Timothy Linh Bui’s POWDER BLUE Released on DVD

A new film directed by Timothy Linh Bui is now available on DVD, reuniting Timothy with Oscar-winning star Forest Whitaker and Patrick Swayze, plus other big names such as Jessica Biel and Ray Liotta.

The film can be rented at Blockbuster or online on Netflix, and other places where movies are rented.

Timothy is, of course, the older of the Bui brothers that brought us Three Seasons and Green Dragon. It was on Green Dragon that Timothy first directed Whitaker and Swayze.

The film’s story, based on the oft-observed presmise that life is full of strange coincidences and serendipitous intersections, is co-written by Timothy and another Viet filmmaker, Stephane Gauger the director of Owl and the Sparrow. (Read more about Owl here and here.)

The four principal characters lead their separate, and desperate, lives - except for one guy, a mortician named after the typewriter keyboard (Qwerty), who’s strange but not desperate. These lives then intersect in the most extraordinary ways. If the Bolsavik were glib, he’d say this film is something like “Boulevard of Broken Dreams meets Crash.”

In Powder Blue, Forest Whitaker (first photo above; The Crying Game; Panic Room; Oscar winner for The Last King of Scotland) plays an ex-priest with a death wish. Unable to commit suicide as against Catholic teaching, he goes around with a loaded gun and a suitcase of cash seeking someone willing to off him.

Ray Liotta (second photo; Goodfellas; Smokin Aces) plays an ex-con, a former hit man just out of a long 25-year sentence. Facing a world totally transformed, he’s seeking redemption with one big good deed.

Jessica Biel (third photo; TV’s 7th Heaven; Blade: Trinity; Stealth) is a single mother with a son in a coma, and she does odd jobs an dancing in a bar to meet the mounting medical bills. Patrick Swayze (right) plays the slick guy in the bar, but he’s not her consolation - that one comes in the form of her pet dog. She becomes truly desperate when the dog went missing.

But the ex-priest does not meet the other two - yet. The one he meets is a young eccentric mortician who’s named after the typing keyboard - Qwerty Doolittle, played by Eddie Redmayne, a star of British television. In danger of losing his business, and with the ex-priest’s proposal, Qwerty faces a decision that could change his life.

Other big names appearing in the film include Kris Kristofferson (A Start Is Born; Country Music Hall of Fame) and Lisa Kudrow (TV’s Friends; Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion; The Opposite of Sex).

Courtesy www.Bolsavik.com

Bolinao 52 Won 2 EMMY® Awards

Filmmaker Duc Nguyen and Producer Mai-Phuong Nguyen, M.D.

Monday, May 18, 2009- The 38th Annual Northern California Area EMMY® Awards were presented Saturday evening, May 16th 2009 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. BOLINAO 52 received the honor in two categories:

NEWS AND PROGRAM SPECIALTY- Documentary

“Bolinao 52,” KTEH 54 / Rhimp Productions / Center for Asian American Media / ITVS

Duc H. Nguyen, Producer/Director

CRAFT ACHIEVEMENT- Musical Composition/Arrangement

“Bolinao 52,” KTEH 54 / Rhimp Productions / Center for Asian American Media / ITVS

Mark G. Izu, Composer

The Emmy® is awarded for outstanding achievement in Television by The National Academy of

Television Arts and Sciences. San Francisco/Northern California is one of the twenty chapters awarding regional Emmys®. Northern California is composed of television and cable stations from Visalia to the Oregon border and includes Hawaii and Reno, Nevada. Entries were aired during the 2008 calendar year.

809 entries were received in 62 categories, 239 were nominated and 77 receive the Emmy® statuette.

The ballots were tallied by the accounting firm of Spalding & Company of San Francisco.

The Complete list of Emmy® Award recipients can be viewed at: www.emmysf.tv/emmy09winpr.pdf

Film Synopsis:

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 DVD was recently released.  The documentary won the Best Audience Choice Award at the 3^rd biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) in 2007.

For more information about the film and its progress please go to www.bolinao52.com or the BOLINAO 52 blog: bolinao52.blogspot.com.

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.

ViFF 2009 Wraps Up with Awards to Top Films

Trống Đồng Awards went to FOOTY LEGENDS (feature), directed by Khoa Đỗ and A Summer Rain (short), directed by Ela Thier.

Audience Choice Awards went to OPERATION BABYLIFT: The Lost Children of Vietnam (feature), directed by Tammy Nguyễn Lee and Delivery Day (short), directed by Jane Manning.

Irvine, CA-The 4th biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) closed on April 12th to a cheering crowd with the Southern California premiere of ALL ABOUT DAD, a feature debut by Mark Tran. The night went on with a jungle-themed gala. All events took place at the University of California in Irvine (UCI).

Carrying the theme of Into View, the 8-day film festival featured over sixty short and feature films by emerging and established filmmakers from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and the United States. The event attracted more than 3,000 cinema enthusiasts from all over the world and was extensively covered by international and local press.

The prestigious Trống Đồng Awards were presented to FOOTY LEGENDS (feature), directed by Khoa Đỗ (Australia) and A Summer Rain (short), directed by Ela Thier (USA). “I am thrilled that FOOTY LEGENDS has been awarded the 2009 Vietnamese International Film Festival’s highest honor, the Grand Jury “Trống Đồng” Award in Irvine,” said director Khoa Đỗ. “For an Australian film to be recognized in this way is very rare and on behalf of all Australians back home, we are delighted to accept this award.”

Audience Choice Awards went to OPERATION BABYLIFT: The Lost Children of Vietnam (feature), directed by Tammy Nguyễn Lee and Delivery Day (short), directed by Jane Manning. “Being invited to join the growing Vietnamese American artist community and have our world premiere at VIFF was a huge honor. With the adoptees and Babylift volunteers in attendance, it was truly a special and unique evening. “We are so grateful for the warm reception we received at VIFF and even more thrilled to receive the Audience Choice Award,” producer/director Tammy Nguyễn Lee said.

ViFF also presented the Spotlight Award to actor Dustin Nguyễn to celebrate the great achievements that mark his acting career. The award was handed to Dustin Nguyễn by the renowned actress Kiều Chinh.

ViFF was spread throughout Southern California with screenings at UC Irvine’s Film and Video Center and Edwards University Cinema 6, both in Irvine, UCLA in Los Angeles, CA, and Bowers Museum, Santa Ana.

ViFF is presented by the two non-profit organizations Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) and UCLA’s Vietnamese Language and Culture (VNLC). ViFF was established in October 2003 to showcase Vietnamese and Vietnamese Diasporic filmmakers. ViFF’s mission is to support, celebrate, and project a diversity of visions and voices from filmmakers of Vietnamese descent and films by, for, and about the Vietnamese people and culture.

ViFF is made possible by sponsorships/support of: Ford Foundation; UC Irvine (School of Humanities, Department of Film and Media Studies, Film and Video Center, Community & Government Relations, UCI Advancement,Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors (VACA), Department of Asian American Studies, International Center for Writing and Translation (ICWT), Cross Cultural Center, Vietnamese American Coalition (VAC), Vietnamese Student Association(VSA), Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA), UCLA’s Campus Programs Committee of the Program Activities Board, Campus Programs Committee of the Program Activities Board, Undergraduate Student Association (USAC); Bowers Museum, Wells Fargo, Union Bank, State Farm, Dr. & Mrs. Jan Vilcek, Jayvee Hiep Mai, Elite Insurance, Nguyet Cam Music, Wave Releasing, Chakra Restaurant, DTN-Tech, Karuna Healthcare, White Knight International, Inc., St. Anselm’s Cross Cultural Community Center…

Media sponsors: VAN-TV, VHN-TV, LA18 (KSCI), VNCR, QMS Media Group, Little Saigon Radio, Hon Viet TV, Viet Tide, Saigon TV, VBS TV, OC Life Magazine….

Co-presenters: American Red Cross - Orange County Chapter, API Equality-LA, Asian Pacific American Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., Asian Pacific Legal Center Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA) at UC Irvine, Club O’ Noodles, Hawaii International Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian, Pacific Film Festival, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), Project MotiVATe (MotivatingVietnamese American Teens), San Diego Asian Film Festival, St. Anselm’s Cross-Cultural Community Center, The Cambodian Family, UCLA Center for Southeast Asian Studies, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation (VACF), Vietnamese American Coalition (VAC) at UC Irvine, Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors (VACA) at UC Irvine, Vietnamese American Law Student Association at Chapman University School of Law (VALSA), Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans (VAYLA-NO), Vietnamse Student Association (VSA) at UC Irvine.

Reel to Real: International Networks: Panel Discussion

Bui Thac Chuyen (Director, LIVING IN FEAR; Associate Director, TPD), Timothy Linh Bui (Director,GREEN DRAGON); Co-founder, Wave Releasing), Abraham Ferrer (Co-Director, LAAPFF), Stephane Gauger (Director, OWL AND THE SPARROW; Co-founder, Wave Releasing), Nguyen Nu Nhu Khue (Executive Producer, HK Films), Michael Nguyen Thornton (Technologist/DIT/Post Supervisor), and Quynn Ton, Esq. (Entertainment Attorney/Producer (CAVITE).

SUNDAY, April 12th

3:00pm-5:00pm

Humanities Instructional Building (HIB) 135, UC Irvine

Bilingual (English and Vietnamese) moderated by Ysa Le and Ky-Phong Tran

Translator: Do Le Anhdao

Free admissions

Since 2002, when the cinema policy in Vietnam allowed for the establishment of private companies to produce films in the country, there has been a boom of “indie” films produced and released in Vietnam by diasporic filmmakers. Consequently international collaborations have formed to share the financial burdens of making films as well as to secure a larger transnational audience base. However, filmmakers continue to struggle due to the lack of an infrastructure to support independent filmmaking in Vietnam as well as in overseas communities. Creative strategies for public relations, such as the internet (on blogs, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, Yahoo!360, etc.), have been used by filmmakers to mobilize an audience for their films, network with others, and provide a means for grassroots advertising. Yet, internet use is still limited; as a result, venues such as these and distribution channels are major challenges in both Vietnam and the diaspora. The goal of the panel discussion is to provide the panelists and the audience opportunities to explore the ways one can create a larger international audience base via different methods of networking.

Rebuilding the Community Post-Katrina: Panel Discussion

Moderated by Linda Vo, Ph.D.

Panelists: S. Leo Chiang (Producer and Director), Loan Dao (Ph.D. candidate of Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley), T. Linh Ho, Mai Dang (Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation), John Nguyen (Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans - VAYLA-NO), Tony Nguyen (VAYLA-NO)

SATURDAY, April 11th

4:15pm-5:45pm

Humanities Instructional Building

(HIB) 100, UC Irvine

Hurricane Katrina devastated Versailles, a thriving Vietnamese American community in New Orleans East. However, having been refugees before, Vietnamese American residents quickly returned post-Katrina and painstakingly rebuilt their neighborhood and their community. However, without consulting community members, the local government began building a toxic landfill just two miles away from Versailles. The community worked together to create effective alliances, especially by bringing together first, 1.5, and second generation Vietnamese Americans and their allies, to fight against environment racism and save their community. Representatives from groups that organized this coalition of resistance as well as those involved with making the documentary, A Village Called Versailles, which depicts their inspiring and moving story, are part of the panel. We can all learn crucial lessons from their experiences about how to overcome internal differences and strategically work together to improve Vietnamese American communities.

Panel Discussions at ViFF 2009

Rebuilding the Community Post-Katrina

Moderated by Linda Vo, Ph.D.

Panelists: S. Leo Chiang (Producer and Director), Loan Dao (Ph.D. candidate of Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley), Mai Dang (Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation), T. Linh Ho, John Nguyen (Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans - VAYLA-NO), Tony Nguyen (VAYLA-NO)

SATURDAY, April 11th  4:15pm-5:45pm

Humanities Instructional Building (HIB) 100, UC Irvine

Hurricane Katrina devastated Versailles, a thriving Vietnamese American community in New Orleans East. However, having been refugees before, Vietnamese American residents quickly returned post-Katrina and painstakingly rebuilt their neighborhood and their community. However, without consulting community members, the local government began building a toxic landfill just two miles away from Versailles. The community worked together to create effective alliances, especially by bringing together first, 1.5, and second generation Vietnamese Americans and their allies, to fight against environment racism and save their community. Representatives from groups that organized this coalition of resistance as well as those involved with making the documentary, A Village Called Versailles, which depicts their inspiring and moving story, are part of the panel. We can all learn crucial lessons from their experiences about how to overcome internal differences and strategically work together to improve Vietnamese American communities.

Reel to Real: International Networks

Bilingual (English and Vietnamese) Moderated by Ysa Le and Ky-Phong Tran

Panelists to be announced.

SUNDAY, April 12th  3:00pm-5:00pm

Humanities Instructional Building (HIB) 135, UC Irvine

Since 2002, when the cinema policy in Vietnam allowed for the establishment of private companies to produce films in the country, there has been a boom of “indie” films produced and released in Vietnam by diasporic filmmakers. Consequently international collaborations have formed to share the financial burdens of making films as well as to secure a larger transnational audience base. However, filmmakers continue to struggle due to the lack of an infrastructure to support independent filmmaking in Vietnam as well as in overseas communities. Creative strategies for public relations, such as the internet (on blogs, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, Yahoo!360, etc.), have been used by filmmakers to mobilize an audience for their films, network with others, and provide a means for grassroots advertising. Yet, internet use is still limited; as a result, venues such as these and distribution channels are major challenges in both Vietnam and the diaspora. The goal of the panel discussion is to provide the panelists and the audience opportunities to explore the ways one can create a larger international audience base via different methods of networking.

Click here to view topics of past discussions.

ViFF Panel Discussion: Female Filmmakers and Questions of Genre and Gender 4/5/09 2pm-3:30pm @ UCI

ViFF Comes Into View

4th Biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival takes place from April 2 - 12, 2009, features over sixty films by Vietnamese filmmakers from across the globe

Westminster, CA-A war-torn family finds redemption through rugby.  The legend of Cuoi, the boy in the moon, is told through animation.  Hurricane Katrina Vietnamese American victims rebuild their town and lives.  These are some of the stories featured in the 4th Biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF), an eight day showcase of Vietnamese and Vietnamese Diasporic filmmakers which takes place from April 2 - 12, 2009.

ViFF’s theme this year is Into View, fitting for this diverse, global gathering of over sixty short and feature films by emerging and established filmmakers from Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and the United States.

As in year’s past, ViFF’s will be spread throughout Southern California with screenings at UC Irvine’s Film and Video Center and Edwards University Cinema 6, both in Irvine, CA and at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA.  New for this year, ViFF is proud to partner with the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, CA, which will host two special, opened-to-all but admission-free days for high school students and senior citizens. Some of this year’s featured events include:

• Thu, April 2, 6:00pm Opening Night Screening of FOOTY LEGENDS, directed by Khoa Do (2005 Young Australian of the Year Award recipient) at Edwards University 6 and Gala Reception at Chakra Restaurant (Irvine, CA)
• Fri, April 3, 7:30pm World premiere of OPERATION BABYLIFT: THE LOST CHILDREN OF VIETNAM, directed by Tammy Nguyen Lee.  Some adoptees will be present at the screening; Bowers Museum, Santa Ana.
• Sat, April 4, 5:00pm World premiere of SAD FISH, directed by Le-Van Kiet, starring Kieu Chinh, Long Nguyen, Jayvee Hiep Mai, and introducing Orchid Lam Quynh; hosted by UC Irvine’s Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors (VACA)
• Thu, April 9, 4:00pm ViFF @ UCLA - “Day of the Bruins”
• Sat, April 11, 6:00pm Spotlight Award Presentation to Dustin Nguyen (21 Jumpstreet, Little Fish,
• The Rebel, The Legend Is Alive) (UC Irvine campus, Irvine, CA); hosted by Wells Fargo; screening of LITTLE FISH, directed by Rowan Woods, starring Cate Blanchett, Dustin Nguyen, Sam Neil.
• Sun, April 12, 6:00pm Closing Night Screening of ALL ABOUT DAD, directed by Mark Tran; Awards Ceremony, and Closing Reception (UC Irvine campus, Irvine, CA)
• Sun, April 5, 2:00pm Crossing Boundaries: Female Filmmakers and Questions of Genre and
• Sun, April 5, 6:15pm Combating Human Trafficking: How Can YOU Help? (Panelists to be announced)ViFF is made possible by sponsorships/support of:  Ford Foundation; UC Irvine (School of Humanities, Department of Film and Media Studies, Film and Video Center, Community & Government Relations, UCI Advancement,Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors (VACA), Department of Asian American Studies, International Center for Writing and Translation (ICWT), Cross Cultural Center, Vietnamese American Coalition (VAC), Vietnamese Student Association(VSA), Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA), UCLA’s Campus Programs Committee of the Program Activities Board, Campus Programs Committee of the Program Activities Board, Undergraduate Student Association (USAC); Bowers Museum, Wells Fargo, Union Bank, State Farm, Dr. & Mrs. Jan Vilcek, Jayvee Hiep Mai, Elite Insurance, Nguyet Cam Music, Wave Releasing, Chakra Restaurant, DTN-Tech, White Knight International, Inc., St. Anselm’s Cross Cultural Community Center…Media sponsors: VAN-TV, VHN-TV, LA18 (KSCI), VNCR, QMS Media Group, Little Saigon Radio, Hon Viet TV, Viet Tide, Saigon TV, VBS TV….
  

  Panel discussions:

  Gender (panelists to be announced)

  Sat, April 11, 4:15pm Rebuilding the Community Post-Katrina (Panelists to be announced)

  Sun, April 12, 3:00pm Reel to Real: International Networks (Panelists to be announced)

  For full schedule and directions visit www.VietFilmFest.com

  ViFF is presented by the two non-profit organizations Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA) and UCLA’s Vietnamese Language and Culture (VNLC).ViFF was established in October 2003 to showcase Vietnamese and Vietnamese Diasporic filmmakers.  ViFF’s mission is to support, celebrate, and project a diversity of visions and voices from filmmakers of Vietnamese descent and films by, for, and about the Vietnamese people and culture.

Đại Hội Điện Ảnh Việt Nam Quốc Tế (ViFF) Lần Thứ Tư : Into View

Chiếu hơn 60 phim từ khắp nơi trên thế giới từ ngày 2 đến 12 tháng 4, 2009 tại

UC Irvine, UCLA, và Viện Bảo Tàng Bowers

Westminster, CA- Một gia đình trải qua nhiều mất mát sau cuộc chiến, định cư tại Úc, và đã tìm lại được hạnh phúc sau một trận banh rugby.  Câu chuyện chú Cuội bay lên cung trăng, ngồi gốc cây đa được kể bằng hoạt họa.  Nạn nhân bão Katrina ở làng Versailles, New Orleans, xây dựng cuộc sống lại từ đầu với hai bàn tay trắng và lòng cương quyết bảo vệ ngôi làng.  Đây là vài câu chuyện trong số rất nhiều câu chuyện sẽ được kể trên màn ảnh rộng tại Đại Hội Điện Ảnh Việt Nam Quốc Tế (Vietnamese International Film Festival - ViFF) lần thứ tư.  ViFF sẽ khai mạc vào ngày 2 và kéo dài cho đến 12 tháng 4, 2009.

Với chủ đề Into View, ViFF2009 sẽ chú trọng đến nhiều góc cạnh của cuộc sống, trình bày qua lăng kính của hơn 60 phim từ các nước Úc, Canada, Pháp, Anh, Việt Nam, và Hoa Kỳ.

Cũng như những năm trước, ViFF sẽ diễn ra tại Film and Video Center (HIB 100) của đại học UC Irvine, rạp Edwards University Cinema 6 (đêm khai mạc), UCLA, và lần đầu tiên, tại Việt Bảo Tàng Bowers, thành phố Santa Ana.  Các suất chiếu phim miễn phí dành cho học sinh trung học sẽ vào ngày thứ Sáu 3 tháng 4, và miễn phí dành cho quý vị cao niên trên 65 tuổi vào ngày thứ Sáu 10 tháng 4.  Cả hai buổi chiếu miễn phí này sẽ được thực hiện tại Viện Bảo Tàng Bowers, số 2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706.

Thứ Năm, April 2, 6pm Đêm khai mạc với phim FOOTY LEGENDS, do Khoa Đỗ đạo diễn (người được trao giải thưởng Young Australian of the Year Award năm 2005) tại Edwards University 6 và tiệc Gala Reception tại Chakra Restaurant (Irvine, CA)

Để biết thêm chi tiết về toàn bộ lịch chiếu phim, xin vào thăm trang nhà www.VietFilmFest.com .  Sau đây là một số chi tiết về các chương trình đặc biệt của ViFF2009: 

Thứ Sáu, April 3, 7:30pm Chiếu ra mắt lần đầu tiên (world premiere) phim tài liệu Babylift Operation: The Lost Children of Vietnam, do Tammy Nguyễn Lee đạo diễn, chiếu tại VBT Bowers, Santa Ana. Buổi chiếu sẽ có sự tham dự của một số người
Sat, April 4, 5:00pm Chiếu ra mắt lần đầu tiên (world permiere) phim SAD FISH, do Lê-Văn Kiệt đạo diễn, với các tài tử Kiều Chinh, Long Nguyễn, Jayvee Mai Thế Hiệp, và Orchid Lâm Quỳnh;  tiếp tân do hội Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors (VACA) thực hiện tại UC Irvine.
Thu, April 9, 4:00pm ViFF @ UCLA - “Day of the Bruins”
Sat, April 11, 6:00pm Lễ trao giải Spotlight Award cho tài tử Dustin Nguyen (21 Jumpstreet, Little Fish, The Rebel, The Legend Is Alive) (UC Irvine campus, Irvine, CA); tiếp tân do Wells Fargo bảo trợ; chiếu phim LITTLE FISH, do Rowan Woods đạo diễn, với các tài tử Cate Blanchett, Dustin Nguyen, Sam Neil.
Sun, April 12, 6:00pm Bế mạc với phim ALL ABOUT DAD, do Mark Tran đạo diễn; Lễ trao giải và Gala tại Cross Cultural Center, UC Irvine, CA.

Hội luận:
Sun, April 5, 2:00pm Crossing Boundaries: Female Filmmakers and Questions of Genre and Gender (Diễn giả sẽ được thông báo sau)
Sun, April 5, 6:15pm Combating Human Trafficking: How Can YOU Help? (Diễn giả sẽ được thông báo sau)
Sat, April 11, 4:15pm Rebuilding the Community Post-Katrina (Diễn giả sẽ được thông báo sau)
Sun, April 12, 3:00pm Reel to Real: International Networks (Diễn giả sẽ được thông báo sau)

For full schedule and directions visit www.VietFilmFest.com

ViFF do hai tổ chức bất vụ lợi Hội Văn Học Nghệ Thuật Việt Mỹ (VAALA) và VietNamese Lanuage & Culture (VNLC) thực hiện.  ViFF được thành lập vào năm 2003.  Mục đích của Đại Hội Điện Ảnh Việt Nam Quốc Tế (ViFF) gồm hỗ trợ và quảng bá những tác phẩm của các đạo diễn người Việt hoặc gốc Việt Nam. Đại hội cũng hỗ trợ và quảng bá phim mang đề tài về con người hoặc văn hóa Việt Nam.

ViFF được bảo trợ bởi:  Ford Foundation; UC Irvine (School of Humanities, Department of Film and Media Studies, Film and Video Center, Community & Government Relations, UCI Advancement,Vietnamese American Community Ambassadors (VACA), Department of Asian American Studies, International Center for Writing and Translation (ICWT), Cross Cultural Center, Vietnamese American Coalition (VAC), Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA), UCLA’s Campus Programs Committee of the Program Activities Board, Campus Programs Committee of the Program Activities Board, Undergraduate Student Association (USAC); Bowers Museum, Wells Fargo, Union Bank, State Farm, Dr. & Mrs. Jan Vilcek, Jayvee Hiep Mai, Elite Insurance, Nguyet Cam Music, Wave Releasing, Chakra Restaurant, DTN-Tech, White Knight International, Inc., St. Anselm’s Cross Cultural Community Center…

Media sponsors: VAN-TV, VHN-TV, LA18 (KSCI), VNCR, QMS Media Group, Little Saigon Radio, Viet Tide, Hồn Việt TV, Saigon TV, VBS TV…

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