Chicago Asian Pop-Up Cinema Festival

For the first time, our festival will feature a juried competition, with 16 films competing for the Grand Jury Feature Film Award, the Best Short Film Award, and the Francis Kwong Memorial Award recognizing an emerging director.

Schedule:

2:00 p.m - 3:00 p.m: Yen and Ai-Lee
Yen & Ai-Lee
A woman is caught between a traumatic past and an uncertain future in this enthralling mother-daughter drama
Midwest Premiere
Taiwan, Drama, 2024, 107 minutes
In Mandarin w/ Chinese and English Subtitles
Director/Screenwriter: Tom Shu-Yu Lin
Starring: Kimi Hsia, Yang Kuei-Mei, Sam Tseng, Kipin Ng
Film Source: Lights On Films
Director/Writer Tom Shu-Yu Lin and actress Kimi Hsia are scheduled to introduce the film and participate in a post-film Q&A.
Yen returns to her village after serving eight years in prison for killing her abusive father. However, Yen learns that her mother is dating yet another abusive man. Will Yen finally take agency of her life, or will she forever be dragged down by the burdens of family. Tom Shu-yu Lin navigates the love-and-hate nature of mother-daughter relationships with this compelling drama about the desire for reinvention and the trauma of abuse. Intricately constructed and beautifully shot in black-and-white, the film also features terrific performances by Lin’s wife and muse Kimi Hsia and screen legend Yang Kuei-mei.

3:00 p.m - 5:00 p.m: Concerning My Daughter
An honest and sincere drama about mothers, daughters, lovers and caregivers
U.S. PREMIERE
S. Korea, Drama, 2024, 106 minutes
In Korean w/ English Subtitles
Director/Screenwriter: Lee Mi-rang
Starring: Oh Min-ae, Heo jin, Lim Se-mi, Ha Yoon-kyung
Film Source: M-Line Distribution
Director Lee Mi-rang and actress Oh Min-ae are scheduled in-person to introduce the film and participate in a post-film Q&A.
After she is evicted from her apartment and fired from her job, lesbian professor Green is forced to move back in with her mother with her lover in tow. Meanwhile, Green’s mother devotes her energy into her elderly home caregiver job, helping a resident who has lost her savings. While the disapproving parent has always played a significant role in LGBTQ stories, writer-director Lee Mi-rang takes a nuanced approach to the subject. Lee’s moving script and Oh Min-ae’s empathetic performance offer a possibility that understanding and compassion are possible in a society that lacks support for diversity and marginalized people.    

7:00 p.m - 8:15 p.m: Silent City Driver
An enigmatic hearse driver seeks revenge in a city plagued by corruption and hate
Mongolia, Drama, 2024, 138 minutes
In Mongolian w/ English Subtitles
Director: Sengedorj Janchivdorj
Screenwriters: Sengedorj Janchivdorj, Nomuunzul Turmunkh
Starring: Tuvshinbayar Amartuvshin, Narantsetseg Ganbaatar, Bat-Erdene Munkhbat  
Film Source: Nomadia Pictures
Director Sengedorj Janchivdorj, actor Tuvshinbayar Amartuvshin and cinematographer Enkhbayar Enkhtur are scheduled to appear in-person to introduce the film and participate in a post-film Q&A.
After surviving 14 brutal years in prison, Myagmar lives in isolation with only his stray dogs as his companions. His life is changed for the better when he finds a job as a hearse driver, but an incident forces him to revert to his violent ways.  Sengedorj Janchivdorj’s follow-up to his breakout film The Sales Girl is a unique vision of Ulaanbaatar’s underbelly. Compelling and deliberately paced, this study of an outcast pushed to the edge by his society’s plagues also features striking visuals that must be seen on the big screen. Grand Prix, 2024 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. 

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