Category Archives: vancouver

2012 Vancouver Asian Film Festival

2012 Vancouver Asian Film Festival

The 2012 Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) will take place on November 1-4, 2012, at the Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas in Vancouver. Close to 3,000 audience members are expected to attend the four-day festival. The opening film for the 2012 Vancouver Asian Film Festival is the Canadian premiere of DAYLIGHT SAVINGS, the second installment of the SURROGATE VALENTINE trilogy. SURROGATE VALENTINE was 2011 VAFF’s closing film, and attracted a lot of buzz and a sold-out crowd. Lead actors, Goh Nakamura and Yea-ming Chen (who both play themselves in the movie), will be in attendance at the opening. Other films shown during the festival include LOST LAGOON directed by local filmmaker Rob Leickner, the closing night film, WHITE FROG, starring Joan Chen, BD Wong, Harry Shum Jr. (from Glee) and Booboo Stewart (from the Twilight Saga), the South Asian short SECOND BEST, Model Minority, Sunset Stories starring Sung Kang, and Knots. You can get tickets here.

2012 Vancouver Asian Film Festival

2011 Vancouver Asian Film Festival

2011 Vancouver Asian Film Festival

The 2011 Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) will take place on November 3-6, 2011, at the Cineplex Odeon
International Village Cinemas in Vancouver. Over 3,000 audience members are expected to attend the four-day
festival. Among the many films of 2011 VAFF is opening film ALMOST PERFECT, starring Kelly Hu of X-MEN 2 fame and Hong Kong celebrity Edison Chen, who will be in attendance at the opening along with award-winning director Bertha Bay-sa Pan. This romantic comedy, stars Kelly Hu (X-Men 2) as the thirty-something “go-to” daughter in a dysfunctional Asian American family who keeps fixing everybody’s problems but forgets to have a life of her own.

Centerpiece film ASHES is its main actor Ajay Naidu’s directorial debut and he will be in attendance for the screening. It is a cautionary tale of mental illness, greed and the definition of family both real and imagined. A story of two brothers living in the inner city, one descends into the grips of manic-depressive schizoid disorder, while the other, Ashes, absconds from his responsibility and tries to become a wealthy drug dealer. Fraught with contradiction, the story is a meditation on how easy it is to fall through the cracks of today’s health-care system and how we ultimately find grace in the face of suicide.

The closing night presentation SURROGATE VALENTINE, which stars San Francisco musician and rising star Goh
Nakamura, and will be shown on Sunday, November 6 at 7:30 pm. Lead Actress Lynn Chen will be in attendance. In SURROGATE VALENTINE, Goh Nakamura’s life of solitude is disrupted when he is hired to teach TV actor
Danny Turner (Chadd Stoops) how to play guitar for an upcoming film. Together, the two embark on a hilarious West Coast adventure involving live gigs, groupies, shotgun wielding record exes and an unexpected friendship. Along the way, Goh discovers that Danny may be the missing puzzle piece in his life-long chase for Rachel (Lynn Chen), the one that got away.

Other highlights of interest includes loads of short films, Slaying the Dragon Reloaded: Asian Women in Hollywood and Beyond, The Learning, The Potential Wives of Norman Mao, and more.

Get more info and ticket information here.

2011 Vancouver Asian Film Festival

Balikbayan travel writing contest

For all our Canadian readers, here’s something you might be interested in.

As technology advances and the world becomes smaller, we are becoming as a nation, increasingly sophisticated and diverse. In this new global landscape, few understand this international perspective as much as Schema Magazine. As one of Canada’s premiere sources for “ethnic cool,” Schema has been making waves with its coverage of pop culture news, feature interviews, and perspectives that speak to the minds of the new multicultural generation of Canadians.  With its popular in-depth feature series, *“But Where Are You Really From?” *Schema asked readers to describe their experiences defining their identities. Now, Schema seeks to probe further into the quest for cultural definition, by hosting Balikbayan, Schema’s first-ever travel writing contest!

In partnership with Dot Asia, Schema invites its Canadian readers to answer this thought-provoking question:

“As a second or third generation Canadian, how has international travel to your country of cultural origin changed your worldview?”

Entrants are asked to submit a 500 – 1500 written submission, photo journal or video describing how their recent travel experiences, or recent connection to their own sense of culture (however multi-layered that might be) have inspired them, changed the way they look at the world, and how they have brought that back to life in Canada as a result.

Winning entries will be published on Schema, with the grand prize winner receiving up to $500 in cash prizes and a free Dot Asia domain name for two years!  Schema will be taking submissions until *November 16, 2010*. Please send submissions to submit@schemamag.ca Complete contest rules can be found here.

For more information please contact:

Editorial Information and Interviews: Christina Jung, Co-Editor in Chief,
Schema Magazine InDepth – Christina.jung@schemamag.ca

Contest Inquiries: Jordana Mah, Marketing, Social Media and Special Events
Coordinator – Jordana.mah@schemamag.ca

Here’s some Balikbayan Box motivation from HappySlip

*About DotAsia Organisation*

DotAsia Organisation (http://www.registry.asia) is a not for profit corporation with a mission to promote Internet development and adoption in Asia. The organization oversees the ‘.Asia’ top level Internet domain name, and is formed as an open consortium of 20 official top level domain authorities around the region, including .CN (China), .JP (Japan), .KR (Korea), .IN (India), .NZ (New Zealand), .PH (Philippines), etc., and 5 regional Internet organizations including APNIC, APNG, APCERT, PAN and APTLD. Asia has developed into a global force in the international commercial, political and cultural network. The .Asia domain aspires to embrace this dynamism in the Asia Century to become a nucleus, intersection and breeding ground for Internet activity and development in the region. For more information please visit www.registry.asia.

*About Schema Magazine*

Schema Magazine is a blend of pop-culture and identity from the perspective of being 1.5, 2nd generation and beyond. It is a reflection of the new Canadian mainstream, as expressed in the sensibilities of mixed-race, trans-national and urban-living Canadians between the ages of 18 and 35.

2010 Vancouver Asian Film Festival

2010 Vancouver Asian Film Festival

The Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) takes place November 4-7, 2010. VAFF is celebrating its 14th anniversary of showcasing independent North American Asian filmmakers through selected special features, shorts and documentaries. This year VAFF will also be featuring spotlight presentations of South Asian, Filipino, Japanese, and local films. Here’s some highlights for this year’s festival:

Opening night – For Real
centerpiece – Sing! China
Closing night – One Big HAPA Family

Other film’s of interest Aoki, Wo Ai Ni Mommy, and Empire Corner. Get ticket information here.

2010 Vancouver Asian Film Festival Trailer

2009 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival

This ones for our Canadian readers. The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (Reel Asian) will celebrate its 13th year as Canada’s premier showcase of contemporary Asian cinema November 11 to 15, 2009. Here’s some of the highlights for the film festival:

Opening Night Film – Overheard

Centerpiece Film – Red Heroine

Closing Night Film – Breathless

Other films of note include White on Rice, Fruitfly, and The Ache. For t he full line up, go here.

2009 Reel Asian International Film Festival trailer

Flower Drum Song in Vancouver

Hey Vancouver readers!! You are getting a special presentation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s FLOWER DRUM SONG from May 29 to June 14, 2009 put on by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre. Continuing to celebrate 10 successful years as the city’s premiere Asian Canadian theatre company, Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (VACT) is excited to announce that it will be staging Rodgers & Hammerstein’s FLOWER DRUM SONG at The Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island.

This is the very first time that this Tony award-winning Broadway musical will be presented in Vancouver as a full production, during this, the 50th anniversary of the play. Another milestone for Vancouver theatre will be the all-Asian-Canadian cast, along with an Asian Canadian production team. Check out the cast and crew here.

Do you enjoy being a girl? Teaser for Flower Drum Song

Chop Suey at VACT Teaser

Somethigns Cooking at VACT Teaser