Assocation of Asian American Studies Conference Day 3

After the conference closed today, Aram and I tried to see some of the city.


We went to Millennium Park. Really cool architecture.


This metal bean was really fun.


Aram taking a minute to admire the view.





In the evening we headed to Chicago's chinatown.

Tomorrow the conference is over. It's been a really great experience. I think it's going to be really busy tomorrow. Gotta get some sleep.

Assocation of Asian American Studies Conference Day 2

Woke up bright and early to set up the Reel Asian table. We had many comments about our beautiful posters.


Aram with Laureen Chew, a professor at San Francisco State University, was Amy in Wayne Wang 's Chan is Missing and Geraldine in Dim Sum.


The conference center is HUGE. It's possibly the biggest building I have ever been in. I just looked it up actually. And its the biggest conventional center in North America (3rd in the world!).


We realized it wasn't self evident having books on a table that we were in fact selling the book, so I had to make this temporary sign. It got some laughs and consequently, some sales!


Aram chatting with a rep from Stanford Press.


There are about 15 vendor in the book room. And I can safely say, we sell the best book on Asian Canadian film.

The first real day at AAAS has been amazing. We've met lots of people and I even managed to get in a screening of Who Killed Vincent Chin. Aram is off to see Option 3 tonight at the Asian American Showcase.

Hey Folks!

Well, today I hopped on a jet plane and took a short flight over the border.


CHICAGO!!! I met up with former RAFF staff member Aram Siu Wai Collier. We're here to attend the 2008 Association for Asian American Studies.


On our way to eat some deep dish Chicago style pizza.


Amazing. Soooo good.


Chicago's got some crazy architecture. Looks like something out of Blade Runner.

Tonight we're working up a game plan for tomorrow. We're here to represent the book that was co-published by Reel Asian. If you don't already know about it, find out more here.

Opening of SFIAFF in San Jose...

Joyce Wong was nice enough to provide some coverage of the opening of the SJ portion of SFIAFF.


Mike Honda with some opening remarks.


Richie Mehta (Director of Amal)


Richie and Vik Sahay during their Q&A of Amal.


Christina, Andrew Thompson (Sr. Public Affairs Officer at the Canadian Consulate), Nadia Scipio Del Campo (also from the Canadian Consulate) and Joyce at the opening after party at the San Jose Museum of Art.

Reel Asian Co-Presents at Images Festival

In a city awash with festivals, the Images Festival has carved out a unique and important place for itself as the pre-eminent showcase for contemporary moving image media and installation work. This year, Images presents over 116 selections from all regions of Canada and over 20 countries from around the globe.

Reel Asian board member Pablo de Ocampo is the Artistic Director of the Images Festival, and we are proud to co-present the following work at the 21st Annual Images Festival:

International Shorts Program 1:

Glimmers of Light Disappear in The Distant Shadows
Friday April 4, 2008 | 9:00 PM | Admission: PWYC (Pay What You Can)
Joseph Workman Theatre | 1001 Queen Street West at Ossington

Silhouettes and rolling seas, rain and planes drop from the sky with shaky landings. Leaves glisten and bees swarm in dark dreams and recollections. Program includes:

In A Year With 13 Deaths

Jonathan Schwartz | USA 2008 | 16mm | 3min
Light shimmering in water, rippling darkness descending, passing vistas and fluttering intervals.

Rehearsals for Retirement

Phil Solomon | USA 2008 | video | 10min
The second segment of In Memoriam Mark La Pore; a trio of works entirely composed of images culled from the video game Grand Theft Auto. A lone shadow traverses misty woods of lush green and blue and watches lightning strike and a burning hearse.

Children of Shadows

Naoyuki Tsuji | Japan 2006 | 16mm | 18min
Black and white drawings with lingering shadows of children set the stage for this dark and mysterious animation. Amidst a sparse and haunting soundtrack, teardrops mingle and mutate into fields of daisies and slow drips turn to bunnies hopping down a woman's legs.

Ring

Robert Todd | USA 2007 | 16mm | 12min
Macro darkness glistening in contrast, light dancing as fleshy pulp sparkles. This film has a foreboding soundtrack that swells and retreats with pulsating extreme close ups and quivering focus pulls.

The Beekeeper

Sara Preibsch | Sweden/UK 2007 | 35mm | 19min
A beautiful and poetic portrait of an aging beekeeper recounting his experiences while escaping Germany through the Alps on foot.

90 Years

Jonathan Schwartz | USA 2008 | 16mm | 3min
An elderly man is assisted into the cockpit of a small plane, takes off, ascends, and is surveyed from the runway, only to land once again in silence.

After the screening, there will be a reception at InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre (9 Ossington Avenue @ Queen Street West), from 10pm onwards.

S is for Student

Monday April 7, 2008 | 9:00 PM | Admission: PWYC (Pay What You Can)
Joseph Workman Theatre | 1001 Queen Street West at Ossington
Reel Asian double-award winner (and 2007 Canadian Spotlight artist) Lesley Loksi Chan reps her alma mater, York University, as one of the curators of this programme featuring all student work. Korean American filmmaker Bum Lee's film Sports and Diversions (pictured left) returns to local screens as part of this programme, after making its Canadian debut last year at RA's Down The Rabbit Hole animation shorts programme.

The S is for Student programme screens separately and is not co-presented by Reel Asian.

Going Behind The Camera ...

(Left to Right)
Peter Kuplowsky ||Moderator
President, CINSSU

Colin Geddes || Panelist
Ultra 8 Pictures & International Programmer, Toronto International Film Festival

Bart Testa||Panelist
Cinema Studies Institute, University of Toronto


Colin Geddes shmoozing at Innis after the screening.


Reel Asian crew going to Chinatown for some late night eats.