Happy New Year of the Dragon (soon…) & Hello from Sydney!

SYDNEY:

Wishing all our members, followers and supporters a great new year for 2012 and soon for the Lunar New Year of the Mighty Dragon!

It’s fitting that our very first event for the year on 5 January 2012 was at the dragon gates of Sydney’s Chinatown, where the AAFFN held a casual catch up with a number of our Sydney based speakers from our inaugural event last year, plus a few new faces.  The meeting was attended by Asian Australian actors, producers, directors, a photographer/composer, academics and a theatre artist/documentary maker.  A special highlight for all was seeing Annette Shun Wah, our keynote speaker from the AAFF2011, who reminded everyone to make use of the Performance 4A Asian Australian performance directory. It’s free and has resulted in a number of gigs for folks.  Additional thanks to the wonderful Yu Ye Wu, arts worker at ICE and 4A Art Centre, who suggested we all try out the new ‘MEET FRESH’ dessert bar for discussions about acting, directing, funding, studies and various ambitions for the year ahead. Additional thanks to Michael ‘Tokyo Love In’ Chin for photographing (with his enviously lovely Leica camera) our meet up – pictures posted on our FB Album here.

Pictured above – Fresh 2012 new year meet up with Yu Ye Wu (ICE and 4A Art Centre), Mike ‘Tokyo Love In’ (Plum Jungle), Max Brown (Actor), Indigo Willing (AAFFN co-founder, UQ academic & community facilitator), Joy Hopwood (Joy House Productions), Pearl Tan (Pearly Productions), Annette Shun Wah (Performance 4a), Hee Ra Heaser (UNSW) and Dominic Golding (Theatre, Monash). Also at gathering: Karen S. (Scholar) and Jiao Chen (Staple Fiction). Pic by Karen. Sending apologies: Amadeo Marquez-Perez (AAFFN Co-Founder & Bayside FF), Francis Maravillas, Quan Tran, Maria Tran, PJ Madam and Julie Koh + AASRN’s Tseen Khoo.

Other Sydney news to start of a vibrant year was the screening of WONDER BOY’s director Corrie Chen’s latest short, Bruce Lee Played Badminton Too which featured in the Australian program 2 on 6th of January at Bondi Pavilion.  Fans can now vote online, also giving the voter a chance to win $100.

Beginning 8 January was SBS’s new 3 part documentary ‘Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta‘ (screening now, 2nd part shown next Sunday 15th). Researchers on the program included Maria Tran  (also see Brisbane below for other news).

BRISBANE

AAFFN co-founder Indigo Willing has been attending meetings and in contact with film folks post-November event via online, but also hoping to find some Brisbane locals.

A quick shout out to a couple of great dinner guests, Maria Tran (visiting from Sydney) and Sukhmani Khorana who joined Indigo Willing for dinner 4 December in South Bank last month for a catch up on their various projects.

Maria Tran, director, writer and actor, is currently working on the feature film ‘Quest for Jackie Chan‘, due 2012, and was a researcher on SBS’s 3 part documentary ‘Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta‘ (screening now, 2nd part shown next Sunday 15th).

Sukhmani Khorana is a Brisbane based academic & documentary filmmaker, who recently presented at the Asian Australian Identities conference that was affiliated with our inaugural Film Forum event in Melbourne, and is the author of Ethnic Diversity on Australian Television  published in Kill Your Darlings literary journal. You can also view her doc. on vimeo below.

Additional thanks to Michele Thistlewaite-Di Lauro, lecturer at Griffith Film School, for providing a tour on 9 December of the school’s sound stage, cinema and labs to discuss future possibilities for potential workshops and screenings for Asian Australian filmmakers and community members interested in storytelling.

MELBOURNE

AAFFN co-founder Amadeo Marquez-Perez has been traveling, including for work doing video-making workshops with various communities in rural and regional areas, and city-side and online has also been in contact with local film folks post-November event.

Peril Magazine prose editor Lian Low, based in Melbourne, has been busily overseeing an upcoming special issue on Asian Australian film, featuring a number of AAFFN speakers, filmmakers and guests, produced in collaboration with the AAFFN co-founders and the Peril writing team.  Almost all the articles have been collected and a launch date will be announced soon.  Contributors include Annette Shun Wah, Min Tran, Maria Tran, Jiao Chen, Andy Minh Trieu, Kieran Tully, PJ Madam, Joy Hopwood, Pearl Tan, Yu Ye Wu, Alfredo Nicdao and many more…

A quick shout out to Melbourne locals Somchay Phakonkham who has been busy working on his next film ‘The Boat’, Min Tran who is working on his next horror movie ‘The Hospital’, Chris Pang who you will soon see in ‘Quest For Jackie Chan’ amongst other projects, the ‘Footscray by Night‘ team (Hoang Tran Nguyen, Community Artist: David Cuong Nguyen, Emerging Filmmaker: Tinny Tang, Choreographer: Demi Sorono, M.C.: Bruce Vu, and Bin Le) for their successful community event, and everyone else based there who we’ve worked in various capacities.

Footscray by Night

Asian Australian Film Forum & Network Shout Outs Video now online

Asian Australian actors, directors, writers, producers, scholars and community members share their creative visions, experiences, advice and talk about why it’s important to have Asian Australians active on and behind the screen. Created and edited by Maria Tran, screened at the Asian Australian Film Forum & Network inaugural event November 2011. The AAFFN team wish to thank Maria and all the contributors for sharing their perspectives and insights for present and future generations. More AAFFN events in 2012 coming your way nationally!

Duration Approx 14mins

Join us at Asian Australian Film Forum & Network (AAFFN) asianaustralianfilmforum.com
Facebook at: facebook.com/AsianAustralianFilmForum
Twitter at: twitter.com/AAFFN
Email: contactAAFF@gmail.com

Duration Approx 14mins

Featuring (in order of appearance):-

Andy Trieu, Actor - vimeo.com/13541156
Ralph Lim, V-logger
Joy Hopwood, Actor, Writer, Presenter – joy.net.au/
Sky Crompton, Writer, Director, Producer - youtube.com/watch?v=rU2nFPAR164
Maria Tran, Actor, Filmmaker, Trainer – mariatran.com.au/
Somchay Phakonkham, Fimmaker - reinvent-films.com/index.html
Thai Phuong, Actor - imdb.com/name/nm3341026/
Steve Nguyen*, Channel APA, USA – channelapa.com
Renee Lim, Actor - imdb.com/name/nm1813111/
Chris Pang, Actor – christopherpang.com/
Kathy Nguyen, Actor - motherfish.com.au/cast/
Shaun Chang, Filmmaker
Quan Tran, Filmmaker – facebook.com/dragonvisionproductions
Pearl Tan, Actor, Filmmaker - pearlyproductions.com/
Heng Tang, Director - imdb.com/name/nm0849289/
Jack Ngu, Filmmaker, Actor - youtube.com/watch?v=F7MYaIeIRHA
Tamara Guo, Actor, Stunts, Singer - tamaraguo.com/
Hai Ha Le, Actor - vimeo.com/26755815
Dominic Golding, Theatre Artist, Doco Maker - youtube.com/user/mytho2006
Jiao Chen, Filmmaker - staplefiction.com/
Jen Thym, Director, Writer, Producer - vimeo.com/rockginger
Indigo Willing, Academic, Community Engagement, AAFFN co-chair with Amadeo Marquez-Perez - indigowilling.com

*Asian American supporter of Asian Australian peers

Thank you to everyone involved with the AAFF 2011 + AASRN and SBS & other supporters

End of year lunch – the Asian Australian Studies Research Network

MELB folks: The Asian Australian Studies Research Network (sponsors of AAFF 2011) warmly invite AAFFN speakers, filmmakers and interested film folk to a meet up with other Asian Australian artists, scholars and community people for an end of year casual lunch (pay your own way): https://www.facebook.com/events/226107964129070/

Check back here and on our Twitter and FB pages for updates on events around Australia.

Website: http://www.asianaustralianfilmforum.com

Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/AsianAustralianFilmForum

Twitter at: @AAFFN

All enquiries can be sent to the AAFF Email: contactAAFF@gmail.com

Think Tank – ‘Towards An Asia Pacific Screen Laboratory’

On 19 November the AAFFN attended a Think Tank – ‘Towards An Asia Pacific Screen Laboratory’ Griffith University Film School in Brisbane to listen, learn and identify opportunities to promote Asian Australian talent.

Read more about the event at Griffith Film School’s press release here

and you can view some photos on our AAFFN FB page here

Thank you for a great inaugural AAFF, and welcome to AAFFN!

Pic: Keynote speaker Annette Shun Wah

Thank you to our amazing audiences, speakers, filmmakers, staff, volunteers, sponsors and supporters for a great inaugural Asian Australian Film Forum. A real buzz with strong collaborative futures. So much to talk about now the conversation has begun! Look out for a special edition of Peril Magazine on AA film, and much more to come!

We’re evolving to match the community and its amazing vitality and futures, and will keep the AAFF available as an informal network for Asian Australian filmmakers nationally to keep in touch following the event, and our blog will soon evolve with us.  We also have a new Twitter name: AAFFN (short for Asian Australian Film Forum and Network).

Our FB and website addresses stay the same.

http://www.asianaustralianfilmforum.com

http://www.facebook.com/AsianAustralianFilmForum

The event was free. You can also see photos from our recent event at Album 1 and Album 2

More news soon!

See you at the AAFF!

Looking forward to seeing everyone who has registered at the AAFF!

Limited no. of seats available on the day for all sessions but MOTHER FISH.

Thank you to all our wonderful speakers, filmmakers, sponsors, volunteers and of course, audiences for supporting the Asian Australian Screen Scene.

We also plan to keep the momentum going well after the event with a special issue on Asian Australian Films inPeril Magazine online due out in January featuring articles by a number of our AAFF line up.

The AAFF will also be handing around a survey on expressions of interest for an Asian Media Centre and much, much more.

Also, remember to keep in touch, including on twitter with the hashtag #AAFF & #AznOzfilms @AAFF2011

Congratulations to our five SBS winners of double passes to MOTHER FISH at AAFF(entries closed Wed 9 Nov 2011)

SBS Film held a competition for special double passes to MOTHERFISH on the AAFF’s closing night. Congratulations to our five winners. You will receive an email and your tickets will be available at the AAFF registration desk.

The MOTHER FISH session is now fully booked.

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO:

You can also win some other great prizes. Visit our Special Offers page to find our more.

Please note early registrations for the AAFF close 2nd November. There are only limited places left. For enquiries you can email: contactaaff@gmail.com

AAFF 2011 EARLY REGISTRATIONS NOW CLOSED

The AAFF is a free event. All welcome (but some films rated age 15+).

Early registrations closed midnight on Wednesday 2 November.

Congratulations to the five SBS competition winners of double passes to MOTHER FISH, our closing film. You will receive an email and can collect your tickets at the registration desk.

Those who have already registered early for both days or Sunday have a reserved seat at MOTHER FISH and will also go in the draw to win some great prizes. See our special offers page.

Forget to register? MOTHER FISH is now fully booked.

All other sessions have a very limited number of seats left available.

Thanks for your interest and support!  We hope to see you at future events. To further information on how to get updates please email: contactaaff@gmail.com and don’t forget to look out for a special PERIL MAG edition developed with the AAFF on Asian Australian Films in early 2012.

Be in the AAFF opening video – send in your greeting (due 30 September 2011)

AAFF VIDEO GREETING MESSAGES / ‘SHOUT OUTS’ (due 30 Sept 2011):

Are you working on or behind the screen in a production that showcases Asian Australian talent and/or want to send in a greeting to Asian Australian colleagues and emerging members of this creative community?

The AAFF organisers wish to highlight and facilitate the positive influence that both leading figures and emerging talent in the Asian Australian community and its supporters have on those wishing to develop a voice, tell their stories, and make an impact in the mediums of film, video, and television.

One of the ways you can do this is to provide a short video message (eg approx. 1 min duration). Click on image to find out more and how to send your video file electronically (pref. sending method):

Video messages can also be saved on DVD and mailed to the AAFF, c/- P O Box 2038, East Brunswick, VIC, 3057, Australia. Please label your DVD with your name and the subject ‘AAFF Shout Out’. Those selected will be featured at the launch event of the AAFF, and may also be used in its promotional trailer and on its website.

Shout Out Project Co-Ordinator: Maria Tran (assisted by Amadeo Marquez-Perez and Indigo Willing).

 

 

 

And the winner is…

Congratulations to the winners of the KOFFIA 2011 Melbourne double-passes:

• Oanh Tran
• Timothy Ryan

Many thanks to all those who entered the competition!

You can still catch the next couple of days’ events: Visit KOFFIA’s website

ABOUT KOFFIA MELBOURNE:

Korean Film Festival in Australia – 10-13 Sept
ACMI Cinemas (Australian Centre for the Moving Image), Federation Square, Melbourne

www.koffia.com.au   /   info@koffia.com.au

Prepare to HOLD ON TIGHT as the Korean Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA) graces Melbourne for the first time ever this September! In what will be 4 days of drama, comedy, action and more, KOFFIA will take Victorians on an intense ride of Korean cinema!

Presenting a showcase of the latest hits direct from the land of morning calm, as well as a few classics, the Korean Film Festival offers a direct chance for people to satisfy their hunger for drama. Taking place at ACMI Cinemas, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne, KOFFIA will be more than just a film festival, featuring industry forums, musical performances and cultural acts. A Korean wave of culture and entertainment will hit Federation square, so don’t miss out!

KOFFIA is organised by the Korean Cultural Office Australia. For details about session times and how to buy tickets, visit KOFFIA’s website. 

KOFFIA Ticket Summary:
Adult $14, Concession $12, Member $10 (for ACMI or KCO members)
Buy tickets online or at the ACMI Box Office: info@koffia.com.au