Ryun Yu, Christopher Gorham, Linda Park, Sab Shimono, Emily Kuroda, Ki Hong Lee, Justin James Hughes star in David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face Premiering on YOMYOMF Network on 6/8 & 6/9

Ryun Yu as the fictional DHH (left) and David Henry Hwang aka the real DHH. Photo credit: Ozum Bobaroglu

The YOMYOMF Network premieres its YouTube adaptation of Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang’s award-winning comedy Yellow Face in two parts on June 8 (Act One) and June 9 (Act Two), starring Ryun Yu as DHH (The Language Archive, Hold These Truths, Only the Brave, The Brothers Solomon), Christopher Gorham as Marcus (Covert Affairs), Linda Park (“Star Trek: Enterprise”), Sab Shimono as HYH (original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures), Emily Kuroda (“Gilmore Girls”), Ki Hong Lee (“The Nine Lives of Chloe King”) and popular YouTube personality Justin James Hughes.

Playwright DHH (Ryun Yu) and his father HYH (Sab Shimono)
Photo credit: Ozum Bobaroglu

Yellow Face is directed by Jeff Liu, a theater veteran and Literary Manager at East West Players (the nation’s oldest and most respected Asian American theater), and executive produced by film director Justin Lin (The Fast & Furious franchise) who founded the YouTube network with partners including top internet stars Ryan Higa, KevJumba and Chester See. The YOMYOMF Network now has over 500,000 subscribers making it one of the most successful of the YouTube funded channels.

Justin James Hughes and Emily Kuroda as board members of the Far East National Bank. Photo credit: Ozum Bobaroglu

Christopher Gorham as the King in “The King and I”. Photo credit: Ozum Bobaroglu

Yellow Face is based on Hwang’s play, which premiered at Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum and the Public Theater in New York, and follows the misadventures of an Asian American playwright named DHH who leads the protest against the yellow face casting (the practice of casting Caucasian actors in Asian roles) in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon, only to mistakenly cast a Caucasian actor in an Asian role in his own play.

David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang

Yellow Face gave DHH his third Obie Award in Playwriting and made him a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Hwang was awarded the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award which comes with a $200,000 prize. Hwang’s plays include Bondage, Chinglish (2012 Drama Desk Award nomination), The Dance and the Railroad (1982 Drama Desk Award nomination), Family Devotions (1982 Drama Desk Award nomination), FOB (1981 Obie Award), Golden Child (1997 Obie Award, 1998 Tony Award nomination), M. Butterfly (1988 Tony Award, 1989 Pulitzer Prize finalist), and Yellow Face (2008 Obie Award, 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist). He also wrote the libretti for three Broadway musicals: Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida (co-author), Disney’s Tarzan, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song (revival, 2002 Tony Award nomination). In opera, his libretti include four works with composer Philip Glass – 1000 Airplanes on the Roof, Icarus at the Edge of Time, Sound and Beauty, and The Voyage – as well as Howard Shore’s The Fly, Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar (two 2007 Grammy Awards), and Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland (Opernwelt 2007 World Premiere of the Year). Hwang penned the feature films Golden Gate, M. Butterfly, and Possession (co-author), and co-wrote the song “Solo” with Prince. He sits on the Council of the Dramatists Guild, and served on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities by appointment of President Clinton.
Nothing is Sacred in David Henry Hwang’s Comedy of Mistaken Racial IdentitySignature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season Features New Works by Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins

DHH’s ex-girlfriend Margaret Fung (Linda Park) shares an intimate moment with new beau Marcus (Christopher Gorham).Photo credit: Ozum Bobaroglu

The production will include a mix of styles that incorporates theater, film and new media into a hybrid form unlike anything previously attempted on YouTube. A work-in-progress version of the film recently won the Narrative Audience Award at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Marcus (Christopher Gorham) confides in fellow “Face Value” actor Jane Krakowski (Tracy Winters). Photo credit: Ozum Bobaroglu

“New technology gives birth to new artistic forms. I couldn’t be more thrilled that the YOMYOMF Network chose Yellow Face to become, so far as I know, the first stage play adapted specifically for YouTube, “ Hwang said. “Combining elements of theatre, film, and web series, YOMYOMF’s Yellow Face brings together the oldest and most recent methods of storytelling, to create a visionary new form.”

Director Jeff Liu speaks to actor Jully Lee and top YouTube personality Timothy DeLaGhetto in their roles as angry Asian American students. Photo credit: Ozum Bobaroglu

“I was inspired by works like Lars Von Trier’s Dogville, Louis Malle’s Vanya on 42nd St. and Peter Brook’s Mahabharata,” said director Jeff Liu. “Those are examples of filmmakers who brought a unique and completely original form of theatricality to their respective films and I wanted to attempt the same thing but for YouTube. YouTube and theater share many similarities including the forced intimacy with the audience and the immediate feedback you receive. I was excited about the opportunity to explore these two worlds together and hopefully we’ve created something interesting in the process.”

Playwright DHH (Ryun Yu) and theater producer Stuart Oslow (Michael Krawic) discuss DHH’s latest play “Face Value”. Photo credit: Ozum Bobaroglu

Ryun Yu portrays playwright David Henry Hwang (DHH) in the screen adaption of Hwang’s award winning play Yellow Face, filmed for the You Offend Me You Offend My Family network, directed by Jeff Liu. His other film credits include ONLY THE BRAVE and THE BROTHERS SOLOMON. His numerous television credits include “BONES,” “GOOD LUCK CHARLIE,” and “NUMBERS.” The film he directed this past summer, THE LAST TOUR, is currently in post-production. He played George in the Los Angeles premiere of Julia Cho’s THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE, David in the world premiere of AMERICAN HWANGAP in San Francisco. In other Los Angeles theater, he has played Gene in SEA CHANGE at the Gay and Lesbian Center (Maddy award, Ovation award nomination) and all of the characters in Jeanne Sakata’s critically acclaimed play, HOLD THESE TRUTHS (FORMERLY DAWN’S LIGHT: THE JOURNEY OF GORDON HIRABAYASHI) at East West Players. He has also played the leading roles in critically acclaimed runs of THE GOLDEN HOUR and ONE NATION, UNDER GOD for the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble and WHAT I HEARD ABOUT IRAQ for the Fountain Theatre. He also performed in the west coast premiere of Richard Greenburg’s Tony-award winning TAKE ME OUT at the Geffen Playhouse. He has performed internationally with renowned theater companies such as THE SEATTLE REPERTORY THEATER, THE HUNTINGTON THEATER (Boston), EAST WEST PLAYERS (LA), and THE SINGAPORE REPERTORY THEATER, and has played leading roles in plays like ANGELS IN AMERICA, HAMLET and SISTERS MATSUMOTO. Yu is the first Korean-American to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He also has the first theater degree ever awarded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Linda Park as the Asian American civil rights lawyer. Photo credit: Ozum Bobaroglu

Yellow Face premieres on the YOMYOMF Network (http://www.youtube.com/yomyomf) on June 8 and 9 following its world premiere screening at the 2013 Theatre Communications Group (TCG) National Conference on June 7.

A part of YouTube’s original channels venture, the YOMYOMF Network (youtube.com/YOMYOMF) provides a mix of high-quality scripted and unscripted content across all genres. Inspired by the Asian American entertainment blog YouOffendMeYouOffendMyFamily, the network is home to top talent from both Hollywood and the digital world. The network was founded by Justin Lin, Ryan Higa, Kevin Wu, Chester See, Abdul Khan, Philip W. Chung, Salvador Gatdula, Cash Warren and Baron Davis.

David Henry Hwang Articles:
Signature Theatre’s Revival of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Set for Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Signature Theatre extends David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad starring Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu through March 24, 2013
Ruy Iskandar and Yuekun Wu Set for Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad, February 5 – March 17, 2013
Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge Star in David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at South Coast Repertory, January 25 – February 24, 2013
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child; Extended Run Ends December 16, 2012
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 16, 2012
Greg Watanabe, Julyana Soelistyo and Jennifer Lim Lead the Cast of Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, October 23-December 2, 2012
Berkeley Rep’s Production Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, Starring Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, Extends through October 21, 2012
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Click here for other articles on David Henry Hwang.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Manu Narayan, Rajika Puri, Kannan Vasudevan and More Set for THUMBPRINT, A New Contemporary Opera, by Kamala Sankaram and Susan Yankowitz at The Watermill Center on June 9, 2013
Ghostlight Records Releases ‘Giant’ Original Cast Album Featuring Kate Baldwin, Brian d’Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Raul Aranas, Katie Thompson and more
Lorey Hayes’ Power Play Set for National Black Theatre Festival 7/30-8/1
Photos: The 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards and After Party
Photos & Video: Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars, Manu Narayan, Deep Singh and More
Here Lies Love, Starring Jose Llana and Ruthie Ann Miles, Extends at The Public through July 28, 2013
Two-Time Tony Nominee André De Shields, Nehal Joshi, Akash Chopra and More Set for Mary Zimmerman helmed The Jungle Book at The Goodman, 6/21-8/4 and The Huntington, 9/7-10/6
Jeanne Sakata’s critically-acclaimed play Hold These Truths, starring 2013 Drama Desk Award Nominee Joel de la Fuente, closes the 10th Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival at Culture Project, 6/4, 6/10 and 6/11
Manu Narayan, Mark Bennett, Lea Salonga, Michael K. Lee and Stafford Arima Among 2012 Craig Noel Award Nominees
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Photos and Video: Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas- In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Thom Sesma

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. This summer, Lia will appear as Carole Barbara in Lorey Hayes’ Power Play at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., with Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman, Lorey Hayes, Marcus Naylor and Penwah, July 30-August 1, 2013.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Happy Birthday Meshach Taylor

Happy birthday to my pal Meshach Taylor, the Emmy Award-nominated actor best known for his roles as Anthony Bouvier on “Designing Women”, and for his portrayal of Hollywood Montrose, a flamboyant window dresser, in the box office hit and cult classic romantic comedy film Mannequin.

Meshach Taylor (Lia Chang)

Last year, Taylor appeared in a compelling episode of CBS’s “Criminal Minds,” guest starring opposite Joe Mantegna (FBI Special Agent David Rossi) as Harrison Scott, Rossi’s former Marine sergeant with whom he served with in Vietnam on the episode, “The Fallen”, and appeared onstage at Ensemble STudio Theater-LA in Keliher Walsh’s Year of the Rabbit, playing Vietnam vet JC Bridges, who upon returning from his first tour in Vietnam in 1967, experienced hatred and racism in the turbulent States. The play examined wartime experiences from Vietnam and Afghanistan. Click here to read more about the play.

Taylor’s first professional gig was in a National tour of Hair. He honed his craft in repertory theater as a member of Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, and the Organic Theater Company alongside Mantegna, André De Shields, Dennis Franz, Keith Szarabajka, Jack Wallace, and director Stuart Gordon. While in Chicago, he received the Joseph Jefferson Award for Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, and an Emmy Award for his role as Jim in the WTTV production of “Huckleberry Finn.” In 1998, Taylor made his Broadway debut as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, starring alongside Toni Braxton.

In 1979, Taylor moved to Los Angeles, where he has crafted a gallery of memorable characters in film and on television, including his Emmy nominated turn in the long-running CBS hit sitcom “Designing Women” as Anthony Bouvier, the assistant at the fictitious Sugarbaker interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia, starring Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Annie Potts and Jean Smart. He was a series regular on “Dave’s World” (CBS), and has had recurring guest starring appearances on Nickelodeon’s “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” and “Buffalo Bill” (NBC) with Dabney Coleman. He has appeared on “The Unit” (CBS), “Jessie” (Disney Channel),”“Hannah Montana” (Disney Channel), “The Drew Carey Show” (ABC), “Static Shock” (Kids WB!), “Caroline in the City” (NBC), “Aaahh!!! Real Monsters” (Nickelodeon), “Women of the House” (CBS), “In the Heat of the Night” (NBC), “Punky Brewster” (NBC), “What’s Happening Now!”, “Hill Street Blues” (NBC), “ALF” (NBC), “Melba” (CBS), “The Golden Girls” (NBC), “Cagney & Lacey” (CBS), “Barney Miller” (ABC), “M*A*S*H” (CBS), “Lou Grant” (CBS), “The White Shadow” (CBS), “The Incredible Hulk” (CBS), and “Barnaby Jones”(CBS). His made-for-TV movies include The Right Connections with MC Hammer, Sidney Sheldon’s Nothing Lasts Forever with Brooke Shields, Virtual Seduction, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child and Double, Double, Toil and Trouble with the Olsen Twins. Taylor also hosted his own series on HGTV, The Urban Gardener with Meshach Taylor and was a regular panelist on the 2000 revival of the television game show To Tell the Truth. He co-hosted Living Live! with Florence Henderson on Retirement Living TV; in 2008, the program was revamped as The Florence Henderson Show.

Taylor has appeared in the feature films Wigger, Damien: Omen II, The Howling, Jacks or Better, Kid ‘N Play’s Class Act, How to Murder a Millionaire, David Mamet’s House of Games, The Allnighter, Mannequin, Mannequin Two On the Move, The Last Innocent Man with Ed Harris, Explorers, Friends and Family, The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue, One More Saturday Night, Warning Sign, and Inside Out with Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason. He appears in the short films Silencio as Mr. Black, and He Knows My Heart as Bishop Alexander Jameson Sr.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Emmy Award-Nominated Actor Meshach Taylor (“Designing Women”) Guest Stars on Criminal Minds as Rossi’s Former Marine Sergeant, Harrison Scott on November 14, 2012
Meshach Taylor talks Wigger on Wendy Williams Show
Signature Theatre’s Revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson Leads 28th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards Nominations
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Keith David, January LaVoy, John Douglas Thompson, Glynn Turman, Lillias White and More Set for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Chuck Cooper, Austin Pendleton, Nicholas L. Ashe, Kyle Beltran, Grantham Coleman, Jeremy Pope, and Wallace Smith Set for MTC’s World Premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s Choir Boy, June 18- July 21, 2013
Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins Set for Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season
Signature Theatre’s Revival of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Set for Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night at Signature Theatre
Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She is a Signature Theatre alumni who was in the cast of Sam Shepard’s Chicago, during his Signature 1996-1997 Playwright-in-Residence Season.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

NYIFF 2013 Presents Screening of Midnight’s Children, Deepa Mehta, Salman Rushdie, Sarita Choudhury, Samrat Chakrabarti & More to Attend

The 13th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is presenting an exclusive kick-off screening of Midnight’s Children followed by a special Q&A on April 10, 2013. In attendance will be the film’s acclaimed director Deepa Mehta, award-winning writer of the novel Salman Rushdie who also adapted the screenplay, producer David Hamilton, cast members Sarita Choudhury and Samrat Chakrabarti, plus other special guests. Paladin and 108 Media will be officially releasing Midnight’s Children in major U.S. cities starting in New York City on April 26.

(L-R) Author and Screenwriter Salman Rushdie and Director Deepa Mehta

Deepa Mehta returns to NYIFF after her Oscar-nominated film WATER opened the film festival in 2005. “We have had a very long and creatively fruitful relationship with NYIFF. FIRE, the very first film in the elemental Trilogy was shown there and almost every film I have made since,” says Mehta. “Aroon Shivdasani was in fact responsible for the creation of Midnight’s Children. She brought Salman to the premiere screening of WATER in New York and that began a close relationship with Salman, which culminated in the very first film adaptation of any of his novels. It is enormously pleasing for me to be once again collaborating with NYIFF and bringing to their extremely discerning audience Midnight’s Children, a film that I have been dreaming of doing since I first read the book over 30 years ago.”

With this latest masterpiece, Midnight’s Children, Mehta tantalizes audiences with lush visuals and a magical, wide-spanning story. Two babies, born within moments of India proclaiming Independence from Britain, are switched at birth and are forever marked by history.

Long-time supporter of NYIFF, Salman Rushdie also narrates the film. “I’m delighted the film of MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN is to be given this preview screening in New York by my old friends at NYIFF,” says Rushdie. “I look forward to a great evening with you all!” Midnight’s Children has played at festivals worldwide to much critical acclaim. This star-studded event is open only to press and members of the film festival’s presenting organization, the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC).

For Membership and Tickets:
Celebrating its 13th year, NYIFF will run April 30 to May 4. Memberships may be purchased at http://www.iaac.us/Contribution.htm.
Festival Passes and Individual Tickets go on sale in April at the festival’s website: www.iaac.us/NYIFF2013.

About the Film:
Paladin and 108 Media present
Midnight’s Children
148 minutes
Director: Deepa Mehta
Writer: Salman Rushdie
Executive Producers: Deepa Mehta, Dilip Mehta, Salman Rushdie, Doug Mankoff, Andrew Spaulding, Steven Silver, Neil Tabatznik, Elizabeth Karlsen, David Hamilton, Stephen Woolley
Producer: David Hamilton
Cast: Satya Bhabha, Shahana Goswami, Rajat Kapoor, Seema Biswas, Shriya Saran, Siddharth, Ronit Roy, Rahul Bose, Anita Majumdar, Zaib Shaikh, Anupam Kher
Logline: Born in the hour of India’s freedom. Handcuffed to history.
Release Date: April 26 in NY, additional cities in May
English and Urdu with English subtitles

About the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC):
The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian and cross-cultural art forms in North America. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines in the classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from India to exhibit, perform and produce their works here.

About the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF):
The New York Indian Film Festival is the oldest, most prestigious Indian film festival in the United States. It is dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Independent, art house, alternate and diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent. Our mission is to encourage filmmakers to tell their stories, to educate North America about them and their talent and to facilitate the making and distribution of these films. NYIFF boasts five days of premiere screenings of feature, documentary & short films, industry panels, special events, retrospectives, red carpet galas, an award ceremony, packed audiences and amazing media coverage.

Film
13th Annual New York Indian Film Festival Opens with Feroz Abbas Khan’s Dekh Tamasha Dekh on April 30, Closes with Filmistaan on May 4, 2013
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
NYIFF To Screen ‘Saving Face,’ Oscar-Winning Pakistani Documentary, As Part of its Stellar 12th Anniversary Line-up of Films, Festival Runs May 23-27, 2012 at Tribeca Cinemas
David Henry Hwang and FOX Entertainment Japan’s Dan Smith Among Judges for 2013 72-Hour Shootout; Pre-Shootout Events
Asians on Film Festival 2013 Winners Announced; Screenings are February 15 – 17, 2013
Brief Reunion Starring Joel de la Fuente, Alexie Gilmore and Scott Shepherd, Opens in NY & L.A. on January 18, 2013
World Premiere Screening of Lil Tokyo Reporter Starring Chris Tashima at Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, September 14-16, 2012
10 minutes with Sullivan & Son’s Jodi Long, Award Winning Actor and Filmmaker
Multimedia: Screen Actors Guild Foundation’s Conversations with Derek Ting, Linus Roache and Michael Park of $upercapitalist
Lily Mariye’s Model Minority, Jayshree Janu Kharpade’s Fire in Our Hearts, Eliaichi Kimaro’s A Lot Like You, Vincent Sandoval’s Señorita, and Liang Cheng’s My Spiritual Medicine among AAIFF’12 Award Winners
Samrat Chakrabarti in Ajay Naidu’s Ashes, Italo Spinelli’s Gangor and Shome Banerjee’s Hotel New York 2012 at Washington D.C. South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF 2012)
Gattu, Dekh Indian Circus & Shala Garner Top Awards at The 12th Annual New York Indian Film Festival
12th Annual New York Indian Film Festival Nominees for Best Picture, Best Documentary, Best Actor, & Best Actress
Richard Atkinson’s DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz in Theaters on April 24, 2012
Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night | Good Morning Starring Manu Narayan and Seema Rahmani in Theaters on January 20, 2012
DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz, Nabs ”Best Film (USA)” and ”Feature Film Audience Award” at 2011 ITN Distribution Film and New Media Festival
Soham Mehta’s Fatakra Starring Samrat Chakrabarti Screens at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas on August 13
Sixth Annual Asian American Film Festival – Ajay Naidu’s Ashes Screens on May 11 & May 15 in Edgewood, PA
11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival Winners: Sthaniya Sambaad, Aparna Sen, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Bhopali
Photos: Samrat Chakrabarti, Soham Mehta and Shiva Shankar Bajpai at the New York Indian Film Festival
Photos: Neetu Singh Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor at 11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival Opening Night
Samrat Chakrabarti stars in Soham Mehta’s Fatakra, Shiva Shankar Bajpai’s Raju, and Rehana Mirza’s Zameer & Preeti at NYIFF
Nan Melville’s Documentary ‘Nrityagram: For the Love of Dance’ screens at the Newport Beach Film Festival on May 3
Vikas Khanna’s Holy Kitchens Karma to Nirvana premieres at New York Indian Film Festival on 5/7 at Tribeca Cinemas
11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), May 4-8, 2011
Video: Aroon Shivdasani interviews The Waiting City’s Samrat Chakrabarti at the 10th Annual Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival
MIAAC Screens Ashes & The Waiting City, two films featuring Samrat Chakrabarti at SVA Theater
Shailja Gupta’s WALKAWAY with Manu Narayan & Samrat Chakrabarti, Opens on 26 Screens Across 18 Cities
Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night|Good Morning Starring Manu Narayan & Seema Rahmani
Actor Samrat Chakrabarti Receives 2010 TMG Award for Global Achievers
Samrat Chakrabarti is featured in Claire McCarthy’s The Waiting City, which screens at the Toronto International Film Festival
AAIFF Karma Calling, You Don’t Know Jack and Children of Invention
Click here for film articles.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@backstagepasswithliachang.com.

13th Annual New York Indian Film Festival Opens with Feroz Abbas Khan’s Dekh Tamasha Dekh on April 30, Closes with Filmistaan on May 4, 2013

The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) is presenting the 13th Annual New York Indian Film Festival, the oldest and most prestigious film festival for Indian cinema in North America, from Tuesday, April 30 to Saturday, May 4, 2013 in New York City.

The New York Indian Film Festival will kick off its week-long festivities with a star-studded Opening Night red carpet premiere of Feroz Abbas Khan’s DEKH TAMASHA DEKH on April 30, 2013, which will take place at the Skirball Center for Performing Arts.

L-R, Nikhil Ratnaparkhi and Satish Kaushik in Dekh Tamasha Dekh.

Festival screenings will take place throughout the week at Tribeca Cinemas, with Nitin Kakkar’s FILMISTAAN on May 4, 2013, the Closing Night selection to be followed by the annual awards ceremony and after-party at the Skirball Center for Performing Arts. This year marks the launch of a new award at the 2013 Festival that honors student-created short films (five minute or less). Through open, no-fee submissions from film schools, one student will be selected to receive a special award at the Closing Night Award Ceremony

Lyrically interwoven, DEKH TAMASHA DEKH is a social and political satire that cuts deep to the heart of many current issues, a true story based off true events. Written by renowned marathi playwright Shafaat Khan, who creates finely nuanced characters with depth and dimensions and sets them against a lush visual backdrop of a small village in India. The cast features Satish Kaushik, Tanvi Azmi, Vinay Jain, Sharad Ponkshe, Ganesh Yadav, Apoorva Arora and Alok Rajwade. Director Feroz Abbas Khan has directed some of India’s finest acting talent during his career of over two decades and he is at the forefront of Indian theatre today. His debut Film “Gandhi My Father” received rave reviews and won several national and international awards. He now showcases his new cinematic vision as the opening night film for the festival.

“IAAC has an imagination that has expanded to embrace and celebrate the artistic expression of the entire sub- continent,” Khan says. “I was privileged to perform my play Mahatma v/s Gandhi as one of its earlier programs. Gandhi My Father was part of the film festival in 2007.

He adds, “Dekh Tamasha Dekh is a movie I have waited for twelve years to realize. Finally, it was the faith of Mr. Kishore Lulla and Eros International, that it is ready to face the world. The opening night film at NYIFF 2013 is a huge responsibility and honor. I remain grateful to all at IAAC for believing in the film.”

For the closing night of NYIFF, debut director Nitin Kakkar brings his cinematic work of art, FILMISTAAN, exploring Indo-Pak relationships with subtle brilliance. The protagonist, aspiring actor Sharib Hashmi, is assisting an American film crew shooting a documentary in the Indo-Pak border when one night he is kidnapped and held hostage in a small village in Pakistan. When the terrorist group realizes they have kidnapped an Indian and not an American, Hashmi is kept hostage until the mix-up is corrected, and he begins a burgeoning friendship with a young Pakistani. The cast also features Kumud Mishra, Gopal Datt and Inaamulhaq.

“We are proud to be the among the first supporters of immensely talented directors like Feroz Abbas Khan and Nitin Kakkar, says Aseem Chhabra, Festival Director. “It is in keeping with our mission to bring a diverse group of voices to the forefront. The themes of communal harmony and antagonism are shared in our opening and closing films and sheds light to important issues.”

Both directors will be in attendance at the festival.

In conjunction with their stellar cinematic line-up, NYIFF also presents excellent, informative networking events in the form of industry panels. These panels explore in depth such topics as financing, distribution, and production in an increasingly global market, and are helmed by esteemed experts in the film industry.

The New York Indian Film Festival (originally the IAAC Film Festival) started in 2001 following the devastation of the September 11 attacks on New York City. This festival creates an awareness and better understanding of the people and stories from the Indian Diaspora by bringing the most acclaimed feature films, documentaries, and shorts from that region to America’s biggest and most remarkable city. Mira Nair’s ‘Monsoon Wedding’ closed IAAC’s first festival before its worldwide theatrical release. Since then, the festival has provided first-looks at many acclaimed films, including Deepa Mehta’s Oscar-nominated ‘Water,’ Nair’s ‘The Namesake,’ the Sundance audience award-winning ‘Valley of Saints,’ the South by Southwest award-winning, ‘Kumare,’ ‘Gangs of Wasseypur Part 1,’ and the New York Premiere of Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ which won eight Oscars including Best Picture. Some of the artists who have lent their support to the festival include Nair, Mehta, Salman Rushdie, Madhur Jaffrey, Padma Lakshmi, Shabana Azmi, Rishi Kapoor & Neetu Singh Kapoor, Shashi Tharoor, and the late Ismail Merchant.

“I am thrilled to entertain, educate and challenge audiences with yet another year of fantastic Independent films from every country in the Indian subcontinent as well as the global Indian diaspora,” says Indo-American Arts Council Executive Director Aroon Shivdasani. Film Festival Director Aseem Chhabra adds, “We are particularly excited about this year’s festival since it marks 100 years of Indian cinema. As such, we are curating a series of recently restored classics from India, never seen before in this condition. There is no better place for these films to be showcased than at this year’s New York Indian Film Festival.”

For IAAC Membership and NYIFF Tickets:
Celebrating its 13th year, NYIFF will run April 30 to May 4. Memberships may be purchased at http://www.iaac.us/Contribution.htm.

Festival Passes and Individual Tickets go on sale in April at the festival’s website: www.iaac.us/NYIFF2013.

About the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC):
The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit, secular service and resource arts organization charged with the mission of promoting and building the awareness, creation, production, exhibition, publication and performance of Indian and cross-cultural art forms in North America. The IAAC supports all artistic disciplines in the classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to work with artists and arts organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists and arts organizations from India to exhibit, perform and produce their works here.

About the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF):
The New York Indian Film Festival is the oldest, most prestigious film festival in the United States. It is dedicated to showcasing, promoting and building an awareness of Independent, arthouse, alternate and diaspora films from/about/connected to the Indian subcontinent. Our mission is to encourage filmmakers to tell their stories, to educate North America about them and their talent and to facilitate the making and distribution of these films. NYIFF boasts five days of premiere screenings of feature, documentary & short films, industry panels, special events, retrospectives, red carpet galas, an award ceremony, packed audiences and amazing media coverage.

Film
NYIFF 2013 Presents Screening of Deepa Midnight’s Children, Deepa Mehta, Salman Rushdie, Sarita Choudhury, Samrat Chakrabarti & More to Attend
Multimedia: Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
NYIFF To Screen ‘Saving Face,’ Oscar-Winning Pakistani Documentary, As Part of its Stellar 12th Anniversary Line-up of Films, Festival Runs May 23-27, 2012 at Tribeca Cinemas
David Henry Hwang and FOX Entertainment Japan’s Dan Smith Among Judges for 2013 72-Hour Shootout; Pre-Shootout Events
Asians on Film Festival 2013 Winners Announced; Screenings are February 15 – 17, 2013
Photos: 4 Wedding Planners’ Illeana Douglas, Kimberly-Rose Wolter and Michael Kang at Screen Actors Guild Foundation Conversations Series in NY
LA Premiere of $upercapitalist on August 31st with Derek Ting, Kathy Uyen, Rachel Tan, Paul Sheehan and Joyce Yung at LAEMMLE Noho 7; Photos of NY Premiere
10 minutes with Sullivan & Son’s Jodi Long, Award Winning Actor and Filmmaker
Multimedia: Screen Actors Guild Foundation’s Conversations with Derek Ting, Linus Roache and Michael Park of $upercapitalist
Lily Mariye’s Model Minority, Jayshree Janu Kharpade’s Fire in Our Hearts, Eliaichi Kimaro’s A Lot Like You, Vincent Sandoval’s Señorita, and Liang Cheng’s My Spiritual Medicine among AAIFF’12 Award Winners
Samrat Chakrabarti in Ajay Naidu’s Ashes, Italo Spinelli’s Gangor and Shome Banerjee’s Hotel New York 2012 at Washington D.C. South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF 2012)
Gattu, Dekh Indian Circus & Shala Garner Top Awards at The 12th Annual New York Indian Film Festival
12th Annual New York Indian Film Festival Nominees for Best Picture, Best Documentary, Best Actor, & Best Actress
Richard Atkinson’s DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz in Theaters on April 24, 2012
Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night | Good Morning Starring Manu Narayan and Seema Rahmani in Theaters on January 20, 2012
DOGS LIE, Starring Samrat Chakrabarti, Frank Boyd and Ewa Da Cruz, Nabs ”Best Film (USA)” and ”Feature Film Audience Award” at 2011 ITN Distribution Film and New Media Festival
Soham Mehta’s Fatakra Starring Samrat Chakrabarti Screens at Clearview Chelsea Cinemas on August 13
Sixth Annual Asian American Film Festival – Ajay Naidu’s Ashes Screens on May 11 & May 15 in Edgewood, PA
11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival Winners: Sthaniya Sambaad, Aparna Sen, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Bhopali
Photos: Samrat Chakrabarti, Soham Mehta and Shiva Shankar Bajpai at the New York Indian Film Festival
Photos: Neetu Singh Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor at 11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival Opening Night
Samrat Chakrabarti stars in Soham Mehta’s Fatakra, Shiva Shankar Bajpai’s Raju, and Rehana Mirza’s Zameer & Preeti at NYIFF
Nan Melville’s Documentary ‘Nrityagram: For the Love of Dance’ screens at the Newport Beach Film Festival on May 3
Vikas Khanna’s Holy Kitchens Karma to Nirvana premieres at New York Indian Film Festival on 5/7 at Tribeca Cinemas
11th Annual New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), May 4-8, 2011
Video: Aroon Shivdasani interviews The Waiting City’s Samrat Chakrabarti at the 10th Annual Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival
MIAAC Screens Ashes & The Waiting City, two films featuring Samrat Chakrabarti at SVA Theater
Shailja Gupta’s WALKAWAY with Manu Narayan & Samrat Chakrabarti, Opens on 26 Screens Across 18 Cities
Sudhish Kamath’s Good Night|Good Morning Starring Manu Narayan & Seema Rahmani
Actor Samrat Chakrabarti Receives 2010 TMG Award for Global Achievers
Samrat Chakrabarti is featured in Claire McCarthy’s The Waiting City, which screens at the Toronto International Film Festival
AAIFF Karma Calling, You Don’t Know Jack and Children of Invention
Click here for film articles.
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@backstagepasswithliachang.com.

LINSANITY Kicks Off 2013 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) on May 2, 2013 ; Full Lineup Announced

March 29, 2013 – LOS ANGELES Visual Communications (VC), the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, announced its program of outstanding films for the upcoming 29th edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) beginning May 2- 12, 2013 at the Director’s Guild of America (DGA), CGV Cinemas located in Koreatown, the Tateuchi Democracy Forum at NCPD in Little Tokyo, and the historic Art Theatre of Long Beach.

As Southern California’s largest and most prestigious film festival of its kind, the LAAPFF launches the celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month through this year’s slate of over 140 films from both Asian Pacific American and Asian international directors from over 20 countries. Over the past 29 years, the Festival has presented more than 3,600 films and shorts by Asian American and Asian international artists. This year, 33 feature films and 108 shorts will be showcased throughout the 10-day fest.

The Festival will feature many returning filmmakers and producers who continue to make films and still hold true to their own voices as exemplified by amazing curated programs, special presentations and sneak previews of upcoming commercial releases, and the launch of two new programs for the production of new Asian American content. In addition, this year also offers an array of celebrated films from prestigious global film festivals including Sundance, Berlin, Toronto and Cannes Film Festival.

The LAAPFF 29th Edition kicks off with the Los Angeles premiere of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival hit LINSANITY, directed by Evan Jackson Leong, a longtime music video director, non-fiction filmmaker and Visual Communications/LAAPFF alum. This highly anticipated documentary, which received its World Premiere at Sundance 2013, casts a trained eye on Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin starting from his humble beginnings in Palo Alto High School to his Harvard college basketball days and through his magical run in the NBA with the New York Knicks in February 2012. Director Leong chronicles Jeremy Lin’s inspirational story long before that fateful month and at a time when Lin was still struggling to find a place in a league that didn’t want him while never wavering in his faith and hope for an opportunity. LINSANITY is produced by Christopher C. Chen (LOOPER; YEAR OF THE YAO; EVERY LITTLE STEP), actor Brian Yang (“HAWAII FIVE-0″; THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS), and Allen Lu. Daniel Dae Kim (“HAWAII FIVE-O”; “LOST”) narrates the film.

“We are excited to host the L.A. premiere of LINSANITY,” says David Magdael, Festival Co-Producer. “Celebrating opening night with this film, with Evan and his production team, is definitely a proud moment for our Asian American film community.”

The U.S. Centerpiece Presentation features the insightful JAKE SHIMABUKURO: LIFE ON FOUR STRINGS by award-winning documentary filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura (YELLOW BROTHERHOOD; PILGRIMAGE; A SONG FOR OURSELVES). Nakamura’s first feature film offers a compelling portrait of Honolulu-based musician Jake Shimabukuro, an inventive artist whose virtuoso skills on the ukulele transformed the instrument’s understood potential and whose YouTube videos catapulted him into stardom. LIFE ON FOUR STRINGS, which reveals the cultural and personal influences that have shaped the man and the musician, screens on Saturday, May 4 at the DGA.

The LAAPFF is pleased to welcome back director Arvin Chen (AU REVOIR TAIPEI, Festival 2010 Opening Night) with his new feature film, WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW?, as the Film Festival’s International Centerpiece Fresentation. Fresh from its hit world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, this romantic comedy reveals Chen’s growth in filmmaking, and confirms his place as one of Taiwan’s next generation of talented new filmmakers. WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW? tells the story of Weichung, a 39-year-old husband and father; who lives an idyllic life, with a doting wife and adorable young son. As he approaches his 40th birthday, he realizes that he has lost all recollection of the younger gay man that he used to be. It will screen on Sunday, May 5 at the DGA.

“Films like LIFE ON FOUR STRINGS and WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW? reflect the diverse talent across the broad, global spectrum of Asian American cinema,” says Anderson Le, Festival Artistic Director. “This is what we strive to bring our audiences every year, and we are proud to showcase these works in Los Angeles.”

The Festival’s closing night gala presentation is Japanese director Kenji Uchida’s award winning screwball comedy KEY OF LIFE. A satirical take on identity theft and finding one’s true self, the film stars Japan’s award winning Masato Sakai as a failed actor who contemplates suicide after being dumped by his girlfriend. But before committing suicide Sakurai heads off to a public bathhouse. At the bathhouse, he then witnesses a man named Kondo (Teruyuki Kagawa) slip on a bar of soap and knocked out, right in front of Sakurai. On a sudden whim, Sakurai switches locker keys with Kondo and takes his identity. Kondo, on the other hand, is whisked to the hospital where he suffers amnesia. He is then given the contents in Sakurai’s locker and soon embodies his strange, new life. Unbeknownst to Sakurai, he soon realizes that his new identity has yakuza ties. The film received its World Premiere at the 2012 Shanghai International Film Festival and will be released in U.S. cinemas in June.

This year, the LAAPFF will present a number of outstanding award winning films from some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. This year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary World Cinema, A RIVER CHANGES COURSE by San Francisco-based director Kalyanee Mam will have its Los Angeles premiere on May 4 at the DGA. Her beautiful and important first feature film covers the lives of three young Cambodians struggling to overcome the crushing effects of deforestation, overfishing and overwhelming debt working and living on the Tonle Sap River in Cambodia. Mam was the director photography for the Oscar® winning film INSIDE JOB.

Other global festival favorites include: JISEUL by O Muel (winner, World Cinema Narrative Grand Jury Award, 2013 Sundance Film Festival); FALLEN CITY by Zhao Qi (2013 Sundance Film Festival); ABIGAIL HARM by Lee Isaac Chung (2012 Busan International Film Festival) starring Amanda Plummer; WHEN I WALK by Jason DaSilva (2013 Sundance Film Festival); THE PLAYBACK SINGER by Suju Vijayan (New Visions Award Winner, 2013 CineQuest Film Festival); SAKE-BOMB by Junya Sakino (2013 SXSW Film Festival); and COMRADE KIM GOES FLYING by Anja Daelemans, Nick Bonner and Kim Gwang Hun (Toronto International Film Festival/Busan International Film Festival/Pyongyang International Film Festival).

“The LAAPFF has become one of the main stops on the festival circuit for these major award winning festival films,” states Abraham Ferrer, LAAPFF Senior Programmer. “We are honored to showcase these important voices from our filmmakers from around the world bringing their films to Southern California.”

In addition to features, documentaries and short films, the Festival also presents content from the burgeoning New Media space. Two productions, made especially for online distribution, are highlighted in this year’s program — NICE GIRLS CREW, from award-winning director Tanuj Chopra (PUNCHING AT THE SUN) and creator-producer Christine Kwon, returns to the Festival with a second season of comedy between three frenemies (played with zeal and zaniness by Asian American actresses Michelle Krusiec, Lynn Chen and Sheetal Sheth), who bond, fight, and cry together in their own solitary book club. For this new season, the cast has grown to accommodate the talents of Leonardo Nam (THE PERFECT SCORE, SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS) and Parvesh Cheena (OUTSOURCED).

The second web-based project presented at this year’s Festival is an adaptation of award-winning play and produced by Justin Lin’s YOMYOMF Network on YouTube. YELLOW FACE is about DHH (Ryun Yu), an Asian American playwright who casts Marcus (Christopher Gorham), a Caucasian actor, in his new show after mistakenly believing Marcus is part Asian. An entertaining mix of fact and fiction that defies any easy categorization, Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang’s play — a planned YouTube adaptation — features a distinguished cast including a mix of veterans and newbies from film, TV, theater and YouTube. This “work-in-progress” presentation will be followed by a panel discussion led by Bing Chen, Global Creator Development & Management Lead at YouTube, Philip W. Chung, creative director of the YOMYOMF Network, Jeff Liu, the director of this project, and members of the cast.

“New media is a sector that Asian American content creators have thrived through innovation and capturing dedicated audiences. With the likes of Ryan Higa, KevJumba, Freddie Wong, and Wongfu Productions who have huge followings and have managed to monetize their content on YouTube, online media is where its at,” says Anderson Le, the Festival’s Artistic Director. “The YOMYOMF Network is doing innovative things by becoming a defacto entertainment network that can do a plethora of content, from reality competition shows, to music videos, to broad comedies. YELLOWFACE and NICE GIRLS CREW are two examples of now trying to carve specific niches within the broad world of Asian American online consumers, who are looking for diversified and prestige content.”

As independent film continues to grow and change at a rapid pace with respect to funding and getting productions off the ground, so do the available resources for filmmakers. Once again, Visual Communications, through the LAAPFF, will also host PROJECT CATALYST, a film and TV project development initiative specifically designed to help usher in new stories and ideas into production and distribution. PROJECT CATALYST serves as a launchpad for filmmakers of Asian descent to showcase their narrative feature and TV spec projects to Financiers, Producers, Production Companies, Artists, Agents, Managers and Industry Executives. At last year’s Project Catalyst (previously known as Project Market), filmmakers, combined, had over 140 meetings and numerous networking engagements, enabling them with the contacts, information and confidence they need to make their film. This year, in an effort to find unique and visionary stories nine narrative projects have been chosen to participate in this unique opportunity. In addition to participating in the panels, a pitch session with the Jury and one-on-one industry meetings, a cash prize will be awarded. This award will be determined by an esteemed panel of jurors and will be announced at the closing ceremonies of the Festival.

“At Visual Communications, it is our goal to ensure that our stories are being told by our artists,” states Executive Director and Festival Executive Producer Shinae Yoon. “PROJECT CATALYST is a unique opportunity to provide resources and access to help nurture and incubate our Asian Pacific American talent. We are looking forward to the scripts and potential projects that our filmmakers will present this year with the hope of discovering new talent and new stories.”

With over 60 women directors showcased this year, the LAAPFF celebrates the voices of women filmmakers. Festival goers will be able to interact with the WOMEN GOT THE POWER! panel on Sunday, May 5 at the DGA which focusses on female producing talent who have put their stamp on the current landscape by claiming their own voice in a very male-dominated industry. A new generation of Asian Pacific American women producing talent will be featured including Soojin Chung; Vera Miao; and Suju Vijayan and others to be confirmed.

The LAAPFF 29th Edition will mark the 10th Anniversary of the passing of Visual Communications’ visionary Executive Director, Linda Mabalot with the special program HOWZIT! A VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS TRIBUTE TO LINDA MABALOT. The program will be dedicated to her policy of nurturing the next generation of Asian Pacific American filmmakers. The program will include a screening of select past recipients of the LINDA MABALOT NEW DIRECTORS/NEW VISIONS AWARD, a LAAPFF juried award recognizing innovative use of cinematic language; and will culminate with the inaugral presentation of the LINDA MABALOT LEGACY FUND SCHOLARSHIP to a woman filmmaker whose work reflects Mabalot’s deep commitment to community justice and social issue documentary filmmaking. This will take place on May 5 at the DGA.

Continuing last year’s success, the LAAPFF expands to the South Bay during the Closing weekend. On Saturday May 11, select works will be presented at the historic Art Theatre of Long Beach including encore presentations of Film Festival award-winners and curated films from Pacific Islander, Taiwanese, Filipino and Native Hawaiian communities. This Festival extension will showcase TONGUES OF HEAVEN by Anita Chang; TO WEAVE A NAME (E Haku Inoa) by Christen Marquez; THE HAUMANA by Keo Woolford; and HARANA by Benito Bautista.

This year’s competition of Asian American feature films reflect a varied group of compelling story tellers.

The 2013 documentary competition line-up includes:
A RIVER CHANGES COURSE – Kalyanee Mam (Cambodia/United States)
HARANA – Benito Bautista (Philippines/United States)
JAKE SHIMAUKURO: LIFE ON FOUR STRINGS – Tadashi Nakamura (United States)
LINSANITY – Evan Jackson Leong (United States)
RASKAL LOVE – Byron Q (United States)
STATELESS – Duc Nguyen (United States)
TO WEAVE A NAME (E Haku Inoa) – Christen Marquez (United States)
TONGUES OF HEAVEN – Anita Chang (United States / Taiwan)
WHEN I WALK – Jason DaSilva (United States/Canada)
XMAS WITHOUT CHINA – Alicia Dwyer (United States)

The 2013 narrative competition line-up includes:
ABIGAIL HARM – Lee Isaac Chung (United States)
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER – Brea Grant (United States)
CHINK – Stanley Yung (United States)
THE HAUMANA – Keo Woolford (United States)
THE PLAYBACK SINGER – Suju Vijayan (United States)
SAKE-BOMB – Junya Sakino (United States)
SOMEONE I USED TO KNOW – Nadine Truong (United States)

The 2013 international showcase line-up includes:
COMRADE KIM GOES FLYING – Kim Gwang-hun, Nicholas Bonner, Anja Daelemans (North Korea/Belgium/United Kingdom)
DREAMS FOR SALE (Yume Uru Futari) – Miwa Nishikawa (Japan)
FALLEN CITY – Zaho Qi (People’s Republic of China)
JISEUL – O Muel (South Korea)
KEY OF LIFE (Kagi Dorobo no Mesotdo) – Uchida Kenji (Japan)
THE SOUND OF CRICKETS AT NIGHT (Ainikien Jidjid ilo Boñ) – Jack Niedenthal, Suzanne Chutaro (Marshall Islands)
TOKYO BOY – Sato Yoshinori (Japan)
TOUCH OF THE LIGHT – Chang Jung-Chi (Taiwan, ROC)
WHAT ISN’T THERE (Ang Nawawalang) – Marie Jamora (Philippines)
WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW? – Arvin Chen (Taiwan, ROC)

The 2013 line-up of special presentations includes:
DEAD DAD – Ken J. Adachi (United States)
HAFU: THE MIXED RACE EXPERIENCE IN JAPAN – Lara Perez Takagi, Megumi Nishikura (Japan)
NICE GIRLS CREW: SEASON 2 – Tanuj Chopra (United States)
YELLOWFACE – Jeff Liu (United States)
“Secret Screening Presentation” – (United States, South Korea)
For program information, a complete listing of sponsors and partners, and to purchase tickets, log on to www.vconline.org/festival or contact Visual Communications at (213) 680-4462 x59. Tickets go on sale on April 5, 2013.

The Festival is honored to partner once again with the Directors Guild of America as its main screening venue during the Festival’s Opening Weekend. This state-of-the-art theater is where the Festival will screen its Opening Night Film as well as its Centerpiece Presentations.

The Festival will also screen at CGV Cinemas, situated in the heart of Los Angeles Koreatown. Festival screenings will begin on Friday May 3, through the Closing Night Gala, and wrap on May 12.

The screenings in Long Beach will be held at the historic Art Theatre on Saturday, May 11.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival presented by Visual Communications is the Southland’s premier showcase for the best and brightest of Asian Pacific cinema. Since 1983, the Film Festival has presented over 3,400 films and videos by Asian international and Asian American artists, and additionally features seminars and panels, in-person guest appearances, and filmmaker awards.

ABOUT VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS
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 mission of Visual Communications is to promote intercultural understanding through the creation, presentation, preservation and support of media works by and about Asian Pacific Americans.

Other articles by Lia Chang:
David Henry Hwang and FOX Entertainment Japan’s Dan Smith Among Judges for 2013 72-Hour Shootout; Pre-Shootout Events
Asians on Film Festival 2013 Winners Announced; Screenings are February 15 – 17, 2013
World Premiere Screening of Lil Tokyo Reporter Starring Chris Tashima at Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, September 14-16, 2012
Jose Llana, Ruthie Ann Miles, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Conrad Ricamora, Kelvin Moon Loh and More Set for World Premiere of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love at The Public, April 2 – May 19, 2013
Photos: All-Access Pass to August Wilson’s Two Trains Running with John Earl Jelks, Harvy Blanks,Chuck Cooper, Anthony Chisholm, Owiso Odera, Roslyn Ruff and James A. Williams
Signature Theatre’s 2013-14 Season Features New Works by Albee, Hwang, Enos, Taylor, Wilson, Clarke and Jacobs-Jenkins
Keith David, January LaVoy, John Douglas Thompson, Glynn Turman, Lillias White and More Set for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the CTG/Mark Taper Forum, April 24 – June 9, 2013
Chay Yew Directs A.C.T.’s World Premiere of Stuck Elevator, April 4-28, 2013
East West Players Presents Chess at the David Henry Hwang Theater, May 9 – June 9, 2013
Signature Theatre’s Revival of David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Set for Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013
Paul Giamatti Leads Yale Rep’s Production of Hamlet, March 15-April 13, 2013
Photos: David Henry Hwang’s The Dance and The Railroad Opening Night
Harlem Nights with Lorey Hayes, Actress, Director and Award-Winning Playwright of Power Play and Massinissa
Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2013 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com