The Hitchhiker Project

15 min / color video
Canada 2008
Director : Cuong Ngo
Beauty, lust and betrayal lurk around every corner in a world full
of glamor. A chance meeting will change three lives forever.

Blood Debts

Nợ Máu

14 min / color video
USA 2007
Director : Roland Nguyen
In the shadows of the Vietnamese underworld, American-born
mafioso Johnny Le struggles to shake his “white-boy” reputation
among the anh em. But when he’s called upon to settle a score
with an old friend and mentor, Johnny must prove that his
loyalties are with his brothers, and not his past.

Shades Of Gray

3 min/ color video
USA 2007
Director : Maxx Lee
A hostage exchange turns sour when a ruthless mob boss, Bart,
murders the sister of a female assassin, Brandy. The line between
justice and revenge is blurred as Brandy takes extreme measures to
avenge her sister.

Cutting

Cắt
7 min / color video
Vietnam 2008
Director : Tran Ly Tri Tan
The film revolves around two male characters, one is a hairdresser
and the other is a customer. Although they are two men with
two different fates, they are able to understand and share their
feelings with each other.

Filed Under: '09 Films Synopsis
Tagged: Cutting

Tze Chun’s “Children Of Invention” Set To Open LA Asian Pacific Film Festival

TZE CHUN’S “CHILDREN OF INVENTION” SET TO OPEN LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY THURSDAY, APRIL 30 AT THE DIRECTORS GUILD

Visual Communications (VC), the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, proudly presents Tze Chun’s CHILDREN OF INVENTION as the Opening Night film of the 25th anniversary edition of the Los Angeles Asian Film Festival on Thursday, April 30th, 2009 at 7:00 PM at the Directors Guild of America.

Director/screenwriter Tze Chun, actors Michael Chen, Crystal Chiu, and Cindy Cheung, and other special guests are scheduled to attend the screening and answer questions from the audience. A reception in the DGA Grand Lobby will follow the screening.

CHILDREN OF INVENTION, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, is the story of two young children: Raymond Cheng (Michael Chen) and Tina Cheng (Crystal Chiu), living illegally in a model apartment outside Boston are left to fend for themselves when their hardworking mother, Elaine (Cindy Cheung), disappears. This latest predicament seems all too familiar to precocious Raymond who dreams of taking care of his mother and sister with the fortunes garnered from his inventions. Little Tina, however, remains oblivious to their troubles. Meanwhile, lured by promises of easy cash, Elaine, finds herself drawn into another pyramid scheme, one that will jeopardize the welfare of the two things that matter the most her children.

Abraham Ferrer, Exhibitions Director at Visual Communications and Film Festival Co-Director, states, “We are excited to present the Los Angeles premiere screening of CHILDREN OF INVENTION at this year’s Film Festival. We have been following director Tze Chun career since his short film WINDOWBREAKER was presented at the 2007 Film Festival and we are honored to have him return to present his latest effort as our Opening Night Presentation.”

Visual Communications (VC), the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, was established in 1970. The organization has established a lengthy track record of pioneering achievements in producing, presenting, and preserving more honest and accurate representations of Asian and Pacific Islander communities in America. Visual Communications is also recognized as an incubator of emerging Asian Pacific American cinematic talent. The organization’s works have been exhibited in numerous venues and broadcast outlets around the world.

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is the Southland’s premier showcase for the best and brightest of Asian Pacific cinema; since 1983, the Film Festival has presented over 3000 films and videos by Asian international and Asian diasporic artists, and additionally features seminars and panels, in-person guest appearances, and filmmaker awards.

The Film Festival is proudly sponsored by (as of presstime): OFFICIAL VEHICLE SPONSOR: Toyota; PREMIERE: Gilead Sciences, Directors Guild of America; OFFICIAL BEER SPONSOR: Stella Artois; SILVER: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Southwest Airlines; BRONZE: CBS, Screen Actors Guild, SAG Indie; COMMUNITY: The Boeing Company, Eastman Kodak Company, Hilton Universal City, Writers Guild of America, West; GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts; SUPPORTING PARTNERS: Asian Pacific Community Fund, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, East West Players, Project by Project, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans; RECEPTION SPONSORS: Creative Floral Designs, Foto Cabina, Kirin Beer, LA18; MEDIA SPONSORS: angryasianman.com, LA Weekly, LA18, KPCC; VENUE SPONSORS: Directors Guild of America, Aratani/Japan America Theatre, Downtown Independent, Laemmle’s Sunset 5, National Center for the Preservation of Democracy.

The Opening Night Presentation of CHILDREN OF INVENTION will take place on Thursday, April 30th, 2009, 7PM at the Directors Guild of America, located at 7920 W. Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046. Parking is free to the public at the DGA Headquarters Parking Lot (enter on Hayworth Ave.) and at 8000 Sunset Blvd, with validation. Tickets for the VIP Reception, Screening & Gala Celebration are $100 General; $75 Students, Seniors, & Members of VC/ DGA/ JACCC w/ I.D. Tickets for Screening & Gala Celebration are $30 General; $24 Students, Seniors, & Members of VC/ DGA/ JACCC w/ I.D. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (213) 680-4462, x59 or online at www.vconline.org.

Special Screening of BOLINAO 52

SPECIAL COMMUNITY HOMECOMING SCREENING OF
BOLINAO 52 : Remembrance, Reconciliation and Healing
With a Special RECOGNITION AWARD presentation to honor
CORWIN AL BELL, Former USS MORTON Commander

SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2009- 1 - 4 PM
BOWERS MUSEUM
2002 North Main Street
Santa Ana, California 92706
www.bowers.org

$15 General Public
$12 Museum Members (Tickets are available at bowers.org and the museum’s box office.)

March 23, 2008 — Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, millions of refugees took the perilous voyage across the South China Sea to find freedom. Many died of drowning, starvation and thirst. Some were lost at sea for days while others were pillaged and raped by pirates. More than thirty years later, filmmaker Duc Nguyen, himself a boat refugee, retraces the odyssey of the Bolinao 52 - and reveals an incredible tale of survival, reconciliation and closure.

One hundred and ten refugees boarded a crowded boat one night in May 1988. Soon after leaving Vietnam, the boat’s engine died. They were ignored by over 20 passing ships. Nineteen days later, the USS Dubuque stopped but the ship’s captain refused to pick up the dying refugees. Facing death, they resorted to cannibalism. After 37 days at sea, only 52 people survived. Finally, humble fishermen rescued them to the coastal town of Bolinao in the Philippines. This is the true story of the Bolinao 52.

Bolinao 52 was screened at the biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival in 2007 at UC Irvine. It won the Best Audience Choice Award at the festival.

The screening at Bowers Museum will culminate with a discussion panel on remembrance, reconciliation and healing that welcomes audience participation. A wine reception with light refreshments will cap off the program.

The panelists include:

Duc Nguyen, Filmmaker - A former boat person, the making of Bolinao 52 was a personal mandate for filmmaker Duc Nguyen to educate the world about the struggles of refugees. Due to the phenomenal response by international audiences to this film, especially from overseas Vietnamese viewers, he wants to use this landmark film to foster intergenerational and interdisciplinary dialogue and counseling.

Mai-Phuong Nguyen, MD, Associate Producer - Former co-chairperson of the student advocacy group, Project Ngoc-UC Irvine during the peak of the boat people’s plight against forcible repatriation back to Vietnam in the late 1980s. Dr. Nguyen brings extensive social and health advocacy experience along with her clinical expertise as a physician, to discuss how this film can be used to promote healing as well as cultural competency training for healthcare professionals serving immigrant populations.

Xuyen Dong-Matsuda, PsyD, Psychologist/Social Worker - A clinical consultant for the Orange County Asian Pacific Islanders Community Alliance and several other non-profit organizations with over 20 years experience serving ethnic communities, Dr. Dong-Matsuda will field questions. She has spoken on mental health issues on several Vietnamese radio and television shows and contributes regularly to print media. In 2004, the OC Register named her one of the Top 30 Vietnamese Americans to Watch.

BOLINAO 52 is a co-production of Duc Nguyen and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), produced in association with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and KTEH Public Television, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Additional funding is provided by All Roads Film Project and Pacific Pioneer Fund.

OPERATION BABYLIFT: The Lost Children of Vietnam

This film looks at the plight of orphaned Vietnamese children and the nurses and caretakers who strove to evacuate them after the Vietnam War. It also chronicles the adoptees’ lives once they arrive in the United States. The first half of Operation Babylift provides a detailed look at a historic event for the Americans after their first failed war, offering interviews of many who had worked diligently at what they felt was a humanitarian effort – to save the lives of children before the communist regime would take over the country.
The second half of the film is devoted to the orphans themselves whose lives are tenderly retold through photographs and stories. Growing up, they speak of feeling deeply alienated, being harshly discriminated against, and trying to find themselves. Many of the subjects discuss the ways that they had struggled for so long to define their identities. The interviews also include stories of their journey to Vietnam as a group and the ways in which they had reunited with other adoptees in the United States. Most poignant was the Ballards’ family’s own home video of their attempts to adopt a son from Vietnam. An important documentary that investigates Operation Babylift from a humanistic perspective, director Tammy Nguyen Lee’s work delves into a fascinating chapter of American history.
Film synopsis by Lan Duong

USA / 2009
88 mins / color video
Executive Producers:   Tammy Nguyen Lee, George Lee
Producer / Director / Writer: Tammy Nguyen Lee
Associate Producer:  Jared Rehberg
Cinematographer:  Tammy Nguyen Lee, George Lee
Music:  Thomas’ Apartment, Jared Rehberg
Editor:  Chris Tonick, Seth Pascale

Go to Kenny

7 min / color video
USA 2008
Directorirectorirector: David Ngo
Go To Kenny is a workplace comedy that centers on the life of Kenny, a man who unwillingly becomes the keeper of all of his co-workers’ deepest, darkest secrets. Set in the fictional world of a fast-paced lifestyle company named Fred Tardy, Kenny becomes a human confessional for his entire department. As a result, Kenny knows all the office gossip about his co-workers, including his boss, his secret crush, and a girl that somewhat annoys him. With all of this knowledge, will it help or haunt Kenny?

Delire

19 min / DVD / black & white
Shot on 16mm
France 1968
Directorirectorirector: Nguyen Dinh Nhan
In France, the use of the word “Hotel” is very special. For example, Hotel Matignon is not a hotel; it is actually the Prime Minister’s residence. But Hotel de passe (Brothel) is a real hotel, etc…Delire relates the adventures of an Indian tourist who is in search of a hotel in Paris.

Unco Same, Unco Chin

10 min / color video
USA
Directorirectorirector: Danny Do
After kicking Unco Same in his eggroll, Unco Chin embarks on a journey to find where Unco Same has gone.

« Previous Page — Next Page »