VANCOUVER ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL Asians in Movies Award Winning Movie Pitches Starring Asian Casts
ABOUT AIM
AIM MUSIC
For more than two decades, VAFF has championed increasing diversity and representation in mainstream media, in front of and behind the camera. Vancouver is the ideal location for like-minded advocates to gather—we are home to a large, active Asian filmmaking and acting population, affectionately referred to as Hollywood North, and arguably the best gateway to Asia’s film industries.
In 2019 VAFF launched the Asians in Music Songwriting Competition to provide opportunities for musicians and songwriters of Asian Heritage to be heard and possibly placed in film and television projects. As the music industry and mainstream musical tastes change, VAFF believes this is the perfect time and AIM is the perfect project to develop and promote Asian musicians so they can break out onto the popular music scene.
AIM MOVIES VAFF fiercely supports campaigns such as #StarringJohnCho and #OscarsSoWhite and will continue to help coordinate these passionate efforts into an actionable plan for substantial change. In 2016 as part of the AIM3 Summit (Asians in Movies, Music and Media), VAFF launched the AIM Logline Contest and Calendar Casting Campaigns to increase opportunities for Asian actors to be cast as leads, and for Asian writers to have their scripts read by industry professionals. During 2016 and 2017, VAFF hosted casting booths at various VAFF events as well as at community partners’ events and online across Canada and the US. From the winning 12 loglines, VAFF produced movie posters based on the interpretation of these winning loglines featuring the 12 AIM Calendar Casting winners. This AIM Lookbook will also be sent to film producers, directors, studios, production companies and casting directors in hopes that they will see the depth and breadth of stories from the Asian community. As well as they turn each page, they will be challenged to consider a wider spectrum of colour to cast and to see highly entertaining, engaging and profitable movie pitches that need to be produced because audiences want to see these films.
If you are interested in producing or optioning any of the screenplays, please contact info@vaff.org
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The 12 winning songs can be found here http://vaff.org/aim/
Allen Johnson ......................... Passsion Cry
Edward Cai ............................ Broken Mirror (Featuring Sara Selin)
Fettish .................................... Bubble Tea Boy
Genie Lee .............................. 90 Days
Gowe .................................... I Wwonder
Grace & Matt .......................... Down
Michael Bariuan ...................... Boba Tea
Sunny Chen ........................... It’s Okay
Wind Meets West ................... Mother
Crystal King ........................... I Love Feeling Wrong With
XY ......................................... Look At Me
Sazuki Yukino ......................... Sazuking-Scat
If you are interested in placing any of these songs in your film project please contact aim@vaff.org for a disco link to the Asians in Music Compilation Album Vol. 1
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An immigrant struggles with cultural differences while aiming to master Chinese/Western dishes to become a chef. MILTON NG grew up in Legal, a small town in Alberta, where he worked at his family’s Chinese restaurant. Wanting to tell stories, he moved out to Vancouver in 2009 to pursuit film making, which almost gave his parents a heart attack at the thought of their son making movies for a living. Milton’s produced short films like Next Like, Banana Rule and How Hollywood Adapts Anime. He is in the middle of his comedy superhero web-series, Followers.
I used to use the word “diversity” all the time. “We want more diverse stories, more diverse characters …” Now I really eliminated it from my vocabulary because I’ve learned from her [Ava Duvernay] that the word that most articulates what we’re looking for is what we want to be: included. It’s to have a seat at the table where the decisions are being made. —Oprah Winfrey, Hollywood Reporter
JACKY CHEN is 24 years old and just graduated from Langara. I like to sing, play basketball and watch movies in my free time. I have always had a passion about films and am very proud that the Chinese film industry is going worldwide these days.
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A young woman goes to India to trace the journey of a friend who went missing after a tragic plane crash and discovers that heaven has more in store for her than she could have ever imagined.
An incredibly talented Asian actor might be considered for a leading role maybe once or twice in a lifetime. That’s a highly pressured situation. —Constance Wu, Actor, Crazy Rich Asians
DESIREE LIM grew up in Malaysia and Japan, before settling in Vancouver in 2002. Desiree worked as director and associate producer for news and documentaries at TV Asahi and NHK in Tokyo. Her debut Japanese TV feature, Sugar Sweet,and Canadian TV drama Floored By Love screened at major LGBT film festivals in North America, Europe and Asia. Desiree was a director participant of the Women In Director’s Chair Workshop and National Screen Institute’s Features First. Her psychological drama The House filmed in Vancouver with some of the city’s top actors, has won several awards including Best Canadian Feature at the Female Eye Film Festival. EVELYN CHEW is an actress based in Vancouver and has worked with many of the city’s best theatre companies. As a performer, she has been described as intelligent, convincing, fearless, fiercely honest and hilarious. She’s completed two national tours including She Has A Name a critically acclaimed play about human trafficking and sexual slavery in which she played the lead. In Canada, It’s Complicated director and comedy legend, Mary Walsh, presented Evelyn as one of the country’s young, up-and-coming performers. Evelyn continues her work on screen with recent bookings on Take Two, The Perfection and Motherland. RICHA SEHGAL is a passionate Makeup artist, graduated from Blanche MacDonald in Vancouver. Her interests are fashion, beauty and bridal makeup. Her vision is to be an established Fashion/Film, SFX makeup artist. She draws inspiration from Pat McGrath. Her goal is to be published in top magazines like Vogue. In her free time, you can find her at a gym, traveling or browsing through history of art and beauty. As a woman, she believes in Independence of woman and is determined to empower young girls in need.
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After six hapless Chinese railroad workers unleash a horde of monsters on a small western town, they must join up with the descendant of the Chumash shaman who put the monsters away in the first place and save a young country that doesn’t value their existence.
No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive. —Mohandas K. Gandhi, Indian Activist and Leader of Indian independence movement
ALEX SHIFMAN is a writer, comedian, and host of the podcast, At Least There’s This, on the Rubytone Network. He lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
KING LAU is an actor who started life in Hong Kong’s infamous Kowloon Walled City. While working towards becoming a Religious Studies Professor in University he decided on a different career path. King soon found himself in the legendary Dungeon of the Hart family in Calgary, Alberta. There he trained to be a Professional Wrestler. Almost certainly the first full ethnic Chinese Pro Wrestler. After King’s foray in the world of Pro Wrestling was over, he shifted into acting. He has now appeared in productions in North America and internationally. King is also a Dr. of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncturist. HUBERT TRAN watched films in his father’s video store and was influenced by Tony Leung, Andy Lau and Leslie Cheung early on. Then in his mid-teens, he finally decided to pursue acting as a full time career. His first opportunity came when he won a local Chinese radio contest Sunshine Boyz. This accomplishment made Hubert decide to move to Hong Kong to realize his dreams of starring in Hong Kong films. Shortly after, Hubert was invited into TVB’s prestigious Artiste Training program with alumni that featured the same actors he grew up idolizing. Later he returned to Toronto to take the Acting for Film and Television program at Humber College. Since then, Hubert has made a mark in North America with credits in The Romeo Section, Suits and a guest starring role on AMC’s Hell on Wheels. He is an actor who is deeply passionate about diversity on screen and is currently based in China. Follow him on Instagram @HubertTran.
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A young woman with depression re-evaluates her life on the day her parents make a surprising announcement.
VALERIE SIMON was born in Denver, Colorado where she started stage acting at age 9. She later got in to film, which became her main focus. Currently she attends the University of British Columbia, studying Religion, Literature, and The Arts. Her primary focus blends Eastern philosophy with the theory of acting. She believes that acting is beyond its art form and collides with the truth of the human experience.
Some of my favorite movies are by straight white dudes about straight white dudes. Now, straight white dudes can watch movies starring me and you relate to that. It’s not that hard. I’ve done it my whole life. —Kumail Nanjiani, Actor/Writer, The Big Sick
Writer JADE TREMBLAY
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After being voted most boring by his high school peers, a quiet Asian guy in a predominantly white town vows to KICK ASS before the end of senior year.
[So] many years of being seen [a certain way], it deeply, deeply, deeply affects us. —Sandra Oh, Actor, Killing Eve, Vulture.
STANLEY WONG is a writer/director/actor who grew up in Louisiana and got a degree in film from the University of New Orleans. He has since worked on award-winning independent films Steve Chong Finds Out That Suicide is a Bad Idea, Hand Fart and played the token Asian in the Jump Street series and The Big Short.
DIMITRY TSOY is a Canadian actor, martial artist and stunt performer known for his work on Deadpool 2, Skyscraper and Bad Times at the El Royale. Dimitry was born in Russia, in 1991. From the age of five, he began intensively studying martial arts. By the age of ten, Dimitry Tsoy was a two-time Winner of the US Junior Olympic Taekwondo Championships. By 20, he graduated with honors from the Chinese Shaolin Martial Arts Academy in Kung Fu and Beijing Sports School in Wushu. Nowadays, Dimitry works really hard to apply all the acquired skills and experience in film industry and make a worthy contribution to the development of modern action acting.
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In a small town where the sun has not risen in years, a headstrong young woman with a memory condition and impossibly gifted 10 year old strike up a friendship, revealing truths about their sunless society.
MIA FIONA KUT is a director, screenwriter, actress, and business owner born in Richmond, BC. Her short films and screenplays have earned awards at international film festivals. Most recently, her directorial short film Sonder has won Best Female Filmmaker at the LA Independent Film Festival Awards, and is nominated for the Best Canadian Short Award at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. She has recently appeared as an actor on CW’s The Flash, FOX’s Wayward Pines and the upcoming Netflix show Wu Assassins. Mia is also the founder of the all-natural and vegan skincare company Luna Nectar.
It’s great to know that TV isn’t just for pretty white people. It’s been really exciting to not only be able fulfill my dreams of being an actress but also participate in this surge of representation in the industry. —Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Actor, Andi Mack (Disney)
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JAY OH is a Korean-Canadian writer plying his trade in Seoul, Korea. He has worked as a writer on various mediums from sports articles to comics to animation, stop motion, machinima, live action, and video games. He doesn’t often enjoy writing in third person, but definitely enjoys boasting about his work in the third person because then he doesn’t seem so arrogant. However, he realizes the irony of that statement.
We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color. —Maya Angelou, Author/Poet, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Jay is currently working on a webcomic that he displays on his instagram Go4jayoh and aspires to write for TV.
An unhappily engaged Korean-Canadian pastor is suddenly changed when a young boy arrives at his door and tells him he’s his son.
JASON PAUL CHAU is an actor, writer, and video producer. He was born and raised in Northern British Columbia to his parents Vinh and Quan Chau, who were refugees during the Vietnam-Sino War. Jason moved to Vancouver and graduated from UBC. While traveling in Thailand, he was scouted for print and TVC modeling. After he returning to Vancouver, he continued to seek further training for film and acting. Currently, he works both in-front-of and behind the camera as an actor, writer, and video producer.
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MARIE JAMORA is an award-winning director who emigrated to L.A. from the Philippines and began her career as a music video director, before becoming the showrunner of the first season of Project Runway Philippines, which won an Asian Television Award. A musician who drums and records with a rock band, she wrote, directed, produced, edited, and supervised the music for her first feature, What Isn’t There (Ang Nawawala), which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival. Her recent short film, Flip The Record, won the Grand Jury Awards for Best Narrative Short at the 2017 Urbanworld Film Festival and St. Louis International Film Festival, and was submitted for consideration at the 90th Academy Awards. She is the co-director and editor for the hit LEGO® YouTube series, The Build Zone, with over 150 million views. As the showrunner, she is in post-production of Family Style, a food show with Warner Bros. Stage 13 and Justin Lin’s YOMYOMF. Jamora, was recently named one of Five Visionary Asian-American Female Filmmakers in Kore magazine’s New Hollywood issue.
From the very start, I said I wanted a photographic cover with an Asian girl front and center... My wish was for an Asian-American girl to walk into a bookstore and see a girl who looked like her on the shelf. Always, my hope is for all kids to feel seen. —Jenny Han, Author, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
In this 1980s coming-of-age story set to pulsing hip-hop music, a Filipino-American teen discovers her identity through a budding talent for turntablism.
In this 1980s coming-of-age story set to pulsing hip-hop music, a Filipino-American teen discovers her identity through a budding talent for turntablism. JOELLA CABALU is an award-winning Filipino-Canadian Vancouver-based documentary filmmaker. Her first documentary It Runs in the Family (2015) won Audience Choice Awards at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival and Vancouver Queer Film Festival and an honourable mention for the Loni Ding Award for Social Justice Documentary at CAAMFest. She produced the uplifting environmental short documentary FIXED! (2016) and co-directed Do I Have Boobs Now? (2017) which screened in festivals worldwide, including Slamdance, BFI Flare, and OUTFest LA. She is currently producing a CBC short documentary Biker Bob’s Posthumous Adventure to be released in Spring 2019.
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A young woman grapples with the fragmented memories of her late father—whose complicated life as a Vietnamese refugee subject shapes her increasingly porous sleeping and waking life.
Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven. —Yiddish Proverb
CYNTHIA MINH moved to Vancouver in 2013 and completed her MA in English Literature at the University of British Columbia with an interest in Asian diasporic literature. She currently serves as Program Manager & Outreach Coordinator for Disability Alliance BC’s Access RDSP Program. When she’s not working, she’s likely watching your next favourite television show, or sleeping until more representative stories are told.
BOOM T. PATTY was born in Bangkok, Thailand and completed a Bachelor’s Degree of Industrial Design in Architecture from Chulalongkorn University and began her career as a Creative Producer in an advertising company. However, time behind the camera made her realize that she wanted to be in front of it, and so in 2016 she quit her job and produced, wrote, directed, edited and acted in a commercial, which won top prize at the Dream on the Stage contest. In 2017 she moved to Vancouver, Canada to pursue acting. She first studied acting at School Creative Institute of the Arts, and then in the Langara College Film Arts, which has given her a foundation upon to build her acting career. She was also first runner up of Miss Asia Canada 2017. She has created various art pieces; sings, dances, cooks, draws, plays music and makes films. She believes that art can make people happy and wishes to share that happiness with the world.
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VICTOR YOUNG is an internet entrepreneur born and raised in Vancouver. He spends a lot of his time travelling and mentoring people on business ownership. In his free time, he loves exploring and pursuing his passion for the arts and has finished a full-time Film and TV program here in Vancouver.
People forget that stereotypes aren’t bad because they are always untrue. Stereotypes are bad because they are not always true. If we allow ourselves to judge another based on a stereotype, we have allowed a gross generalization to replace our own thinking. —George Takei, Actor/Writer , Star Trek
Young writer moves to the big city to pursue his dream and unwittingly rents a room in a mansion in which the tenants are legendary monsters.
ALBERT-NICHOLAS NASSRALLAH Ottawa born and raised, started his career in theatre. He performed in over 30 plays in 5 years, and eventually decided to move to Vancouver in hopes of furthering his career. Albert made his TV debut in Season 11 of Supernatural. Since then, he has appeared in several hit shows such as Lucifer, Shut Eye, Van Helsing, and The 100, to name a few. When he is not filming, he stays involved in the industry by coaching and taping other actors at JBA studios, as well as doing photography.
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TOPIE, a Vietnamese Asian woman, pairs with her friend Alison as hapless indie record label owners. They meet their match when it comes to Chinese-American pop star wanna-be CC Lux. Somehow the three gals find a solution in the midst of a crime caper that works for all of them.
A lot of different flowers make a bouquet. —Muslim Origin
THUC NGUYEN was born in Vietnam and grew up in North Carolina and Southern Maryland. She went to UNC-Chapel Hill and then left for London where she worked for Saatchi & Saatchi’s Cause Connection. After living in Europe, Thuc moved to New York City and was raised by a pack of wild drag queens. Thuc then moved to Los Angeles and became a writers’ assistant for television and went back to school to learn screenwriting. She started The Bitch Pack to advocate for better dialogue for women and since has focused on roles for People of Color, especially Women of Color. CATHERINE ELISSA CHOW (CC Lux) has always had a curiosity for the performing arts and acting was something she has always wanted to pursue. Her first experience came about six years ago when she was approached by casting to audition for an international commercial, which she then later booked and flew out to Prague to film. Since then, she has trained with various instructors at local acting schools and has appeared on some television commercials, music videos, movies and television shows. She recognizes the importance and need for diversity and representation in media and wants to stay involved. SARAH WONG (Topie) was born and raised in the tropical island of Sabah, Malaysia and is of Han Chinese (Hakka) descent. At 19 years old, she was discovered in the city of Kuching, Malaysia as a model. In college, she gained experiences in print work and runway shows. She moved to Vancouver after her foundation studies at the University of LimKokWing Creative design. In Vancouver, Sarah was again discovered by an agent and was introduced into acting and film. She speaks several languages, including dialects in Chinese, English and Bahasa Melayu(Malay) and has some previous Wushu Martial art experiences. BETTY LU (Allison) is currently working at a local winery in Richmond and a part-time student at BCIT studying interior design. In the past she had been a regular guest on a reality TV show in Taiwan. She also played a role in the short film Sky Fox directed by Richard Ma.
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Stars Don’t Make Hollywood. Hollywood Makes Stars. Make Asian American Stars.
A loner alcoholic discovers a time portal that transports him back to the day he was paralyzed in a horrific car accident.
—Jeff Yang, Writer, CNN Contributor, from VAFF 2016 Asians in Movies, Music and Media Summit
ANDREW YOO is a writer and filmmaker from the beautiful city of Vancouver, BC. He recently placed Top 5 in the VAFF Canada150/China Screenwriting competition last November. He loves drama, romance, and comedy. Andrew is always chasing the dream, not the competition...
LIAM BAXTER is a Japanese-Canadian, born and raised in Richmond B.C. He holds a BA in Communications from Simon Fraser University and has worked in marketing with one of Vancouver’s most respected not-for-profit organizations. This is his first time modeling, but is open to doing more work in the future. You can find him online: @liamtkbaxter.
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About VAFF VAFF is the longest running Asian film festival in Canada. It was founded by Barbara Lee in 1995 and debuted in September 1997. Since then, tens of thousands of film lovers have experienced a diverse selection of North American-Asian and international films. VAFF is dedicated to promoting and celebrating the diversity and depth of Asian culture and identity in film and media, and to help actors and filmmakers more authentically and more powerfully define and express themselves on screen. Through its annual film festival and many other programs and events hosted in Vancouver, VAFF’s mission is to be the go-to forum for the public and the film industry to engage, support and elevated Asian Canadians in mainstream films and media. VAFF envisions a world where North American Asian actors and filmmakers have the resources and opportunities to positively contribute to mainstream culture. In 2020, VAFF launched Elimin8hate, a multimedia campaign to transform the negative anti-Asian racist attacks happening in Canada and around the world into positive initiatives, images and stories to combat racism and to support victims of these attacks. VAFF’s core belief is that Representation in Film, Television and Media is the most effective tool to combat racism. Black, Indigenous and People of Colour need to be seen and heard and not be erased, stereotyped or marginalized. We must all seriously consider how these portrayals or lack of can impact societal attitudes and perpetuate racist attitudes. We all have a responsibility to make the changes, provide opportunities and do our part in transforming Canada and the world into a place that is more equitable. Studios, Production companies and Film organizations that are dedicated to elevating underrepresented voices do not need to reinvent the wheel. They can connect with organizations like VAFF to reach its members that are from these diverse communities of colour.
“Time does not make change, people working collectively over time with purpose and action, makes the change happen.” —Barbara Lee
BARBARA LEE, VAFF Founder and President, is an is an independent filmmaker and singer/songwriter in Vancouver, Canada. She has worked as a broadcast journalist and reporter and has received the regional and national Radio and Television News Directors’ Association (RTNDA) Award for Best Editorial for her work entitled Mother’s Day. She was selected as National Film Board (NFB) of Canada’s Diversity winner Pacific/Yukon and her NFB produced documentary BETWEEN THE LAUGHTER aired on CBC and PBS Northwest. Currently, she is completing her music documentary SING MY SONG and a horror script. Casting Director: Regina Leung Graphic Design: Alisha Weng 27 | VAFF
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PLEASE SUPPORT VAFF and DONATE! For almost 25 years, VAFF has managed to survive and flourish even after many rounds of Arts funding cuts. This has been possible because VAFF is entirely organized and produced by a group of dedicated and passionate volunteers, and no paid staff, but there is so much more that needs to be done and we need your generous support.
THE MIGHTY ASIAN MOVIEMAKING MARATHON (MAMM) is one of Vancouver’s premier annual short film-making competitions that foster emerging filmmakers both an educational experience as well as an opportunity to showcase their work and complete a “calling card” film. Pitch the Story. Make the Film.
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VAFF PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES
AIM3 SUMMIT (Asians in Movies, Music and Media) a series of “TEDtalk” style presentations from leading Asian Canadian/Asian American artists, musicians, filmmakers, content creators, writers, journalists and thought leaders about their personal stories, journeys, and experiences in their fields and how to increase representation in movies, music and media.
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DIVERSITY IN FILMMAKING and INDUSTRY INSIGHTS - series of workshops and panels geared towards providing insight and insider perspectives for aspiring and current filmmakers of diverse backgrounds, and those in the industry who aim to work with diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera.
Ask Me Anything (AMA) an online weekly interactive magazine talk show produced by VAFF. Featuring guests with Asian background in the entertainment industry, discussing the importance of diversity and their personal experience and learnings in the industry.
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THE RICHARD K. WONG FILM FUND (RWFF) aims to support talented Asian Canadian filmmakers and TV producers, to develop, produce, and finish creative projects that raises the profile of Asians in Canada. Our stories are important and we want to give you a chance to tell it.
ELIMIN8HATE Campaign a multimedia campaign to transform negative anti-Asian racist attacks into positive calls to action. 24TH ANNUAL
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SCREENPLAYS
Please contact info@vaff.org if there is interest in purchasing, optioning and/or producing any of these scripts.
Please continue to visit www.vaff.org for updates and upcoming events throughout the year.
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