The 20th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival presents: Heavy Craving (2019)

Ying-juan, an aspiring chef who cooks for children at her mother’s daycare center, is given a gift from her mother for her 30th birthday: membership to a weight loss program. “You’re so out of shape,” her mother argues, “who would want you to plan the menu?” Facing continual challenges because of her weight, from being called “Ms. Dinosaur” to local boys throwing eggs at her, Ying-juan reluctantly gives in and joins the program.

Her journey attracts unexpected friends and awkward laughs, but it certainly is not easy. Ying-juan pushes to the point where she makes an irrevocable decision that costs her dearly. Along the way, she crosses paths with Wu, a handsome young delivery man, and Xiao-Yu, a quiet boy from the daycare center. Both harbor secrets that reflect Ying-juan’s own internal struggle to accept herself, and the price that must be paid for the seeming safety of conforming to societal norms.

Director-writer Hsieh Pei-ju has created a raw portrait of how vulnerable we are to the perception that others hold of us, and the dark side of pursuing self-improvement. HEAVY CRAVING is about the hunger we all carry for love and happiness, and what happens when we try to satiate it by sacrificing ourselves for someone else’s idea of who we should be.

About The San Diego Asian Film Festival: The San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) is the most comprehensive portrait of Asian and Asian American cinema in North America. The 20th SDAFF is scheduled for November 7-16, 2019, and will showcase over 170 independent and foreign films from 29 countries at eight different venues across San Diego County. The 10-day festival draws over 15,000 attendees for screenings, Q&As, youth programs, and the star-studded red carpet Awards Gala. For more information, visit sdaff.org. 

About Pacific Arts Movement: Pacific Arts Movement (Pac Arts) launched in 2000 when it debuted the San Diego Asian Film Festival, a showcase of Asian American and Asian international cinema. Rooted in the love of film and the arts, global citizenship, and Asian culture and communities, Pac Arts became an official nonprofit media arts organization in 2002, and is now one of the most significant exhibitions of Asian cinema in North America. Pac Arts presents two major annual events: The Spring Showcase (April) and the San Diego Asian Film Festival (November), which bring awareness to, and educate the public about, Pan Asian cinema and media issues throughout the year.