Part of the 41st Asian American International Film Festival
Presented by Asian CineVision in association with Asia Society

BITTER MELON
Dir. H.P. Mendoza
2018. U.S. 100 min. Color.  English, Filipino (Ilocano)
Saturday, August 4, 2018, 3:30 pm

Q&A to follow with filmmakers

It doesn’t typically get cold in San Francisco, but there’s a chill in the air when members of the Santos clan convene at their old family home for a rare Christmas reunion. Presents are opened, wine is uncorked, mango cake is sliced, and far-flung relatives are Skyped in. But what begins as holiday cheer and a routine family gathering suddenly takes a dark turn into conspiracy and murder.

Veteran director and San Francisco native H.P. Mendoza directs a carefully constructed narrative which gives equal weight to a brilliant ensemble cast of characters, including a sardonic mother, New York-emigree Declan, and monstrous layabout son Troy. As the holidays proceed, Declan and the others slowly realize Troy has been ruling the house with fear — intimidating everyone who lives there. What better way to celebrate the season of giving than to give Troy his just desserts?

BITTER MELON (Trailer #1) from Ersatz Film on Vimeo.

For tickets and more information, click here

The 41st Asian American International Film Festival runs from July 25 to August 4 with screenings at Asia Society and Cinema Village East.

Click here for a complete Festival schedule and tickets.

The Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) premiered in the summer of 1978 in New York City answering a growing need for social understanding, cultural diversity in American life, and independent cinema. AAIFF is the first festival in the U.S. to showcase film and video work by artists of the Asian Diaspora. Forty years later, the AAIFF has grown to include films and video from more than 30 countries, a variety of topical panels and workshops, industry mixers, staged readings, exclusive interviews, receptions and more.