Gay Asian Films on the Horizon

It's no surprise that one of the largest Asian American film festival takes place in San Francisco. In less than a month, the annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival flashes onto the big screen with a variety of films from around the world and several star-studded events including a talk with director Ang Lee.

Among the many films that will be screened at the festival are a few of interest for the LGBT community. Here are two of the more prominent films that feature a gay theme:

"The Love of Siam" is a major film from Thailand that's the first in that country to focus on the love between two teenage boys who find each other again when they get older. Despite its controversial subject matter, the film released in 2007 has had major box office success in Thailand and is the country's official foreign film nomination to the 2009 Academy Awards.

"Fruit Fly" is the followup to director H.P. Mendoza's innovative "Colma: The Musical." This Filipino-American director and screenwriter this time focuses his musical attention up north to the heart of San Francisco, framing his second musical on the adventures of a Filipino woman looking for her natural parents and finding a supportive gay network instead. The film is being touted as an unusual homage to the French classic "Umbrellas of Cherbourg." Um, really? I guess you'll have to see to find out. Here's the official trailer:



If you're in San Francisco from March 12-22, 2009, you might want to check out one of the two films or any of the other Asian-themed films screening at the film festival. Find out where to get tickets here.