Definitely one to mark on your calendars, folks: The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival starts this week on Thursday, March 10 and ends on Tuesday, March 20. It spans 4 venues; the Kabuki and the Castro in San Francisco, Camera 12 in San Jose, and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Not only that, but there’ll be related events all around the city, including some at Cafe Du Nord, the Asian Art Museum, and Studio Z. The opening night movie, Saving Face, sounds especially intriguing (pictured here). Here’s the synopsis for Saving Face:

When a closeted lesbian’s widowed mother turns up pregnant, refusing to name the father and ostracized by her traditional Chinese community, how long will they both “save face” at the expense of their hearts? A heart-melting romantic comedy full of humor and humanity, reminiscent of Ang Lee’s THE WEDDING BANQUET. Featuring an outstanding comedic performance by San Francisco’s own Joan Chen.

Saving Face will be shown at the Castro Theater on March 10th at 7 p.m., followed by a gala opening at the Asian Art Museum at 9:30 p.m.

Of note are the special events and schedule pages — plan out your schedule accordingly if you want to make any of it.

Related posts:

1. 9th Annual SF Asian Film Festival
2. San Francisco International Film Festival
3. Asian Film Festival at 4 Star Theatre
4. Coming Up: San Francisco International Film Festival
5. San Francisco Silent Film Festival