(SANTA BARBARA, CA)—The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) is pleased to present the sixth annual Asian American Film Series, a three-part event held on Fridays in July. All films will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Alhecama Theatre (914 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara). Receptions follow each film.

 

Friday, July 10: Harana (2012 – 104 min), Alhecama Theatre
Upon his father's death, Florante Aguilar, a classically trained guitarist returns to the Philippines after 12 years of absence. During his stay he rediscovers the music of harana - a long-forgotten tradition of Filipino serenading when men sang under the window at night to fearlessly declare their love for a woman. This film documents Florante’s travels to the remote provinces where he discovers three of the last surviving practitioners - a farmer, a fisherman and a tricycle driver. Astounded by their golden voices, Florante asks them to travel with him to perform and record these unknown songs. Word soon spread around Manila of leathery faced men whose style of untrained but sincere and expressive singing touch the hearts everywhere they performed, culminating in a series of triumphant live performances - from the small village to prestigious concert halls to recording the first authentic harana album in the last fifty years. But the question remains - can harana be restored to its former glory or is it doomed to vanish silently into the night forever? 

Q&A with Executive Producer Fides Enriquez.

Pre-film box meal available for $8. Please call or email to reserve a box.

 

Friday, July 17: 9-Man (2014 – 87 min), Alhecama Theatre

9-Man is a story about street ball battle in the heart of Chinatown featuring a chaotic, Chinese-only game played competitively in parking lots and alleys since 1938. Through revealing vérité scenes, archival material and primary source interviews, the film broaches conversations about Chinatown's Bachelor Society, the Chinese Exclusion Act, cultural belonging and loss, masculinity, genetic disparity in sports, immigrant culture, the Chinatown diaspora, microaggressions, reverse racism, Asian-American identity politics, self-doubt and social isolation.

Pre-film box meal available for $8. Please call or email to reserve a box.

 

Friday, July 24: Jake Shimabukuro, Life on Four Strings (2012 - 54 min), Alhecama Theatre
Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings is a compelling portrait of an inspiring and inventive musician whose virtuoso skills on the ukulele have transformed all previous notions of the instrument’s potential. Through intimate conversations with Shimabukuro, Life on Four Strings reveals the cultural and personal influences that have shaped the man and the musician. On the road from Los Angeles to New York to Japan, the film captures the solitary life on tour: the exhilaration of performance, the wonder of newfound fame, the loneliness of separation from home and family.        

Pre-film box meal available for $8. Please call or email to reserve a box.