Karen Cho’s new film “Status Quo?” wins World Documentary Award at Whistler Film Festival

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Montreal film maker Karen Cho wins the World Documentary Award at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival. photo courtesy of Craig Takeuchi

Karen Cho’s new movie about Feminism, “Status Quo?” won the top documentary prize at Whistler Film Festival on December 2nd.

I initially met Karen probably around 2004 when she brought Shadow of Gold Mountain (2004) to Vancouver.  It is an extremely moving documentary about the Chinese Head Tax Survivors and descendants,and questioned how one side of the her family (white) could be given free land to come to Canada, while the other side of the family (Chinese) would be charged a racist head tax and denied citizenship.  It also features interviews with my friends: activist Sid Tan, WW2 Veteran Gim Wong; and recently deceased Charlie Quon – the first person to receive an ex-gratia Head Tax Redress payment after the Canadian government apologized in 2006.

Read Craig Takeuchi’s story in the Georgia Straight.

“When Montreal-based director Karen Cho won the World Documentary Award at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival on December 2 for Status Quo? , a film about the ongoing struggle for women’s rights and issues in Canada, she said that she was “absolutely shocked”. She said she had seen the other films in the competition, which she regarded as ‘high-calibre docs’. But she said she was thrilled that it had garnered such attention at a festival like WFF. (She also received a standing ovation.)

“‘To have it recognized in a more mainstream way really will help propel the issues that the film talks about into the spotlight and hopefully get people talking and thinking about these things,’ she told the Straight shortly after her win. ‘So I think it’s great for what we’re trying to do with the film is create change.'”

125 Places That Matter in Vancouver, includes Hastings Park Livestock building that housed detained Japanese-Canadians during WW2

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Vancouver Heritage Foundation had a ceremony on Dec 1 to recognize the Livestock Building at Hastings Park, an important part of Japanese Canadian Internment History, as one of Vancouver’s Places that Matter.
At 1pm, everybody met in the Hastings Room, and MC Lorene Oikawa, told people the order of events.  We would do a walk to the Livestock Building for an unveiling, followed by a walk to Momoji Gardens for a Parks Canada unveiling.  Finally we would return to the Hastings Room for formal speeches, personal stories, and presentations in appreciation.
Marta Farevaag, Chair of the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, watches as Mary Kitagawa steps back from unveiling the plaque for the Livestock Building at Hastings Park.
Mary had recently pushed for the University of British Columbia to recognize the Japanese Canadian students that were not allowed to finish their degrees at UBC because they were interned during WW2.  It was an emotional ceremony when 76 students were honoured with degrees at a special tribute 70 years later.  http://japanese-canadian-student-tribute.ubc.ca/
Watch this video of Mary Kitagawa speaking about the detainment and internment of Japanese Canadians during WW2.  Roy Miki, Japanese-Canadian Redress co-leader and author stands at the top of the stairs in long dark coat and white hair.  Chinese-Canadian historian/author Larry Wong stands on the stairs in rust coloured jacket.  Lorene Oikawa, union leader and human rights activist stands on the right in red coat.
The Parks Canada plaque at Momoji Gardens was re-located for better public viewing, and unveiled.

One of the event attendees shares a personal moment, as she stands beside the plaque with photos of family members.

Naomi Yamamoto MLA, is the first Japanese-Canadian to be elected to the BC Legislature.  She shared a story how her father had spent 5 months living as a detainee at the Livestock Building.  Naomi explained that because her father was an older teen-aged boy, he was separated from his mother.  His father had already been separated from their family and sent to a labour work camp.  Unfortunately, her father could not attend the ceremonies on Saturday, due to not feeling up to it.
My friend Ann-Marie Metten was deeply touched by some of the personal stories.  She wrote:
“Mary Ohara’s story resounded. She told of her incarceration in March 1942 in the livestock barns at Hastings Park, still reeking with manure and infested with bugs. Birds flew overhead and fouled their blankets. Bedbugs bit at night, and the administrators brought in DDT and sprayed the bedding, including the blankets under which the children would sleep at night.

“At age twelve, Mary developed mumps and had to be isolated from others so as not to sprea the highly communicable disease. She and other children were moved to the coal-storage area under the livestock barns, where only a small hole high in one of the walls let in daylight. In the darkness, other young children cried for their families. She was held there for ten days.”
My friends: Ellen Crowe-Swords, Ann-Marie Metten (executive director of Historic Joy Kogawa House), and Joy Kogawa – author of Obasan, the first novel to address the issues of the internment of Japanese Canadians.  Roy Miki, Simon Fraser University Professor Emeritus and 2003 Governor General’s Award Winner for Poetry, had called Obasan, “A novel that I believe is the most important literary work of the past 30 years for understanding Canadian history.”
My friend Inger Iwaasa and my accordion.  Inger married a Japanese Canadian, and her daughter is pianist Rachel Iwaasa, who performed at Kogawa House for the presentation when Joy Kogawa was named recipient of the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award.  Inger said she recognized each of the songs that I performed: Sakura, Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower), O Solo Mio, Neil Gow’s Lament, Hungarian Dance No.5, Dark Eyes.  I wanted to perform a mixed repertoire that would represent many of the ethnic groups that had come to settle in Vancouver: Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Irish, Hungarian and Russian.
Todd Wong, Judy Hanazawa, Jessica Quan – special projects coordinator VHF, Mary Kitagawa, Lorene Oikawa, Tosh Kitagawa.

Bruce Springsteen in Vancouver – hard hitting rock and soul music, with folk, gospel and celtic influences

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Springsteen surfs the crowd during Hungry Heart- only the third song of the night! – photo T. Wong

I went to see Bruce Springsteen in Vancouver on Monday night, Nov 26.   It was a GREAT CONCERT!!!  We couldn’t get tix when they first went on sale… but some seats were released and I got a single seat – 7th row – Sec 112 – directly across from the stage.  I had been checking ticket prices, wondering about going, fretting about my budget, and resolving the situation by arguing to myself that I was already attending the Paul McCartney concert.  And since I had already since Springsteen 4 times, the toss-up choice was McCartney tickets… but in my heart, I still wanted to go.

I was at the McCartney concert the night before, and as fantastic as Sir Paul and his songs were… it was controlled and planned.  But Springsteen takes it to a whole other level, unsurpassed in sheer energy and spontaneity.  At a Springsteen concert, anything can happen… and surprises usually do. Springsteen picks audience requests out from the signs that people hold up. He walks into the audience… he has a young girl sing the chorus to “Waiting on a Sunny Day”… he brings an 80 year old woman to dance along with him to “Dancing in the Dark”… and during the encore songs, he pulls a fan dressed as Santa Claus up on stage to sing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

Soozie Tyrell on violin, Charlie Giordano on accordion, Max Weinberg on drums, Springsteen, and Nils Lofgren on banjo. – photo T.Wong

I love the picture above because it demonstrates the acoustic side of Springsteen’s music.  Violin, accordion and banjo are more associated with blue-grass and country music.  But that is also at the heart of Springsteen’s roots.  Listen to the Dylanesque first album of Greetings from Asbury Park, the starkness of Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad, and especially the hootenanny style of the Seeger Sessions played live.  Springsteen opened with Shackled and Drawn from his latest Wrecking Ball album which has a strong Celtic influence.  It is not unlike the Celtic tunes we play in the Black Bear Rebels ceilidh ensemble.  Death to My Hometown leads with a tin whistle and a marching beat, while Land of Hope and Dreams has a more gospel feel reminiscent of the classic tunes This Train is Bound for Glory and People Get Ready.

I went with my bagpiper friends Allan and Trish who sat up on the top level.  They may have been Springsteen concert virgins, but they are stout musicians and have both seen and been in lots of performances.  They are big David Bowie fans, and we both saw him on his ’83 concerts in Vancouver – both of them!  It was only about 2 months ago we went to see The Chieftains together with some other musician friends.  This summer I loaned Allan a lot of my Springsteen concert cds, hoping to bring him up to speed.  We sang along to Thunder Road and Sandy on the way home in my car.

Max Weinberg on drums, Jake Clemons on tenor saxophone, Bruce swings his fender stratocaster around,  Stevie Van Zandt on guitar, Curtis King on backing vocals, Everett Bradley on percussion and vocals. – photo T.Wong
I have always enjoyed that Springsteen had an ethnically integrated band.  When I picked up the album cover of The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle – there was Clarence Clemons and David Sancious – two black men in a rock and roll band.  And it didn’t sound anything like Earth, Wind & Fire or any of the other R&B bands I was listening to in the 70’s and 80’s… well maybe The Tower of Power – another racially mixed band that also mixed up funk, soul and rock.  But this current line-up of the E Street Band is augmented by a five piece horn section, 3 back up singers and a percussionist.  It can play soul, rock, blues, gospel, country, rockabilly, celtic and whatever it wants, whenever it wants.  Case in point was a rockabilly version of Buddy Holly’s Not Fade Away that segued into She’s the One.
Springsteen took requests from the audience, and holds up the sign request for Red Headed Woman.  He tells the audience that they don’t even play this song anymore, but for this sign he will give it a try.  He started solo on the bluesy tune that was originally featured on the MTV Plugged album.  Gradually the rest of the band found their places one by one, with Soozie on fiddle and Nils on slide guitar.

This was the 5th time I had seen Springsteen, and it was fresh and exciting! The E-Street band lives up to the hype – as Springsteen himself introduces the “‘The heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, Viagra-taking, love-making – Le-gen-dary E – Street – Band!” Incredible musicianship, that can play almost any style of music: soul, rock & roll, rockabilly, country, gospel and new wave punk (who do you think wrote the big Patti Smyth hit “Because the Night?

I remember back in high school Physics class, when my friends Mike and Chris asked me to join them for the Springsteen concert in June 78.  But I didn’t know his music then.  My friends and I listened to Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Crosby Stills & Nash, John Denver, Elton John and Earth Wind & Fire.  But it was in 1980 that I was forced to discover Springsteen’s music during my summer education tour of Taiwan.  One of my room mates, Dennis was from California, and a huge Springsteen fan – he taught us the lyrics to Born to Run and Thunder Road.  We actually formed a music group with our roomies.  Dennis on harmonica, Lindsay on washboard, Calvin on keyboard, sometimes me on keyboard or just singing along.

Here are my pictures from the Springsteen concert on my Flickr photo account

Springsteen 2012

Springsteen 2012
Here are some great videos of the concert:

Video: Bruce Springsteen in action in Vancouver | Vancouver Sun

 

Scotch tasting in Victoria

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photo

I visited with my friend Mary, who bicycled across the Isle of Islay a few years ago.  While we have talked scotch before, we have never drank any together… until Thursday night.

Favorites for the evening were the Macallan 12, Glenlivet and Laphroaig.   The Macallan 15 had previously been served at the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner when Famous Grouse came as a scotch sponsor – the 15 is smooth, the 12 is nice… but I don’t much care for the 10.  Usually it’s the Glenlivet 12 that is usually served in bars and restaurants, so the 18 was nice and rich (I have a bottle of Glenlivet 15 Oak waiting to be opened).  Laphroaig is a lovely smoky Islay… one of my favorites!

I had never had the Arran Malt before.  They are the same distillery making the Robert Burns single malt – that none of my whisky drinking musician friends will touch… (except one, and he bought it on sale).  This Auchentoshan select was nothing special… I think Mary said she uses it for cooking.  But the Auchentoshan Three Wood is one of my favorites – very rich.

It was great fun to be tasting with Mary and her husband Mike, I hope to host them for an evening of tastings when they come to Vancouver.

In 2011, Mary and Mike spent the summer in Scotland.  From June to August, they hiked, biked and sailed in some of the remote areas of Scotland.

Check out Mary’s blog here: http://maryslens.blogspot.ca/

Congratulations to Winnie L. Cheung, Winner of Nesika Award

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Story and photos by Allan Cho

Nesika (Ne-SAY-ka) means “we, us, our” in Chinook, originating from a trade language used by many different Aboriginal groups on the Westcoast.  Used extensively in British Columbia during the 19th and early 20th centuries, Chinook was tool of communication between Aboriginals and early European traders.

Forward a hundred years, in February 2008, the Province of B.C.’s Multicultural Advisory Council sponsored the Provincial Nesika Awards to celebrate British Columbia’s cultural diversity and Indigenous communities.  Each year since,  four award winners in the individual, business, organization and youth categories are recognized at the Awards Event on Nov. 23 during B.C. Multiculturalism Week.   Elder Larry Grant giving a traditional Musqueam welcome.

 Sitting here are Mo Dhaliwal (Acting Chair); Shellina Lakhdhir (Acting Vice-Chair), John Yap, MLA, and Larry Grant (Musqueam Elder).  And the winners Julie Linkletter (President of Collingwood Neighbourhood House); John Donnelly (John Donnelly Events Management); Winnie Cheung (Women Transforming Cities); Jorge Salazar (Vancouver Foundation).

The Multicultural Advisory Council (MAC) was officially created in 1990 to provide advice to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism on issues related to multiculturalism and anti-racism.  This year, they announced the winners of the Nesika Awards.

Winnie Cheung is a dear friend of the community, and has been a tireless supporter of Asian Canadian community initiatives, particularly in the arts and culture.  Winnie has been instrumental in establishing several signature programs to foster interactions between international and local students, engage the community with UBC, and promote learning through the appreciation of cultural diversity.

Besides Women Transforming Cities, Winnie is a leader in many community organizations, serving as a board of director on the Laurier Institution, Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society’s explorASIAN, Hong Kong Canada Business Association, and the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW).   Winnie is also a published author and writer, most recently a translator for her mother’s book Childhood Lost.  Congratulations again Winnie!

The audience in the standing room-only filled room was also treated to a wonderful repertoire of music from Big World Band, a group based in Vancouver and formed in 2011 by its member musicians. The group combines musical instruments and traditions of the world in various new ways to create what it brands as a “new world music.”  Its music performances range from ancient pieces, to new recombinations and arrangements, to new compositions — the goal is to celebrate the meeting of many cultures.

For Gung Haggis, this is Allan Cho.

Chinese Canadian Stories and Japanese Canadian Tribute

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I was really honoured to be part of the celebration of the Chinese Canadian Stories and the Japanese Canadian Students Tribute.   Despite a frigid, rainy evening, a large number of community friends and supporters joined in the celebration at the van der Linden Dining Hall at UBC St. John’s College.   Chinese Canadian Stories was a three-year project, that finally wrapped up earlier this year in September 2012.  A number of talented UBC students under the guidance of Professor Henry Yu took part in the creation of a fantastic website, mobile kiosk, video game, and oral histories of Chinese in Canada.

Dr. Yu presented the project to the packed dining hall of St. John’s College.

There were many people from the community who participated.  Here is the UBC table.

Here is Ken Yip, president of the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia, myself (Allan Cho), and John Yu (Henry’s father and friend of the CCHS).

The Chinese Canadian Stories involved twenty-eight communities across Canada.  From Victoria, BC’s University of Victoria to St. John’s, Newfoundland’s Headtax Redress Organization (NLHRO).

Chinese Canadian Stories began as a small project of collecting oral histories from Vancouver’s Chinese community.   Some of these oral histories are still being captured as we speak, and can be viewed online on its YouTube channel.  In this picture John Yu (standing) speaks to Larry Wong on his left.  Also sitting at the table is Bill Wong and his wife Zoey, of Modernize Tailors – subject of the documentary film “Tailor Made: Chinatown’s Last Tailors”

The night also included a very special recognition to Mary Keiko Kitagawa, leader in effort to get UBC to award degrees to 76 Nisei whose educations were affected by internment in 1941.  It was Mary who had first contacted UBC about the idea of welcoming the students back to campus and honouring their place and coming to terms with past injustices of the forceful removal and then internment.

The evening was capped off with a special honorary degree presentation to Min Yatabe.  It a very appropriate tribute during Remembrance Day weekend — Min had fought for Canada in World War II.   Big thanks goes out to Al Yoshizawa, of the Chinese Canadian Stories project, for permission to use these images.

Prior to Chinese Canadian Stories, the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies (INSTRCC) had already collected and promoted Asian Canadian Studies.  UBC has approved a new Asian Canadian Studies program, which will start in September 2013.

Reporting for Gung Haggis, this is Allan Cho

David Wong book launch for “Escape to Gold Mountain”

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My friend David HT Wong, launched his 1st book Escape to Gold Mountain on Sunday afternoon November 18th at the Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver BC.

It is the first ever graphic novel to tell the story of the Chinese immigration to North America.  David gave many thanks to his publisher and editors at Arsenal Pulp Press, as he had just returned from a week-long book tour in California.

Above, David poses for a pictures Paul Leung and Peggy Lee, veterans of Pacific Unit 280.  David made sure he included the stories of the Chinese Canadian veterans of WW2, as it is an important part of Chinese Canadian history that helped to win the right to vote for people of Chinese ancestry who were born in Canada, like my parents and all our family elders.
I have known David since 1986, when we first met during the construction of the Saltwater City Exhibition, a museum quality exhibit that celebrated 100 years of Chinese history in the City of Vancouver, for the city’s Centennial celebrations.  The exhibit was chaired by author/archivist Paul Yee.  At the time, David was studying architecture at UBC, and I was studying political science and literature at Capilano College.
A dragon dance from the Gung Haggis Dragon Boat team started off the afternoon’s event as a fun ceremony.  This was fitting as David had been a member of the team in 2002, and had designed the team’s logo – a smiling Chinese Dragon head, wearing a Scottish tam hat.  The Chinese parade dragon was carried by 5 people, and followed by a Chinese Lion.
When the Chinese lion arrived at the front of the room, I presented it with a “lucky money” red envelope, which it “ate”.  Then I removed it’s Lion head mask, to reveal author David Wong.  What a great way to make an entrance!   Susan Ma, staff host for the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens welcomes David to the event, while our dragon paraders finalize their work.  The dragon was led by Gung Haggis team paddler/Asst Coach Steven Wong, with David Wong’s two sons: Colten and Cameron, and two more team memberss: Caroline Ng and Deb Martin.
For 30 minutes, David Wong explained the process of how he created his graphic novel.

Would he do it again?  David told the audience that if you had asked him that question four months ago, he would have said “Never again.” But now after speaking to many audiences, and seeing the delight in people’s faces, and receiving their encouraging feedback, he says… “maybe.”

Has it been successful?  The first printing of the Escape to Gold Mountain has already been sold out.  The book is now in its second printing and is ranked #1 for Asian North American literature.

David knows his subject.  He has been active in the community and promoting Chinese Canadian history for many years now.  I have known him when he was a board member for Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society in 2002, then later as a founding director for Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC.   He has been a blogger at the Ugly Chinese Canadian and author of the Generasian website.
The line up for autographs and pictures was long…  and many community leaders and activists came out to support David. L-R: Bev Nann (red scarf) was president of VAHMS in 2002.  Suzanne Ma is a writer/blogger.  Judge Randall Wong is the first provincial court judge of Chinese ancestry in BC and is included in David’s book.  Cynthia and Daniel Lee were head tax redress activists during the big Redress campaign of 2005/2006, when I got to know them.

WW2 Veteran Frank Wong holds open the page, that tells his story on page 216-221, Chapter 21 Old Foes New Relations.   This is a great real-life story, about how Frank’s WW2 experience as an engineer at Normandy has ramifications for his current life.  I have known Frank since I was a little child as childhood friends to his nephews.

Final Day #4 at VAFF – Closing Party at Wild Rice

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VAFF’s after party took place at the much beloved Wild Rice, a modern Chinese fusion restaurant on 117 West Pender Street.  Wild Rice has been host to VAFF for the past number of years, and each party has gotten bigger, better, and wilder.

It was fantastic late night of networking and socializing with celebrities, filmmakers and VAFF organizers.

Mark Lee who has been a volunteer at VAFF since 2005, making him one of the longest serving volunteers of the festival.  Mark was a founder of the Asian Canadian Cultural Organization at UBC,  Editor-in-Chief of Perspectives Newspaper, as well as a docent at the Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden.   He’s a community mover and shaker.

Among the celebrities were Olivia Cheng, from the movie Iris Chang: Rape of Nanjing and actor Rick Tae (most recently in the TV series Artic Air).

Also on hand was our friend Bev Nann, community builder, former President and founding member of ExplorASIAN and currently on the board of the the the Laurier Institution.

Mark Oh (caught in picture), did a terrific job as Volunteer Coordinator this year for VAFF.  Along with Thomas Greiner, these two gentlemen were able to bring together a collective of new volunteers and make the festival happen.  Lots of time, we don’t give enough credit to those volunteers who work so tirelessly behind the scenes to make the festival happen — they are the ones who sell the tickets, do the marketing, and operate the theatres during screening.  Kudos to you all, VAFF!

Speaking of volunteers, Callan Tay has been a mainstay at VAFF for a number of years now.  A film afficionado, Callan’s knowledge of films is unsurpassed.  He’s one of many volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, including picking out the venues to make these film festival parties a success.  Callan was last year’s Volunteer Coordinator – and stayed on throughout VAFF 2012 as a volunteer, helping steer the ship.  

For VAFF 2012, I tried to do my best Todd impersonation here as a blogger.  I had a lot of fun.  VAFF 2012 had a number of excellent films.  The quality is getting higher now.  It always helps that there’s a home-grown talent like Harry Shum Jr., and Kelly Hu, too.  With the emergence of Asian Canadian filmmakers and actors, you can see that the future is bright.

Reporting for Gung Haggis, this is Allan Cho

Day #4 at VAFF – White Frog Kisses the Spirit of Japan

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VAFF 2012 ended with a host of great films.   Here is the lovely and vivacious VAFF executive Winnie Tam, who is this year’s Director of Marketing as well as Festival Programmer, introducing the program and giving welcoming remarks to the audience to the much anticipated Spirit of Nihonmachi and Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.

Both films give a wonderful glimpse into Japanese culture on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.  Spirit of Nihnomachi is an excellent documentary the people behind the  annual Powell Street Festival that celebrates Japanese-Canadian culture and their history in Vancouver, while the Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom is a touching documentary of the survivors of the the March 2011 tsunami that destroyed much of their cities and lives.   Beautifully told, the film relates nature to destruction and rebirth, and examines the Japanese people’s deep-rooted relationship with the cherry blossom in helping them cope with the aftermath of one of the country’s most devastating natural disasters. Both films are testaments to the resilient nature of the Japanese people.

The festival ended with a bang, as audiences were captivated by a remarkable film White Frog.   Having an all-star cast of Harry Shum Jr., Joan Chen, Kelly Hu, and B.D. Wong, and starring the emerging Bamboo Stewart, White Frog is a coming-of-age story about 15 year old Nick Young (Booboo Stewart) who is a neglected teen with Asperger’s Syndrome.  Surprisingly produced with only under a $1 million budget, the film touched audiences deeply about Nick’s  life as he is challenged and ultimately changed forever when tragedy hits his family. Taken under the wing of his brother’s best friends, the young man goes through a personal journey that forces him out of his comfort zone and reconcile who he is and who he wants to become.   The audience was then treated to a live a Q&A session with the director of the film Quentin Lee and Writer/Producer Ellie Wen.   Afterwards, the audience was treated to a night of partying over at the Wild Rice!

Model Minority at Vancouver Asian Film Festival (Day 2 at VAFF)

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VAFF picked a number of great films for Day 2 of its program.  Asian American films are getting better by the year, and one can immediately feel the intensity and the maturity of films these past few years, particularly this year’s.   There was one film that really stood out this evening, Model Minority.   There not a dry eye in the theatre by the end of the film.  An emotionally intense and thought-provoking story, Model Minority follows the downfall of a vivacious loveable girl who gets caught up with the wrong crowd, and on the wrong side of the law.

Starring the wonderful Nichole Bloom O’Connor, the movie takes us on a journey of one L.A. teenager’s descent into the seamy underworld of drug dealers and juvenile prison — her life spinning out of control amidst a family in turmoil.  We watch on helplessly as Kayla the underprivileged Japanese American 16-year-old seemingly throws away her all the promise and ambition built up her entire life in a mere matter of months as she innocently falls in love, only to discover that the blood of her family is truly thicker than water, as the saying goes.  This film has already won a number of awards, including the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, Las Vegas Film Festival, and the Asian American International Film Festival in New York, and it doesn’t surprise that this film will spawn the careers of actors and director.

The evening ended with a pair of remarkable films, Lost Lagoon and a Day is Far Too Long.  These two films shows the breathaking beauty of Vancouver — often, those who live here don’t get to see our city on the big screen, so it’s always a treat when a great story uses the landscape of familiarity of Vancouver as a backdrop to stories about displacement and migration.  Sponsored by the Korean community organization, c3society, these two films are fitting tributes to the vibrant diversity of the city of Vancouver’s large Korean community.  We often forget that great films are not limited to hallyu — it is also found in the talent on home soil.

VAFF 2012 is celebrating its 16th birthday.   Can you believe it’s been sixteen years of great films by VAFF?    The festival started off with a question, why isn’t there a film festival in Canada celebrating Asian Canadian films?

Over the years, there’s been pressure from within and without to turn to more foreign films, to have films in Asian languages so that it could appeal to newer immigrant audiences or those more familiar with the latest Asian blockbusters.   There’s plenty of those films at the Vancouver International Film Festival.  So why do we need more?   Courageously, VAFF has stuck to its mission and mandate to promote great Asian Canadian and Asian American films by North American film makers.  That’s the only way to grow our industry.  Through home-grown talent.

VAFF’s volunteer staff has also been stellar throughout the years.   Led Mark Oh and Thomas Greiner, this year’s volunteers ran a smooth campaign.  Lots of times, we forget just how critical the work of volunteers are to the success of a film festival.  Lots of festivals do not succeed because of its inability to retain volunteers.   There is little accolade behind volunteering, but it’s always these individuals who make the difference.

Congratulations to everyone at VAFF 2012 for a great ending to Day 2 of the festival.   Look at the packed audiences as they leave International Village.   The after party continued at LaCasita, where everyone enjoyed themselvesa late night drink and Mexican cuisine.  Well deserved!