TORRANCE, Calif., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Toyota Matrix is proud to be the official vehicle sponsor of the 27th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, which runs from March 12-22, 2009. With over 100 films and videos showcasing at this year's festival, Toyota Matrix is continuing its contribution to the promotion of Asian American arts for the second year in a row.

Toyota's involvement with the largest festival of its kind in North America demonstrates the corporation's continued support of Asian American arts. "Toyota is proud to support the Asian American arts community," said Dionne Colvin, National Advertising Strategy Planning Manager. "Toyota's 'Moving Forward' symbolizes the passion for innovation and discovery, and that is what Toyota wants to inspire in these artists."

One of the many events that Toyota is participating in is the Festival Forum, a public outdoor feature film screening and performance event that was inaugurated in 2008. This year the Festival Forum will take place on Saturday, March 14, where Toyota will be hosting several different activities. The Toyota tent will be at the center of it all, with a vibrant Matrix display. Inside, the vehicle will have video monitors to screen exclusive music videos. Throughout the day, there will be live interviews and opportunities to meet and greet celebrities and filmmakers. The tent will also be equipped with a technology center where festival-goers can post live podcasts and webcasts. The excitement continues into the night at the Toyota Social Lounge after-party.

In addition to the Festival Forum, Toyota will be seen at various events through the week-long festival, including complimentary popcorn at special screenings, Matrix-designed t-shirts, and a Toyota car service that will shuttle guests from opening and closing night screenings to the after-parties.

To further enhance the Asian American film experience, Toyota developed its own cinema site, http://www.thedirectorschairsite.com. The site features exclusive interviews with Asian American filmmakers and actors and the latest movie reviews. Visitors can retrieve information about the upcoming festival as well as see video footage from last year's.

For more information about the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, please visit http://festival.asianamericanmedia.org. And to find out more about the 2009 Toyota Matrix, visit http://www.toyota.com/matrix.

About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers. Toyota directly employs over 36,000 people in the U.S. and sold more than 2.2 million vehicles in 2008.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com,

www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

    Media Contact:
    Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
    Cindy Knight
    (310) 468-2170
    Cindy_Knight@Toyota.com

    interTrend Communications, Inc.
    Jennifer Chang
    (562) 733-1855
    Jennifer@intertrend.com

    SFIAAFF
    Natalie Mulford
    (415) 863-0814 x208
    nmulford@asianamericanmedia.org

SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.