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CINEMA ME: Top Six Finalists Announced
Asian CineVision congratulates the top six finalists in the National Festival Tour CINEMA ME Short Film Competition sponsored by Toyota. The contest asked non-professional filmmakers to give us their take, in under five minutes, on the Asian American film.
The top six finalists selected by a jury of industry professionals (see below) will be posted shortly on the Toyota thedirectorschairsite.com site where the audience will get their chance to choose their favorites. The finalist will be screened at the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival, July 15-24, 2010 in New York City.
The top prize winner will be announced here Wednesday June 30, 2010 with the grand prize of $3000 to be awarded during AAIFF10 Closing Night Awards Ceremony.
Top six finalists (listed alphabetically)
 Asian Glow Reduction is a revolutionary new feature in digital cameras created to reduce the redness and glowing in pictures of Asians imbibing. A.G.R. is a must have for a night of partying. Look at the difference!
 Arrangements is about loss and coming to terms with it. A silent film, with a beautifully fitted score, the film is emotional and leaves you with a feeling of hope rather than endless mourning.
 Letters from Alaska tells the story of Arvi Arsenal, an immigrant from Mindoro, who left the Philippines for America in search of a better life. Now working as a Seafood Processor, he finds that life is just as difficult in Alaska, if not more, than in the Philippines.
 When a granddaughter is asked to pick up groceries for her grandmother, she is restricted to a budget of forty dollars. Embarrassed to ask for a discount on dented cans of coconut milk, Market Price shows us how she is forced to stand up for herself and become a more confident woman.
 This short video essay features a grandmother lecturing her granddaughter about her future as a filmmaker. She has no confidence in her and feels that in order to succeed in life, nursing school is the right choice. Every artist can relate to the overlying theme in Receiver, the struggle to make a decent living and the expectations that come with your career choices.
 A cute, partly animated drama about a young boy with a great imagination and a father with high expectations. In Still Life the fact that the boy would rather draw than do math does not please his father very much. Though the boy is punished for this, he does not give up his dream.
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CINEMA ME: Juror Bios
JENNIFER PHANG
 In 2009 Phang received the Tribeca Film Festival L'Oreal Woman of Worth Vision Award to support development of her second feature project Look For Water. The project also received Tribeca's Creative Promise Honorable Mention. Phang also just received a 2009 Sundance Institute Annenberg Feature Film Fellowship Grant for further development of Look For Water.
Phang's feature film debut Half-Life will be distributed by Wolfe Releasing and their VOD campaign through Warner Brothers Digital Distribution beginning December 2009, and then on the Sundance Channel in 2011. Half-Life world-premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008 to extensive critical praise. The film premiered internationally at Tokyo International Film Festival where it was a Tokyo Grand Prix Nominee. The film then premiered in Europe at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the FIPRESCI International Federation of Film Critics award. Since its premiere Half-Life has been touring the American festival circuit and worldwide to over thirty festivals, including the Seattle International, South by Southwest, the Los Angeles Film Festival, opening the International Women's Film Festival in Seoul, and closing the Taiwan Women's Film Festival. Over the last year Phang was the winner of the Gen Art Grand Jury Prize, the Emerging Director Award for Best Feature at the Asian American International Film Festival, Best Narrative at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, and the Visionary Award for Excellence in Visual Innovation at the Fairy Tales Queer Diversity Festival in Calgary.
Look for Water, an adaptation by Phang and Dominic Mah of Mah's original stageplay, is Phang's follow-up project and was selected for the 2008 Sundance Screenwriters Labs, the 2009 Tribeca All-Access program, and the 2009 IFP No Borders program. For this project, Phang was also nominated for the 2008 Adrienne Shelly Director's Grant.
Berkeley-born of Chinese-Malaysian and Vietnamese heritage, Phang graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Pomona College with a BA in Media Studies. After working a year in Durham, NC, assistant producing on a Francis Reid documentary project, she returned to Los Angeles to complete an MFA from the Directing program at the American Film Institute. There she received AFI's Holleigh Bernson Memorial Award and the Dreamworks World Studio Foundation Scholarship, while her AFI graduate thesis Love Ltd. also received the a number of awards and is now distributed by Shorts --International. Love, Ltd. aired on LOGO as part of the BEST OF THE BEST and BEST IN HIGH DRAMA Competition.
Among other honors, Phang was a Nominee for the Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, featured in Filmmaker Magazine's 2008 25 New Faces of Indie Fim, served as an International Jury member at the 2009 International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul, was spotlighted in Seoul's Arirang TV Program Heart to Heart, and was profiled in Korea's Screen and MovieWeek Magazines.
CINDI ROWELL
 At the beginning of 2009, Cindi Rowell was a DVD producer at New Yorker Films, having just completed discs of works by two of her favorite directors: Jia Zhang-ke's Still Life and Hong Sang-soo's Woman on the Beach. Then came the rabbit hole, during which she volunteered with guest services and programming at the San Francisco International Film Festival, handled print traffic at the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, and managed publications at what was then called the Middle East International Film Festival. Now, a year later, she is arranging travel for guests of the 2010 Flaherty Seminar, editing the website of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, and, once again, a DVD producer at the newly re-established New Yorker Films. And that is just one year out of her 18-year career in the film industry.
CHARLES S STONE III
 Charles Stone first garnered attention for True, a two-minute comedy about male friendship that he wrote, produced, starred in and directed. Shot on Hi-8 video over one and a half days for $1000, the short caused a sensation when it screened at 1998's MVPA (Music Video Production Association) Short Film Festival. Shortly thereafter, Stone secured representation and subsequently agreed to direct Paid In Full.
During pre-production for Stone's first feature, executives from advertising agency DDB Chicago, approached Stone about creating a series of commercials for Budweiser based on True. The resulting campaign became a cultural phenomenon.
The first "Whassup?!" spots aired in December, 1999. In June, 2000, the campaign captured the advertising community's most prestigious award, the Grand Prix for Film at the 47th Annual International Advertising Festival in Cannes, France. The "Whassup?!" campaign also received the Grand Clio for Television, the Golden Pencil (One Show Gold Award) and the International Andy Award.
Early in his career, Stone worked at New York's Woo Art International, a production house that specialized in commercial animation. He subsequently directed music videos for numerous artists and groups including A Tribe Called Quest, Nenah Cherry, Living Color, Public Enemy and The Roots.
In December, 2002, Twentieth Century Fox released the box office hit Drumline, a sports drama about a talented street drummer from Harlem who enrolls in a southern university, expecting to lead its marching band’s drumline to victory. The film stars Nick Cannon, Zoe Saldana and Orlando Jones.
In stark contrast to Drumline, Stone's Paid In Full is a searing character study that exposes success and betrayal amidst the seductive world of drug dealing in 1980's Harlem. Based on a true story, the film stars Wood Harris, Mekhi Phifer, Kevin Carroll, and Esai Morales. Paid In Full was released fall of 2002.
In 2003, Stone received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature and universal critical acclaim for his sophomore effort - the sleeper hit Drumline. Stone's Mr. 3000, starring Bernie Mac and Angela Bassett, was released fall of 2004.
Also In 2004, Stone returned to TV commercials and helmed the first humor campaign for Nike/Brand Jordan out of Wieden + Kennedy. He's co-founder, partner of Brown Bag Films, a New York based satellite of international production company Believe Media.
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NATIONAL
FESTIVAL TOUR
Asian CineVision proudly presents the 2009/10 National Festival
Tour featuring the year’s best independent cinema -
narrative and documentary features and shorts - from AAIFF09.
The National Festival Tour offers institutions and organizations
the rare opportunity to bring many Asian and Asian American
films to local communities across the country.
The only traveling festival of its kind
in the U.S., this year’s tour offers 14 programs representing
ten countries including, China, The Philippines, Australia,
Singapore and Taiwan. A percentage of the rental fees goes
directly to the filmmakers, so it is also a great way for
your organization to directly support independent filmmakers
and artists.
Be among the long list of schools that have recently hosted
the National Tour: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Brown University,
Columbia University, Hong Kong Asian American Film Festival,
China University, Northern Colorado State University, Williams
College, Yale University, Harvard University, UC Santa Barbara,
Ithaca College and University of Illinois (Urbana).
Cinema societies & art institutions have also hosted the
National Tour: High Museum of Art (Atlanta), The Redhouse
(Syracuse NY), Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
The Moustache Brothers Burmese comedy
troop, a tribute to Asian American activist Chris Ijima, Taiwan’s
”foreign brides,” America’s Next Top Immigrant,
a mock game show and a fresh look at eyelid surgery, a rite
of passage for Korean American women are among the subjects
realized by filmmakers at the 32nd Asian American International
Film Festival 2009 (AAIFF09).
Corporate affinity groups that have screened the tour: Goldman-Sachs,
Clifford Chance, JPMorgan Chase, Macy’s, Time Incorporated
and Colgate-Palmolive.
For more information regarding the films
or how to bring the tour to your organization, please contact
tour@asiancinevision.org or (212) 989-1422.
Please refer to the film listing below.
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The National Festival Tour annually showcases select feature
and short films presented at the Asian American International
Film Festival (AAIFF). This year we offer rental of 50 films
from AAIFF09.
FEATURES: FULL-LENGTH NARRATIVE FILMS
The narrative features include the winner of AAIFF09 Emerging
Director in Narrative Feature Award – LI TONG directed
by Nian Liu. Our selection showcases international films from
the Philippines to Hong Kong as well as stories on the home
front, ranging from romance to mid-life crisis to immigrant
stories.
HUBAD
KARMA
CALLING
LI TONG
PASTRY
SHORT PROGRAMS
The art of the short film is a remarkable
feat in that it takes a director only minutes to stir in her
audience the same intrigue that a feature film does in over
an hour. What a short filmmaker can do with a single glance,
word or image proves her ability to alter the entire landscape
of a film with perceptive subtleties. These films—from
narrative, documentary, animation, experimental—make
a compelling case for brevity in filmmaking.
We are especially proud to have on tour
the winning film of the AAIFF09 Excellence in Short Filmmaking
Award—CROSSING MIDNIGHT directed by Kim Snyder and featured
in the LIFE ON THE EDGE program.
Short films have been curated into the
following thematic programs:
FAMILY
MATTERS
FUN
& FANTASY
HERE…LOOK
AT ME
HOME
IS WHERE THE HEART IS
LIFE
ON THE EDGE
LOVE,
LUST & DESIRE
FOR
YOUTH BY YOUTH
If you have any questions regarding the
films or how to bring the Tour to your organization, please
contact tour[at]asiancinevision[dot]org
or (212) 989-1422.
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PRICES
Feature films are available for rental at $150. Each short
program is available at $100 each. We also make custom programs
according to the requirements of your organization or community.
The rental price will depend on the final length of the program.
If you have any questions regarding the
films or how to bring the tour to your organization, please
contact tour[at]asiancinevision[dot]org
or (212) 989-1422.
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POLICIES
HOW TO ORDER
All requests must be made using the Tour Request Form. Upon
receipt of your order, a Tour Agreement will be faxed to you.
Fax: (212) 727-3584
Mail: Tour Coordinator, Asian CineVision, Inc.
133 West 19th Street, Suite 300, New York NY10011
Email: tour[at]asiancinevision[dot]org
Orders must be placed at least two
weeks before the show date or rush charges will apply.
CONFIRMATIONS
Confirmations will be sent to you by email or fax, within
one week of receipt of order. It is not necessary to telephone
to confirm your order unless you do not receive a confirmation
within the specified time period.
SHIPPING
All films must be returned the next business day after the
screening date via UPS or Fed Ex. Exhibitors are responsible
for two-way shipping and insurance. A late return fee equal
to 50% of the rental fee will be charged. Exhibitors are iable
for any damage to prints.
CANCELLATIONS
If a cancellation is received after shipping, a fee of $10.00
per title will be charged to the exhibitor.
COPYRIGHT
All of our films and videos are protected by United States
copyright law. Duplication, reproduction, alteration, television
broadcast or cablecast, (except for on-campus closed circuit),
loaning for a fee, leasing, sublicensing to others or use
for commercial purposes (i.e. charging for admission) is strictly
prohibited without permission from Asian CineVision.
DISCOUNTS & SPECIAL OFFERS
Asian CineVision provides special rates for student organizations,
high schools, and public libraries. Please see above.
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School
Specials
Check out the full line-up for the National
Festival Tour '09-10, a showcase of carefully curated selections
of this year's best narrative, documentary, short, and experimental
films from the Asian American International Film Festival
'09. Tour features and shorts programs are available for rental
-- perfect for your classroom seminar or lecture, your student
group event, or your corporate affinity group!
*NYC School Special*
All public high schools and universities in NYC are eligible
for a free National tour rental.
*Discounts and Special Offers*
Asian CineVision provides special rates for student organizations,
high schools and public libraries. Please inquire.
For all inquiries and for more information on the National
Tour please call (212) 989-1422
Join our group on Facebook
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