February 1, 2017 International Examiner

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

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INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE OPINION

API women’s voices must not be marginalized

By Cindy Domingo IE Columnist I can’t help smiling every time I see a picture, video, or posting on my Facebook about the historic Women’s March on January 21. It was great to be in a sea of mainly women and girls in their pink pussy hats and to see the diversity of issues we are concerned about. The serious and comical slogans on their signs taking back from Trump the word “pussy” reminds us all that women have the right to control our own bodies. But in between the moments of basking in those happy moments of being with 150,000 people and 3 million worldwide, I wonder why it took so long for people to say and understand, “Women’s Rights are Human Rights.”

I first heard that slogan in 1995 when I traveled to China to attend the United Nations Fourth Conference on Women along with some 40,000 women from around the world. Along with State Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, we brought a group of 33 women from the Seattle area to join in the development of the Beijing Platform of Action, a strategy of equality, development, and peace for women. The theme of that conference was “Women’s Rights are Human Rights.”

Hillary Clinton, then First Lady, was sent as her husband’s emissary because the United States refused to send a formal representative. Her speech said that, “it is a violation of human rights when babies are denied food or drowned” simply because they are born female, and “it is a violation of human rights when women and girls are sold into the slavery or prostitution.”

Combined with the myriad of workshops and forums on issues that women all over the world were dealing with and how they organized, Clinton’s and other women’s speeches were transformative and gave new meaning to the women’s movement. For me and the thousands of other women who attended that UN conference, we left China dedicating ourselves to building a women’s movement that understood that “women’s rights were human rights” and “human rights were women’s rights.

I saw intersectionality at its best as women from 189 countries worked across

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Established in 1974, the International Examiner is the only non-profit pan-Asian and Pacific Islander American media organization in the country. Named after the International District in Seattle, the “IE” strives to create awareness within and for our APA communities. 409 Maynard Ave. S. #203, Seattle, WA 98104. (206) 624-3925. iexaminer@iexaminer.org.

racial, national, and cultural lines to build an international women’s movement with common values and principles. Every year at the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women Conference in New York, women gather to continue to assess the progress and setbacks of women in relationship to the Beijing Platform for Action.

The Beijing Conference left an indelible imprint on my life. It gave me a glimpse of what was possible, and I saw that same possibility at the Women’s March. At the same time, I am dismayed that in the building and aftermath of the march, the cynicism of women of color stops some of us from building the broadest women’s movement possible. We cannot go back in history and change the fact that white women and middle class women have not been there for us or that they have not prioritized our communities’ needs.

We cannot change the fact that the small businesses in the International District lost a substantial amount of money on that Saturday because March organizers did not understand Lunar New Year was on the horizon. But what we can do is answer the call to come to the table and add our voices to ensure our communities’ issues and needs are represented and that Asian and Pacific Islander women are not marginalized in the fast expanding social justice movement.

Over the last week the Trump administration has shown that they have every intention of implementing policies that will be devastating to our peoples as demonstrated by his executive orders around immigration policies. At the same time, the mass movement has accelerated its resistance to these policies.

Thousands of people all over the country have been inspired and motivated to march, rally, organize, and commit civil disobedience—many for the first time in their lives. We must welcome all who can build the broadest front against Trump. And if we build it right, women of color, including Asian and Pacific Islander women, will be in the leadership, ensuring our women’s demands are front and center.

IE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ron Chew, President Heidi Park, Vice President Gary Iwamoto, Secretary Arlene Oki, At-Large Jordan Wong, At-Large Edgar Batayola, At-Large Lexie Rodriguez, At-Large Peggy Lynch, At-Large Nam Le, At-Large

Womxn’s March seemed to forget about the small businesses in CID

By Heidi Park IE Columnist

On Saturday, January 21, more than five million people around the world marched in the Womxn’s March. One million marched in Washington, DC. In Seattle, the Womxn’s March drew 175,000 people. While this was a momentous occasion for women, and men, all over the world, Seattle’s ChinatownInternational District (CID) small minority business owners worried about Hoang continued: “The impact to the impacts to their business, particuher Lunar New Year sales was much larly as this was the last weekend bemore as most of her regular customers fore the Lunar New Year. or Vietnamese folks didn’t come to her The CID business community was store that day due to traffic and crowds. not a part of the route planning. Not She did see a higher showing of cusall business owners were informed of tomers on Sunday but overall her sales the route. Many did not know about was down for the weekend compared to the details of the route until Thursday, other Lunar New Year weekend.”

January 19, according to the ChinaGrocery stores were also impacted town-International District Business due to the march. Many people, who Improvement Area (CIDBIA). normally buy their new year delicacies “All [Womxn’s March] event orga- and specialties, couldn’t do so because nizers were supposed to do outreach of the traffic and the street closures. but they did it very late in the district,” Many smaller stores noted a loss of said CIDBIA Executive Director, Jessa about $200 to $300 that day. While Timmer. “Outreach looks very dif- larger stores, like Uwajimaya, saw ferent in the district: It’s knocking on sales go down by about 17%, smaller doors and visiting businesses in per- mom-and-pop stores will have a difson. Social media doesn’t work.” ficult time recovering from the loss of Businesses reported different ex- sales due to the Womxn’s March. periences with customers during the As a woman of color, I strongly march. I-Miun Liu, owner of Eastern support the Womxn’s March and the Cafe and Oasis Tea Zone said: “Both movement. However my neighborhood Oasis and Eastern Cafe were extremely wasn’t given much of an opportunity busy. The Womxn’s March made that to express our concerns of the route or Saturday our second highest grossing notified or reached out to in advance sales day ever for both stores.” How- with much warning. Moving forward, ever, Liu mentioned that he did not hopefully organizers and event planofficially receive notice ahead of time ners will have some lessons learned: from the organizers of the march. He conduct outreach and engagement in a heard about the Womxn’s March from culturally appropriate manner; give the his customers, staff, and news outlets. neighborhood enough time in advance Liu also noted that both of his busi- to prepare; and work with organizanesses ran out of supplies and were un- tions and community members to enderstaffed. sure we feel heard.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Travis Quezon editor@iexaminer.org

NEWS EDITOR Izumi Hansen news@iexaminer.org

ARTS EDITOR Alan Chong Lau arts@iexaminer.org

COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER Lexi Potter

CHIEF COPY EDITOR Anna Carriveau

BUSINESS MANAGER Ellen Suzuki

DIGITAL MEDIA TEAM Anakin Fung Rhea Panela

lexi@iexaminer.org

finance@iexaminer.org

Taylor Hoang, owner of Pho Cyclo, shared that her mother’s experience was quite different. Her mother, Lien Dang, owner of Seattle’s beloved Huong Binh, said that marchers were supportive and respectful of her business.

“There were a lot of people that came in the restaurant but mostly to buy a small item in order to use the restroom or take a break from walking. So although it was crowded, she didn’t do much in terms of sales,” said Hoang.

ASSISTANT EDITOR Alia Marsha

DIGITAL MEDIA INTERN Hiroki Sakamoto

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Isaac Liu STAFF WRITER Chetanya Robinson CONTRIBUTORS Cindy Domingo Nathalie Graham Matt Chan Roxanne Ray Mayumi Tsutakawa Ester Kim Tori Fairhurst Yayoi Winfrey Ellison Shieh DISTRIBUTORS Joshua Kelso Makayla Dorn Maryross Olanday Rachtha Danh Antonia Dorn

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INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017 — 3

IE NEWS

Seattle Womxn’s March provides hope for future action

By Nathalie Graham Guest Contributor

Black Lives Matter signs,” Jackson-Cloy ternational movement of people standing said. up for the types of politics and values that It is important that the people preach- are important to them that were not reIn the hours before the Womxn’s March flected in any way in the past presidential was to begin Saturday morning, January ing equality are making direct statements election,” Welland said. about being inclusive about it, Kako said.

21, it began to look like early attendance This type of demonstration is inteestimates had been low. Lines for buses Not typically one for marching, Jackgral for effecting change, Welland said. snaked around street corners, Uber and son-Cloy was convinced to join the There’s a collectivity in numbers and Lyft prices surged to upwards of $70, the Womxn’s March by her fellow teachers, light rail was packed to capacity, and side- a group of people who are resolutely not there will be a lot more action in the coming years. walks and streets through Seattle’s China- with Donald Trump, she said. town International District were clogged Nadia Herrarte, 30, moved to the United For Jackson-Cloy, the march was emolike congested arteries with people trying tional.

States from Guatemala 10 years ago. She to make their way to Judkins Park. was marching with her mother, the two “There’s nothing but love and energy Planned as a march in solidarity with and unity,” she said, “that’s what’s out of them brandishing a Guatemalan flag between them. the Women’s March on Washington the here.” day after the inauguration, Seattle’s event A feeling of hope hung in the air around was projected to be the third largest in the nation, with perhaps 50,000 people the crowded Judkins Park. marching three-and-a-half miles from The sea of poster board signs and Judkins Park to the Seattle Center. pink-knit “pussy hats”—the pink, cat ear But as the six-acre park filled to over- hats—was empowering to many includflowing well before the 11:00 a.m. start ing Annika Shore. The pussy hats were a time, it became clear that the march would direct response to Trump who, in a taped conversation in 2005, bragged about grabexceed anyone’s wildest expectations. bing women “by the pussy.”

Throughout the day, while marchers Shore, a capacity building specialist for slowly filtered through the city like a pink-toned river, participants shared news Planned Parenthood of the Great Northfrom their phones; the estimate was now west and Hawaiian Islands, said that she 100,000, now 130,000. Each update was was at the march as a private citizen. She met with joyful cheers. In the days fol- was excited about seeing all the different lowing the event, estimates now suggest causes coming together to show support that 175,000 to 200,000 people joined the for people who couldn’t be there.

Seattle Womxn’s March. The unexpected “I think that bad things are going to turnout buoyed hopes for marchers and happen but I think a lot of positive and sympathizers that civic activism could empowering things are going to happen be a strong force against the policies that as well,” Shore said. many marchers fear may erode civil liberAs protesters waited to exit Judkins ties in the new administration.

Park and started on the march route two The term “Womxn” was adopted by the bald eagles flew overhead. The sun broke Seattle march to show solidarity with the through the clouds on what was predicted transgender community and provide an to be a dreary, rainy day earlier in the intersectional event. week.

Situated in the historic and racially di“Hope is not lost today,” a passerby reverse Central District and up the block marked. from the Northwest African American Delays exiting the park were attributed Museum, the choice of Judkins Park to having too many people, the best probseemed strategic to combat Seattle’s notolem the march could possibly have, acriously white demographics. cording to organizers. There was barely Women, men, people of all gender iden- room to walk the streets were so crowded tities, sexualities, races, and religions met with people. It took as many as two hours in Judkins Park on Saturday. However, to walk the whole route. many noticed that the crowd was predomThere were reports that the bald eagles inantly white despite its location in one were following the front of the march that of the most diverse neighborhoods in the had made its way to the Seattle Center. nation.

Cheers erupted throughout the crowd.

Nadia Kako, who is a half-white, halfSasha Su-Ling Welland, an associate Indian and Middle Eastern and a student professor at the University of Washington at the University of Washington, remarked in gender, women and sexuality studies, that she didn’t see many people of color. It described the march as heartening. was a predominantly white march, Kako said.

In many ways, there has been a certain This sentiment was echoed by Tammy level of apathy in the public sphere, but the Jackson-Cloy, an African-American sub- numbers at the march today are reminisstitute teacher in the Kent School District. cent of the Civil Rights Era, Welland said.

Once the march reached the Space “I haven’t even seen very many black people,” Jackson-Cloy said. “I see mostly Needle there were reportedly three miles of people stretching from Judkins Park to white.” the Seattle Center according to the Seattle This was no deterrent for Jackson-Cloy. Police Department.

Instead, it was a beacon of hope.

“There’s so many demonstrations that “I cried when I came up here ... see- matter and I think this one is really powing all of the white people carrying these erful because it’s such a national and in-

“We stand for humanity regardless of race, color, nationality, sexual desires, anything,” Nadia Herrarte, the Guatemala-native said. “We are resisting today because we are all humans.”

When the march approached the Seattle Center, the crowd began to sing. Lyrics of “This Land is Your Land” echoed softly against the buildings of Downtown Seattle.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Herrarte said. “I don’t know if we’re going to get anything from this but I just feel like it’s a need for myself and to support other people as well.”

4 — February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE OPINION

Citizen journalism: The power of a story

By Matt Chan IE Columnist

As events unfold for our nation I can’t help but reflect on how we arrived at this point in our history. We live in a divided America, for some it’s the worst of days, for others it’s time to rejoice, but this divisiveness has also sliced our country in two, and like all wounds left unattended will eventually lead to a very bad outcome. What has divided us more than actions have been words. Talking points, invectives, and outright lies all powered by soulless social media platforms and a dysfunctional “News for profit” media, have pushed out real stories about real people. In political terms, we’ve lost the ability to see each other as human beings. We are now just “Red” and “Blue” caricatures, human talking points. As an AsianAmerican this is distressing and cause for concern.

I’ve made a career out of telling stories, and have come to understand the most powerful stories always connect with people on an emotional level. We communicate who we are

and what we value through stories.

In fact it’s hard to come up with any facet of human life that doesn’t revolve around a story. From why your homework didn’t get done to why you should be President of the United States, stories are essential to human communication. Emotional stories hold the power to change things.

Today people differ in opinions and worldviews to the point where we don’t understand each other, in some instances hating each other for it. But the truth is we are all the same no matter social class, color of skin, religion, or whatever device we use to separate and define each other.

As humans we all experience pain the same, love the same, sadness the same, in fact we’re way more alike than different when we connect and communicate as people.

If we share the stories of our lives with each other and try to find common ground, that would be a first step in healing our divide. To be able to see each other as people, not objects of derision and scorn. A good example of this is Facebook. How easy is it to un-friend someone who pisses you off

with a posting that you disagree with?

Easy, right? What if the person who wrote the post was someone you really know, understand, spend time with; a real friend? Not so easy, because you know their story.

What if we took two people who have totally opposite political views, but were similar socio-economically, have the same life challenges, and asked them to talk to each other about their lives without injecting the news and political talking points. To have them speak honestly about how they see their lives and struggles, to tell each other their personal story.

I think it would be harder after they spoke to demonize each other. They might still disagree, but there would be understanding, honesty, and who knows, even trust. They would see each other as people with a lot in common. They would know each other’s story.

So what does all of this have to do with Asians and other people of color?

Everything. No matter how culturally difficult and uncomfortable it is to stand up and present our stories to the world, we need to do it. By not telling

our own unique stories we let others define us. We become the “Other,” “People not like you and me,” less than human, and easily scapegoated.

We need to tell our stories to heal the divide in our country.

It will take good people to go public, not from behind the isolation of social media, to take action by meeting people to share these stories with, to physically be present. The Women’s March showed the world the power of standing up. It was and is a powerful story.

The International Examiner is teaming up with 21 Progress and industry expert Matt Chan to present a workshop series on citizen journalism.

“Video Production” is the fourth workshop in this series, and will focus on teaching skills for shooting in the field. This workshop will be interactive, with opportunities for participants to practice setting up and using interview equipment. The workshop happens Thursday, February 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at 21 Progress. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ internationalexaminer.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017 — 5

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

Seattle Asian American Film Festival is back for its fifth year

By Roxanne Ray IE Contributor The Seattle Asian American Film Festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and is looking both to the past and the future of film.

The very first iteration of SAAFF sprung from King Street Media. This current iteration takes it’s name from SAAFF, but it’s inspiration and lineage from the Northwest Asian American Film Festival (NWAAFF), which ran from 2003 to 2007 under the guidance of award-winning filmmaker Wes Kim. “I had been to Asian American film festivals in other cities, and I wanted to help create a similar event for Seattle,” Kim said. “I actually worked with Northwest Asian American Theatre to expand one of their events into what became NWAAFF.” Kim believes that NWAAFF provided a visibility that hadn’t existed before. “Any film festival is a chance for audiences to learn about new films and filmmakers, but it’s important that NWAAFF was able to do this specifically for Asian American films and filmmakers,” he said. “We also showed that there was a local audience for these stories.”

Although NWAAFF was unable to continue its operations, Kim was thrilled to serve as inspiration for the new SAAFF team. “I’m in awe of how the SAAFF team took the idea of NWAAFF and created an even bigger, better festival,” Kim said. “It’s a good feeling to know that there are others who believe in celebrating minority stories and storytellers and are inspired to take the idea beyond what you were able to do.”

Current SAAFF co-director Vanessa Au emphasizes Kim’s key role in launching the new festival. “Wes was an important part of this iteration of SAAFF because he connected me with my co-founder, Kevin Bang, back in 2012,” Au said. “Both of us had reached out to Kim wondering what happened to the Northwest Asian American Film Festival that he directed, and we expressed an interest in bringing it back.”

Au reports that Kim provided crucial support in making their goal happen.

“Wes made the introductions, answered our initial questions about the logistics of putting on a film festival, and before we knew it, Kevin and I were well on our way to making the 2013 festival happen,” Au said.

The importance of SAAFF cannot be understated, according to LeiLani

Nishime, UW Associate Professor of Communication. “Film festivals like ours give us a chance to see ourselves in all our beauty and ugliness, to recognize ourselves in others,” she said. “While we want people to see their own stories up on the screen, we also want to create community across ethnic, gender, class, and national lines.

We want for people to recognize a shared humanity which is part of the reason we seek out and prioritize films that give us an unfamiliar view of Asian Americans.”

Co-director Au agrees. “I started SAAFF the year I finished my Ph.D. in communication in 2012,” she said. “I studied the representation of Asian Americans in contemporary popular culture, the online protests from the API against racist depictions of us, and the racist backlash that erupted in response from some of those protests.”

But studying didn’t seem sufficient for Au. “It felt only fitting to do something about it,” she said, “something that would have a greater impact, especially for my local community, than writing critiques of popular culture read primarily by other academics.”

After Au launched SAAFF with Kevin Bang, Martin Tran soon joined the team, and later became co-director alongside Au. “When our former co-director Kevin Bang departed to work on film festivals in New York, I moved up and into his role,” Tran said. “The transition has been seamless.

We understand what we need to do, how to divide the work, and how to support one another.”

Together, Au and Tran work with their team of 15 to make SAAFF a community event. “Every year, SAAFF becomes a hub for local API groups like [Asian Counseling and Referral Service], The Wing Luke Museum, NAAAP, JACL, and many others, whom we invite each year to help promote the films to their members,” Au said. “And, in return, they get a chance to introduce themselves to the audience at the start of our screenings, staff a community resource table, and sometimes participate on a discussion panel following a film.”

These endeavors aren’t always easy.

“The challenges we face are the same ones that many small festivals and nonprofits face,” Au said. “We are run entirely by volunteer staff who have regular day jobs, so there are a lot of late nights and weekends spent screening films, cold calling business owners, and hammering away at our laptops.”

SAAFF’s team reports that they have had to focus on fiscal stability. “We operate on a very small budget and rely on grants, donations, and a handful of sponsors,” Au said.

“We don’t even have an actual office or meeting space, so we typically cram into someone’s living room.”

Co-director Tran agrees that financial concerns are a priority. “Like all small non-profits, it’s just making sure we have a strong operating budget and can set up SAAFF to continue for as long as we can,” Tran said. “We are blessed to work with a dedicated, talented and insane team that works so hard to make SAAFF a success.”

Despite these challenges, SAAFF is now more important than ever, according to Nishime. “I think that a big part of the reason that we’re in this terrible political moment is that we don’t get complicated images of people of color in mass media,” Nishime said. “We aren’t given the chance to empathize with people who are different from us, and it becomes easier to neglect and even reject other groups of people.”

Despite the limitations in mass media, Nishime reports that there is currently more variety in Asian American film.

“I’m seeing more experimentation with different genres like science fiction, mob

movies, horror films, romantic comedies and other kinds of movies that we don’t usually associate with Asian Americans,” she said. “I’m also seeing more representations of queer Asian Americans, more films being directed and written by women, and more representations of Southeast Asian Americans.”

It’s in the audience where Nishime would also like to see more variety. “I don’t think filmmakers need to water down their movies to appeal to a bigger audience,” she said. “I think audiences need to be more adventurous and be willing to hear new kinds of stories.”

Au agrees that audiences must be willing to choose to see Asian American film within the larger context of available cultural offerings. “We have to compete with bigger film festivals as well as other events going on,” Au said. “It’s incredibly challenging, but we have a lot of determination and passion and that’s what makes this happen.”

Another part of what makes the festival happen is that Wes Kim still lends his guidance toward making SAAFF a success. “A lot had changed in the five years between NWAAFF fizzling out and SAAFF getting a festival started again in Seattle,” she said, including “the venues available for hosting the event, channels for reaching audiences, the API community groups that support us, technologies for organizing, running the call for submissions and ticketing, and even the maturation of Asian American filmmaking itself.”

But SAAFF was formed as a community that strives to be inclusive.

“Wes remains a member of the private Facebook group our staff uses to communicate and collaborate,” Au said, “and he continues to chime in here with great ideas, advice, encouragement, and the occasional bad joke.”

Seattle Asian American Film Festival runs from February 23 to 26, at Northwest Film Forum and SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Seattle. For more information, visit seattleaff.org/2017.

6 — February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

Tay & Val build platforms for people to tell the truth, find transformation

By Mayumi Tsutakawa IE Contributor Opening night of the Seattle Asian American Film Festival (SAAFF) will begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, February 23, at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian Theater, and feature films by Seattle-area filmmakers, including TEDx storytellers Tay and Val, and veteran television executive Matt Chan, creator of A&E’s Hoarders. Chan’s film reveals the unsolved murder of Donnie Chin, emergency medical worker and “Guardian Angel of the C/ID.” What follows is a conversation with Tay and Val, who created the opening night feature film A Taste of Home. The partners prefer to answer questions as one voice.

Their actual names, with family names underlined, are Siang Hui Tay (Tay) and Xin Hui Tan (Val).

Television producer-director Tay and director-actor Val began their work on enabling people to tell their stories in their native Singapore. The past 14 years has led the award-winning filmmakers to extensive travel to intentionally meet and empower ordinary people seeking transformation in their lives. They produced and directed an unscripted reality TV series called P.S. I’m Sorry– bringing two parties together to facilitate an apology. The episode they recounted was of a son who was estranged from his father for five years and the apology that brought the family together again. The Facebook page created for the series then witnessed thousands of people finding the courage to publicly share their personal apologies after watching the show.

This beginning in 2010 led to a threeyear bicycle expedition from Taiwan to Japan, Hawai‘i, Mexico, Central and South

Filmmaking duo Tay and Val.

America. I Believe That Dreams Can Come True became a documentary project in which they held 400 sessions in 41 cities over 12 countries, taping and sharing peoples’ stories in an effort to help them find transformation through intentional and truthful storytelling. Eventually they landed in Los Angeles, where they tried to present their project in schools, but with little success due to non-availability on their schedules. They were invited to give two TEDx talks (Bellingham and Seattle), where they shared stories of dreams they had collected from around the world.

They then decided to migrate to Seattle to continue inspiring dreams. This was the summer of 2013 and they have lived here since, presenting multimedia workshops as artists, making inspirational films and running a consulting agency focused on empowering visionary entrepreneurs and conscious businesses to lead with purpose.

Q. What was the inspiration for making the film A Taste of Home?

A. We were homesick and had not visited Singapore for many years. We wanted the

taste of home; especially the kind of egg foo yung that our grandmothers made. We didn’t find a Singapore restaurant. So led

by Yelp!, we went to Tai Tung Restaurant in Chinatown, but what we got was not our familiar dish! We saw that Asian American cuisine is different from Asian cuisine.

Through interactions with community members like Tai Tung’s boss Harry Chan, and food anthropologist Maxine Chan, we became interested in the classic old Chinese American dishes, and the historic food establishments that cooked them for this immigrant community.

Q. Which businesses did you visit?

A. We looked for the oldest food businesses here, such as Tsue Chong Company, the noodle and fortune cookie maker. Also Mon Hei Chinese Bakery, which burned down in 2013, Fortuna Café on King Street, and Yick Fung Co.—one of the oldest Chinese grocery stores in Seattle Chinatown ID. Q. What’s an example of a taste of home for you?

A. We found out about extinct ingredients and dishes here, which had been familiar to us, too. For example, preserved pomelo peels brined in a special sauce, which the early railroad workers steamed with pork placed on top of the rice they were already cooking, in order to preserve fuel, according to Aunty Maxine. We wanted to document the many stories of disappearance.

Q. What is the next step for this documenting of food history?

A. We worked hard to get support in terms of grants from 4Culture and the City Artist program at the Office of Arts and Culture, but we need to figure out how to travel the film to other Chinatowns around the States.

It’s a multigenerational story worth sharing.

We want to help other people explore their own taste of home.

Q. What is this empowerment training you do?

A. We work with visionary entrepreneurs and business leaders who want to make a greater impact by incorporating a sense of purpose, conscious engagement, and practical wisdom in their work. This includes corporate and individual training— both online and onsite; as well as immersive deep dives with CEOs of companies over an extended period.

Q. And I guess people want to know if you are a personal couple, as well as a professional one.

A. Yes we are. We’re grateful we get to work and play, live, and grow together— as business partners, artistic partners, as well as life-partners. It’s not easy and it’s certainly not for everyone. But by now we know that we help bring out the best in each other, and are stronger together. We like to say that’s how we get problems solved in half the time, and double our successes because we celebrate them two times!

Q. Do you ride your bicycles much these days?

A. No! Q. Then, what do you do for fun?

A. We like to cook! And as storytellers we enjoy watching how others tell their stories. We especially enjoy Chef’s Table; which can get intense, but we love it! And there’s this other series, Pure Genius which we love because it inspires us to stay true to our intentions and never give up.

For more on Tay and Val, visit www. taynval.com.

15-year anniversary of Better Luck Tomorrow a reminder of hope

By Roxanne Ray IE Contributor A highlight of this year’s Seattle Asian American Film Festival is a special presentation of Justin Lin’s 2002 hit film Better Luck Tomorrow, a film that launched many careers.

SAAFF co-director Vanessa Au reports that she and co-director Martin Tran agreed that 2017 would be an ideal year to bring this film back. “This is our fifth year anniversary and it’s also the 15-year anniversary of Better Luck Tomorrow, so it felt like a perfect fit,” Au said.

In part, the film is a reminder of the excitement that was initially generated. “When MTV picked it up, Better Luck Tomorrow became the first independent Asian American film to really make it big,” Au said. “It was the first time I remember people outside of arts, independent media, and activist circles talking about Asian American film.”

All that conversation raised expectations, according to Au. “It felt, at the time, like maybe we could really do this,” she said. “A real Hollywood film with a cast of diverse Asian American characters who were imperfect, multi-dimensional, and nobody’s sidekick. And the theaters were packed. We were so full of hope. ”

LeiLani Nishime, UW Associate Professor in Communication, agrees. “I remember the first screenings of Better Luck Tomorrow as being a pretty big deal,” she said. “It came out when there was really no such thing as viral advertising campaigns, and this was one of the first times that the buzz for a movie was generated online, in this case through email chains.”

This new online strategy for promoting the film really worked. “It just created this great feeling of community to see all these names linked through an interest in independent Asian American media,” Nishime said.

But the actual experience of viewing the film went well beyond the excitement of its marketing strategy. “I went to go see it in San Francisco, which was an awesome place to experience the movie,” Nishime said. “The crowd was so invigorated, and I remember feeling like I was seeing something really new and exciting. I teach Asian American film, so I knew a lot about Asian American representations, and this was like nothing I’d seen before.”

And Better Luck Tomorrow continues to resonate in unexpected ways. “I’m a little surprised at how long the movie remained in the public consciousness,” Nishime

admitted. “Part of the reason is that the stars of the film like John Cho and Sung Kang have gone on to other, more famous, roles.

And, of course, a big part of the legacy of the film is the success of the director Justin Lin and the cultural phenomenon of WongFu productions which Lin created.”

Despite all this apparent progress, Au reports that she and Tran are featuring Better Luck Tomorrow in this year’s festival in order to tap into that earlier feeling of possibility. “While TV has seen more shows with Asian Americans in lead roles, such as Fresh Off the Boat, Dr. Ken, and Crazy ExGirlfriend, there hasn’t really been another mainstream Hollywood film like Better Luck Tomorrow,” she said.

Nishime agrees. “I think that, unfortunately, Better Luck Tomorrow is still so memorable because it hasn’t really been equaled,” she said. “It’s not like the success of the movie started a wave of films and film roles for Asian Americans.”

Nishime points to alternative formats and media as places where Asian Americans representations have thrived. “I think we can point to some one-off examples like Harold & Kumar, but I’ve stopped looking to Hollywood to create better images,” she said. “There’s been some movement in

television in the last couple of years, but the place where I’ve seen the most growth is in independent film and web formats like YouTube channels.”

In these formats, as in local film festivals such as SAAFF, Nishime has seen a greater breadth of Asian American representations.

“In media where Asian Americans can have greater control over content,” she said, “I’ve seen a lot more innovative representations where we can see Asian Americans as fully realized people, people whose identities are tied to being Asian American but who are not entirely defined by being Asian American.”

Au believes that the wait for another hit film has gone on too long. “In fact, it was just last year, 14 years after Better Luck Tomorrow came out, that the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag was trending,” she said. “And that’s what makes it important. Asian Americans still do not get to see themselves on the big screen in leading roles.”

And Au, Tran, and the entire SAAFF team would like to change that.

Better Luck Tomorrow will be shown on February 25 at 9:00 p.m. at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival at Northwest Film Forum. For more information, visit seattleaaff.org.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017 — 7

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

Massive Monkees build community with a new generation

By Ester Kim IE Contributor Capturing breakdancing with a camera is difficult. Articulating it with words is as nuanced as the word itself which b-boys and b-girls refer to as “breaking” as opposed to “breakdancing.” Yet it is not difficult because breaking is an exclusive culture. It is difficult because breaking creates its own community.

Students gather in school cafeterias looking for a smooth surface to practice.

Crews come together at community centers searching for a place to share. Going to the community center after school has been a common narrative for many people growing up. A new documentary, which will be screened at this year’s Seattle Asian American Film Festival, Massive Monkees: The Beacon traces such a story back to the Jefferson Community Center in Beacon Hill.

Massive Monkees is a breaking crew born in Seattle. Their studio The Beacon is located in International District but pays homage to the crew’s roots in Beacon Hill.

Massive Monkees started out as a young group of friends hanging out and breaking in the early ’90s. The crew established itself later in 1999. Brysen Angeles helped found Massive Monkees and is now director of The Beacon, the crew’s studio. Angeles recalls going to the community center especially in the beginning to go see and practice breaking.

Since then, Massive Monkees has grown far beyond what they could have imagined.

Many b-boys and b-girls started out the same way Massive Monkees did. Few crews have founded a studio like The Beacon though. The difference is that Massive Monkees did not stop.

“In high school doing this I wouldn’t say that well one day we’re going to be worldchampion b-boys and we’ll open our own studio and we’ll have a proclamation of Massive Monkees Day in Seattle. We didn’t know that those things were going to happen.

What we did know is that we liked to hang out with our friends … we liked to dance,” said Angeles.

Shannon Gee started documenting the Massive Monkees story late in 2014. Gee was a senior producer at Seattle Channel and currently serves as the station’s interim general manager. The Community Channel and Gee both intend to document diverse communities in Seattle.

Angeles said that he is pleased with how the documentary turned out. “She really captured the essence of what the crew does,” said Angeles.

Gee directed and captured the specific time and place of Massive Monkees between 2014 and 2015. The establishment of their studio The Beacon is highlighted through the process.

The crew is internationally recognized for its skill yet is locally well known for its service. Gee said that before even getting to know them she was comforted “to know that they were doing their thing out there in Beacon Hill where I grew up and then Jefferson Community Center where I went to preschool.”

With as much care and passion they would pour out for their own kids, members of the Massive Monkees crew share their breaking experience. They give the best of themselves

“At the core of everything, we are a group of friends. That’s who we are and what we do,” said Angeles.

Back then they met in community centers but now they meet at The Beacon. They are the same friends just hanging out and dancing. It seems only natural to keep going.

Massive Monkees. • Photo by Shannon Gee

to their students as if they were their sons and daughters.

The Beacon draws in a wide range of people. It hosts multiple classes for an array of ages, experiences and backgrounds. It opens up as a creative studio for locals and visitors.

The space encourages adults and kids alike to express themselves. It reinforces confidence and identity. It continues to provide a place for dance, community, and friendship to flourish.

The community has been a part of Massive Monkees for a long time. Community centers supported them when they were young and people continued to believe in them when they were establishing the studio.

In much the same way, The Beacon stands to be a part of the community and gives back in its own creative expression.

The Beacon is a community space that could only exist because of Massive Monkees.

Florentino “Flow” Francisco is another original crew member of Massive Monkees.

In separate interviews, Angeles and Flow cited the value of “each one, teach one.”

Without planning to, they confirmed what the other shared.

The idea emphasizes the importance of each person passing on what they learn to the next person. Members of the Massive Monkees crew learned from mentors before them what they now teach at the studio.

The lessons were more than just how to do a certain move. It started with basics and equipped them as young people to work through the sweat. The fun and enjoyment would be natural.

“We just want to share our passion with whoever wants to learn it and be a part of it with us,” said Flow. The b-boy culture lends itself to building community.

Be The Match partners with SAAFF for National Marrow Donor Registry

By Tori Fairhurst Guest Contributor There is a cure for cancer ... and it could be you. For the thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, a cure exists: a bone marrow transplant. Seventy percent of patients in need of a marrow transplant do not have a matching donor in their family so they turn to the National Marrow Donor Registry: Be The Match.

Matching the tissue types of patients to donors is a complex process, far more complex than matching blood types. Because tissue types are inherited, patients are most likely to match someone with very similar ancestry. The more complex the tissue type, the more challenging it becomes to find a close enough match. In fact, between 20 and 34 percent of patients with diverse ancestry currently do not have a match on the registry. That doesn’t mean a match doesn’t exist, it simply means the potential donor hasn’t signed up yet.

The 2017 Seattle Asian American Film Festival is screening an award winning documentary, Mixed Match, that beautifully and clearly illustrates the complexity of matching patients with mixed ancestry to donors.

The Festival Committee has invited Be The Match to hold registry drives at the theater so anyone who is eligible and willing to register can do so.

Be The Match is a community of millions of volunteers standing by, ready to say, “yes,” if their marrow is determined to be the best match for a patient. To join, people must meet age (18-44), health guidelines, and be will-

ing to donate to any patient in need. Younger donors are requested by transplant doctors 90 percent of the time. Research shows that younger donors provide the greatest chance for transplant success. Registration takes just a few minutes and involves completing a consent form and giving a swab of cheek cells.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is a protein—or marker—found on most cells in your body and is used to match patients with donors. The best transplant outcomes happen when a patient’s HLA and the donor’s HLA closely match. More young people of diverse racial and ethnic heritage are needed. Be The Match focuses on adding potential donors (and cord blood units) from diverse backgrounds to the registry so that all patients in need of a transplant can receive one.

Seattle Police Sergeant Randy Yamanaka donated in 2002. “The more I thought about joining the registry, the more I couldn’t think of a reason not to do it,” Yamanaka said.

“When I got the call that I was a match for an 18-month-old baby, I was really in shock. It certainly is not the kind of call you get every day and it was exciting. Be The Match asked whether they could do more tests to find out whether I was the best match and I said, ‘Certainly! Sure!’ It was just a no-brainer.

“It turns out I was the only one on the registry who could have saved that little boy, Luke.

It’s hard to describe when you know there’s somebody out there who needs you and you don’t know who it is. With every step of the process, I became more invested. It was a really special day for me, the day I donated marrow.” Now Luke is a happy rough-and-tumble 16-year-old. His father writes the news of his

young boy, the news Randy longed for: “Luke is cured.” This past August, Luke and his family traveled from San Diego to Seattle to visit Randy. They share a special bond.

There are two methods of donation: PBSC (peripheral blood stem cells) and bone marrow. The patient’s doctor will choose which one is best for the patient.

• PBSC donation is a non-surgical procedure. For five days leading up to donation, you will be given injections of filgrastim.

Filgrastim is a medication that increases the number of blood-forming cells in your bloodstream. On the day of donation, blood is removed through a needle on one arm and

passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through the other arm.

• Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure that takes place in a hospital operating room. Doctors use needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bone.

Donors receive anesthesia and feel no pain during the donation.

To schedule a marrow registry drive in this area or to find out about volunteer opportunities, contact Tori Fairhurst, Be The Match Community Engagement Washington: tori. fairhurst@nmdp.org. Learn more at www.

BeTheMatch.org.

8 — February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

23–26, 2017 Welcome to the 5th Annual Seattle Asian American Film Festival!

Sometimes things come in multiples. The Northwest Asian American Film Festival, led by Wes Kim, had a solid five-year run from 2003-2007. Seattle was then left without an Asian American film festival for five long years. During that period, there were very few opportunities in Seattle to see independent films by and about Asian Americans on the big screen. But it was about more than that. Seattle-area filmmakers, several of whom serve on our staff, missed having an event where they could meet up with other filmmakers face-to-face, as well as a space where they could talk story with other filmgoers and with people at their screenings. It became clear that a film festival isn’t just about showing films. It’s about a place for community. We had a void in our community. So, in 2012, we decided it was time to bring the festival back.

We started planning. The following year, we had our first Seattle Asian American Film Festival (at the Wing Luke Museum in 2013, were you there?) And this year, we are celebrating our five year anniversary!

When we started planning, we had only the faintest idea of what was involved in putting on a multi-day film festival. But we figured it out. And then we wondered if anyone would even show up. And you did! You packed the house that first year at the Wing Luke Museum and we immediately outgrew the space. You followed us when we moved to the Ark Lodge Cinema in Columbia City (and even braved the snow that came down that year). After that, you stuck with us as we moved up to the Northwest Film Forum in Capitol Hill, the theater we still call home (only this year we’re hosting opening night at SIFF Cinema Egyptian).

It’s been quite a journey, and we couldn’t have done it without the enthusiasm and support of you, our community. So we’re kicking off opening night this year with a series of films that aim the spotlight at our community: A Taste Of Home, Who Killed Donnie Chin, and Year Of The Dragon.

It’s been an honor to create this space together, where artists, activists, scholars and film enthusiasts can be in one place to share stories, discuss pasts and futures, debate contentious issues, and look for ways to help each other move forward. Spaces like these are especially important now, during these challenging times when the current administration poses a direct threat to our communities, our people, our voices, and even to the arts in general. Here’s to five more years of film, community, collaboration, activism, and solidarity.

Vanessa Au & Martin Tran Co-Directors, Seattle Asian American Film Festival

2017 Seattle Asian American Film Festival Sponsors Partner Sponsor Macy’s

Platinum Sponsor Alaska Airlines

Silver Sponsors Center for Global Studies at The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington East Asia Center at The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington.

Grant Awards 4 Culture ArtsFund Seattle Office of Arts & Culture Shunpike Washington State Arts Commission

Bronze Sponsors Christopher Tran Phở Bắc Phở Bắc Súp Shop Pride Foundation

Community Partner Sponsors ACLU Washington Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington Asian Counseling & Referral Service Chuck’s Hop Shop HomeAdvisor InterIm CDA Japanese American Citizens League NAAAP—Seattle OCA—Greater Seattle OpenDoor Resources Seattle Country Day School Seattle Home Security Judge Seattle Mariners Kona Kitchen

Reciprocal Sponsors Tasveer Vancouver Asian Film Festival

In Kind Sponsors Craig Friedson Daniel’s Broiler Georgetown Brewery Grey Goose Vodka and D’Usse Cognac

Media Sponsors C89.5 Comcast International Examiner Seattle Chinese Times

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017 — 9

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

SAAFF Frequently Asked Questions Q: How do I get tickets?

A: 1. Buy tickets online at www.seattleaaff.org. (Print your tickets at home and bring them with you or show your ticket on your phone.)

2. Buy a full festival pass online at www.seattleaaff.org/2017/fullfestival-pass/. This pass gives you priority access to all films.

3. In person, during festival hours at guest services in the lobby of the SIFF Cinema Egyptian (opening night only) or Northwest Film Forum, at least 30 minutes before the screening starts. Many sessions will sell out online so tickets are not guaranteed to be available for purchase onsite. We recommend buying tickets online in advance.

Q: How much are tickets?

A: With the exception of opening night, screenings cost $11. Students and seniors with ID pay $8. A full-festival pass is $75, which gives you access to all the screenings, the Opening Night Party, the VIP room located at Northwest Film Forum, and an invitation to our VIP Party on Saturday night.

Tickets for our opening night feature, A Taste of Home, which includes our Opening Night Party, are $15 for general admission. Students and seniors pay $13. Members of the Wing Luke and NAAAP pay $12. For more information about opening night, go to http://seattleaaff.org/2017/films/taste-of-home/.

There will also be two FREE screenings. Seating will be by a first come, first served basis.

• Friday, February 24 (5:30 p.m.): Who You Calling Short? (Narrative Shorts Program) • Sunday, February 26 (11:00 a.m.): Portraits of Us (Documentary Shorts Program) Q: What if the screening I want to attend is sold out?

A: If advance tickets are no longer available, you can line up for rush tickets that will be released at guest services in the lobby of SIFF Cinema Egyptian and Northwest Film Forum 5 minutes before show time.

Q: Where is the festival?

A: Film screenings will be held at two different locations. The Opening Night Film and Party on Thursday, February 23rd will be at SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St, Seattle). All subsequent screenings will be held at the Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle).

Q: How do I get to the festival?

A: The Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave, Seattle) is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle on 12th Avenue between Pike & Pine.

Via Public Transportation: Northwest Film Forum is located within 0.5 miles of bus routes #2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 43, 49, 60, and 84. It is also located within 0.5 miles of the Capitol Hill Link Light Rail station. And 0.2 miles of the Broadway and Pike Seattle Streetcar stop.

Driving Directions: From I-5 Southbound Take the Stewart St. Exit (Exit 166) towards Stewart St./Denny Way. Merge onto Eastlake Ave E. Take a slight right onto Stewart St. Take a hard left onto Denny Way. Continue straight on Denny up the hill (remain in the right lane to avoid a mandatory left turn). Turn right at 12th Ave. The Northwest Film Forum is located on the right-hand side of the street in between Pike and Pine, past the East Precinct Police Station.

From I-5 Northbound Take exit 164A for Dearborn St. toward James St./Madison St. Follow signs for I-5N. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for James St. Turn right at James St. Turn left at 12th Ave. Northwest Film Forum will be on your left, just after you cross Pike Street.

There is no theater parking lot, but street parking is available.

SIFF Cinema Egyptian (805 E Pine St, Seattle) is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle on Pine between Harvard and Broadway.

Via Public Transportation: SIFF Cinema Egyptian is located within 0.5 miles of bus routes #9, 10, 11, 43, 49, 60, and 84. It is also located within 0.3 miles of Capitol Hill Link Light Rail station. There is a Seattle Streetcar stop on the very same block as the venue.

Driving Directions: From I-5 Southbound Take the Stewart St. Exit (Exit 166) towards Stewart St./Denny Way. Merge onto Eastlake Ave E. Take a slight right onto Stewart St. Take a hard left onto Denny Way. Turn right onto Melrose Ave. Turn left onto Pine St. SIFF Cinema Egyptian will be on your left, just after Harvard Ave. From I-5 Northbound Take exit 166 to merge onto Olive Way. Turn right onto Melrose Ave. Turn left onto Pine St. SIFF Cinema Egyptian will be on your left, just after Harvard Ave. Q: Where can I park?

A: 1. Near the Northwest Film Forum, free street parking is available MondaySaturday after 8:00 p.m. and all day on Sundays. Free parking is available seven nights a week after 9:00 p.m., at the Richmark Printers lot on 11th and Pine, just east of Cal Anderson Park. Parking is not guaranteed. An affordable pay parking lot is available 3 blocks from the Northwest Film Forum at the Greek Orthodox Church at 13th and Howell. Seattle Central College’s Harvard Garage at 1609 Harvard Avenue (at E. Pine Street) is also open and available 24/7.

2. Near SIFF Cinema Egyptian, free street parking is available MondaySaturday after 8:00 p.m. and all day on Sundays. Free parking is available seven nights a week after 9:00 p.m., at the Richmark Printers lot on 11th and Pine, just east of Cal Anderson Park. Parking is not guaranteed. A pay parking lot is available 2 blocks from the Northwest Film Forum on Harvard between Pike and Union. Seattle Central College’s Harvard Garage at 1609 Harvard Avenue (at E. Pine Street) is also open and available 24/7.

For more information about parking, visit www.seattleaaff.org/2017/filmforum-parking.

Q: Are the films in English?

A: Most films are in English. There will be subtitles for non-English segments in the films.

Q: How do I interact with SAAFF and filmmakers?

A: We will have panel discussions and Q&As with filmmakers after many screenings. At the Opening Night Party, the audience can meet the filmmakers and the SAAFF team.

Q. Can I go to the Opening Night Party if I can’t make it to the opening feature, A Taste of Home?

A: Yes! If you can’t make it to A Taste of Home but want to attend the party, doors for the party at SIFF Cinema Egyptian will open at 9:30 pm. You can purchase tickets for just the Opening Night Party at the door or online at http:// seattleaaff.org/2017/events/opening-night-party-at-siff-cinema-egyptian/.

Q: Is SIFF Cinema Egyptian and the Northwest Film Forum ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible?

A: Yes, both theaters are ADA accessible.

Q: Are there discounts at neighboring businesses for festival attendees?

A: Yes, see us at guest services in the lobby of the Northwest Film Forum for a list of businesses offering discounts or check the website at http://seattleaaff. org/2017/restaurants_bars_discounts/.

Q: Aside from screening films, what else is going on at SAAFF? A: We’ll have the lobby open for the duration of the festival, where you’ll find: guest services, merchandise sales, a photo area, and a community resource table with info about Seattle-area Asian American organizations.

Q: Is there food available at the theaters?

A: Concessions and beer will be available. Many restaurants are also within walking distance of the theaters.

Q: How can I reach you?

A: Talk to us on social media at Facebook.com/seattleaaff, Twitter.com/ seattleaaff (hashtag #SAAFF2016), YouTube.com/seattleaaff Email questions to info@seattleaaff.org, message us on Facebook, or @reply us on Twitter. Also, visit us at guest services in the lobby of the Northwest Film Forum during festival hours.

10 — February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

Thursday, Feb 23, 7:30 p.m., SIFF Cinema Egyptian

WHO YOU CALLING SHORT? (FREE NARRATIVE SHORTS PROGRAM)

Co-presented by: SCIDPDA, InterIm CDA, and NAAAP Seattle

Friday, Feb 24, 5:30 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 2

A TASTE OF HOME & OPENING NIGHT PARTY On July 23, 2015 Donnie Chin was murdered in Seattle’s Chinatown. He was the guardian angel of the neighborhood and his absence is still felt to this day. This short essay is about where the case stood after a year and served as a proof of concept piece to promote Citizen Journalism in communities of color.

Directed by Tay and Val (Features / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 54 mins)

WHO KILLED DONNIE CHIN? Directed By Matt Chan (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 8 Mins)

A collection of narrative short films.

This program is free and seats will be available on a first come, first served basis.

BONES—DATU (FEATURING HATAW) Directed by Romeo Candido (Music Videos / Canada / 2016 / Music Video / 4 Mins)

A TASTE OF HOME

Join host Val Tan as she travels through 100 years of Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID) in search of “A Taste Of Home, ” the only documentary anthology featuring five of the oldest Chinese American food establishments in the CID. Feast on delicious dishes created by its founding immigrants, explore the unique flavors of the CID, and find your taste of home.

Your ticket to this screening gets you into the Opening Night Party, which kicks off at SIFF Cinema Egyptian immediately following the films.

Co-presented by: Pork Filled Players

YEAR OF THE DRAGON Directed by Quinn Brown, Troy Osaki (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Misc., Spoken Word / 4 Mins) Bruce Lee lived, studied, and trained here in Seattle in his late teens and early 20s. These days, tourists visit his grave to honor the indelible mark he left on American film and television.

But that’s only one side of Bruce Lee’s story. For most of his career, he was typecast and marginalized by Hollywood studios, deemed unfit for leading roles. In Year of the Dragon, Seattle poet Troy Osaki channels the spirit of Lee in a powerful monologue, revisiting the challenges the action star faced as an actor of color. Along the way, Osaki unpacks the Asian American experience. At a time when issues of representation are in the headlines every day, Year of the Dragon delivers a much-needed blow to the enduring prejudice of the film and television industry.

OPENING NIGHT PARTY Thursday, Feb 23, 9 p.m., SIFF Cinema Egyptian

Hailing from the intensely diverse cultural hub that is the 6ix (formerly known as Toronto), the band carries on the city’s unmistakable legacy of ethereal trip hop with an indie edge but now spun together harmoniously with Filipino mysticism and tradition.

BONES explore the roles that colonization, superstition and indigenous ritual play in Philippine culture.

SAMEER AND THE GIANT SAMOSA Directed by Faroukh Virani (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Comedy / 5 Mins) Sameer and the Giant Samosa is a dark comedy about a newlywed Indian couple and their diverging views on marriage and tradition. A surreal turn of events reveals the groom’s true, hidden appetites.

TWENTY YEARS Directed by David Liu (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Drama / 5 Mins) On a dark night in the city, a police officer encounters a stranger waiting for an old friend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLAIRE Directed by Conrad Lihilihi (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Thriller / 5 Mins)

PHỞMILY FEUD Directed by Martin Tran, Ellison Shieh, Joon Kim (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Comedy / 3 Mins) Though well into adulthood, this sister and brother pair can’t stop competing at childish games. Big sis is used to winning, but this time little bro is determined to take her throne.

Bringing their ago old grudge into a pho restaurant, what could go wrong?

A broken suburban couple pushes the limits of their humanity with unspeakable acts in the name and preservation of family and tradition.

FOR THE LOVE OF MANGOS Directed by Kayla Wong (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Drama / 14 Mins)

BLACK THREAD Directed by Yuji Okumoto (Shorts / United States / 2015 / Action / 13 Mins) Kick off the 5th annual Seattle Asian American Festival with live performances

by Troy Osaki, Sendai Era, NAVVI and The Flavr Blue. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks, take pictures in our photobooth, and dance the night away with our live DJ. The party begins at SIFF Cinema Egyptian immediately following A Taste Of Home.

A hitman finds himself caught between his desire for revenge and damning himself to a hell of eternal suffering.

Because she’s the queen of knowing what’s best, Rita forces her conservative Indian father to go on a date with her feminist studies professor. Consequently, he sets Rita up with a childhood friend.

I WON’T MISS YOU Directed by Joy Regullano, Bernard Badion (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Comedy / 20 Mins) Just another romantic comedy about a girl and her dead best friend. Who’s back.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017 — 11

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

MIXED MATCH

BREATHIN’: THE EDDY ZHENG STORY

Friday, Feb 24, 6:30 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 1

Friday, Feb 24, 9 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 1

Co-presented by: Be the Match. Be the Match will also be hosting a marrow drive at SAAFF. It just takes a few minutes to swab and fill out a form.

Co-presented by: Asian Coalition for Equality and F.I.G.H.T.

BREATHIN’: THE EDDY ZHENG STORY

DIGGING TO CHINATOWN

Directed by Ben Wang (Features / Directed by Barre Fong (Features United States / 2016 / Documentary / 60 / United States / 2016 / Documentary mins) / 41 Mins)

Mixed Match Directed by Jeff Chiba Stearns (Features / Canada / 2016 / Documentary / 96 mins / Seattle Premiere) Mixed Match is an important human story told from the perspective of mixed race blood cancer patients who are forced to reflect on their multiracial identities and complex genetics as they struggle with a seemingly impossible search to find bone marrow donors, all while exploring what role race plays in medicine. With the multiracial community becoming one of the fastest growing demographics in North America, being mixed race is no longer just about an identity, it can be a matter of life and death.

MASSIVE MONKEES: THE BEACON and BATTLE GROUNDS: THE HARD HITS OF FEMALE POPPERS

Arrested at 16 and tried as an adult for kidnapping and robbery, Eddy Zheng served over 20 years in California prisons and jails. Ben Wang’s Breathin’: The Eddy Zheng Story paints an intimate portrait of Eddy—the prisoner, the immigrant, the son, the activist–on his journey to freedom, rehabilitation, and redemption.

Through rarely seen historic photos, footage of the excavation and interviews with archaeologists and descendants, Digging To Chinatown is the story of people’s struggle against Asian exclusion, of battles lost and won that define our society and identity today.

GOOD LUCK SOUP Saturday, Feb 25, 11 a.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 2 Co-presented by Minidoka Pilgrimage and JACL Seattle

Friday, Feb 24, 8 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 2 Co-presented by Massive Monkees Studio: The Beacon

BATTLE GROUNDS: THE HARD HITS OF FEMALE POPPERS

ONE-TWO-ONE-SEVEN: A STORY OF JAPANESE INTERNMENT

Directed by Devon De Leña (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 36 Mins)

Directed by Brett Kodama (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 13 Mins)

Facing both isolation and sexism within the street dancing community, Angel Alviar-Langley decides to organize the first international dance battle for female-identified poppers in Seattle.

MASSIVE MONKEES: THE BEACON

SUNSET—TANGERINE

GOOD LUCK SOUP

Directed by Marika Justad (Music Videos / United States / 2016 / Music Video / 4 Mins)

Directed by Matthew Hashiguchi (Features / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 63 mins)

Directed by Shannon Gee (Shorts / Tangerine teams up with Shaun United States / 2016 / Documentary / Libman to create a dreamy, spooky, 30 Mins) etherial, mysterious music video for The Massive Monkees crew started in their song Sunset. the mid-90s as a group of kids bonding around a love of hip hop and dance at SOMNIUM—BLEACHBEAR a local rec center. After winning world Directed by Valarie Cooley and Everchampionships and achieving many ett Nate Yockey (Music Videos / United other accolades in the bboy community, States / 2016 / Music Video / 3 Mins) the crew now runs their own studio, Music video for a track from BleachThe Beacon, in the heart of Seattle, where they teach, mentor, and inspire bear’s sophmore album “Cowboy Movie Star” released July 30, 2016. people of all ages.

“I don’t want to be Japanese!” filmmaker Matthew Hashiguchi recalls yelling at his father. Growing up Japanese-American in a white IrishCatholic neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio, Matthew wondered what made him different. Years later he set out to document his family’s experiences of being Japanese in America before, during, and after World War II. Good Luck Soup explores several generations assimilating into a new culture while preserving their own.

On February 19th, 1942, Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, a bill which allowed the military to forcibly move people of Japanese ancestry into designated “Relocation Centers” during World War II. Over 100,000 people (citizen and alien alike) were “evacuated” in the name of national security with no legitimate reasoning beyond war time hysteria. Among the internees was the filmmaker’s grandmother, who was only three years old at the time of her incarceration in the spring of 1942. The number “1217” refers to the Family ID Number issued to her and her family at the Manzanar Concentration Camp.

Her story is just one of many from this forgotten and often ignored part of American History.

12 — February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

PAINTED NAILS

LGBTQ IN FOCUS (SHORTS PROGRAM)

Saturday, Feb 25, 12 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 1

Saturday, Feb 25, 2 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 2

Co-presented by Got Green and International Community Health Services

Co-presented by Three Dollar Bill Cinema and Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington A collection of short films featuring LGBTQ topics.

PAINTED NAILS Directed by Erica Jordan, Dianne Griffin, and Nhung Pham (Features / FRACTURED United States / 2015 / Documentary / Directed by Maritte Go (Shorts / 57 mins) United States / 2015 / Drama / 16 Mins) In Painted Nails, we witness the An Asian American farmer struggles American dream crumble when Van, to come to terms with his dying farm a Vietnamese nail salon worker, dis- and his pregnant wife’s mysterious covers her health problems, including illness, both of which may be the result two miscarriages, are the result of of a natural energy company that has toxic chemicals in the products used been drilling nearby. in her salon.

NEVER FORGET Saturday, Feb 25, 3 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 1 Co-presented by: Xin Chao Magazine and Our Sông—VietnameseAmerican Oral History Project

NEVER FORGET Directed by Jon Bling Features (Australia, Vietnam / 2016 / Drama / 88 mins) A young nurse must travel back to her homeland to attend her father’s funeral.

Her family sends a suitor to escort her back to her home town. Along the way, both of them not only learn about themselves but each other. For her, trying to learn the old traditions is hard enough and a deep dark secret hangs over him.

BEST BUDS

Directed by Hayley Kiyoko, Austin Directed by Naomi Iwamoto (USA / Winchell (Music Videos / United States 2016 / Comedy / 11 Mins) / 2015 / Music Video / 5 Mins) Two best friends get more than what A story of love. they bargained for during their weekly hot box ritual.

NƯỚC

Directed by Quyen Nguyen-Le (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Drama / 5 Mins) A Vietnamese American teen attempts to piece together and understand their mother’s experience as a Vietnam War refugee. The journey pulls us into a fantastical series of iconic historical photographs and COMING FULL CIRCLE: THE JOURNEY images, ultimately highlighting the complexity of fully understanding OF A TRANSGENDERED KOREAN another’s experiences—and opens ADOPTEE up possibilities for building relaDirected by Larry Tung (Shorts / tionships based on simply being United States / 2016 / Documentary / present.

24 Mins) What is it like to go “back” to a country you never knew? Pauline Park was born into a poor family in post-war Korea. Adopted by white American parents, she left Korea as a 7-month old baby boy and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

54 years later, she embarked on a journey SEPARAR of discovering and connecting to her past, Directed by Mainak Dhar (Shorts / where her birth name literally means “the United States / 2016 / Drama / 11 Mins) second son.” This film follows Pauline as A clean home, a few drinks, and a she visited Korea for the first time after long overdue conversation. Where she left. does a relationship go when it has nowhere else to go?

GAYSIANS HOME IS WHERE THE SUNSETS Directed by Kayla Tong (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Drama / 8 Mins) Alison’s life in L.A. turns upside down when her family comes to visit from Hong Kong for the very first time. Stuffed into her cramped apartment, Alison finds beauty and heartache in the smallest of moments.

GIRLS LIKE GIRLS—HAYLEY KIYOKO

Directed by Vicky Du (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 12 Mins)

TWO-SIDED RIDE Directed by Jason Karman (Shorts / Canada / 2016 / Comedy / 9 Mins)

Five queer and trans Asian Americans Alex, a gay hopeless romantic, drives from New York City explore their relationships with their family and for a ride-booking company in hopes culture in this illuminating patchwork of a love connection in the big city. His trials and tribulations lead him to lose documentary. his way until fate takes over.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017 — 13

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT (SHORTS PROGRAM) Saturday, Feb 25, 5 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 2

CHEE AND T Saturday, Feb 25, 8 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 2 Co-presented by Tasveer and Rebate Ensemble

GODLIKE Directed by Mickey Finnegan (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Drama / 26 Mins) Alex, a complex and introverted teenager with a interest in gaming, finds himself at odds with his grandmother when he receives news of his mother’s passing. The two don’t see eye to eye on how to handle the situation, and their relationship worsens when Alex BÁ seeks out opportunities in competitive Directed by Leandro Tadashi (Shorts gaming, eSports. / Brazil, United States / 2015 / Drama / 14 Mins)

RADHA

Little Bruno’s life is turned upside Directed by Rupeshi Shah (Shorts / down when his “Bá” (from Bachan, grandma in Japanese) is brought to live United States / 2015 / Drama / 13 Mins) in his house.

An adaptation of a famous Indian story—that of the Hindu god Krishna and his first love, Radha. While Krishna CINEPHILIAC is worshipped by many devotees, it is Directed by Matthew Tichenor (Shorts Radha who’s at the center of his universe. / Canada / 2016 / Drama / 35 Mins) He’s the flirtatious, popular boy; she’s the A determined young cinephile reasonable, beautiful girl. Their relationchases the man of her dreams through ship is eternal—but when one of the other an odyssey of film genres only to gopis (cow herding girls) catches the eye be vexed at each turn by her own of Krishna, Radha begins to question subconscious insecurities. it all. For one of the first times, we see the couple’s age-old story told from her point-of-view.

CHEE AND T Directed by Tanuj Chopra (Features / United States / 2016 / Comedy / 80 mins) Two Silicon Valley debt collectors, Chee and T, are tasked with getting their MS. BULA BANERJEE boss’s nephew, Mayunk, presentable Directed by Rakesh Baruah (Shorts by day’s end for his engagement party. / United States / 2016 / Comedy / 12 Unfortunately, handling Mayunk proves Mins) to be anything but simple. He’s hyperacA quiet librarian takes a stand when tive, brash, and something of a drugged a corporate consultant shows up to out nut case. modernize the business.

BETTER LUCK TOMORROW (15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SCREENING) Saturday, Feb 25, 9 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 1 Co-presented by Northwest Film Forum

MELE MURALS Saturday, Feb 25, 6 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 1 Co-presented by The Vera Project and YouthCAN at the Wing

ROOTS RAPP 2—POU JACKSON Directed by Pou Jackson (Music Videos / United States / 2015 / Music Video / 4 Mins) Hip hop infused with the sounds of Da Islandz.

MELE MURALS Directed by Tad Nakamura (Features / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 67 mins) Mele Murals is a feature documentary about the transformative power of modern graffiti art and ancient Hawaiian culture for a new generation of Native Hawaiians. At the center of the story are two renowned street artists—Estria Miyashiro (aka Estria) and John Hina (aka Prime)—a group of Native Hawaiian youth, and the rural community of Waimea. Set against TAG the resurgence of Hawaiian language Directed by Patrick Green (Shorts / and culture of the past 20 years, Estria and Prime tell how their street art has United States / 2016 / Action, Misc. / 6 taken them on personal journeys to Mins) discover their history, identity, and A colorful day in the secret life of a responsibilities as Hawaiian people. budding graffiti artist.

BETTER LUCK TOMORROW Directed by Justin Lin (Features / United States / 2002 / Drama / 101 mins) An accomplished high school student, Ben (Parry Shen) seems to excel at almost everything except winning over his dream girl, Stephanie (Karin Anna Cheung). When he begins an unlikely friendship with trouble-seeking tough guy Daric (Roger Fan), Ben becomes involved in petty crime that gets increasingly dangerous, with his various illegal ventures extending to include Stephanie and her wealthy beau, Steve (John Cho). Can these restless teens curb their criminal activities before it’s too late? Justin Lin burst onto the scene with his directorial debut Better Luck Tomorrow. It was a seminal film in Asian American cinema, telling a story not seen before and launching the careers of many of its young actors. Justin went on to direct and produce the multimillion dollar Fast and Furious and Star Trek franchises.

14 — February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

PORTRAITS OF US (FREE SHORTS PROGRAM)

TYRUS

Sunday, Feb 26, 11 a.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 2

Sunday, Feb 26, 12 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 1

Co-presented by Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS)

Co-presented by The Wing Luke Museum

A collection of short biographic films about Asian Americans. This program is free and seats will be available on a first come, first served basis.

MASTER OF THE SKY: THE LIFE AND ART OF SAM KOJI HALE Directed by Sumiko Braun (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 11 Mins)

NOT JUST GARDENING… Directed by Cathy Uchida (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 25 Mins) A short documentary about the Japanese Americans who, upon returning from the internment camps, found no one willing to hire them. Due to their resourcefulness, they made their mark as dutiful and caring gardeners.

With his epic mythological storytelling, distinct mixed Japanese American aesthetic, and unique blend of live action tabletop puppetry and CGI animation, Sam Koji Hale leads a new generation of puppeteers who embrace film as he brings to fruition his vision and first feature Yamasong: March Of The Hollows.

DANCING THROUGH LIFE: THE DOROTHY TOY STORY Directed by Rick Quan (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 25 Mins)

SEATTLE COSPLAY: JOURNEY INTO COSPLAY Directed by Jeff Fuchs (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 12 Mins) A short documentary about Anna He and her company Seattle Cosplay.

Learn about her background while watching her newest cosplay creation come to life in preparation for PAX West.

A young man grows closer to his grandma through her papaya salad recipe.

Tyrus is Pamela Tom’s tour-deforce documentary about 105-year old Guangzhou-born, L.A.-based visual artist, Tyrus Wong, and his breathtaking scope of work across multiple artistic mediums and his personal and professional journey navigating racial bigotry in 20th century America. 17 years in the making, Tom’s film makes meticulous use of Tyrus Wong’s exquisite art, archival footage, illuminating interviews and commentary from Wong himself.

SOAR Directed by Alyce Tzue (Shorts / United States / 2015 / Fantasy / 6 Mins) A precocious young girl makes a new friend when a tiny boy pilot drops out of the sky on a broken flying machine.

Now she must race against time to return him home, before her new friend becomes stranded on Earth forever.

UNBROKEN GLASS Sunday, Feb 26, 2 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 2 Co-presented by Tasveer and Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS)

UNBROKEN GLASS Directed by Dinesh Sabu (Features / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 56 mins)

Directed by Milton Liu (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Comedy / 33 Mins) Directed by Joseph Mills (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 11 Mins)

Directed by Pamela Tom (Features / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 77 mins)

Ninety-nine-year-old Dorothy Toy Fong is a living dance legend. She began at a young age after a vaudeville theater manager noticed her dancing in front of her parent’s restaurant. During the 1930s, 40s and 50s, she teamed up with Paul Wing and they would become the most famous Asian American dance duo in this country’s history.

I HATE BIG PHONY

MEH’S TAMMAKHOUNG

TYRUS

Korean American singer/songwriter Bobby Choy’s (aka Big Phony) melodic and quiet songs had garnered him a following. However, returning back to the States from living abroad in South Korea, he wonders, has he made the right decisions in life? Is he his own worst enemy?

When he was six years old, Dinesh Sabu’s parents died. Raised by his siblings, he had little idea who his parents were or where he came from.

Now as an adult with a burning curiosity, Dinesh sets out on a journey across the United States and India to piece together their story. Uncovering a silenced family history of mental illness, Dinesh confronts the legacy of having a schizophrenic mother who died by suicide, the reality of growing up an orphaned immigrant, and the trauma of these events. Can he reconcile these truths all while living in the specter of mental illness?

SONG ON CANVAS Directed by Keo Woolford (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Drama / 15 Mins) An emotionally lost artist, trapped in the corporate world, receives encouragement to pick up his brush again from of all people—his deceased mother.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017 — 15

SEATTLEASIANAMERICANFILMFESTIVAL

EBB AND FLOW

RIGHT FOOTED

TIGER HUNTER

Sunday, Feb 26, 3 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 1

Sunday, Feb 26, 5 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 2

Sunday, Feb 26, 6 p.m., Northwest Film Forum Screen 1

Co-presented by Seattle Adapitive Sports

Co-presented by Seattle Polish Film Festival

Co-presented by JACL Seattle and Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association

EBB AND FLOW Directed by Shelly Solomon (Features / United States / 2016 / Documentary / 77 mins) Ebb and Flow follows 93-year-old Jerry (Eiichi) Yamashita’s recounting of the family history to his son Patrick as they cook Japanese oysters around a campfire. Relying on Jerry’s memories and the help of rare archival footage, beginning with his father Masahide’s decision to immigrate to America from Japan in 1900, the Yamashitas’ journey spanning three generations of entrepreneurial spirit in the face of endless struggle and uncertainty, is revealed. Today Masahide is just beginning to be recognized for his very important pioneering efforts to save the shellfish industry from complete collapse in the 1930s with a Japanese oyster. The Yamashita family story is an inspiring one, but at the same time a cautionary tale about how a society can turn against its immigrants in challenging times, and is as relevant today as ever.

Were it not for Masahide, today’s thriving shellfish farming industry with its legions of passionate oyster connoisseurs may never have come to pass in the United States.

THE ORANGE STORY Directed by Erika Street (Shorts / United States / 2016 / Drama / 18 Mins) February 1942. President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, which authorizes the forced “relocation” of 120,000 ethnic Japanese from their homes and into incarceration camps throughout the U.S. Koji Oshima is the proud owner of a small corner grocery store, but he must now abandon everything and report to an assembly center. His belongings, his business, everything must be sold or left behind, except what he can carry in one large duffel bag. Up against a wall, Koji receives only one low-ball offer for his store, which he has no choice but to accept. The lone bright spot during this turmoil is the friendship Koji develops with a precocious nine-year-old girl.

On the day of his departure, however, Koji is saddened to learn that even this friendship has been tainted by the larger forces of fear and wartime hysteria.

RIGHT FOOTED Directed by Nick Spark (Features / United States / 2015 / Documentary / 80 mins) Born without arms as the result of a severe birth defect, Jessica Cox believed that she could still accomplish her dreams. An expert martial artist, college graduate and motivational speaker, Jessica is also the world’s only armless airplane pilot, a mentor, and an advocate for people with disabilities.

Directed by Emmy Award winning filmmaker Nick Spark, Right Footed chronicles Jessica’s amazing story of overcoming adversity and follows her over a period of two years as she becomes a mentor for children with disabilities and their families, and a disability rights advocate working in the U.S. and abroad.

TIGER HUNTER Directed by Lena Khan (Features / United States / 2016 / Comedy / 94 mins) The story of Sami Malik (Danny Pudi), a young Indian who travels to 1970s America to become an engineer in order to impress his childhood crush and live up to the legacy of his father—a legendary tiger hunter back home. When Sami’s job falls through, he takes a lowend job and joins a gang of oddball friends in hopes of convincing his childhood sweetheart that he’s far more successful than he truly is…or perhaps ever could be.

Asian American artist Tyrus Wong was a real pioneer of his time

By Ellison Shieh SAAFF Not everyone in history is recognized for their contribution to the world. Tyrus Wong lived in relative obscurity for many decades before being celebrated for his decades of work as an artist. In all of Wong’s works, he effortlessly melded traditional and modern influences not just with his art on canvas but through other media as well, such as cards and dinnerware. But he was best known for his unforgettable contributions to Disney’s Bambi (1942). Wong is now a celebrated Asian American pioneer in his own right.

Pamela Tom’s Tyrus is an intimate portrait of the late painter, giving us a glimpse into his illustrious career and the adversity he faced as an immigrant Chinese American artist.

Born in Guangzhou in 1910, Wong immigrated with his father to the United States when he was nine years old. After a month spent by himself on Angel Island, the west coast’s version of Ellis Island, Wong was reunited with his father. They were incredibly poor but it didn’t stop him from making collages, doodles, and little matchstick orchestras. From a young age, it was clear that Wong’s creativity was boundless. He went from being a kid who played hooky to being accepted into art school on a scholarship.

If there’s one thing that anyone knew about Wong, it was just how much he loved to create. “I love to paint,” he says in the documentary, “Anything else—I’m no good at all.” Not only was he humble, he had a great sense of humor as well. There are many joyful moments in the film but sobering ones

exhibition, created works for the W.P.A. during WWII, and put up with blatant racial discrimination at movie studios. Wong was a real pioneer of his time.

Tyrus Wong

Tyrus recently passed away at the age of 106. Watching this documentary will make your heart ache for the loss of a truly incredible 20th century icon. The film shares just how vibrant and admired he was, a man who continued to do what he loved until the very end. Blending archived footage, photographs, interviews, and Wong’s artwork, Tyrus is a remarkable film that takes you on a journey with him through this retelling of his life.

Join the Seattle Asian American Film too. Wong lived through a great number of notable historical events that demonstrate Festival in celebrating his life by attending his extraordinary perseverance. He was the screening of ‘Tyrus’ at Northwest Film a part of the first Asian American art Forum on Sunday, February 26, at 12:00 p.m.

16 — February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE ARTS/NEWS

Tiger Hunter reveals immigrants’ stories Why Pramila Jayapal boycotted

By Yayoi L. Winfrey IE Contributor In Tiger Hunter, directed by Lena Khan, young Sami Malik (Danny Pudi) is so in awe of his father, a renowned tiger hunter in their Indian village, that he wonders if he can ever live up to his dad’s reputation. Tragically, when the boy is just 8, his father dies. But Sami has never forgotten the many words of guidance his dad shared with him; specifically, that “to be a great tiger hunter, you must become the tiger.”

As an adult, Sami pursues a masters degree in engineering at “the best British school in India,” then decides that, in order to honor his father’s legacy and win the woman of his dreams, he must move to America to attain “greatness.” It’s the late 1970s, and the United States is hiring, so Sami lands in Chicago confident he’ll obtain his dream job that will lead to his dream woman, Ruby (Karen David).

Alas, the job Sami is offered is for a draftsman and not an engineer. Further, he’s forced to find an affordable living space and ends up sharing with 13 other, mostly South Asian men also with advanced technical degrees, but who labor as dishwashers and taxi drivers. One of them, Babu (Rizwan Manji), serves as the film’s comic relief.

An automobile aficionado, Babu will end up surprisingly successful because of his scrumptious samosas.

Meanwhile, Sami works on an early prototype for a fully functioning microwave oven. His on-the-job nemesis is Kenneth (Sam Page), the chief engineer and a partner in the firm, who would stoop to anything to discredit Sami—even stealing his ideas.

But Sami makes friends with Alex (John Heder) a mellow, white fellow employee who goes along with Sami’s shenanigans. Either Alex is just plain bored with his predictable, rich lifestyle or he genuinely cares about the only co-worker who seems to take an interest in him. It does help to have influential parents, and Alex’s will be a shocking revelation to Sami.

Spending his days trying to get promoted to an engineering position at his job, Sami takes his work home where he enlists his roommates’ help in creating a microwave

oven that won’t explode. Scrunched together to sleep spoon-style in one bed, the men ruminate their fates, their lack of permanent visas, their inability to get ahead in life to help their families back home, and their uncertain futures. For Sami, not being able to live up to his father’s name is a devastating notion, and even more so when he discovers the woman he loves is coming to Chicago with her strict army general father (Iqbal Theba). Worse, they’re looking at suitors for Ruby. Desperate to impress both father and daughter, Sami plots with Alex and Babu, and comes up with a plan so ludicrous it’s guaranteed to backfire.

Setting the film in 1979 gives director Lena Khan lots of space to play with dramatic visuals. There are vivid psychedelic colors, far-out threads, groovy nostalgic music and an interesting loop back to Indian culture when Sami spots some Hare Krishna devotees chanting at the airport when he first arrives.

In view of the recent executive order banning new immigrants from certain countries from entering the United States, this film is a timely reminder of the struggles of people leaving their birth homes for a better life. No one intentionally leaves a place where they’re comfortable with the culture, customs and language for an unfamiliar environment just for amusement. In a new country, most immigrants have to start on the bottom rung and, through hard work or good luck or both, can slowly make their way up. Further, second generation immigrants like half-Syrian Steve Jobs of Apple have made an extraordinary impact with their contributions to the U.S. economy.

Like a lot of immigrants, Sami yearns for a better life. But while his goals are to achieve the same greatness that his father’s reputation carries, and to marry his childhood sweetheart Ruby, the bottom line is that being in America allows Sami to invent the first functional microwave oven.

‘Tiger Hunter’ screens at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival on February 26 at 6:00 p.m. at Northwest Film Forum Screen 1. For tickets and more information, visit seattleaaff.org.

the inauguration to meet with immigrants in her district

By Chetanya Robinson IE Staff Writer

Early in January, Pramila Jayapal—Seattle’s newly-elected Congressional representative—decided she wouldn’t attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, and would instead meet with immigrants and immigrant advocates in her district.

This makes Jayapal one of 67 House Democrats who boycotted the inauguration—almost a third of the 192-member Democratic Caucus. Jayapal said Trump’s refusal to address conflicts of interest related to his business, which would put him in violation of the Constitution, was a factor in her decision. Her decision was further bolstered after Trump attacked Congressman John Lewis, an iconic civil rights leader, on Twitter, after Lewis suggested Trump would be an illegitimate president due to Russian interference in the election.

The International Examiner spoke with Jayapal the week leading up to Trump’s inauguration.

International Examiner: You were planning not to attend the inauguration from the beginning, but after Trump’s attacked John Lewis on Twitter, you framed it more explicitly as a boycott.

What was your thought process behind this?

Pramila Jayapal: Trump’s tweet back to John Lewis turned into a boycott. ... So people are boycotting because of what he did. But for me, I made a decision that I felt was best for my constituents, which is to be here with people who really fear what is going to happen with this administration, and to be clear that I want to be right here to work with them and to help plan and to help assure them that we’re going to be safe.

And I just did not feel like I could be on that stage celebrating the inauguration of somebody who has been so divisive, who has said so many things that are deeply offensive to so many of our community—and frankly someone who will actually probably be in violation of the Constitution on day one unless he sells off his assets. So I made the very clear decision to stay here in the district with my constituents. We’re having an immigration roundtable that morning, Diane Narasaki from ACRS will be there, and we’re going to listen to both advocates and people who are directly impacted, and make a plan for what we want to do moving forward. I think if Donald Trump had not tweeted what he did, then he’d probably have a lot more people attending, but I think that he needs to show that he’s the president and to actually represent everybody.

IE: Instead of attending the inauguration, you’ll be meeting with immigrants and refugees in your district. Trump has said many things and taken many positions on immigrants and refugees over the course of his campaign. What are you most worried about when it comes to the future of immigrants and refugees, and what might you do as a representative to address these fears?

PJ: I think it’s really about whether or not we stand a country that welcomes, recognizes, and respects immigrants and refugees, and there are all kinds of laws and policies that allow us to do that, from civil

rights and protecting civil rights, to protecting voting rights, to actually protecting immigrants who are here and facilitating immigrants and refugees to be able to come to this country and be successful. So if, for example, he refuses to move forward on any kind of immigration reform that legalizes 11 million undocumented immigrants and deals with the huge family backlog that’s been such an issue for API communities over the years—I’m very afraid of what. I’m very afraid that he’s going to roll back DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] and use the system that we actually encourage people to sign up for, to go after them.

So there’s immigration policy, but there’s also the overall way in which he talks about immigrants and refugees, and unfortunately he’s been other-izing immigrants and refugees so much. The Muslim registry, portraying immigrants as criminals, all of those kinds of things are undermining the deep respect and value that we should have for immigrants and refugees in this country.

IE: If, for example, Trump decides he wants to deport millions of people or repeal DACA, what can you and other Democratic lawmakers do?

PJ: Well I think it depends on how he decides to do it. Obviously DACA is an administrative action and so he can do that—he has the authority to take back what President Obama did. What we have is the court of public opinion. And we have got to make sure that we are telling the stories, getting people to call in, getting people to pressure their elected officials wherever they might be, and really pushing back on anything like that that he tries to do, and that’s really our best tool on something like DACA, because that was done administratively. I think if he were to institute a Muslim registry, he could do that legislatively, he could also do that administratively—so it depends on how he’s doing it. But there’s no question that since we’re in the minority in the House and the Senate and now he has the presidency as well, that the most effective pressure is going to come from both inside and outside advocacy and efforts to try to slow down or stop what he’s trying to do, by making it very clear to the American people what’s at stake.

IE: There’s been a lot of debate about what the Democrats’ strategy should be with Trump—whether to oppose him entirely or work with him on certain issues.

What’s your position on this?

PJ: Well I really believe that it depends on what he’s proposing. If he’s proposing things that are going to be good for the American people and are going to move forward people’s lives, then I’m ready to work with him. But so far I haven’t seen any indication of that. I am determined to be at the forefront of fighting back any undermining of voting rights, of immigration reform, immigrant rights, women’s rights. If he tries to move some of those things that I think are going to be really bad for the constituents of my district and for people across the country, I’m going to fight back on that. If he’s got some good ideas and he wants to really move things forward, then look for me to be one of the first people to say I’m ready to work on that. I just haven’t seen any evidence of the latter, unfortunately.

To read the entire interview, visit https:// goo.gl/nQOmBj.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017 — 17

IE ARTS

Films: Children’s Film Festival Seattle and Kung Fu Yoga

By Yayoi L.Winfrey IE Contributor Once again, the Children’s Film Festival Seattle presents a diverse collection of movies that adults can enjoy, too. From features to shorts, narratives to documentaries, below are some offerings by or about Asians and Asian Americans.

In the feature narrative Fortune Favors the Brave, two ethnic Vietnamese girls living in Halle, Germany find themselves alone after their mother hurriedly leaves for Vietnam to care for their sick grandmother. At just 11, Linh is staunchly responsible. Her determination in assuming adult-sized tasks at her tender age is heartbreaking.

Not only does Linh look after her 9 year-old sister, Tien, but she’s entrusted with overseeing her mother’s take-out restaurant, too. Yet all Linh wants is the chance to attend high school like any other kid. Ironically, a neighborhood bully, Pauline, does everything she can to avoid school. Instead, Pauline, who is in turn bullied by her classmates, favors locking herself inside her room where she spies on neighbors with a telescope.

After noticing Linh and her sister alone for days without a parent, Pauline bribes them; promising to not report them to authorities in exchange for being allowed to hang out with the “exotic” Asian kids unsupervised by adults. What starts out as a contentious relationship turns into camaraderie as the girls begin to learn about each other’s worlds—Pauline’s spoiled, only-child, white, middle-class life versus Linh’s struggling immigrant’s reality. But despite the girls’ discretion, they’re soon followed by police and harassed by school officials.

Thao, the lone employee at Linh’s mother’s take-out, speaks no German so Linh enlists her to portray her missing mom—for awhile.

Adventures galore follow the trio of girls as they interact with the Vietnamese community, including a godfather-like character who loans them money. Whether praying at a Vietnamese temple or fending off cops, the girls are in it together. Lynn Dortschack plays Linh with a total lack of self-consciousness and, in doing so, creates a completely believable character. Linda Phurong Anh Dang has the role of her younger sister and Lisa Wihstutz is Pauline. As a stern-faced pre-teen longing for a carefree life, Linh displays remarkable maturity in grasping her immigrant family’s

circumstances.

German with English and Vietnamese subtitles. *** In Football We Trust is a feature documentary following four Polynesian NFL hopefuls. Navigating the intricacies of recruiting exceptional high school football players to become college players, then pros, this movie was four years in the making.

Focusing on Salt Lake City, Utah, a haven for Polynesian families placing their hopes on sons who play football, the filmmakers reveal the hardships of poverty and the weight the boys feel to pull their relatives from it.

Surviving drugs, gangs, prisons, and more, some of the boys turn to their Mormon faith for help. Although the film doesn’t explore how that religious conversion came about for the Pacific Islanders, its co-directors Tony Vainuku and Erika Cohn interview a profusion of coaches, teachers, parents, siblings, and current and former Polynesian football players to explain pro football’s role in their salvation. *** Among the live-action shorts featured at the festival are several thought-provoking films like these: Summer with Monkey King is about a six year-old Chinese girl already learning the lessons of female disempowerment. Yearning to play the role of the legendary Monkey King at her school, she’s told by the adults around her that it’s a part only a boy could handle. Making matters worse, she overhears her grandmother praying for a boy to be born to her pregnant mother as if he will be the family’s savior. Director Ewing Luo’s compelling message is irrefutable.

Mandarin with English subtitles. *** A comedy, Mr. and Mrs. Kim features a California kid named Joshua who loves to draw. Unfortunately, Joshua’s Korean immigrant parents run a dry cleaner where he’s expected to help out whenever he’s not admonished to stop drawing and do his homework.

Not only is school boring for Joshua, but his classmates aren’t exactly supportive either.

One in particular, a girl named Harper, antagonizes him over Career Day where she shows off her television reporter father. Instead of inviting his parents to the event, Joshua tells a tall tale of their glamorous lives as spies who

escaped Kim Jong-Il. This is Jaehuen Chung’s AFI (American Film Institute) thesis project, and his handling of several fantasy sequences is spectacular.

English and Korean with English subtitles. *** From India comes In Fairness about a boy, Ram, who helps himself to mangos that have fallen from a neighbor’s tree. But when he’s caught by the neighbor and scolded by his mother, what Ram does next is utterly sweet and selfless.

Tamil with English subtitles. *** The animated short films in the festival also include several with captivating ideas to consider: Directors Robert Kondo and Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi are known for their Oscarnominated short, The Dam Keeper, and their latest project, Moom, is just as contemplative.

An astronaut oversees a field of discarded objects, but there are memories still attached to them. One by one, he, along with a lingering memory attached to a fireman’s hat, free the other memories from their objects. That is, until one day a pretty little memory attached to a pair of ballet slippers appears.

English. *** Under the Persimmon Streetlight is a colorful, dazzling and imaginative film from Taiwan about a girl visiting a Hakka village, along with her parents and grandmother.

Told to keep watch over her grandmother, the little girl loses sight of her and magical things begin to happen. As she searches, the little girl encounters another little girl and an unending parade of fantastic sea and forest creatures including Meddling Monkey, Slick Crab, and a rainbow pearl.

Hakka with English subtitles. *** Also from Taiwan is Little Stone Lion, a voiceless film about a baby stone lion coming to life and protecting the temple. But he’s just a baby after all, and a playful cat nearly gets the best of him. *** Meanwhile, just in time for Lunar New Year, the inimitable Jackie Chan is releasing a new flick directed by Stanley Tong. A real doozy of a film, Kung Fu Yoga (which opened January

27), is spread across three countries—China, India, and United Arab Emirates. Chan plays Jack Chan (seriously), an archeology professor at the Terracotta Warriors Museum in Xi’an.

Along with a couple of teaching assistants Xiaoguang (Lay Zhang) and Nuomin (Mu Qimiya), he’s approached by professor Ashmita (Disha Patani), who looks like she could be India’s contestant for the Miss Universe pageant. So does her assistant Kyra (Amyra Dastur) and nearly every other woman in the movie who also perform impossible kung fu and yoga feats without ever once messing up their make-up.

But Ashmita has a reason for looking like, well, a princess. She’s one in disguise. And, she wants to locate the thousand year-old missing treasure belonging to her ancestors from the Magadha Kingdom of India.

After presenting Chan with a map, she requests his help and off they go to an ice cave filled with treasures. Unfortunately, they’re ambushed by Randall (Sonu Sood), who claims the treasure belongs to his family.

Fighting over a humongous violet gemstone, the opposing sides carry their battle across the globe.

Jack’s best friend’s son, who fancies himself as an Indiana Jones style of relic hunter, constantly gets in the way. Of course, he is aptly named Jones (Aarif Rahman). And, of course, he falls for Ashmita’s assistant, Kyra, who turns out to be her younger sister.

Now in his early 60s, Chan is still physically capable of some pretty slick moves. But, he’s definitely slowing down. However, that doesn’t stop him from doing an intense luxury sports car racing scene in Dubai that spills onto city streets. There’s not as much martial arts (nor yoga, for that matter) in the film as Chan’s fans probably would like, but there are lots of CGI scenes with various animals, including camels, jackals, and a car sick male lion.

Do stay for the credits to watch an energized Chan showing off his dancing in a Bollywood send-up scene.

Mandarin, English, Chinese and English Subtitles (but, strangely, no Hindi).

The Children’s Film Festival Seattle runs through February 11 at Northwest Film Forum. For more information, visit childrensfilmfestivalseattle.org.

Announcements Panel discussion about mass incarceration of Japanese Americans On Saturday, February 18, a panel discussion called “How Could Concentration Camps Happen?” will be held at 1:00 p.m. in Kane Hall 120 at the University of Washington campus.

The annual Day of Remembrance marks the date 75 years ago when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, the authorization leading to the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans of the American West Coast in concentration camps during World War II, without due process of law.

Panelists include: Dee Simon, Dr. Tetsuden Kashima, Professor Lorraine Bannai.

“How Could Concentration Camps Happen?” is also the first in a series of three events planned by a coalition of the Holocaust Center for Humanity, the Nisei Veterans Committee, the Consulate General of Japan, and the Department of American Ethnic Studies of the University of Washington. Co-sponsoring the Day of Remembrance program is the Seattle Japanese American Citizens League.

The Day of Remembrance program will be followed by a reception in the Walker-Ames Reception Room of Kane Hall at 3:30 p.m. The program and reception as well as the events of the series are free and open to the public.

Public Safety Coordinator position now open for applications In November, the city council added funding for a public safety coordinator position in the Chinatown International District. The public safety coordinator will act as a community liaison with the city and serve as co-chair of the CID Steering Committee formed in response to the CID Public Safety Task Force recommendations.

The position is generally autonomous, but will work collaboratively with public, private, and nonprofit partners and will especially rely on community organizations for their knowledge in specific program areas.

To view an application, visit scidpda.org/ wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/psc-job-

description.pdf. To apply, submit a cover letter and resume to pscrecruitment@ scidpda.onmicrosoft.com.

18 — February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017

Arts & Culture Asia Pacific Cultural Center 4851 So. Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409 Ph: 253-383-3900 Fx: 253-292-1551 faalua@comcast.net www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org Bridging communities and generations through arts, culture, education and business.

Civil Rights & Advocacy Organization of Chinese Americans Asian Pacific American Advocates Greater Seattle Chapter P.O. Box 14141 Seattle, WA 98114

Housing Services InterIm Community Development Association 310 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 Ph: 206-624-1802 Services: 601 S King St, Ph: 206-623-5132 Interimicda.org Multilingual community building: housing & parking, housing/asset counseling, projects, teen leadership and gardening programs.

Kawabe Memorial House 221 18th Ave S Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-322-4550 connie.devaney@gmail.com We provide affordable, safe, culturally sensitive housing and support services to people aged 62 and older.

www.ocaseattle.org

OCA—Greater Seattle Chapter was formed in 1995 and since that time it has been serving the Greater Seattle Chinese and Asian Pacific American community as well as other communities in the Pacific Northwest.

It is recognized in the local community for its advocacy of civil and voting rights as well as its sponsorship of community activities and events.

Education Denise Louie Education Center 206-767-8223 info@deniselouie.org www.deniselouie.org

Offering home visiting services for children birth to 3 and full & part-day multicultural preschool education for ages 3 to 5 in the International District, Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach.

COMMUNITY RESOURCE DIRECTORY

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Seattle Chinatown/International District Preservation and Development Authority ph: 206-624-8929 fx: 206-467-6376 info@scidpda.org Housing, property management and community development.

Immigration Services

Professional & Leadership Development

Executive Development Institute 310 – 120th Ave NE. Suite A102 Bellevue, WA Ph: 425-467-9365 edi@ediorg.org • www.ediorg.org EDI offers culturally relevant leadership development programs.

WE MAKE LEADERS Fostering future leaders through education, networking and community NAAAP Seattle services for Asian American Queen Anne Station professionals and entreP.O. Box 19888 preneurs.

Seattle, WA 98109 Facebook: NAAAP-Seattle info@naaapseattle.org Twitter: twitter.com/naaapwww.naaapseattle.org seattle

Senior Services

Fearless Asians for Immigration Reforms (FAIR!) 206-578-1255 Info@ItShouldBeFair.com www.ItShouldBeFair.com

Free and confidential support for undocumented Asians and Pacific Islanders. Workshops, financial assistance, legal help, scholarships, DACA renewals, and consultations for service providers. Benefits include: community support, and opportunities for work permits, $$ for school, and protection from deportation.

The Kin On Team is ready to serve YOU! www.kinon.org

Grammar Captive 409B Maynard Ave. South Seattle, WA 98104 206-291-8468 tutor@grammarcaptive.com www.grammarcaptive.com Speak better. Write better. Live better. Improve your English language skills with a professional language consultant at a price you can afford. Learn to write effective business and government correspondence.

Improve your reading, conversation, academic writing, and IT skills.

Homelessness Services YouthCare 2500 NE 54th Street Seattle, WA 98105 206-694-4500

Washington New Americans Program OneAmerica 1225 S. Weller St., Suite 430 Seattle, WA 98144 Are you a lawful permanent resident? The Washington New Americans program can help you complete your application for U.S. citizenship. Low-cost and free services available – please call our hotline or visit www.wanewamericans.org.

Phone: 1-877-926-3924 Email: wna@weareoneamerica.org Website: www.wanewamericans.org

Working to prevent and end youth homelessness with services including meals, shelter, housing, job training, education, and more.

HomeSight 5117 Rainier Ave S Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-723-4355 fx: 206-760-4210 www.homesightwa.org NMLS#49289 HomeSight creates homeownership opportunities through first mortgage lending, down payment assistance, real estate development, homebuyer education, and counseling.

Southeast Seattle Senior Center 4655 S. Holly St., Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-722-0317 fax: 206-722-2768 kateh@seniorservices.org www.sessc.org Daytime activities center providing activities social services, trips, and community for seniors and South Seattle neighbors. We have weaving, Tai Chi, indoor beach-ball, yoga, dance, senior-oriented computer classes, trips to the casino, and serve scratch cooked lunch. Open Monday through Friday, 8:30-4. Our thrift store next door is open Mon-Fri 10-2, Sat 10-4. This sweet center has services and fun for the health and well-being of boomers and beyond. Check us out on Facebook or our website.

Social & Health Services Asian Counseling & Referral Service 3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-695-7600 fx: 206-695-7606 events@acrs.org www.acrs.org ACRS offers multilingual, behavioral health and social services to Asian Pacific Americans and other low-income people in King County.

APICAT 601 S King St. Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-682-1668 www.apicat.org Addressing tobacco, marijuana prevention and control and other health disparities in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.

Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs GA Bldg., 210 11th Ave SW, Suite 301A Olympia, WA 98504 ph: (360) 725-5667 www.facebook.com/wacapaa capaa@capaa.wa.gov www.capaa.wa.gov Statewide liaison between government and APA communities. Monitors and informs the public about legislative issues.

Cathay Post #186 of The American Legion Supporting veterans for over 70 years Accepting new members—contact us today to learn more! (206) 355-4422 P.O. Box 3281 Seattle, WA 98144-3281 cathaypost@hotmail.com

info@youthcare.org www.youthcare.org

Homeownership Services

Senior Services

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Keiro Northwest 1601 E Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122 ph: 206-323-7100 www.keironorthwest.org rehabilitation care | skilled nursing | assisted living | home care | senior day care | meal delivery | transportation | continuing education | catering services

Legacy House 803 South Lane Street Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-292-5184 fx: 206-838-3057 info@legacyhouse.org www.scidpda.org/programs/legacyhouse. aspx Services offered: Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, meal programs for low-income seniors.

Chinese Information & Service Center 611 S Lane St, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-624-5633 fax: 206-624-5634 info@cisc-seattle.org www.cisc-seattle.org Creating opportunities for Asian immigrants and their families to succeed by helping them make the transition to a new life while keeping later generations in touch with their rich heritage.

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Contact lexi@iexaminer.org

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Social & Health Services

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Since 1935

Tai Tung Restaurant International District Medical & Dental Clinic 720 8th Avenue S, Seattle, WA 98114 ph: 206-788-3700 email: info@ichs.com website: www.ichs.com

Banquet Facilities - Catering - Delivery

Bellevue Medical & Dental Clinic 1050 140th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98005 ph: 425-373-3000 Shoreline Medical & Dental Clinic 16549 Aurora Avenue N, Shoreline, WA 98133 ph: 206-533-2600 Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic 3815 S Othello St, Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-788-3500 ICHS is a non-profit medical and dental center that provides health care to low income Asian, Pacific Islanders, immigrants and refugees in Washington State.

7301 Beacon Ave S Seattle, WA 98108 ph: 206-587-3735 fax: 206-748-0282 www.idicseniorcenter.org info@idicseniorcenter.org IDIC is a nonprofit human services organization that offers wellness and social service programs to Filipinos and API communities.

Parking & Transportation Services 206-624-3426 transia@aol.com Merchants Parking provides convenient and affordable community parking. Transia provides community transportation: para-transportation services, shuttle services, and field trips in and out of Chinatown/International District, and King County.

Come Enjoy the Oldest Chinese Restaurant in Town!

655 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 622-7372 Mon-Thurs 11am-10:30pm Fri-Sat 11am-12am Sun 11am-10pm

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Answers to this puzzle are on Wednesday, February 1.

February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017 — 19

20 — February 1, 2017 – February 14, 2017

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER