Join us for the SVAPFF Opening Night!

Friday, October 18, 2024 at AMC Dine-In Sunnyvale 12
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Featuring “Home Court,” Q&A with Director - Erica Tanamachi, Producer - Jenn Lee Smith, Editor - Jean Kawahara, and a bento dinner and gift! Moderated by NBC’s Robert Handa

-All films and guests are subject to change without notice-

Can’t make it to the FilmFest in person?

Watch the 2024 selections online!

FILM FEATURE:

Home court

Ashley Chea is a Cambodian American basketball phenom. HOME COURT, filmed over three years, is a coming-of-age story that relays the highs and lows of her immigrant family, surmounting racial and class differences, as well as personal trials that include a devastating knee injury. Despite the intensity of basketball recruiting, Ashley’s humor shines through and her natural talent inspires the support of those around her.

Q&A GUESTS

  • ERICA TANAMACHI, DIRECTOR, HOME COURT

    Erica Tanamachi's most recent film, "Winn", premiered at the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival and won a Reel South Shorts Award, Special Jury Mention, and distribution deal with PBS. "Winn" also won "Best Short Documentary" from The 2022 Justice on Trial Film Festival. Erica was Creative Producer for the feature documentary "Motherload" (2019) which garnered the HERO award from Better Cities Film Festival and "Best International Documentary" from the Hollywood North Film Awards. She also won "Best Documentary" from The Sonoma Film Festival, Silverlake Film Festival, and The Documentary Foundation for her short documentary, "Living Poets". Erica is an MFA Cinema graduate of San Francisco State University (2007) and has been producing and directing independent documentaries for over 17 years.

  • ROBERT HANDA, MODERATOR

    Named as the 2015 Reporter of The Year by the Associated Press, Robert Handa is a reporter for NBC Bay Area. Robert Handa is also the host of Asian Pacific America with Robert Handa, a weekly talk show covering Asian newsmakers, events, community accolades and youth perspectives. The program airs Sunday mornings at 5:30 a.m. on NBC Bay Area and encores at 6 p.m. on COZI TV.