Oct 1 issue of APA First Weekend

IN THIS ISSUE: NOTE - WE ARE GOING TO BE SHORT AND TO THE POINT
1. SAN DIEGO ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL KICKS IT SEPTEMBER 29!! BE THERE!
2. JUSTIN LIN GETS READY TO START SHOOTING FAST AND FURIOUS 3: TOKYO DRIFT
- JASON TOBIN RETURNS!
3. VC CELEBRATES 35 YEARS OF ASIAN AMERICAN CINEMA
4. ASIAN AMERICAN FILMS GO TO PUSAN
5. THE MOTEL GETS DISTRIBUTION FROM PALM PICTURES
6. ENTRIES NOW FOR SAN FRANCISCO NAATA FILM FESTIVAL AND VC FILM FEST 2006
7. ASIAN AMERICANS ON TV NOW! IT'S A NEW DAY...
8. SONNY CHIBA GOES HAWAIIAN - AT THE HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
8. WHAT ELSE?
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1. SAN DIEGO ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL KICKS IT SEPTEMBER 29!! BE THERE!
Hopefully, you are reading this in San Diego right now and you just got back
from the Opening Night film. If not, get yourself down to San Diego and join
Lee Ann Kim and crew for what is one the nation's rocking Asian American film
festivals. San Diego knows how to party. And the gala is September 30
featuring beaucoup Asian American celebrities including Tamlyn Tomita, Dustin
Nguyen, Jason Scott Lee, Roger Fan, Karin Anna Cheung, Michelle Krusiec, Lynn Chen,
Moria Mi-Ok Stephens and many more. And don't forget these outstanding Asian
American films - THE MOTEL; CAVITE; THE GRACE LEE PROJECT; ONLY THE BRAVE;
CONVENTIONEERS; SAVING FACE; MONKEY DANCE and others. Don't miss the panel ASIAN
AMERICANS IN HOLLYWOOD - featuring your favorite stars sharing their insights
into working in Tinseltown. For more info- www.sdaff.org - get complete
schedule and tickets. Make sure you join us at the San Diego Asian Film Festival
Sept 29 - Oct 6!

2. JUSTIN LIN GETS READY TO START SHOOTING FAST AND FURIOUS 3: TOKYO DRIFT
- JASON TOBIN RETURNS!
Get ready for this: two of our favorite BLT folks are cast in Justin Lin's
next big budget project FAST AND FURIOUS 3: TOKYO DRIFT.
Check out the return of JASON TOBIN (Virgil in BLT) and the ever dynamic SUNG
KANG (Han in BLT). Also in the cast are Lucas Black (Friday Night Lights)
and Bow Wow (he's not Lil no more - from Roll Bounce). Word has it that
LEONARDO NAM (The Perfect Score) has also been added to the cast. Shooting begins
next week in LA and will also include Japan. Should be a great set to visit.
Maybe we can get a sneak visit. Much love to you guys out there. Kick it down.

3. VC CELEBRATES 35 YEARS OF ASIAN AMERICAN CINEMA
Thursday night, Visual Communications celebrated it's 35th birthday with a
bang up evening hosted by TAMLYN TOMITA (we love her) and featuring a number of
Asian American celebrities including TSAI CHIN (Waverly's mom from Joy Luck
Club); the hot DUSTIN NGUYEN (his latest film Little Fish where he does it with
Cate Blanchett); AMY HILL (50 First Dates/Cat in the Hat); the ever sweet and
sexy MARIE MATIKO with one of our favorite veteran actors MAKO; News anchors
TRITIA TOYOTA and TED CHEN; filmmakers JESSICA YU, GRACE LEE, JUSTIN LIN,
JESSICA SANDERS, CHRIS CHAN LEE, SASHA HSU - SCZYK, HENRY CHAN, GENE CAJAYON,
ROBERT NAKAMAURA, TAD NAKAMURA, CURTIS CHOY, KRISTINA SHERYL WONG; the BLT crew
ROGER FAN (Annapolis), and SUNG KANG (Undoing/Fast and Furious 3); the cool boyz
- GREG WATANABE and KENNEDY KABASARES; and COLD TOFU girls - DENISE IKETANI
and HELEN OTA who brought the house down with the theme song "ALL WE WANT IS
DUSTIN NGUYEN" to the tune of "Dust in the Wind." The evening also consisted of
some outstanding clips of Asian American Cinema over the past 35 years
covering themes of "buddies," "romance," "documentaries," "families" and "music
videos." It was truly a night to celebrate our own media artists and our own
legacy of Asian Pacific American cinema. Please keep making more.

4. ASIAN AMERICAN FILMS GO TO PUSAN
Looks like this year's Pusan Film Festival is featuring some very strong
Asian American films:
THE MOTEL - MICHAEL KANG
THE GRACE LEE PROJECT - GRACE LEE
JOURNEY FROM THE FALL - HAM TRAN
We are sure there are more but congratulations to this outstanding group of
Asian American filmmakers and good luck at Pusan.
www.piff.org

5. THE MOTEL GETS DISTRIBUTION FROM PALM PICTURES
Congratulations to MICHAEL KANG and everyone on the film THE MOTEL on getting
theatrical distribution from PALM PICTURES. Big props to DAVID KOH at PALM
PICTURES for picking up this great film. Looks like next spring, everyone will
be able to see this Sundance fave at a theater near you. We will keep you
posted.
Congrats to the producers GINA KWON, KARIN CHIEN, MATTHEW GREENFIELD and
MIGUEL ARTETA!

6. ENTRIES NOW FOR SAN FRANCISCO NAATA FILM FESTIVAL AND VC FILM FEST 2006
Two of the nation's largest Asian Film Festivals are looking for your film.
Log on to their websites and get more info. Enter now!
1. SF NAATA ASIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - www.naatasf.org
2. VC FILM FEST 2006 - THE LA ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL - www.vconline.org

7. ASIAN AMERICANS ON TV NOW! IT'S A NEW DAY...
No, it was not your imagination. We are on now more than ever - and we are
not just on LOST - but how cool is that we are such a great show. You know,
DANIEL DAE KIM and YOON-JIN KIM are like super hot.

But also there are others - check this out:

CAMILLE MANA - ONE ON ONE - UPN
MARILYN TOKUDA - ONE ON ONE - UPN
ALEC MAPA - HALF AND HALF - UPN
JOHN CHO - KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL - FOX
LINDSAY PRICE - KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL - FOX
KEIKO AGENA - GILMORE GIRLS - WB
EMILY KURODA - GILMORE GIRLS - WB
KIPP SHIOTANI - BARBERSHOP - SHOWTIME
PARMINDER NAGRA - ER - NBC
MING NA - INCONCEIVABLE - NBC
DANIEL DAE KIM - LOST - ABC
YOON-JIN KIM - LOST - ABC

Are there others?? Write us back and tell us.
Also HENRY CHAN will be directing some episodes of KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL.

Now, if you want to see more of us or want to keep us on these shows - please
write to the shows and to the networks telling them how much you want to see
these characters on screen. The networks pay attention to these letters!

8. SONNY CHIBA GOEST HAWAIIAN - HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - OCTOBER
20 - 30! ALOHA!
YEP... The legend, the master SONNY CHIBA will be at this year's 25th
Anniversary of the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival taking place
October 2 0 - 30.
Book your reservation now and be there. Also, SAMUEL L. JACKSON and ZHANG
YIMOU will be honored. Rumor has it that film critic ROGER EBERT will be in the
house at the Festival, too. Log on to : www.hiff.org for more info. Aloha,
Mahalo and thank you.

9. WHAT ELSE?
• GRACE LEE PROJECT will have a premiere theatrical run Decmeber 14 - 27 in
NEW YORK CITY at the FILM FORUM - we need to mobilize and sell this mutha out
that first weekend and get everyone to show up support this funny and
insightfully sweet film by this new Asian American voice. Log on to www.gracelee.net
for more info and how you can get involved.

• Word on the street is that Justin Lin's next film coming to theaters
ANNAPOLIS is sharp. Starring JAMES FRANCO, TYRESE and ROGER FAN. Early reports
from test audiences had the people clapping in their seats. Congrats Justin Lin.

• In post - some Asian American features coming down the pike - AmerAsian -
ROGER LIM; UNDOING - CHRIS CHAN LEE; AMERICAN KNEES - ERIC BYLER; JOURNEY FROM
THE FALL - HAM TRAN; Any others out there?

• Anyone seen MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA? Love to hear your comments. Why they
got to have the poster with a Geisha with blue eyes?

• ANG LEE kicked butt up on Toronto with BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Oscar buzz is
Heath Ledger. Audiences coming out of the film were singing the film's
praises. Also, it won at Venice Film Festival. Congratulations ANG LEE. Check it
out December 2!

• Props to PAUL MAYEDA BERGES - h is first feature directorial debut THE
MISTRESS OF THE SPICES premiered at Toronto and the audiences loved the film.
His lovely wife GURINDER CHADHA is so gracious - she walked down the "wait list"
line of over 200 people and greeted everyone. Chadha co-wrote the film with
Berges, as they normally do. This couple is on the money. CHADHA is still
prepping I DREAM OF JEANNIE THE PREQUEL.

• It's not Asian - but it's good category:
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
CAPOTE
THUMBSUCKER
GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS

See you at San Diego,

APA FIRST WEEKEND!