“The People I’ve Slept With” (U.S., 2009, 89 minutes) is the centerpiece film at the 2010 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

Screening schedule:

Sunday, March 14, at 6 p.m. at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St. (at Market), San Francisco (www.castrotheatre.com)

Tuesday, March 16, at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way (between Telegraph and College), Berkeley (www.bampfa.berkeley.edu)

Saturday, March 20, at 4:45 p.m. at Camera 12 Cinemas, 201 S. 2nd St. (at San Carlos), San Jose (www.cameracinemas.com)

Director Quentin Lee, lead actress Karin Anna Cheung, producer Stanley Yung and writer/producer Koji Steven Sakai are scheduled to attend.

“The co-director of the groundbreaking Asian American feature ‘Shopping for Fangs’ (SFIAAFF ’97) returns to the festival with this similarly game-changing new comedy about sex in the city, Asian American style,” says festival staffer Jason Sanders. “Thankfully updating Hollywood’s usual concept of the romantic comedy (mostly white, sometimes black, and, um, that’s about it) with the kind of racial (and sexual) diversity that truly reflects urban life today, ‘The People I’ve Slept With’ is the ‘Better Luck Tomorrow’ of this era: slickly told, eye-opening, unashamedly commercial and proudly Asian American.

“Angela Yang (the fabulous Karin Anna Cheung, ‘Better Luck Tomorrow’) knows what she wants — SEX — and doesn’t mind who knows it; after all, ‘a slut is just a woman with the morals of a man,’ she notes. Her nightly crawls through the city’s bars have given her enough partners to make Hugh Hefner blush: Asian, Caucasian, Latino and Black; men and women, anyone will do. (She even takes and collects pictures of each lover, like mementos, or baseball cards.)

“All things change, however, when she suddenly discovers that she’s pregnant. Armed only with those photos and some drunken memories, Angela starts tracking down each of the many ‘father’ possibilities. The man she’d secretly like it to be, though, is the elegant, cultured (and ultra hot) ‘Mystery Man’ (Archie Kao, ‘CSI’), who indeed turns out to have a few secrets of his own.

“ ‘This script is unique because it empowers Asian American female sexuality,’ notes Cheung. ’Women should be able do whatever they want in this postmodern society, and she does.’

“Director Quentin Lee and scriptwriter Koji Steven Sakai keep things moving with a refreshing blend of modern urban situations, well-drawn supporting characters and old-fashioned romantic comedy conventions; even the typical ‘gay best friend’ role is given a far more nuanced, believable tweak here, especially thanks to a winning performance by Wilson Cruz (‘My So-called Life’).

“Comedian Randall Park (‘American Fusion’) adds extra charm as the clueless-but-willing ‘Nice-But-Boring Guy,’ while none other than acting legend James Shigeta (subject of a prior festival retrospective, and Asian America’s first romantic lead) completes the circle as Mystery Man’s open-minded father.

“All romantic comedies are judged on their stars, however, and few films can boast as radiant a lead duo as Cheung and Kao, who bring a sizzling chemistry and screen presence that not only match, but also overshadow, the casts of any current Hollywood romance. It’s their performances that will truly turn heads here, and make ‘The People I’ve Slept With’ a proud new example of the romantic comedy tradition, and of powerhouse Asian American cinema.”

Tickets are $15 for the San Francisco screening, $12 for the Berkeley and San Jose screenings.

For more information or to purchase tickets for any films in the festival, visit www.asianamericanmedia.org. Tickets can also be bought in person at the Festival Box Office at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, Post between Fillmore and Webster in San Francisco Japantown. Hours 4 to 9 p.m. until March 10, 12 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday from March 11 to 18.