Sambal Belacan in San Francisco
Madeleine Lim Three first-generation immigrant Asian lesbians from Singapore grapple to create home and belonging. This award-winning documentary explores how cultural identity, lesbian sexuality, and immigration status raise powerful questions about belonging. Combining scripted scenes, cinema verité, poetry, interviews, and newsreel footage, this mixed-genre film visually conveys the multi-layered experiences of immigrant Asian lesbians living in the U.S.
Synopsis
In Sambal Belacan in San Francisco (1997), three first-generation immigrant Asian lesbians from Singapore grapple to create home and belonging. This award-winning documentary explores how cultural identity, lesbian sexuality, and immigration status raise powerful questions about belonging. Combining scripted scenes, cinema verité, poetry, interviews, and newsreel footage, this mixed-genre film visually conveys the multi-layered experiences of immigrant Asian lesbians living in the U.S.
Sambal Belacan in San Francisco won the 1997 Award of Excellence from the San Jose Film & Video Commission’s Joey Awards and the 1998 National Educational Media Network’s Bronze Apple Award. It was featured at sold-out theaters on the international film festival circuit around the world for over two years and was broadcast on PBS to 2.5 million Bay Area viewers.
In 1998, the film was banned in Singapore due to its frank portrayal of nationality, race, and sexuality. In October 2020, the Singaporean government issued a one-time exception to their ban and allowed the Singapore International Film Festival to screen Sambal Belacan in San Francisco at their pre-festival program New Waves. The film was slapped with an R21 classification rating. Due to government regulations, it screened to an audience of just 33 people, including Madeleine Lim’s mother.
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Credits
- Cast
- D.P, Mabel Chan, Madeleine Lim
- Cinematographer
- Madeleine Lim
- Composer
- Allegra Bandy
- Director
- Madeleine Lim
- Editor
- Madeleine Lim
- Executive Producer
- Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project
- Producer
- Madeleine Lim
- Screenwriter
- Madeleine Lim
