"First Person Plural" opens 2000 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

03.09 - Posted by Editor

 
"First Person Plural" opens 2000 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival

3.9.2000   The 18th annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival kicked off Thursday night at the Kabuki Theatre with the Bay Area premiere of "First Person Plural," Deann Borshay's outstanding new personal documentary about her experiences as a Korean adoptee.     The film was enthusiastically received by the sold out audience, which regaled a tearful Borshay with a three minute standing ovation after the screening.     In 1992 Borshay resigned her post as the Executive Director of the National Asian American Telecommunications Association (which sponsors the SFIAAFF) in order to start work on her film.     Describing her first-time filmmaking struggles, Borshay spoke of grappling with the massive emotional turmoil caused by working with such personal material at the same time she was "learning how to make a film and making a film."     Several of Borshay's collaborators were on hand to praise her determination and skill.     "Rarely do you meet someone with personal attachment to a film but who's able to give things up," said editor Vivian Hillgrove.     Hillgrove noted that during the editing, Borshay always referred to her character in the film in third person, detaching herself enough from her own image to be able to cut what needed cutting.     The result is a deeply intimate personal documentary which never stumbles into pretension or self-indulgence.     "Deanne is from the heart and so is the film," concluded Hillgrove.     Arnold and Alveen Borshay, the filmmaker's adoptive parents, were in the audience. When the film's credits rolled, Mr. Borshay received a round of applause for his luminous Super 8 home movies, which are used to great effect throughout the film.     Borshay said her next film may delve further into issues of Korean adoptees, pointing out that some think South Korea's policy of encouraging adoption in the '50s and '60s was deeply humanitarian while others see the policy as little more than selling children.     "I'm really fascinated by this moral and ethical contradiction in transnational adoptions," Borshay said.     Beautiful digital projection for the evening's screening was provided by DPI. The images, mostly shot on MiniDV, were sharp and clean, with colors and contrast levels never falling apart and precious few of those painful "video jaggies" so often seen in video projection.     Before the screening, a troupe from the Korean Youth Cultural Center provided a rollicking performance of traditional drumming, punctuated by enthusiastic shouts from audience members.     The SFIAAFF continues thoughout the week at the Kabuki Theaters. Visit the website at http://naatanet.org/festival/2000/index.html or call 415-255-4299 for more information.     Back to top