be a ”Sandwich for God.”
Includes a pre-film reception featuring food and drinks at 6 p.m.
YOU & ME &ME
Directors: Wanweaw Hongvivatana, Weawwan Hongvivatana
Friday, March 15, 1:15 p.m.
In 1999, while the world is gripped by Y2K hysteria, identical twin sisters “You” and “Me” are also
concerned for their future. The twins share a uniquely close bond together. That is until a charming
teenage boy enters their lives in this pleasant coming-of-age romantic tale.
BECKY & BADETTE
Director: Jun R. Lana
Friday, March 15, 4 p.m.
In this heartwarming comedy about friendship and second chances, high school best friends Becky
and Badette find themselves struggling in their mid-40s. Despite this, they never lose hope that one
day their big dream will come true: to become the famous celebrities they were always meant to be.
SMOKING TIGERS
Director: Shelly Yo
Golden Dragon Presentation – Friday, March 15, 7 p.m.
Hayoung, played by rising star Ji-young Yoo, is a lonely 16-year-old Korean-American girl
struggling with her identity at an elite summer boot camp. Full of teenage angst, hidden shame, and
the desire to fit in, Hayoung hides her problematic family woes and lower-income background. She
staggers between the demise of her parent's marriage while attempting to make new friends, only to
discover the bittersweet pains of coming-of-age.
Includes post-film Q&A with director Shelly Yo, actress Ji-young Yoo, and producer Guo Guo
and a post-film reception
SHORT FILMS SHOWCASE
Saturday, March 16, 11:30 a.m.
The Short Films Showcase is BACK! Join us in feeling a wide range of emotions as we see the new
short films coming out of the Colorado and USA AANHPI communities. Learn about the amazing
stories that are being told from our local filmmakers, actors, talent, and more. For more information
on the amazing talent and films we are showcasing, please visit the website: www.cdfilm.org.
Includes post-screening Q&A
ELEGIES
Director: Ann Hui
Saturday, March 16, 2 p.m.
Venice Career Golden Lion-winning auteur Ann Hui documents a topic she holds most dear – poetry.
Through her personal encounters with some of Hong Kong’s most notable poets, Hui shows the
topography of contemporary poetry on and of the city. Two poles of reality, the unrestrained Huang
Can-ran and the cosmopolitan Liu Wai-tong, are juxtaposed to reveal two distinctively different
personalities, ideals, and ways of life.
ONE WITH THE WHALE
Directors: Pete Chelkowski, Jim Wickens
Saturday, March 16, 4:30 p.m.
Hunting whales is a matter of life or death for the Indigenous people of St. Lawrence, a tiny island in
the Bering Sea. So, when Chris Agra Apassingok becomes the youngest person to ever harpoon a whale for his Alaskan village, his mother proudly shares the news on Facebook. To her surprise,
thousands of keyboard activists brutally attack Chris without fully understanding the scope of his
accomplishment. One with the Whale is a heartwarming yet thrilling documentary of one family’s
struggle to rebuild their shattered identities and regain a new foothold in both the ancient and modern
world.
OLD FOX
Director: Hsiao Ya-Chuan
Centerpiece Presentation – Saturday, March 16, 7:15 p.m.
In this ‘80s set family drama, eleven-year-old Liao Jie and his father have been saving money to buy
a home. However, things do not go as planned and Liao Jie comes to realize the harsh reality of being
poor. He then forms a relationship with "Old Fox", their landlord who mentors Liao Jie to survive in
a rapidly changing society.
EMERGING ARTIST SHOWCASE
Sunday, March 17, 12 p.m.
We are proud to showcase the short films from our amazing Emerging Artists right here in Colorado!
Join us for an experience full of films from students, professors, and up and coming talent from all
over Colorado. Here we will laugh, cry, and feel the immense Coloradan and AANHPI pride as we
witness these amazing works of art. For more information on the amazing talent and films we are
showcasing, please visit the website: www.cdfilm.org.
Includes post-screening Q&A
MOON MAN
Directors: Chiyu Zhang
Closing Night – Sunday, March 17, 3 p.m.
A Chinese box-office smash hit, this comedic sci-fi adventure finds an asteroid on track for a direct
impact on Earth. A plan is hatched to deploy an Earth saving shield on the moon. But when things go
awry, astronaut Dugu Yue becomes the last human in the universe”
# # #
Sponsors
Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, San Francisco; Britt, Tshering, & Wang Attorneys at Law;
Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Foundation; Taipei Economic & Cultural Office of Denver;
Holland & Hart LLP; Meow Wolf; PASCO; Sakura Foundation; International School of Denver;
Alpine Travel & Tours Inc; Crowe LLP; National Federation of Filipino American Associations;
Denver 7; Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media; The Scientific & Cultural Facilities
District; Colorado Creative Industries; Asian Avenue Magazine.
About Denver Film
Founded in 1978, Denver Film is a membership-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution that
produces film events throughout the year, including the award-winning Denver Film Festival and the
popular, summertime series Film on the Rocks. With a vision to cultivate community and transform
lives through film, Denver Film provides opportunities for diverse audiences to discover film through
creative, thought-provoking experiences.
The permanent home of Denver Film, the Sie FilmCenter is Denver's only year-round cinematheque,
presenting a weekly-changing calendar of first-run exclusives and arthouse revivals both domestic
and foreign, narrative and documentary – over 600 per year, all shown in their original language and
format. Denver Film's one-of-a-kind programs annually reach more than 200,000 film lovers and film
lovers-in-training.
About Colorado Dragon Boat
Colorado Dragon Boat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to build bridges of
awareness, knowledge, and understanding between the AANHPI community and the general public
through cultural education, leadership development, and athletic competition.
Colorado Dragon Boat advocates for the community through its four programs: the Colorado Dragon
Boat Festival, the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival, the AANHPI Emerging Leaders Program,
and the new Riverdale Regional Park Dragon Boat Regatta. For more information visit our website at
www.cdbf.org.
