Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival

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Farah Goes Bang

Freedom’s just another word for ONE thing left to lose. Farah Goes Bang, which won Best Narrative Feature last year, will be screening this month as part of a great partnership with Theatre N in Wilmington, Delaware. The film is the story of a Persian American woman in her twenties who tries to lose her virginity during a cross-country road-trip, campaigning for John Kerry. It’s an interesting revisionist perspective on American life taking place just one decade ago during the 2004 election. The coming-of-age comedy confronts stereotypes of gender, and what it means to be a woman of Middle Eastern descent in post-9/11 America. WHEN: Friday, May 8th – Sunday, May 10th WHERE: Theater N COST: $9 WEBSITE: http://theatren.net

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Brownsville Song

Check out a special presentation of the play “brownsville song (b-side for tray)” with playwright Kimber Lee in attendance Sunday, May 17th at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Following the 3pm matinee, Kimber will be interviewed from the stage and will be available afterward for a small reception. The play directed by Eric Ting will be running from May 1st to the 31st and focuses on eighteen-year-old Tray, who is committed to making something of himself. He’s working on his college essay, boxing at the gym, and holding down a part-time job. When he happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, a senseless act ends his life, leaving his family to ponder what might have been. This poetic and powerful story jumps between a hopeful future and an uncertain present to show a unique perspective on urban violence. WHEN: May 1st -30th WHERE: Suzanne Roberts Theatre COST: Tickets Start at $5 WEBSITE: philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

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9th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Festival

Mark your calendars, Saturday, May 9th in Franklin Square Park for a day of festivities to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Not only will we be screening short films, but there will also be Asian food trucks, a beer garden, a children’s fair, and more! Admission is free and the event will run from 1:00pm – 9:00pm, rain or shine!

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Film Series: Cab Calloway’s Hi-De-Ho & Don’t Lose Your Soul

Film Series: Cab Calloway’s Hi-De-Ho and Don’t Lose Your Soul At The Clef Club Wednesday, April 29th @ 6:30pm This free screening in partnership with PAAFF at the Clef Club, pairs Cab Calloway’s Hi-De-Ho, a jazz musical short with a comedic take on marital infidelity with Don’t Lose Your Soul directed by PAAFF alum Jim Choi. The film traces the origin of the Asian American Jazz Movement through the partnership of pioneering bassist Mark Izu and drummer Anthony Brown. Taking root during the ethnic identity movements of the 1970s, their band United Front provided a voice to their generation through music. This film culminates at Sanju, the 30th Anniversary of the Asian American Jazz Festival, featuring legendary saxophonist George Yoshida, for one electric night of performance at Yoshi’s Oakland Jazz Club. Click here for more information.

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Dead Banging Movie

Movie Monday at the Troc Presents: Dead Banging (Metaruka) Monday, April 20th @ 9:30pm The event is 21+ and $10. Dead Banging the 2013 Japanese horror/comedy also directed by Eiji Uchida, will be screening at the Trocadero for their Movie Monday on April 20th. The film stars Ryusuke Komakine, Shôko Nakahara, Shûgo Oshinari and Kyoko Watanabe (a real-life all-girl rock band, Gacharic Spin) as a failing rock band who instantly make it big after recruiting a zombie, as their lead singer.

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Greatful Dead Movie Screening

PAAFF and PIFF Present: Greatful Dead with Director Eiji Uchida in Attendance Friday, April 17th @ 8:15pm At the Gershman Y, tickets $10 We are very excited to be teaming up with the The Philadelphia Independent Film Festival for a screening of the Japanese black comedy Greatful Dead Friday, April 17th with director Eiji Uchida in attendance. It’s REAR WINDOW meets AUDITION in this Japanese independent horror comedy. Nami, a cynical young woman without a family, spends her days people watching. During one of her spying sessions, she becomes fascinated by an elderly man whose curmudgeonly ways she finds relatable. But when the man finds solace and joy in a religious community, Nami must intervene to preserve his solitary lifestyle. The screening will take place Friday April 17th from 8:15pm – 10:00pm at the Gershman Y 401 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19147, tickets for the event will be $10. If you enjoy the film, April 18th from 8:00pm – 10:00pm stop by for a meet and greet with director Eiji Uchida at BarLy. Rumor has it the director is in town shooting a new genre film.

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Tour de Film Event: Bicycle-centric Films & Photography

Join SPOKE magazine and cineSPEAK for an evening of Bicycle-centric Film, Photography, and Community Engagement TICKETS: Friday, April 10 **ADVANCE: $8 **AT DOOR: Youth 18 and Under: FREE* Students: $8 w/Photo ID General Adult: $10 CASH BAR (suggested donation)::: 21+ for beer/wine; Boylan’s craft soda and seltzer also available *Youth 18 and Under: receive a complimentary Boylan’s craft soda or seltzer cineSPEAK and SPOKE Magazine are partnering to present an evening of foreign language film programming. We will be screening two unique stories, “Wadjda” and “Jitensha,” from around the world, both centered on bicycles. “Jitensha” was directed by PAAFF’14 alumni Dean Yamada. Prior to the viewing there will be beer, music, and photography because we know how you bright young things like to party. Please join us at The Glass Factory (1517 N. Bailey St, 19121) in Brewerytown on Friday April 10 at 6:30pm for this great event! Click here for more info. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:6:30-8pm: Pop-Up Gallery + Community Gathering of Bicycling Advocacy Organizations and Small Businesses8-10pm: Film Screening: “Jitensha” (21 min) + “Wadjda” (98 min)*films shown on DVD and Blu-ray ABOUT THE FILMS:WadjdaSaudi Arabia. 2013. Director: Haifaa al Mansour**This film is the first female directed full-length feature film to come out of Saudi Arabia. It was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2014 BAFTA Awards and was Saudi Arabia’s official submission for the 2014 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film category.SYNOPSIS: Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun-loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she shouldn’t be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda’s mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself. WATCH THE TRAILER Jitensha (The Bicycle) Japan. 2009. Director: Dean YamadaSYNOPSIS: Jitensha is a story about a young man struggling to find meaning in life. Alone and without work, the young man’s bicycle begins to disappear, piece by piece. He receives a letter from the thief that sends him on a journey to resurrect and reassemble his beloved possession. WATCH THE TRAILER   ABOUT THE ARTIST*: Raphael Xavier is a Philadelphia-based multifaceted artist whose work ranges from breakdancing to music producing. We will be showcasing his documentary short film, “No Bicycle Parking”. Photographed over a 15 year period, Xavier collected hundreds of abandoned and stripped bikes to create a silent tableau of loss and mourning from cities around the world. His project was featured in Bike Magazine 2003, the Sweeney Art Gallery’s Re-Cycle-Bike Culture exhibit in 2010, The Painted Bride Art Center in 2013 and several major online publications. *The artist will be in attendance and will be selling copies of his book. 

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HBO Seeks Diverse, Emerging Writers for HBOAccess Writing Fellowship

HBO announced the launch of the HBOAccess Writing Fellowship which will begin accepting applications on March 4, 2015. The program will give emerging writers from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to attend a week of master classes held at the HBO campus in Santa Monica, California focusing on character and story development, pitching ideas and projects, securing an agent, and networking. Each participant will then enter into an eight month writing phase where he/she will be paired with an HBO development executive and guided through the script development process. At the conclusion of the program, HBO will hold a reception and staged reading for industry professionals where the writers will be introduced to the entertainment industry. The HBOAccess Writing Fellowship is open to diverse and female writers 21 and older who must be able to work in the US. Prior to the application, the writer must not have been staffed on a network or cable series in excess of 13 episodes and/or had more than one feature film or more than two plays produced. All submissions must be made through the online portal, Without A Box, and will require a resume, a writing sample, a completed release form and a personal essay in 500 words or less explaining how his/her background has influenced his/her storytelling. For more information on eligibility, visit here.

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Asian Americans at the Oscars: Big Hero 6

While there is still a long way to go in terms of diversity at the Oscars, the Asian American community was not only represented it even took home a few statues this year. Best animated feature went to Big Hero 6, a film that featured Disney’s first mixed race lead in its Asian American protagonist Hiro Hamada played by the Japanese American Ryan Potter. While the film was a love letter to Japanese culture by Disney, the film did a great job at not resorting to stereotypes when portraying Hiro or his multi-ethnic family. Tom Cross a Vietnamese American, also took home an Academy Award for editing on staff favorite Whiplash. That was the film’s third Oscar win of the night.   Marketing Director Dan Tabor actually got a chance to interview Ryan Potter, for Geekadelphia, a hyper-local arts and entertainment blog. It’s definitely worth a read since Ryan discusses what it was like for him to be the be the first Asian American in a Disney film and what that meant to him growing up in both San Francisco and Tokyo. You can read the interview HERE.

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