VAFF 2017 Festival Program Guide by Vancouver Asian Film Festival

Create Visual Landscapes with the 21st Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival November 2nd - 5th, 2017 Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas in Vancouver 88 W. Pender St., Vancouver BC VAFF.ORG | @VAFFVANCOUVER | #VAFF2017

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WELCOME MESSAGE / TABLE OF CONTENTS Before I start looking ahead to this year's festival, I would like to reflect back on last year's incredibly successful celebration of VAFF's 20th Anniversary. Much of the work and new events launched last year built the foundation for many new partnerships and programs for this upcoming festival.

VAFF 2017 Welcome 3

The AIM Summit (Asians in Movies, Music and Media) brought leaders and influencers in comics, movies and music to Vancouver to discuss the state of diversity and representation of Asians in mainstream media. Over the two day event audiences were wowed by the speakers often blunt, but oh so true comments or stories that had everyone laughing, sometimes crying, but mostly nodding their heads in agreement.

Festival Info, Tickets & Passes 4

The festival ended with a call to action for everyone as a consumer and/or producer of media. We all have a responsibility to speak up and speak out for diversity and we do this with our buying habits. So please support Asian artists by attending their shows or screenings, buying their comics, books, songs etc. and follow them on social media. Two main partnerships that spun out 2016 was the WE HEART CANADA program with City of Vancouver and CHOPSO, a new digital streaming platform with the mandate to showcase Asian American/Canadian content that we hope you will support.

Special Presentation: We Heart Canada Premiere Presentation 8

This year, we bid a sad farewell to three of our dedicated Board members Leon Ng, Ken Takagi, and Andy Chu and thank them for their many contributions to VAFF. However, when one door closes, another opens and we welcomed four new Board members, Henry Han, Kevin Li, Jack Yong and Jenny Zhu. Along with Mark Leung, Mei Lee and myself, the Board and Execs were so inspired that we held our first formal Strategic Visioning Workshop and all I have to say is watch out for what we have coming....

Program 4: Family Trips And Ties 11

BARBARA LEE Founder & President

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Finally, I would like to personally thank Grace for her 9 years with VAFF, with the last 5 as Festival Director. VAFF has grown exponentially under her guidance, energy and abundance of creativity. Thank you Grace, you will be missed. Stepping into her large shoes, will be Lynne Lee, a powerhouse in her own right and I'm looking forward to her putting her own personal stamp on VAFF. As always, please tell a friend and bring a friend to Celebrate diversity in Film. See you at the Festival!

Special Greetings 5-6 Program 1: Opening Night: Columbus 7

Program 2: A Risky Business 9 Program 3: Fighting Chance: Three Documentaries 10 Program 5: Music And Other Drugs 12 VAFF Industry Insight (VAFF I²) Panel 1: Canada 150: Diversity And Representation In Canadian Film And Television 13 VAFF Industry Insight (VAFF I²) Panel 2: Sparking Celluloid: Filmmaking For Social Change 14 Program 6: Int. Shorts: How To Make Lemonade 15 Program 7: Centrepiece Presentation: Gook 16 Program 8 – Int. Spotlight Presentation: A Tiger And The Sunset 17

What’s your “Where were you when…” story? Many artists of colour have just such defining moments of epiphany—related simultaneously to their calling, and to their awareness as persons of colour. For me, one such flash point came in Mina Shum’s debut feature, Double Happiness: Jade, an Asian Canadian actress, is auditioning for a small part in a TV show and is asked to say her dialogue with “an accent.” Confidently, Jade responds in Frenchinflected English; met with stony silence, a defeated Jade lowers her gaze and delivers the expected Cantonese accent. Such a scenario may be dismissed as heavy-handed now, but in the 1990’s, there were few Canadian films that addressed the disconnect between heavily skewed mainstream depictions and perceptions of Asian Canadians, and the broadspectrum reality of Asian diaspora. I’ve been fighting my way through those sucker punches, ever since.

GRACE CHIN Festival Director

Program 9: Uneasy Lies The Head: Two Documentaries 18 Program 10: Canadian Shorts: Life In Multiculture 19-20 Schedule & Venue Location Map 22-23 Program 11: Canadian Doc Spot: Paint It Red 25

This year’s festival points a wide-angle lens—through the filter of 150 years of Canadian Confederation—at the Asian Canadian and diaspora cinematic landscape: The ways our people and collective culture are influenced by filmmakers; who/what is featured or left out in our films; whose stories we tell or ignore; and the context for these films and stories. How do Asian Canadian creatives feature in the nation’s cultural territory? In what ways does the current Canadian cinematic landscape accurately reflect our diverse reality, or distort it?

Program 12: Closing Night Presentation + Festival Awards 26

In my final year as VAFF festival director, I leave confident that this festival—by, and for, independent filmmakers—remains true to its mandate, and is an increasingly vital crosscultural forum and platform for international diversity in film. The VAFF executive team’s record over the past five years, speaks for itself. Thank you for your part in the ongoing VAFF journey—and welcome to our 21st annual festival.

VAFF 21: London Drugs People’s Choice Awards 2017 / Asians In Movies Campaign 29

Best Canadian Short Award 2017 27 Best Canadian Feature Award 2017 28

Canada 150- China Scriptwriting Competition - Summer 2017 30 “We Heart Canada” Video Project - Summer 2017 31

Welcome to VAFF21! I am so honoured and thrilled to become part of the VAFF family. The year I left Vancouver was the year Barb founded VAFF, so I knew nothing of the festival until my return in 2015. In fact, I’d left Vancouver partially because I never felt completely at home and felt I’d always be boxed in as a minority. When I left, sushi was not a staple food on Canadian menus. I could only see Chinese movies in Aberdeen Centre or Chinatown. So much has evolved since.

LYNNE LEE Festival Director Elect

Over the years, thanks to organizations like VAFF that have since emerged and fought hard to break cultural barriers, to celebrate diverse identities, minority groups have gained a voice, are being heard, and merging into the mainstream. This is the Canada I’ve chosen to come back to, and there’s no better way I can think of to contribute to this critical mission than to connect people through film. The first time I lost myself in the films at VAFF, I quickly felt a strong sense of belonging witnessing the variety of Asian diaspora experiences and expressions. I felt firsthand how powerful film can be to build bridges, and how important it is for a festival like VAFF to be that bridge to welcome new immigrants from all over Asia and help them find home.

Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon 2017 32 Thank You, Volunteers! 33 Join VAFF 34 VAFF Executives 35-36 VAFF Board Of Directors 37 VAFF Advisory Board 38 VAFF 2017 Filmmakers 39-40 VAFF Annual Program & Events 41 Print Source 42

You can all see that my well-loved predecessor, Grace, has set a very high bar for me to follow. I thank VAFF for entrusting me in this prestigious position, and I hope that my fresh (off the boat) perspective would add new excitement to this pivotal festival in the following years.

FESTIVAL INFO Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) is pleased to announce the countdown to its much anticipated 21st Annual celebration of Asian diaspora and diversity in film, set for November 2nd to 5th, 2017 at the Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas in Vancouver 88 W. Pender St., in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown district. With this year's theme "Visual Landscape," we are proud to showcase and celebrate the Asian Canadian cinematic landscape. The perception of Canada, its people and culture is influenced by who makes our films; who/what is featured or left out in our films; whose stories we tell or ignore; and the context for these films and stories. How do Asian Canadian creatives feature in this cultural territory? Does the current Canadian cinematic landscape accurately mirror our diverse reality, or distort it? “We shape the physical reality and perception of our environment—the diversity landscape in Canadian film and television, and in the international film industry, is changing. How are we rising to meet the challenge of social change? At VAFF 21, we’re proud to present a strong program and panel series that signals this change, and advocates for the diverse, inclusive industry we want to see,” stated Grace Chin, Festival Director. “I am so honoured and thrilled to become part of the VAFF family and look forward to sharing Asian cinema with more Vancouverites out there,” stated Lynne Lee, Festival Director Elect. The VAFF program continues to showcase the breadth and depth of Asian diaspora filmmaking beyond mainstream film festival offerings, with programming that reflects the increasingly borderless creative and industry sensibility of Canada’s west coast. We are proud to continue our VAFF Industry Insight (VAFF I²) Panel Series with two panels that collectively challenge us with burning questions for our “interesting times,” both global and local: Do we share a responsibility, as artists, to wield our craft as an instrument of social change—and how can this be most effective in our entertainment industry? We welcome the return of the Best Canadian Feature Award, sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada, as a companion to our longstanding Best Canadian Short Award; and the return of our VAFF Outstanding Contribution to Diversity in Film Award, recognizing an individual who has contributed significantly toward realizing a more diverse arts and culture environment in our shared industry. *The VAFF 21 lineup presents 13 film programs for 2017, including the public premiere of the “We Heart Canada” video project with the Vancouver Immigration Partnership, City of Vancouver, featuring Vancouver’s diversity and the experience of new Canadians; and 35 other feature-length and short films of all genres, with English dialogue and/or English subtitles, from the local and international Asian diaspora. Highlights from the features include: • our critically acclaimed Opening Night film, “Columbus” (starring John Cho) from video essay auteur Kogonada;

• the Canadian premiere of Justin Chon’s “Gook,” a gut-punching look at the L.A. Riots from a very different family perspective;

• the World premiere of the controversial Vancouver Chinatown documentary “Paint it Red” from director-activist Eva Cohen;

• Canadian filmmaker Ashley Duong’s intimate environmental documentary “A Time to Swim”; and,

• the Canadian premiere of local filmmaker Rob Leickner’s bittersweet BC love letter, “The Lonely Light of Home”;

• our Closing Night presentation, the Western Canada premiere of Toronto-based Joyce Wong’s Slamdance sleeper hit (and shout-out to Scarborough, Ontario), the award-winning “Wexford Plaza.”

We continue to celebrate Canada 150 on Sunday November 5, 2017, showcasing a total of 15 Canadian features and shorts in one day; and are proud to bring Vancouver audiences 20 Canadian or Western Canada premieres; five World premieres, five North American premieres, and an additional two films that are Vancouver premieres. Over thirty filmmakers and panelists, from Canada and internationally, are expected to attend. Organizers anticipate close to 4,000 audience and industry members over the four-day festival. The Best Canadian Short Award will be presented to one of eight nominated eligible short films, and the Best Canadian Feature Award sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada will be presented to one of four nominated eligible feature films. We will also be presenting various People’s Choice Awards during the closing night screening and awards ceremony the evening of Sunday, November 5th. The winner of the Canada 150-China Scriptwriting Competition, and our VAFF Diversity Award winner, will be announced at the opening gala the evening of Thursday, November 2nd. The Saturday, November 3rd afternoon VAFF Industry Insight (VAFF I²) Panel Series provides a forum for discussion of actionable items for filmmaking of social change, discussion of diversity in Canadian film and television. MISSION STATEMENT VAFF is dedicated to promoting and celebrating the diversity and depth of Asian culture and identity in film and media, and to help North American Asian 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 in and support the rise of Asian influence in film and media in the world. VAFF envisions a world where North American Asian actors and filmmakers have the resources and opportunities to shape mainstream culture in a powerful and positive way. ABOUT VANCOUVER ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL The Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society (VAFF), now in its 21st year, is a not-for-profit organization that celebrates diversity in film. With both English and subtitled Asian language films, VAFF provides a forum for independent Canadian Asian, American Asian and international filmmakers to showcase their work to Vancouver audiences. The longestrunning Canadian film festival of its kind, it was founded by independent filmmaker and writer Barbara K. Lee in 1995 and debuted in September 1997. VAFF is entirely organized and produced by a group of dedicated volunteers, and is made possible by generous financial support from corporate sponsors, public funders and private donors. TICKETS & PASSES Online program schedule and advance tickets will be available on line at www.vaff.org starting October 5, 2017. Theatre box office: In the foyer of Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas starting from 6 pm, November 2. VAFF On-site Box Office hours: Thurs, Nov 2 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Fri, Nov 3 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm Sat, Nov 4 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm Sun, Nov 5 1:30 pm – 7:00 pm

VAFF MEMBERSHIP Membership fee: $2 As many of the films have not been previously classed by Consumer Protection BC, under BC law, only members of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society (VAFF) can attend the Film Festival and members must be 18 years or older. Certain films may be classified for younger viewers – please go to the online program at www.vaff.org for updates, or inquire at the VAFF Box Office for the latest information. The membership is non-transferable and the fee must be paid before admittance to any program. Please carry the membership card with you at all times during the festival. Membership cards must be shown along with program tickets to enter any screening. Film Classification Exemption The Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society is responsible for operating in compliance with the Motion Picture Act and Consumer Protection BC. To attend a Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society film screening (which may not have been classified by Consumer Protection BC), you must be a Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society member. Membership is by annual subscription and is limited to persons who are 18 years of age or over. Only members are permitted to be present at the place where a non-classified film is being exhibited. The Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society mandate is the encouragement and appreciation of motion pictures as a medium of art, information or education. SINGLE TICKET Showcase Film, Centrepiece Film, Closing Film - $15 Evening screenings after 6 pm - $10 Matinee screenings before 6 pm - $8 VAFF Industry – Single panel - $12 (Early Bird) / $15 All panels - $30 (Early Bird) / $40 Student Ticket rate - $8

VIP PASS Before festival - $88 | During festival - $150 Includes all regular screenings, special screenings, special events and membership fee. GROUP RATE The special group rate is only available before the festival from October 1st to November 1st. Please email marketing@vaff.org to inquire about group rate details. OPENING NIGHT FILM + RECEPTION TICKETS Thursday, November 2 | Film screening at 7 pm | Reception from 9:30 pm to Midnight Location: River Rock Casino Resort, 8811 River Rd, Richmond, BC $50 - Limited tickets for sale | Complimentary hors d'oeuvres + single cocktail, cash bar. CENTERPIECE FILM + PARTY TICKETS Saturday, November 4 | Film screening at 7:30 pm | Party from 10:00 pm to Midnight Location: Sai Woo, 158 E Pender St, Vancouver, BC $25 | Complimentary hors d'oeuvres + single cocktail, cash bar. CLOSING NIGHT FILM + AWARDS + PARTY TICKETS Sunday, November 5 | Film screening at 7:15 pm | Party from 9:30 pm to Midnight Location: TBA , Vancouver, BC $25 | Complimentary hors d'oeuvres + single cocktail, cash bar. REFUNDS & EXCHANGES & LOST VIP PASSES No refunds or exchanges on general admission tickets, group tickets, and special event tickets except in the case of program cancellation. Please keep your ticket stub. No refunds or exchanges on VIP Passes. Lost VIP Passes will be charged $30 for replacement and original VIP Passes will be canceled.

VIP, INDUSTRY, MEDIA PASSES | SPECIAL GUESTS A VIP, Industry or Media passholder MUST present at the ticket holder lineup and MUST arrive 30 minutes before the start of the program. 15 minutes prior to the start of the program, the reserved seats will be released and passholders will be placed in the rush ticket line along with other regular audience members in the order of each person’s arrival. As well, please give yourself ample time to park. Possession of a pass does not guarantee seating. RUSH TICKETS In the event of a sold out program, a limited number of rush tickets may become available immediately before the show. A separate line for each sold out program will be formed outside the venue box office approximately one hour before show time. As tickets become available, they will be sold to individuals in line order while supplies last. VENUES & PARKING INFO All VAFF screenings (except Opening Presentation) take place at Cineplex Oden International Village Cinemas, 3rd floor, 88 West Pender Street, Vancouver, Nov 2 – 5. The theatre is half a block away from Skytrain’s Stadium Station. See translink.ca for a full list of bus route & schedule. FREE PARKING UNDERGROUND – MORE DETAILS AT PAY STATION. CONTACT INFO Vancouver Asian Film Festival 1350 Burrard Street, Suite 367 Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 0C2 General: info@vaff.org Fax: 604.251.6828 Follow the festival as it unfolds: Facebook.com/VAFFVancouver Twitter.com/VAFFVancouver | @VAFFVancouver | #VAFF2017 #AnyAsian Instagram.com/VAFFVancouver YouTube.com/VAFFVancouver

SPECIAL GREETINGS I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to everyone attending the 21st Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF). For over two decades, the VAFF has celebrated diversity in film and provided a wonderful opportunity for audiences of all backgrounds to discover works by Asian-Canadian and Asian-American filmmakers. I am certain that everyone in attendance will be inspired and entertained by the films being screened this year. I would like to commend everyone involved with this event for bringing people together through the medium of film. You can take pride in the knowledge that your efforts are helping to strengthen the strong and vibrant multicultural fabric of our nation. Please accept my best wishes for a most enjoyable experience. Sincerely,

The Rt. Hon. Justin P.J. Trudeau, P.C., M.P. Prime Minister of Canada

As Premier of the Province of British Columbia, I am pleased to welcome everyone attending the 21st Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) here at the Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas. VAFF is the longest running Asian film festival in Canada. Dedicated to strengthening the bonds between Asian communities and building a cultural bridge between Asian and non-Asian groups, this festival celebrates diversity and cultural identity. As a not-for profit, VAFF aims to encourage strong representation of Asian actors and filmmakers in Canadian cinema. Events like these take an incredible amount of work and dedication, and I would like to thank the organizers for everything they have done to put on this festival. I would also like to commend all those involved in the films that will be shown this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I have no doubt that your passion and talent will entertain and move your audiences.

Honourable John Horgan Premier of British Columbia

It is my distinct pleasure to extend my warmest greetings to all of the participants, volunteers and organizers of the 21st Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF). This annual festival brings together Asian Canadian film makers and members of the public to enjoy a cross section of noteworthy productions as a result of creative artists and countless hours of hard work and dedication of many people. Festivals like VAFF promote a better understanding and appreciation of different cultures and individuals which strengthen the multicultural mosaic of Canada. I would like to acknowledge the organizers and volunteers of the VAFF for their commitment to the art of film. I would also like to commend the talented actors, writers, directors, producers and crew that worked on each and every production that is being showcased at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festival. On behalf of the Senate of Canada, congratulations on the 21st Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival and best wishes for another successful event. Sincerely,

The Hon. Yonah Martin Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate

SPECIAL GREETINGS Welcome to the 2017 Vancouver Asian Film Festival! This year, as we mark Canada 150, we have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Canada's linguistic, cultural and regional diversity. This diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and it is reflected in our vibrant arts and culture. For more than two decades, the Vancouver Asian Film Festival has showcased the works of Asian-Canadian filmmakers. Its diverse lineup also lets movie lovers enjoy films of the Asian diaspora from around the world, and promises to entertain and engage Vancouver audiences of all backgrounds. As Minister of Canadian Heritage, I would like to congratulate the organizers, volunteers and filmmakers who have made this year's film festival possible. Thank you for helping build bridges between cultures through art. Enjoy the movies!

The Honourable Melanie Joly On behalf of the constituents of Vancouver-False Creek, I am once again honoured to welcome and thank the dedicated volunteers and participants of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) running November 2nd - 5th 2017. The 21st annual event is building upon the tremendous success of last year's stellar production by showcasing a blend of emerging and established creative talents from across North America. Celebrating diversity and excellence in film, VAFF has become an integral part of Vancouver's art and culture community. Congratulations to everyone involved with this year's festival and thank you again for supporting our community. Sincerely,

MLA Sam Sullivan Vancouver-False Creek

We are proud to support VAFF and Asian communities in Canada. 逻盛很荣幸支持温哥华亚洲电影节和加拿大亚洲社区。

#1 Law Firm in BC, AB and the North - Canadian Lawyer 不列颠哥伦比亚省、艾伯塔省、加北地区律所排名第一 -加拿大律师杂志

THURSDAY, NOV 2 – 7:00PM PROGRAM 1 – OPENING NIGHT: COLUMBUS |Comedy, Drama, Romance Feature| Columbus, the OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION for VAFF 21 explores how space and place can be synonymous with identity and culture. When a renowned architecture scholar falls suddenly ill during a speaking tour, his son Jin (John Cho, Star Trek: Beyond) finds himself stranded in Columbus, Indiana, a small Midwestern city celebrated for its many significant modernist buildings. Jin strikes up a friendship with Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), a young architecture enthusiast who works at the local library. As their intimacy develops, Jin and Casey explore both the town and their conflicted emotions: Jin's estranged relationship with his father, and Casey's reluctance to leave Columbus and her mother. Debut director Kogonada's Columbus unfolds as a gently drifting, deeply absorbing conversation, and a visual love letter to the way physical space affects emotions and identity. Featuring strong supporting turns from Parker Posey, Rory Culkin, and Michelle Forbes. Winner of the Special Jury Prize for Narrative Feature, Independent Film Festival Boston 2017.

OPENING NIGHT SCREENING AND GALA SPONSORS

VENUE: RIVER ROCK CASINO RESORT

COLUMBUS A Korean-born man finds himself stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his architect father is in a coma. The man meets a young woman who wants to stay in Columbus with her mother, a recovering addict, instead of pursuing her own dreams. Featuring John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Rory Culkin, and Michelle Forbes. Winner of the Special Jury Prize for Narrative Feature, Independent Film Festival Boston 2017.

We will be presenting the recipient of "2017 Diversity In Film Award" at the Opening Night Screening & Gala event.

In attendance: TBA

Previous Screening / Awards: Champs-Élysées Film Festival 2017, Nominated, Prix du jury; Independent Film Festival of Boston 2017, Won, Special Jury Prize, Narrative Feature; London Film Festival 2017, Nominated, Sutherland Award, First Feature Competition; Rotterdam International Film Festival 2017, Nominated, Tiger Award; Seattle International Film Festival 2017, Nominated, New American Cinema Competition.

Join us for the 21st Annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival Opening Night Screening + Gala. You don’t want to miss out Opening Night screening of COLUMBUS, a romantic, comedy drama from director Kogonada, followed by a “Casino Royale” themed Opening Gala. To Celebrate our 21st year, put on your “playful cocktail” attire and join our Opening Gala for a memorable, sophisticated evening of complimentary hors-d’oeuvres and a special Grand Marnier cocktail, games, prizes, a photo booth and a Miss Zhang fashion show. $50 | (screening and Gala submission including a single-use membership) ** ** LIMITED TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY. NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR. MUST BE 19 TO ATTEND – ID MAY BE REQUESTED.

VAFF 2016 Diversity in Film Award, Winner, Tzi Ma

THURSDAY, NOV 2 – 6:15PM SPECIAL PRESENTATION: WE HEART CANADA PREMIERE PRESENTATION Public premiere presentation of short 3-minute videos created as part of the "We Heart Canada" video project celebrating Canada 150 and Vancouver's diverse immigrant experience. Presented through collaboration between nonprofit organizations and independent filmmakers, and in partnership with the City of Vancouver/Vancouver Immigration Partnership. Also featuring a short film from Vancouver Foundation “Fresh Voices,”. Some of these videos were previously screened at a “Cast + Crew” special screening in September.

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LITTLE MOUNTAIN NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE

VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

Directors: Elizabeth Cheong, Lisa Lee In attendance: TBA

MOSAIC

Director: Alfred Liu

Director: Desiree Lim

In attendance: TBA

MOUNT PLEASANT NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE Director: Lucho Berzek In attendance: TBA

PACIFIC IMMIGRANT RESOURCES SOCIETY

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Director: Phil Planta

Director: Angelina Cantada

VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE Director: Bruno Cruz, Neil Colango

In attendance: TBA

VANCOUVER SCHOOL YMCA BOARD Directors: Yvette Lu, Beverly Hannah,

VANCOUVER FOUNDATION

VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT

Director: Derek Kwan

Director: Farzine MacRae

Director: Emily Chan

In attendance: TBA

Nik Green

In attendance: TBA

THURSDAY, NOV 2 – 8:00PM PROGRAM 2 – A RISKY BUSINESS |Action, Crime, Drama Feature; Comedy Short| Desperate times call for desperate measures. In David Chuang’s Upstream, Guo Wen-han, Mayor of Wanhe City in Taiwan, seeks re-election but is kidnapped just before polling day by a young man from the city’s poorest, most polluted district. Part of a local petrochemical enterprise’s scheme to ensure Guo’s election victory—and subsequently, their expansion application’s success—the fake kidnapping becomes all too real when the original plan goes awry and things spiral out of control. Nominated in several categories at Taiwan’s 2017 Golden Bell Awards.

COMMUNITY PARTNER

Preceded by Jingyi Shao’s short film Toenail, about a career-minded son, his fresh-off-the-boat father, and what transpires when a broken toenail threatens to get in the way of a big work promotion. VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

UPSTREAM Guo Wen-han, Mayor of Wanhe City in Taiwan, seeks re-election but is kidnapped just before polling day by a young man from the city’s poorest, most polluted district. Part of a local petrochemical enterprise’s scheme to ensure Guo’s election victory—and subsequently, their expansion application’s success—the fake kidnapping becomes all too real when the original plan goes awry and things spiral out of control. Nominated in several categories at Taiwan’s 2017 Golden Bell Awards.

Dir: David Chuang | Wri: Chi-Chieh Han, David Chuang, Arthur Wu | Prod: Estela Valdivieso Chen | 83 min | Taiwan | Mandarin with English Subtitles | 2017 | Colour | Action, Crime, Drama | Vancouver Premiere Previous Screening / Awards: Golden Bell Awards Taiwan 2017, Nominated: Best TV Movie, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Mini-Series/TV Movie, Best Directing for a Mini-Series/TV Movie, Best Cinematography, Best Light.

TOENAIL Frank, a career-obsessed yuppie, has never seen eye to eye with Chang, his perpetually fresh-off-the-boat father. But when a broken toenail sends Chang to the hospital on the eve of Frank’s big promotion, Frank comes to learn what is truly important. Dir/Wri: Jingyi Shao | Prod: Jingyi Shao, Justin Lee, Ryan Tsang | 18 min | USA | English, Korean with English Subtitles | 2016 | Colour | Comedy | Canadian Premiere Previous Screening / Awards: HBO Visionaries, 3rd Place; Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017; DisOrient Film Festival Oregon 2017; Ithaca Asian American Film Festival 2017, Audience Award; Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival 2017; Toronto Reel Asian Festival 2017.

FRIDAY, NOV 3 – 5:00PM PROGRAM 3 – FIGHTING CHANCE: THREE DOCUMENTARIES (Documentary Feature, Shorts) Everybody deserves a fighting chance—to be seen, acknowledged, respected. In the late 1930’s, China is close to collapse under Japan’s military juggernaut. Hawaii-born Chinese American firebrand Li Ling-Ai hires photojournalist Rey Scott to travel to China and capture a citizen’s perspective of the war-torn country on 16mm colour film, including the massive bombing of the wartime capital Chungking (now Chongqing). Their landmark film KUKAN screens for President Roosevelt at the White House, is called “awesome” by the New York Times, and receives one of the first Academy Awards for a feature documentary. Why have we never heard of Li Ling-Ai? And why have all copies of KUKAN disappeared? In Finding KUKAN, filmmaker Robin Lung goes on a seven-year quest to find the answers. Winner of several awards, including Best Documentary, Special Jury Award at Hawaii International Film Festival 2016.

COMMUNITY PARTNER

Preceded by the shorts Contenders by Divya Pathak, about the challenges squarely faced down by three female boxers in India; and Im/Perfection by Andrew Hida, about an architect fighting to preserve the dying art of hand-drawn renderings. VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

FINDING KUKAN Robin Lung’s Finding KUKAN invest igates the story of Chinese Hawaii-born Li Ling-Ai, the un-credited female producer of KUKAN, a 1941 Academy Awardwinning color documentary about World War II China that has been lost for decades. Featuring rare and unseen archival footage. Winner of several awards, including Best Documentary, Special Jury Award at Hawaii International Film Festival 2016.

Dir/Wri: Robin Lung | Prod: Robin Lung, Shirley Thompson | 76 min | USA | English | 2016 | Colour | Documentary | Canadian Premiere Previous Screening / Awards: LA Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017, Audience Award; CAAMFest 2017, Honorable Mention, Documentary Award; Hawaii International Film Festival 2016, Best Documentary, Special Jury Award; UMass Boston Film Series 2017, Courage in Cinema Award. In attendance: Robin Lung, Director/Co-Producer/Writer

CONTENDERS Contenders follows three adolescent girls, two Muslim and one Hindu, who navigate social and financial pressure as they train to become national and international level boxers. For these girls, this traditionally male sport serves as a source of personal identity as well as a path to jobs that could provide for their families. Dir/Prod: Divya Pathak | 13 min | UK, India | Hindi/Bengali with English | Colour | Documentary, Sport | Canadian Premiere

IM/PERFECTION Immigrating from Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961, Hitoshi Hida struggled to learn English as he excelled in math and painting during high school. Abandoning his desire to be an artist, Hida pursued architecture finding a creative outlet in hand-rendering for nearly 40 years. In a digital world, Hida, 72, is one of the last remaining designers to create hand-drawn architectural renderings in Hawaii. Dir/Prod: Andrew Hida | Assoc. Prod: Jennifer Moncayo-Hida | 12 min | USA | English | 2016 | Colour | Documentary, Art | Canadian Premiere Previous Screening / Awards: Hawaii International Film Festival 2016; Waimea Ocean Film Festival 2017, Best Film Short; Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017. In attendance: Andrew Hida, Director/Producer; Jennifer Moncayo-Hida, Associate Producer

FRIDAY, NOV 3 – 7:30PM PROGRAM 4 – FAMILY TRIPS AND TIES |Drama Feature, Short| What are the ties that bind—and how far would you go to break them? Vancouver-based Rob Leickner’s films all share a firmly West Coast perspective (Rob’s film The Tree Inside won the VAFF “Audience Choice” Award in 2015), making them instantly recognizable and relatable to anyone on the Left Coast. The Lonely Light of Home follows a family who run a B&B fishing lodge in coastal British Columbia; when an alluring stranger arrives at the door, they are thrust into new emotional territory. A psychological study of the family’s inner workings, the film explores the choices of individual members as they grapple with unrequited love and betrayal. A VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee.

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Preceded by the short film A Trip With Mom by Pei Yu Su, which extrapolates just how far a mother-daughter relationship can go—in more ways than one. VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

THE LONELY LIGHT OF HOME The Lonely Light of Home follows a family who run a B&B fishing lodge in coastal British Columbia; when an alluring stranger arrives at the door, they are thrust into new emotional territory. A psychological study of the family’s inner workings, the film explores the choices of individual members as they grapple with unrequited love and betrayal. A VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee.

FRIDAY, NOV 3 – 10:00PM PROGRAM 5 – MUSIC AND OTHER DRUGS |Crime Drama Feature, Documentary Music Short| We can all understand needing a little “something” to get us through a tough time; but do we always know what really works, and when to stop? Set in 1984 and based on actual events, director Angie Wang’s feature Cardinal X is about the most powerful drug dealer on the west coast of the United States—a 19-year-old coed. After losing her scholarship, Angie is forced by financial necessity to sell the party drug Ecstasy, making it in the chemistry lab of her prestigious West Coast university. Business heats up, but she is hiding dangerous secrets from everyone in her life—including her best friend, her roommate, and her father—and must choose between chasing her dreams and following the almighty dollar. Featuring Annie Q (of HBO’s The Leftovers) and Francesca Eastwood (of ABC’s Heroes Reborn).

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Preceded by the Vancouver-shot, short documentary The Lion from Jonathan Chiang, in which bipolar hip-hop artist Francis Arevalo discovers healing and community through music’s transformative power. A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

CARDINAL X In 1984, the most powerful drug dealer on the west coast of the United States was a 19 year old coed. After losing her scholarship, Angie is forced by financial necessity to become an expert at making the party drug Ecstasy in the chemistry lab at her prestigious West Coast university. Business heats up, but she is hiding dangerous secrets from everyone in her life—including her best friend, her roommate, and her father—and must finally make a choice between chasing her dreams and following the almighty dollar. Based on actual events, Cardinal X stars Annie Q (of HBO’s The Leftovers) and Francesca Eastwood (of ABC’s Heroes Reborn).

THE LION After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Vancouver hip-hop artist, Francis Arevalo, is left in limbo for over a year. The Lion tells the story of Francis finding healing, closure, and community through music. A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. Dir/Wri: Jonathan Chiang | Prod: Jonathan Chiang, Francis Arevalo | 9 min | Canada | English | 2017 | Colour | Documentary, Music | World Premiere BCSA: VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee

VAFF INDUSTRY INSIGHT (VAFF I²) PANEL SERIES

Launched two years ago as a locus for industry advocacy and action with a distinct diversity focus, the VAFF Industry (VAFF I²) Panel Series continues this year with burning questions for our “interesting times,” both global and local: Do we share a responsibility, as artists, to wield our craft as an instrument of social change—and how can this be most effective? After 150 years of Confederation, what does a profitable, diverse, inclusive Canadian entertainment and media industry actually look like—and how do we realize this vision?

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VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

MONDAY “What can I get you?” is the question driving a conflicted young hustler who sells everything and anything to make money. As he ‘code-switches’ through various cliques, he’s forced to confront racism as well as the immorality of his occupation. And it's only Monday. Dir/Wri: Dinh Thai | Prod: Brian Burgett | 19 min | USA | English with English Subtitles | 2017 | Colour | Crime, Drama | Canadian Premiere Previous Screening / Awards HBO Visionaries 2017, First Place; Independent Filmmakers Showcase Film Festival 2017, IFS Award, Best Independent Short; Los Angeles Film and Script Festival 2017, Best Narrative Short, Best Short Film; Playhouse West Film Festival Los Angeles 2017, Grand Jury Award, Best Short Film Drama, Best Short Subject Screenplay; The IndieFest Film Awards 2017, Award of Excellence Special Mention, Short Film.

BALLAD OF THE KNIFE SHARPENER

IN BLOSSOM

A young knife sharpener from rural China uses his penetrating voice and songs to attract customers as he tries to make ends meet on the streets of Beijing.

Yu-Cheung has dyslexia. His teacher complains about him and warns that he may be asked to quit school if his “poor behavior” continues. Childhood is the best period of time to learn, but in Yu-Cheung’s case, who is supporting him in his academic path—and who is blocking his way?

A TAXI OF COLDNESS

SILENT DUSK

A man rides a taxi late at night. When the taxi driver offers him chewing gum, he remembers his mother’s “Drugged Gum” story. Then the taxi driver says,”Did you hear about those criminal taxi drivers?” But after repeated offers, the man accepts the gum after all….

Two elderly people meet, connect and care for one another in this poetic meditation on life and love set against the stunning landscape of the Tibetan plateau. With the shadow of illness just around the corner, Dorje and Lhamo share their twilight years in stillness and peace.

In attendance: Joonha Kim, Director/Writer; Woochul Kim, Producer

Previous Screening / Awards Tasveer South Asian Film Festival 2017

SATURDAY, NOV 4 – 7:30 PM PROGRAM 7 – CENTREPIECE PRESENTATION: GOOK |Drama Feature| Screening 25 years after the L.A. Riots, Gook, the CENTREPIECE PRESENTATION for VAFF 21, follows Eli (Justin Chon) and Daniel (David So), two Korean American brothers who own a struggling shoe store and have an unlikely friendship with Kamilla (Simone Baker), a streetwise 11-year-old African American girl. Kamilla ditches school, Eli stresses about the store, and Daniel tries to have a good time—just another typical day until the Rodney King verdict is read and riots break out. With the chaos moving towards them, the trio is forced to defend the store while contemplating the future of their own personal dreams, and the true meaning of family. From a recent interview with director/writer Justin Chon (Twilight, 21 And Over, Seoul Searching): “‘Gook’ in Korean actually means ‘country’…‘Mi gook’ directly translated means ‘beautiful country.’” Winner of several awards, including the Sundance Film Festival 2017 Audience Award, Best of Next!.

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VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

GOOK Screening 25 years after the L.A. Riots, Gook, the CENTREPIECE PRESENTATION for VAFF 21, follows Eli (Justin Chon) and Daniel (David So), two Korean American brothers who own a struggling shoe store and have an unlikely friendship with Kamilla (Simone Baker), a streetwise 11-year-old African American girl. Kamilla ditches school, Eli stresses about the store, and Daniel tries to have a good time—just another typical day until the Rodney King verdict is read and riots break out. With the chaos moving towards them, the trio is forced to defend the store while contemplating the future of their own personal dreams, and the true meaning of family. From a recent interview with director/writer Justin Chon (Twilight, 21 And Over, Seoul Searching): “‘Gook’ in Korean actually means ‘country’…‘Mi gook’ directly translated means ‘beautiful country.’” Winner of several awards, including the Sundance Film Festival 2017 Audience Award, Best of Next!.

Dir/Wri: Justin Chon | Prod: Alex Chi, James Yi | 94 min | USA | English, Korean with English Subtitles | 2017 | B&W | Drama | Canadian Premiere Previous Screening / Awards: Deauville Film Festival 2017, Nominated, Grand Special Prize; Montclair Film Festival (MFF) 2017, Nominated, Narrative Feature Competition; Munich Film Festival 2017, Nominated, CineVision Award, Best Film By An Emerging Director; Seattle International Film Festival 2017, Second Place, Golden Space Needle Award, Best Director / Second Place, Golden Space Needle Award, Best Actress; Sundance Film Festival 2017, Audience Award, Best of Next!; Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017, Grand Jury Prize , Best Narrative Feature / Special Jury Prize, Best Director, Narrative Feature / Best Actress, Narrative Feature. In attendance: TBA

Screening 25 years after the L.A. Riots, GOOK, the CENTREPIECE PRESENTATION for VAFF 21, followed by the 90s Hip Hop Dance Party at Sai Woo, 158 E. Pender Street, Vancouver BC. Dress up (90s Hip Hop Theme) for a chance to win a special gift! Complimentary hors-d’oeuvres and a special Grand Marnier cocktail and Cash bar. $15 | Screening submission only $25 | (Screening and After party submission including a single-use membership) ** ** MUST BE 19 TO ATTEND – ID MAY BE REQUESTED.

SATURDAY, NOV 4 – 10:00 PM PROGRAM 8 – INT. SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATION: A TIGER AND THE SUNSET |Drama Feature, Short| The award-winning films in our INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT highlight the complex intergenerational, intercultural dynamic—and conflict—of diaspora families. In François Yang’s beautifully-shot Fench feature The Soul of the Tiger (L'âme du tigre), Alex, a thirtysomething man of Chinese descent, displays the typical carefree sangfroid of his generation until his brother’s sudden death. Searching for answers, he seeks to unravel the mystery by digging into his own family history, uncovering a secret. Torn between two cultures and two love interests, for the first time Alex must come to terms with his past and make real decisions.

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Preceded by Home is Where the Sunsets from Kayla Tong, in which Alison's L.A. life and identity turns upside down when her family comes to visit from Hong Kong for the very first time. VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

THE SOUL OF THE TIGER (L'ÂME DU TIGRE) Alex, a thirtysomething man of Chinese descent, lives the typical carefree life of his European generation. After his brother’s sudden death, he is forced to look for an explanation by digging into his own family history, uncovering a secret. Torn between two cultures and two love interests, for the first time Alex must come to terms with his past and make real decisions.

Dir/Wri: François Yang | Prod: Xavier Grin | 91 min | Switzerland | French with English Subtitles | 2016 | Colour | Drama | Canadian Premiere Previous Screening / Awards: Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film 2016, Nominated, Golden Bayard, Best First Film; Zurich Film Festival 2016, Nominated, Golden Eye, Best Film in Focus Switzerland, Germany, Austria; Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017, Special Jury Award, Best Cinematography

HOME IS WHERE THE SUNSETS Hong Kong-born Alison’s life and identity in L.A. turns upside down when her family comes to visit from Hong Kong for the very first time. Stress grows in her as they continue to wreak havoc, forcing Alison to come to terms with their differences. Stuffed into her cramped apartment, Alison finds beauty and heartache in the smallest of moments. Dir/Wri: Kayla Tong | Prod: Terrence Leung, Merissa Jane Lee | 9 min | USA | Cantonese, English with English Subtitles | 2016 | Colour | Drama | Canadian Premiere Previous Screening / Awards: Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film 2016, Nominated, Golden Bayard, Best First Film; Zurich Film Festival 2016, Nominated, Golden Eye, Best Film in Focus Switzerland, Germany, Austria; Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017, Special Jury Award, Best Cinematography In attendance: Kayla Tong, Director/Writer (unconfirmed)

SUNDAY, NOV 5 – 11:30AM PROGRAM 9 – UNEASY LIES THE HEAD: TWO DOCUMENTARIES |Documentary Feature, Short| The weight of responsibility and the consequence of action/inaction fall heavily on the subjects of the two Canadian documentaries featured here. In Ashley Duong’s A Time To Swim, Mutang Urud, a stay-at-home-dad in Montreal and former activist for the indigenous peoples of Sarawak in Borneo, returns home for the first time since his exile in 1992. When he discovers his relatives and other villagers now welcome the timber companies, against the will of the village elders, he can't resist taking up his old cause—in spite of the lingering threat of a Malaysian arrest warrant. A VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee.

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Preceded by the short documentary Anastasia Lin: The Crown from Kacey Cox, chronicling the high personal and professional cost of international notoriety faced by China-born actress and human rights activist Anastasia Lin, after winning the title of Miss World Canada 2015. A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

A TIME TO SWIM In the suburbs of Montreal, Mutang Urud is a stay-at-home dad. But in Malaysia, he was a voice of resistance for the indigenous peoples of Sarawak. A Time to Swim follows Mutang as he returns home for the first time since his exile in 1992. The remote forest village, however, is not like he remembers it. Contrary to the will of the elders, cousins who once stood by him at the blockades are now welcoming the timber companies. Despite the threat of a lingering arrest warrant, Mutang can't resist taking up his old cause. A VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee.

ANASTASIA LIN: THE CROWN After being crowned Miss World Canada 2015, China-born actress and human rights activist Anastasia Lin discovers that local authorities have threatened her father in an effort to silence her criticisms of the Chinese government. And when China is named host of the Miss World Finals, Anastasia must confront the possibility that she'll be banned from competing unless she complies. Lin was listed in MTV's “Top 25 under 25” leading ladies of 2015, amongst the ranks of social rights activist Malala Yousafzai. A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. Dir/Wri/Prod: Kacey Cox | 20 min | Canada | English | 2016 | Colour | Documentary BCSA: VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee Previous Screening / Awards: Manhattan Film Festival 2017; Global Commffest 2017 In attendance: Kacey Cox, Director/Writer/Producer; Anastasia Lin (unconfirmed)

SUNDAY, NOV 6 – 2:00PM PROGRAM 10 – CANADIAN SHORTS: LIFE IN MULTICULTURE |Drama, Comedy, LGBTQI, Indigenous, Animation, Documentary Shorts| Our “Life In Multiculture” CANADIAN SHORTS program celebrates the myriad cultural, sexual and individual identities of Canadian Asian and hapa diaspora—especially poignant through the lens of Canada 150. In the mix are the winner and nominees of the VAFF Best Canadian Short Award 2017 and the winning entries for this year’s VAFF Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon 12.

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VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

SKIN TO SKIN A young Filipino-Canadian man gives up everything to follow his “first love” after her visa extension is denied. His dreams and love are put to the test, after her family rejects him because of the colour of his skin. Dir/Wri: Phil Planta | Prod: Alfred Liu |8 min | Canada | English, Cantonese with English Subtitles | 2017 | Colour | Drama Previous Screening / Awards: Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon 12 Premiere + Awards Screening (First Place, 8-Min Category) In attendance: TBA

LOST IN TRANSIT An innocent, yet impulsive martial artists finds himself trapped in a series of unfortunate, escalating events after deciding to walk instead of drive, and bumping into his sister-in-law Amelia—on the run from thugs, and carrying a mysterious briefcase. Dir: Stanton Chong | Wri: Alex Quitlong | Prod: Taylor Tai, Ken Do, Stanton Chong | 8 min | Canada | English | 2017 | Colour | Action, Drama Previous Screening / Awards: Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon 12 Premiere + Awards Screening (Second Place, 8-Min Category) In attendance: TBA

BULGOGI A Young Korean immigrant (Jerome Yoo), studying abroad on his parents' dime, roams the late night streets of Vancouver, Canada, pondering the emotional cataclysm between his parents and his new found love...a sultry and beefy companion his parents would surely disapprove. Dir: Sanjay Jit | Writers: Sanjay Jit, Nach Dudsdeemaytha | 1 min | Canada | Korean with English Subtitles | 2017 | Colour | Comedy Previous Screening / Awards: Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon 12 Premiere + Awards Screening (First Place, 1-Min Category) In attendance: TBA

SLEEPWALK Alicia sleepwalks. Her husband, Bernard, takes care of her on these nights, and notices her increasingly affectionate behaviour during her spells—in contrast to their waking life together. Then one night, she says something while sleepwalking that changes everything. Has the disorder made Alicia tell Bernard the truth? A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. Dir/Wri: Andrew Chung | Prod: Jessica Matten, Brendt Thomas Diabo | 15 min | Canada | English | 2017 | Colour | Drama, First Nations | Vancouver Premiere BCSA: VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee Previous Screening / Awards: Montreal World Film Festival 2017

SUNDAY, NOV 6 – 2:00PM PROGRAM 10 – CANADIAN SHORTS: LIFE IN MULTICULTURE LUCY Lucy was a chimpanzee raised to believe she was human, but when she became too wild to handle, she was sent to Africa. This animated documentary is about the decade of struggle Janis Carter experienced to help Lucy find independence and freedom in her natural habitat. Dir/Wri: Elisa Chee | Prod: Elisa Chee, Catrina Longmuir | 9 min | Canada | English | 2015 | Colour | Animation, Youth Previous Screening / Awards: Anibar Animation Festival 2016; International Motivational Film Festival 2016; Fort McMurray International Film Festival 2016, Best Animation; Victoria Film Festival 2017; Animal Film Festival 2017, Audience Choice Honorable Mention; Reel2Real International Youth Film Festival 2017; Blackbird Film Festival 2017, Nominated, Best Animated Short; DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2017, Nominated, Best Female-Directed Short In attendance: Elisa Chee, Director/Writer; Catrina Longmuir, Producer

VIOLET AND JUNE You know that feeling when you realize that everyone you know is going to die and so nothing you do will ever be of consequence in comparison to the movements of the universe and then you accidentally fall in love with your best friend? Yeah, me neither. A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. Dir: Linnea Ritland | Wri: Linnea Ritland | Prod: Linnea Ritland, Sean Lai, Mia Miller | 7 min | Canada | English | 2017 | Colour | Comedy, Romance, LGBTQI BCSA: VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee Previous Screening / Awards: Portland Comedy Film Festival 2017; Highway 61 Film Festival 2017; The Iron Mule Short Comedy Film Festival 2017; Alameda International Film Festival 2017; Persistence of Vision (POV) Film Festival 2017; East Van Short Film Showcase 2017; Vancouver Queer Film Festival 2017, Gerry Brunet Memorial Award, Best Short Film Made In BC In attendance: Linnea Ritland, Director/Writer/Producer; Mia Miller, Producer (unconfirmed); Sean Lai, Producer (unconfirmed)

THE ETHER INSIDE Mist has covered Earth. Robert, one of humanity’s few living descendants, is haunted by darkly creatures that may lure him away if he doesn’t resist. Following a previously nomadic, now sedentary couple, The Ether Inside shows the seductive, haunting ways in which darkness can enter our minds...and the domestic space. A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. Dir/Wri: Axel Frühmann | Prod: Candice Straza | 24 min | Canada, Netherlands | English | 2016 | Colour | Sci-Fi, Drama, Horror | World Premiere BCSA: VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee In attendance: Jaymee Mak, Cast; Joseph Gallaccio, Cast; Jenny Yoon, Cinematographer; Candice Straza, Producer; John Gunter, First Assistant Director

FLAGGED Flagged is a short documentary illustrating the social fragmentation of Vancouver’s young Vietnamese community. Interviewees offer their perspective on the controversial “freedom and heritage” flag that has been used to represent Vietnamese diasporic groups—uncovering a quiet political tension that could continue to burn through generations if the issue remains unaddressed. A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. Dir: Mimi Nguyen | Wri: Cherie Au, Kaitlyn Fung, Mimi Nguyen, Kathy Thai | Prod: Cherie Au, Kaitlyn Fung, Mimi Nguyen, Kathy Thai | 11 min | Canada | English, Vietnamese, Cantonese with English Subtitles | 2017 | Colour | Documentary | World Premiere BCSA: VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee In attendance: Mimi Nguyen, Director; Kathy Thai, Cinematographer; Cherie Au, Production Manager; Kaitlyn Fung, Sound Operator

FLOATING LIGHT After being forced to return early from summer camp, Dana and Sam are planted in the midst of their recently late grandfather’s Buddhist funeral ceremony. Dana struggles to understand the older generation’s traditions as it is one of the only connections to their Japanese heritage. Meanwhile, Sam must answer her younger sister’s questions regarding religion and the transition from life to death. A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. Dir/Wri/Prod: Natalie Murao | 12 min | Canada | English | 2017 | Colour | Drama | World Premiere BCSA: VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee In attendance: Natalie Murao, Director/Writer/Producer

TIME

FILMS

LOCATION

RUN TIME

Columbus

River Rock Casino Resort

100 min

6:15 pm - Special Presentation: We Heart Canada Premiere Presentation Little Mountain Neighbourhood House MOSAIC MOSAIC Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House Pacific Immigrant Resources Society Simon Fraser University Vancouver Community College Vancouver School Board Vancouver Police Department YMCA

Auditorium 9*

30 min

8:00 pm - Program 2: A Risky Business

Auditorium 9*

83 min

DAY 1: THURSDAY NOV 2 | OPENING NIGHT 7:00 pm - Program 1: Opening Presentation 9:30 pm - Opening Night Gala

Upstream Toenail

18 min

DAY 2: FRIDAY NOV 3 | SHOWCASE 5:00 pm - Program 3: Fighting Chance: Three Documentaries

Finding KUKAN

Auditorium 9*

Contenders

13 min

Im/Perfection 7:30 pm - Program 4: Family Trips And Ties

The Lonely Light Of Home

12 min Auditorium 9*

A Trip With Mom 10:00 pm - Program 5: Music And Other Drugs

Cardinal X

71 min 24 min

Auditorium 9*

The Lion VAFF Industry Party

76 min

93 min 9 min

St. Regis Bar and Grill

DAY 3: SATURDAY NOV 4 | CENTREPIECE 12:00 pm - VAFF Industry Insight (VAFF I²) Panel Series

Canada 150: Diversity and Representation in Canadian Film and Television

Auditorium 9*

90 min

2:00 pm - VAFF Industry Insight (VAFF I²) Panel Series

Sparking Celluloid: Filmmaking For Social Change

Auditorium 9*

150 min

Auditorium 9*

19 min

Includes Screening: Anatomy Of Violence 5:00 pm - Program 6: International Shorts: How To Make Lemonade

Monday Ballad Of The Knife Sharpener

19 min

in blossom

6 min

A Taxi Of Coldness

20 min

Silent Dusk

35 min

7:30 pm - Program 7: Centrepiece Presentation

Gook

Auditorium 9*

94 min

10:00 Pm - Program 8: International Spotlight Presentation: A Tiger And The Sunset

The Soul Of The Tiger (L'âme Du Tigre)

Auditorium 9*

91 min

Home Is Where The Sunsets

Centerpiece Celebration Party

9 min Sai Woo

DAY 4: SUNDAY NOV 5 | CLOSING NIGHT 11:30 am - Filmmakers' Luncheon (INVITE ONLY) Program 9: Uneasy Lies The Head: Two Documentaries

Floata Seafood Restaurant A Time To Swim

Auditorium 9*

Anastasia Lin: The Crown 2:00 pm - Program 10: Canadian Shorts: Life In Multiculture

4:30 pm - Program 11: Canadian Doc Spot: Paint It Red

Skin To Skin

20 min Auditorium 9*

8 min

Lost In Transit

8 min

Bulgogi

1 min

Sleepwalk

15 min

Lucy

9 min

Violet and June

7 min

The Ether Inside

24 min

Flagged

11 min

Floating Light

12 min

Paint It Red

Auditorium 9*

Purple Days 7:15 pm - Program 12: Closing Night Presentation + Festival Awards

82 min

Wexford Plaza

22 min Auditorium 9*

Touring 9:30 pm - Closing Night * the remaining programs will be shown at Cineplex Odeon International Village, Auditorium 9

94 min 80 min 15 min

Steamworks

V A F F. O R G

Nov 2-5, 2017

@VAFFVANCOUVER | #VAFF2017 ALL FESTIVAL VENUES ARE LOCATED IN THE CITY OF VANCOUVER (EXCEPT FOR OPENING NIGHT, IN CITY OF RICHMOND) 1. Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas - 88 W Pender St., Vancouver, BC 2. Filmmakers' Luncheon - Floata Seafood Restaurant, 180 Keefer St, Vancouver, BC 3. Sandman Suites - 1160 Davie St., Vancouver, BC (Please contact 604-276-1160 to inquire best available rates for VAFF guests with our preferred festival hotel provider) 4. Blenz at International Village, 603 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC (Present your VAFF membership card at this venue to receive 25% off any beverage during the film festival - Nov 2 - 5, 2017). 5. Opening Night Screening + Gala - River Rock Casino Resort, 8811 River Rd, Richmond, BC 6. VAFF Industry Party - St. Regis Bar and Grill, 608 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC 7. Centerpiece Celebration Party - Sai Woo, 158 E Pender St., Vancouver, BC 8. Closing Night Party - Steamworks. Harbour View Room, 375 Water Street, Vancouver BC

SUNDAY, NOV 5 – 4:30PM PROGRAM 11 – CANADIAN DOC SPOT: PAINT IT RED |Documentary Feature, Drama Short| Whose neighbourhood is it, anyway? Our CANADIAN DOC SPOT Paint It Red from director Eva Cohen shines a (spot)light on just one of the many issues in the continually contentious development and preservation efforts surrounding Vancouver’s historic Chinatown: What happens when a bunch of seniors face evictions and homelessness? They fight back! Beverly Ho is a young Chinese Canadian dedicated to preserving and continuing Chinese cultural heritage in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Can her efforts, along with those of other volunteers in the neighbourhood, succeed? A VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee.

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Preceded by Vancouver-based director Kevin C.Y. Tseng’s short film Purple Days, a complementary meditation on the inevitable transience of NYC living that will resonate with anyone who’s ever moved anywhere with dreams of “making it big.” A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee. Followed by a short panel discussion between Paint It Red director, Eva Cohen, and other Chinatown stakeholders (panelists TBA) VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

PAINT IT RED What happens when a bunch of seniors in Vancouver Chinatown face evictions and homelessness? They fight back! Beverly Ho is a young Chinese Canadian dedicated to preserving and continuing Chinese cultural heritage in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Can her efforts, along with other volunteers in the neighbourhood, succeed in stemming the rapid proliferation of million-dollar condos and pricey cafes? A VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee.

Dir: Eva Cohen | 54 min | Canada | English, Cantonese, Mandarin with English and Chinese Subtitles | 2017 | Colour | Documentary | World Premiere BCFA: VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee In attendance: Eva Cohen, Director; Beverly Ho, Documentary Lead Subject; Mark Lee, Ma Tai, Kong Tai, Kevin Huang, Doris Chow, Kingmong Chan, Documentary Subjects

PURPLE DAYS Ranko and Shuhei both arrived in New York City at the same time; one is a hairdresser, the other, a jazz singer. Three years later, Shuhei tells Ranko he is leaving New York and returning to Japan to make a better living, leaving Ranko to reflect on their relationship and say goodbye to the once passionate dream of “making it” in the big city. A VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee Dir/Wri: Kevin C.Y. Tseng | Prod: Mickey Liu | 22 min | Canada, USA | Japanese, English with English Subtitles | 2017 | Colour | Drama | North American Premiere BCSA: VAFF Best Canadian Short Award nominee Previous Screening / Awards: Taipei Film Festival 2017 In attendance: Kevin C.Y. Tseng, Director/Writer

PANELISTS: Moderator Imelda Nurwisah

Community Engagement and Development, Planning Consultant, Colliers International Canada

John Atkin

President, Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia

Doris Chow

Co-Founder, Youth Collaborative for Chinatown

Eva Cohen

Director, “Paint It Red”

Salli Pateman

Owner, Sai Woo

SUNDAY, NOV 5 – 7:15 PM PROGRAM 12 – CLOSING NIGHT PRESENTATION + FESTIVAL AWARDS (Comedy Drama Feature, Drama Short) A misunderstood sexual COMMUNITY PARTNERS encounter unravels the life of a lonely female security guard and her deadbeat paramour: Welcome to Wexford Plaza, our VAFF 21 CLOSING NIGHT PRESENTATION from Toronto-based Canadian filmmaker Joyce Wong. Wong’s award-winning dark slice-of-life comedy is based on her memories of growing up in Scarborough, Ontario—isolated and friendless, Betty works as a security guard at a deteriorating strip mall and welcomes an act of random kindness from a makeup salesman, with unintended results. Winner of the Jury Award, Best Narrative at CAAMfest 2017, the jury found Wexford Plaza “...a quirky and offbeat comedy that manages to balance a critique of mundane suburban culture with poetic beauty. With a well rounded portrayal of gender, race and sexuality…[a] nuanced, witty and moving film.” A VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee. Preceded by Dean Yamada’s short film Touring, in which two teenage boys dealing with broken family situations connect, commiserate, and venture out to find an unorthodox way to release their anger. Followed by the VAFF 21 Festival Awards Presentation. VENUE: AUD 9, CINEPLEX ODEON INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE

WEXFORD PLAZA A slice-of-life dark comedy about Betty, a lonely female security guard working at a deteriorating strip mall. Isolated and friendless, a glimmer of hope appears when a makeup salesman shows Betty kindness, leading to an unexpected sexual encounter. Although Betty and her paramour are well meaning in their intentions, their behavior ends up causing both of their lives to unravel. Winner of the Jury Award, Best Narrative at CAAMfest 2017. A VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee.

Dir/Wri: Joyce Wong | Prod: Matt Greyson, Harry Cherniak, Joyce Wong | 80 min | Canada | English | 2016 | Colour | Comedy, Drama | Western Canada Premiere BCFA: VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award nominee Previous Screening / Awards: Slamdance Film Festival 2017; CAAMfest 2017, Jury Award, Best Narrative; Atlanta Film Festival 2017; FAAIM Showcase 2017; Newport Beach Film Festival 2017; Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017; Bentonville Film Festival 2017; Hell’s Half Mile Film and Music Festival 2017; New Orleans Film Festival 2017, Torino Film Festival 2017 In attendance: Joyce Wong, Director/Writer; Darrel Gamotin, Lead Cast; Harry Cherniak, Producer (unconfirmed)

TOURING After his parents' divorce, a teenager named Brian moves to a new neighborhood with his mom. Across the street stands a decrepit house, where Brian meets an enigmatic Kid who gets off on smashing old appliances with a sledgehammer. Without a father figure, Brian is drawn into the Kid's world, and together they start sneaking into upper-class homes for the sake of “touring” them. Dir: Dean Yamada | Wri: Jeff Schulder | Prod: David Greig | 15 min | USA | English | 2017 | Colour | Drama | Canadian Premiere Previous Screening / Awards: Festival de Cannes 2017, Festival Corner; Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2017

BEST CANADIAN SHORT AWARD 2017 VAFF 21 : BEST CANADIAN SHORT AWARD 2017 The VAFF Best Canadian Short Award (BCSA) is presented annually to a qualifying Canadian independent short film/filmmaker in the current year’s festival. Now in its tenth year, an average of 3–6 films per year are eligible for the BCSA nomination. The annual winner is determined by a three-member film industry adjudication panel. The award will be presented in an awards ceremony after the Closing Night screening.

BCSA 2017 ADJUDICATION PANEL (ALPHABETICAL BY LAST NAME) Gray Chen,

Programmer, Planning Committee, Vancouver Taiwanese Film Festival Gray Chen is a programmer with the Vancouver Taiwanese Film Festival planning committee. He has been working in entertainment news media for almost twenty years, covering major film festivals and events such as the Academy Awards, Cannes Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival.

Ana De Lara,

Independent Film Director/Producer/Writer Ana de Lara is an eclectic film director, producer, and screenwriter who has won over two dozen awards and recognitions, including the 2016 MPPIA Award and the 2016 Telefilm New Voices Award. Her films range from hard-hitting dramas, to visual poetry, to laugh-out-loud comedies and have screened at festivals worldwide. She is currently developing her feature screenplay, The Virgin Mary Had a Little Lamb, and producing a bravoFACT short film.

SPONSORED BY

PLAY IT FORWARD

Steve Rosenberg, Program Director, Infocus Film School Steve Rosenberg is an award-winning writer/director based in Vancouver, BC. His dramatic shorts—Watching Mrs. Pomerantz, Vannica, Divine Waters, and Shanti Baba Ram— have screened at various festivals internationally and aired on The Sundance Channel, CBC, WTV, and Bravo. In 2000, Watching Mrs. Pomerantz earned him numerous international awards, including Best Director at Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival. An alumni of The Canadian Film Centre, he has taught at the Vancouver Film School and the Environmental Youth Alliance. In 2006, he hosted and produced Blink, a weekly TV talk show devoted to obscure films that come and go “in a blink.” As founder of InFocus Film School, he loves the creative energy and also feels inspired to continue producing films. He currently has several TV/web series in development.

VAFF 2016 Best Canadian Short Award Winner, Alan Wong, "A Dwarf's Hideout"

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE AWARD 2017 VAFF 21 : BEST CANADIAN FEATURE AWARD 2017 Sponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada, the VAFF Best Canadian Feature Award (BCFA) is presented annually to a qualifying Canadian independent feature film/filmmaker in the current year’s festival. Now in its second year, three Canadian feature films are eligible for the BCFA nomination. The annual winner is determined by a threemember film industry adjudication panel. The award will be presented in an awards ceremony after the Closing Night screening.

BCFA 2017 ADJUDICATION PANEL (ALPHABETICAL BY LAST NAME) Roy Hayter

Directors Caucus Representative—Executive Board, Directors Guild of Canada (BC District Council) Roy has worked in many categories of film production, including directing various episodes of television drama, producing and directing over 20 docu-dramas and documentaries. Roy also has produced and directed over 125 national and local commercials. In addition, he has integrated many film productions into large multimedia presentations to world fairs and public exhibits shown around the world. Born and educated in England, he immigrated to Canada and worked in theatre with the Vancouver Theatre association and the Vancouver Opera association for several years while studying acting, stage and business management. He returned to England and studied at the renowned London Film School for two years. After graduating, BBC offered him an appointment with their editing department. Upon returning to Canada he joined a major television station’s film department where he produced, directed, shot and edited documentaries, public service spots, and commercials. After six years he started his own business directing; commercials, television drama, multimedia shows, and drama documentaries.

Karen Lam

Independent Film and Television Producer/Director/Writer Karen has worked full-time in the film and television industry since 2000. Starting her career as a producer and entertainment lawyer, Karen has produced four feature films, eight short films and three television series. Her first short film as a writer/director (“The Cabinet”) won the NSI Drama Prize in 2006. She has since written/directed seven short films, a music video, a documentary television series, two feature films—“Stained” (2010) and “Evangeline” (2013)—and a web series “Mythos” (2015). She is an alumni of the Women in the Director’s Chair program (2009). Women in Film and Television–Vancouver recognized Karen’s artistic achievements with the Artistic Innovation Award for Women in Film, in March 2013. Karen’s films have garnered international awards and extensive screenings at international film festivals, winning numerous awards. In 2016, Karen began working as a television story editor and writer (“Van Helsing” and “Ghost Wars,” both for SyFy). Karen is in revisions on her first full-length fiction novel, and planning for her second.

Dorothy Woodend

Acting Festival Director, DOXA Documentary Film Festival Dorothy Woodend is the Acting Festival Director for DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver. Dorothy Woodend has been the film critic for The Tyee since 2004. Her work has been published in magazines, newspapers, and books across Canada and the US. Dorothy worked with the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Whistler Film Festival and the National Film Board of Canada. She is a member of the Vancouver Film Critics Circle, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SUPPORTER

BCFA SPONSOR

VAFF 2016 Best Canadian Feature Award Winner, Al Yoshizawa, "All Our Father's Relations" VAFF - CHOPSO PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT

On November 2, CHOPSO will announce the launch of the first all Asian, all English language streaming service with esteemed partnerships in content creation and exhibition. "Asian Americans and English speaking Asian cultures globally are underserved and underrepresented in entertainment” says CHOPSO's CEO, Koji Sakai. In 2016, Asian Americans were the biggest U.S. moviegoers of any ethnic group and according to exhibition lobbying from the National Association of their annual Theatrical Market Statistics Report, the Asian/Other attendance category reported the highest per capita in 2016 — on average, Asian Americans went to the movies 6.1 times, in comparison to Americans with Hispanic descent average 4.6 times, while African Americans went 4.2 times and Caucasians went 3.2 times.” VAFF has showcased an amazing collection of American and Canadian Asian content for over 20 years and we have always hoped to share these gems with a much larger audience. This is why we are so proud to announce our partnership with CHOPSO, a streaming platform that aligns with our mission statement to celebrate diversity. CHOPSO will provide our filmmakers a world platform with respectable distribution, which has been challenging for them to find while allowing a greater number of viewers to fall in love with their stories.

VAFF 21 : LONDON DRUGS PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS 2017 We will be presenting various People’s Choice Awards, sponsored by London Drugs, during the closing night screening and awards ceremony at November 5, 2017. You will be the judge to select the Overall Feature, Overall Short, and Overall Performance. The voting will be opening from Nov 2 - Nov 5, 2017 during the festival. You could either vote on line http://vaff.org/vote or pick up the bullet form at the VAFF 21 information desk and drop it back to the “Vote Box” at the festival.

VAFF 2016 People’s Choice Overall Performance, , Leon Lee, Director, "The Bleeding Edge" (accepting on behalf of Anastasia Lin)

VAFF 2016 People’s Choice Overall Feature Winner, Jeff Chiba Stearns, "Mixed Match"

VAFF 2016 People’s Choice Overall Short Winner , Phil Planta, "Final Wishes" We host our intimate industry networking luncheon in the heart of Vancouver's historic Chinatown at November 5, 2017 (Invitation only event). The filmmakers, industry, media and special VAFF guests would mingling around while they are enjoying the local food and beverage.

VAFF 2016 Filmmakers' Luncheon - Attending Industry Guests

ASIANS IN MOVIES CAMPAIGN AIM CALENDAR CAMPAIGN AND LOGLINE CONTEST In 2016 as part of the AIM3 Summit, VAFF launched the AIM Logline Contest and Calendar Project Campaigns to increase opportunities for Asian Actors to be cast in leads, and for Asian writers to have their loglines read by industry professionals. Since then VAFF has hosted casting booths at various VAFF events as well as at community partners' events. Along with the Canada 150 / China Scriptwriting Competition, we are pleased to announce the winners for these two campaigns during VAFF's Closing night ceremonies on November 5, 2017 along with all the other VAFF awards. From the winning 12 loglines, VAFF will produce movie posters based on the interpretation of the chosen loglines and these will feature the 12 AIM Calendar Project winners. Photo shoots in Vancouver, BC will be scheduled for 2018. Thank you to all those that applied. Please check www.vaff.org for updates.

CANADA 150- CHINA SCRIPTWRITING COMPETITION - SUMMER 2017

In celebration of Canada 150, Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) is launching the Canada 150 / China Scriptwriting Competition in partnership with China’s CNH Management Ltd., to better reflect Canada’s diversity across the country’s feature filmmaking landscape. The winner will receive a cash prize of CAD$10,000 after signing a contract assigning CNH the right to own and develop the winning script, for production and distribution CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TOP FIVE FINALISTS (ALPHABETICAL BY LAST NAME) Linton Chan, "The Stereotype"

Selling Content to China

Sandra Wu, President, CNH Management

Tin Pak Lau, "Drop Pitch" Andrew Schifman, "YaoGui" Danny Van, "The Warriors of Shiao" Andrew Yoo, "The Mirror"

China invested US$51 billion in the US film industry in 2016, and there is a large demand for NETFLIX-style content on sites such as iQiYi, Tencent, and various other online platforms with a combined membership of 70 million paying customers, growing daily. “China is looking for original stories and content; we believe that North America has the best stories to tell, because North Americans offer a different perspective and lifestyle than what the mainland Chinese are used to,” says Sandra Wu, President, CNH Management. “The film industry is robust in Canada, which is why we are awarding CAD$10,000 for the C150/China Scriptwriting Competition: To nurture and support screenwriters, and to meet more filmmakers who would like their work sold to China.” CNH recently invested and produced Sea to Sky (-海天公路), a romantic comedy feature film about a poor Chinese couple who visit Canada to shoot their wedding video, are mistaken for being wealthy, and taken for a memorable cross-cultural experience. “We know scripts and films in the romance, coming-of-age, docudrama, historical, fantasy, and comedy genres do very well in China. We will fund, develop, and help distribute a screenplay or film project if the story is right for the market,” Wu says. 2017's Chinese-produced Wolf Warrior 2 is the highest grossing film ever released in China, and the second-highest grossing film of all time in a single market behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There is no doubt that the Chinese film and streaming market is promising. CNH Management Ltd.: info@cnhmovie.com

“WE HEART CANADA” VIDEO PROJECT - SUMMER 2017 PARTNERS

CORPORATE SPONSORS

Friday, November 3, 2017 6:15 pm – 7:30 pm Cineplex Odeon International Village Theatres, 88 W. Pender St., Vancouver What does it mean to truly belong to the communities in which we live? How has the process of migration shaped social and cultural identity? The “We Heart Canada” video project is a series of 3-minute videos created to celebrate Canada 150 and Vancouver’s diverse immigrant experience. Presented through a collaboration between non-profit organizations and independent filmmakers, and in partnership with the City of Vancouver/Vancouver Immigration Partnership, the public premiere presentation of this video project will be at VAFF 21, and will also feature several short films from Vancouver Foundation “Fresh Voices,” and City Studio.

Non-Profit Organization Partners: • Little Mountain Neighbourhood House, MOSAIC, Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, Pacific Immigrant Resources Society, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Community College, Vancouver School Board, Vancouver Police Department, YMCA Local Filmmakers: • Alfred Liu, Angelina Cantada, Bruno Cruz and Neil Colango, Derek Kwan, Desiree Lim, Elizabeth Cheong and Lisa Lee, Emily Chan, Lucho Berzek, Phil Planta, Yvette Lu and Beverly Hannah and Nik Green

“We Heart Canada” captures stories of resilience, courage, joy and transformation, offering immigrants and refugees - particularly youth - the opportunity to shape their narrative and contribute to the discourse about belonging and cultural identity in our city. Through the project, community groups collaborated with diverse teams of filmmakers to share the experience and perspectives of Canadians from a variety of backgrounds.

On behalf of the Citizens of Vancouver and my colleagues on City Council, I want to extend our best wishes to the 2017 Vancouver Asian Film Festival as you celebrate your 21st Anniversary. The Vancouver Asian Film Festival is a perfect platform for independent Asian Canadian, Asian American writers, producers and directors to share their unique and creative film talents with us. We are especially pleased with how the “We Heart Canada” film series, produced through a collaboration with the Vancouver Immigration Partnership, captured stories of resilience, courage, joy and transformation from newcomer youth and the community organizations that help them put down roots in our community. Initiatives such as these demonstrate the important role of the arts in creating welcoming cities. As Mayor, I am proud of our thriving arts community and I am pleased to congratulate the Vancouver Asian Film Festival for contributing to that designation with this festival. This program also provides educational and inspirational opportunities to aspiring filmmakers through various partnerships with educational institutions and industry organizations. I want to thank the organizers, volunteers and filmmakers who make this festival a success. Congratulations on your 21st Anniversary and I hope everyone has a wonderful time at the Festival! Sincerely,

Gregor Robertson Mayor

MIGHTY ASIAN MOVIEMAKING MARATHON 2017 What is the “Mighty Asian MovieMaking Marathon?” (MAMM) Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon (MAMM) is VAFF's premier annual short filmmaking contest. Its purpose is to foster emerging filmmakers and offer them both an educational experience as well as an opportunity to showcase their work to audiences and potential distributors. Founded 12 years ago, the competition has evolved from a 7-day competition, primarily using the dramatic narrative format where fun elements such as fortune cookie fortunes were incorporated into storylines; MAMM has now expanded to a 10-day contest, with an adjudicated pitch session, and added documentary category - the only short film competition with this genre in Vancouver.

mamm12 MIGHTY ASIAN MOVIEMAKING MARATHON

2017

The then-prevalent stereotype was that Asian Canadians had no interest in filmmaking. Fortunately, the independent filmmaking landscape of Metro Vancouver and BC has changed in the last 10 years, including many more Asian Canadians both in front of and behind the camera, working professionally in the commercial, independent film, TV and video industry. MAMM and VAFF are proud to have been integral in this change in the film and media landscape. This year, we screened the TOP EIGHT MAMM Finalists at the Awards Screening Gala on September 9, 2017. WINNERS OF MIGHTY ASIAN MOVIEMAKING MARATHON 2017 Congratulations to all the teams who participated in this year’s MAMM. 1st Place Skin to Skin — Team Banoodles 2nd Place Lost in Transit — Team Eunoia Fan Favourite Award (Overall Short) Lost in Transit — Team Eunoia Fan Favourite Award (Overall Lead Performance) Lou Ticzon, Skin to Skin — Team Banoodles

Watch the films on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ user/vaffvancouver and check out the photos from the event on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VAFFvancouver MAMM PRODUCTION TEAM Grace Chin - Festival Director / MAMM Producer Regina Leung - Marketing and Sponsorship Director / BTS Production CHOOSE THE GENRE. PITCH THE STORY. MAKE THE FILM. Neil Colango - BTS Video Editor Briana Aubrey - Graphic Designer VAFF Executive Team and Volunteers SPECIAL THANKS TO VAFF Board, MAMM participants, Judges, friends and family, and screening audience MAMM ADJUDICATION PANEL Chris Chan, Screenwriter Nadia Carvalho, Social Planner, City of Vancouver James Kingstone, Principal, Hammer & Tong; Co-Founder, East Van Showcase

MAMM 2017 - 8 Min Category, Winner: Team Banoodles, "Skin to Skin" MAMM SPONSORS

MAMM CASH PRIZE SPONSORS

MAMM COMMUNITY PARTNERS

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS!

Partner’s Event - National Canadian Film Day

Annual Event - We Heart Canada "Swipe Right" Meet & Greet

The continued success of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival is a reflection of the energy, passion and dedication VAFF volunteers demonstrate year after year. From yearly events, ticket sales, screening to after parties, volunteers help out with all aspects of the festival, which would not be possible without their valuable contributions. As we celebrate our 20th year, we would like to say a sincere “thank you” to this amazing and hardworking group.

From the Exec down to the event volunteers, we are grateful for the generous support we receive. We strive to create a professional and fun-filled atmosphere, one that values the contribution of time and energy of each and every one of you. This positive environment brings back many volunteers year after year. Friends join in the fun to enjoy the films and parties.

The Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society is a non-profit organization entirely run by volunteers. We are proud of our volunteers’ dedication and enthusiasm in promoting cultural diversity and playing an essential role in the art scene in Vancouver.

Annual Event - We Heart Canada "Cast + Crew" and MAMM 2017 Screening

Outreach Event - Vancouver Sun Run 2017

JOIN VAFF If you love the arts and want to continue to see films from a distinctly North American perspective, join VAFF’s cast and crew! The Vancouver Asian Film Festival is the longest running film festival of its kind in Canada and after 20 years, there its still much more that can be done to support emerging and established North American filmmakers of Asian heritage. Join the VAFF Donor & Membership, be one of the VAFF’s cast. All amounts are greatly appreciated and gratefully accepted. Please contact us at sponsorship@vaff. org for more details of the annual sponsorship, "festival only" sponsorship opportunities, advertising opportunities and Corporate membership program. 2016 STATISTICS Vancouver has one of the most diverse Asian communities in North America. The two largest Asian groups in Vancouver are Chinese and South Asians. Vancouver has Canada’s second largest Indo-Canadian population after Toronto. Other significant ethnic groups in Vancouver include Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Cambodian and Japanese. By the numbers: Percentage of immigrants to BC from 2006 —2015 who are from an Asian country: Over 70% Percentage of population in Metro Vancouver who are ethnic Chinese: Over 17%

CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM The Vancouver Asian Film Festival Corporate Membership program allows individuals, small businesses, and corporations a special purchase rate for group tickets for their employees to the Vancouver Asian Film Festival’s November festival, as well as discounted purchase rates for various ticketed Annual events throughout the year. Motivator Level: $50 Annually - includes 4 tickets + 4 individual memberships Ally Level: $150 Annually - includes 12 tickets+12 individual memberships Benefactor Level: $250 Annually - Includes 18 tickets+18 individual memberships Fellows Level: $500 Annually - Includes up to 36 tickets +36 individual memberships Corporate members receive: A guaranteed # of tickets each year for employees to the annual November festival as vouchers which can be redeemed at box office for individual screenings dependent on availability at time of redemption, OR a personalized corporate membership code that will allow for the redemption of a certain number of pre-defined tickets through our ticket purchase website. The number of tickets received depends on the level of corporate membership purchased. The value of the corporate membership purchased will be equivalent to approximately 25% off of the regular ticket price value times the number of employees registered.

Please visit http://bit.ly/VAFFdonation or scan the qrcode to Join VAFF Corporate Membership, be one of the VAFF cast. All amounts are greatly appreciated and gratefully accepted.

Additional tickets and tickets for year-round Annual events outside of Festival season can be purchased at a 20%discount using the preassigned corporate membership code. Each ticket will also include a complimentary membership card to the Vancouver Asian Film Festival which lasts 1 year. This membership card can be filled out and brought to the box office when redeeming corporate membership tickets. Logo placement for company/business/organization or name recognition on our special Corporate Members page on the official Vancouver Asian Film Festival website, as well as logo placement on preshow slides during the Annual Film Festival. Special invites to VIP-only events where Corporate Members can meet filmmakers and stars, such as our annual Opening Night Celebration.

VAFF EXECUTIVE

Grace Chin | Festival Director & MAMM Producer Grace Chin is a marketing communications consultant, event coordinator, content strategist and writer/ editor, currently with Boilingpoint Group. A produced playwright, short film producer, anthologized short fiction writer, and performer, she is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, the Playwrights Theatre Centre (PTC), and the Union of British Columbia Performers. She has been a board member of Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, and coproduces the panAsian script reading series, Scripting Aloud. Lynne Lee | Festival Director Elect Lynne Lee is a marcom-turned-film executive working on film development and marketing at Massey Productions Ltd. in Vancouver, Canada. After spending over 15 years in HK and China creating successful awardwinning marketing campaigns for fortune 500 conglomerates such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and L’Oreal, she moved back to work in film production, specializing in Chinese co-productions, Chinese dialect coaching, and cross-cultural liaison for feature films such as “Birth of the Dragon”, “Meditation Park”, amongst others. She is currently the Festival Director Elect for the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and will take over as Festival Director from the 22nd annual festival on. PROGRAMMING TEAM Colin Hong | Print Traffic Coordinator My favorite movie is Edward Scissorhands. My guilty pleasure is something too R rated for this bio. My favorite city in BC is Revelstoke because its soooo surreal. My favorite top 3 foods are: Smoked Black cod, Cheesecake and Potato Chips. My fashion statements is to dress in whatever you want because I don't believe in fashion trends. Doug Cheng | Programmer Assistant Seasoned media professional with more than ten years of media and communications experience in varying leadership roles. Proven leader and team player who is skilled at developing content, managing projects and communicating complex issues in strategic, clear and effective ways to reach target audiences. Alina Wong | Programming Assistant Alina is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Psychology at UBC. An aspiring actor, she is passionate about increasing cultural diversity on the screen and stage. She has a knack for comedy, video editing, and ultimate frisbee. She is excited to bring her skills and creativity to the VAFF team! Akiko Sakai | Programming Akiko is thrilled to join the VAFF executive committee this year. She enjoys working with a variety of people and is very excited to help programming films for VAFF and deliver great ones to audiences. She has a background in film studies, loves watching films and believes in the power of film. Her strong passion of film has motivated her to volunteer with over 10 film organizations in Vancouver since last year, including VAFF 2014. She also likes the outdoors, traveling around the world and meeting new people, culture and food!

Al Yoshizawa | Programmer Alejandro is a filmmaker from Vancouver, British Columbia. From 2014 to 2016 he taught FIPR 469A: Asian Canadian Film Production at UBC's Department of Theatre and Film. He also acts as a consultant and teacher for the A sian Canadian and Asian Migration (ACAM) program at UBC. His latest film project is All Our Father's Relations (allourfathersrelations.com), which is expected to be complete in 2016. Follow him on twitter @alyoshizawa! Arnold Lam | Programmer Arnold produced and directed narrative, commercial and documentary films, screened at film festivals around the world including the Cannes Film Festival through Telefilm's Not Short on Talent, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and many more. He has juried for numerous competitions and am currently a jury member for the Victoria Film Festival. OPERATIONS TEAM Johnny Mah | Volunteer Coordinator Born and raised in the beautiful city of Castlegar, B.C. in the West Kootenay, he has always enjoyed Chinese Canadian history and culture. In his spare time, he likes to listen to music; watch TV, film and documentaries and he is an avid local history buff. He has worked in the local media and broadcast industry for over fifteen years. Hannah Lee | Volunteer Coordinator Excited to join the wonderful executive team this year, Hannah was born in Korea, moved to Vancouver after living in Singapore. Love outdoor activities and exploring cultural diversity that since high school, went on exchange programs to Japan, Taiwan, and planning on more. First time volunteering for VAFF in 2013 opened a whole new world of film community for Hannah. Since then, been enjoying the opportunity to be part of both independent and major motion picture industry in Vancouver. Alexander Tsao | Event Manager Originally from Taiwan, Alex came to Vancouver at the age of 9. A car and motor racing enthusiast from a young age, Alex became a regional racing driver two years ago racing Formula cars in East and West Coast Canada. He is excited to be back with the VAFF team this time as an executive, having first volunteered with the organization in 2015. Alex developed interest in the film industry after participating in local commercial and film shoots in 2014, and has taken workshops to further his understanding of the art. As an individual who is passionate about the Asian culture and film, he looks to embrace and share this passion with VAFF.

VAFF EXECUTIVE

Vincent Gan | Box Office Manager Vincent Gan has many life passions and the film industry is one of the biggest draws for him. He also has a strong passion to see cultural and various other events happen in the City of Vancouver. Working in the fields of design engineering and education, Vincent seeks to balance an often hectic life by immersing himself in the arts scene. Get to meet him during film screening events, for he would be as enthusiastic about the films as the movie-goers.

Luz Alvarado | Social Media Editor Luz is originally from Peru. She came to Vancouver 5 years ago to pursue her undergraduate degree on Marketing and International Business at the University of British Columbia. She truly love travelling and meeting new people on the way. She adore taking pictures, trying new things, keeping up to date with technology and learning foreign cultures. Oh, and she is obsessed with her doggie.

Robin Chan | Filmmaker Liaison Robin has been producing content for film and television for over a decade. In this time, he has produced short films, music videos, promotional videos and feature films "Lucky Stars" (2002) and "The Hollow Ones" (2015). His short film "Joanna Makes a Friend" (2011) won the Audience Choice Awards at the Victoria Film Festival and at the TIFF.kid Toronto International Film Festival. Robin is the Principle Producer of Like Minded Media based in Vancouver.

Briana Aubrey | Graphic Designer Born in Peru, Briana grew up in northern BC, but moving to Vancouver felt like coming home. Passionate about film, photography, design, food, music, and travel Briana can be found at anything from Karaoke to concerts and hosting potlucks for her friends or learning another language. Briana has Diplomas in New Media Design and Communications, and Digital Film and Video.

Caitlin Atkinson | Festival Assistant Caitlin is excited to be part of the executive team of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and to have the opportunity to be part of a community of people who share her love for arts and culture. She enjoys films of all types as well as most other forms of entertainment. She will accept any excuse to party (especially if there are costumes involved) and spends most of her spare time planning the next outing with friends. She is looking forward to meeting many more great people at VAFF this year.

Lia Ortiz | CopyWriter and Communication Lia Ortiz is a budding marketing professional who was born in Canada, raised in the Philippines, and is now back home re-adapting to Canada life (and weather). She graduated with a degree in marketing and communications, and has done some PR work and events management to boast! When she isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t busy catching up on her favorite shows, she likes to go on mini adventures around town, which more often than not leads to food-binging.

MARKETING / COMMUNICATIONS TEAM Vincent Wong | Community Partnerships and Audience Development Director Vincent has been with VAFF for the past six years and is very proud to be part of this unique family of creative and passionate individuals. In his role with VAFF, he works to increase VAFF's visibility to new audiences through strategic partnerships and events. Vincent has worked in the non-profit sector for 16 years, and in the special events field for over 8 years. By day, he manages cultural festivals, concerts, and volunteers at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, and also runs events in his off time including a dance social called The Blues Cafe. Among Vincent's favourite things about Vancouver are its love of festivals, vibrant social communities, and its cultural diversity, aspects of the city that Vincent works hard to promote both in and out of VAFF. Clement Woo | Social Media Director Passionate about all things media and technology-related, Clement's interests include photography, graphic design and of course, film. Through his work and studies, he is an experienced writer, editor, event planner and designer. Drawing inspiration from the world around him, Clement is always looking to discover new things, whether it be music, restaurants or travel destinations, to add to his growing bucket list. Feel free to say hello via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

Jenna Masuhara | Marketing and Communication Assistant Jenna Masuhara is currently studying Communications for her postsecondary degree. Jenna likes to be an active person, playing various sports and spending time outdoors, but she loves a good movie or book. What got her interested in VAFF is her desire to spread awareness of the different diverse media, both foreign and domestic that is out there in the world and promote independent filmmakers. Regina Leung | Marketing and Sponsorship Director With over 18 years of experience in the software industry, she is skilled in digital branding, client development, project management, product analysis and the development of service solutions. She is an operating partner of HyBird Media Group, and responsible for corporate development, investment strategies for start-up and enterprise technology companies and the implementation of digital marketing strategies targeting North America and Asia. She is thrilled to be part of the VAFF family. VAFF Committee: Patricia Fujino, Mark Lee, Winson Won, Cliff Lin Web Site Freelance Production Committee: Gerry Chow, Neil Colango, Bruno Cruz

VAFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOARD OF DIRECTORS BARBARA LEE Barbara is a writer and independent filmmaker in Vancouver. She has worked as a broadcast journalist/reporter and received the national Radio and Television News Directors' Association (RTNDA) Award for Best Editorial in 1998. Her film "In Between the Laughter" was one of the National Film Board's REELDIVERSITY 2004 winners which aired on CBC and PBS. Barbara continues to support North American Asian artists in mainstream media and is currently working on a music documentary about Asians in the music industry as well as finishing her horror screenplay. MEI NOR LEE Mel Nor Lee is a mortgage broker and has a keen interest in Asian culture and film. She has always been aware of the curious divide between her reality growing up Asian Canadian, and the presentation of her reality as portrayed in western films. It has been her privilege to support an organization that constantly challenges the stereotypes of the Asian Canadian experience and supports local artists to develop and hone their craft. MARK LEUNG Mark is an in-house lawyer at BroadbandTV (BBTV), a global media and technology company and the third largest multi-channel network (MCN) in the world. As BBTV's Legal Counsel, Mark advises the company on a wide range of commercial and intellectual property issues, including the distribution and licensing of digital content and the management of electronic rights, and is also responsible for negotiating and drafting BBTV's commercial agreements. Prior to BBTV, Mark worked as Corporate Counsel and Chief Copywriter for Stuck, a branding agency that he co-founded during law school, and as a litigation associate at BLG, one of Canada's largest national law firms. KEVIN K. LI Kevin K. Li is creator and co-producer of HBICtv: Ultra Rich Asian Girls. He spent the first 15 years of his broadcasting career producing Asian programming that embraced the model minority ideal. It wasn’t until URAG that he began to fight it. Kevin is born, bred and raised in Vancouver’s Eastside. He has worked for City TV, CTV and Olympic Broadcasting Services that had brought him to Rio, London, Singapore and Vancouver for the Games. Kevin has also produced House My Style on Omni TV, Brotherhoods, Clans and Secret Societies of Vancouver’s Chinatown, Azn Lifestyles TV on City TV and TV Fusion. He’s most proud of his roots in Chinatown and continues to perform Lion Dancing annually during Chinese New Year's HENRY HAN Henry holds over 15 years of international experience across all three levels of Government in Canada having worked in progressive managerial roles. He has worked overseas in both Beijing and Seoul with the Canadian Embassy and across Canada in Ottawa, Victoria and Vancouver. He has touched a number of files from immigration, intergovernmental relations, to trade and investment. He is currently the Executive Director of International Markets with the Ministry of International Trade with oversight for BC's trade and investment offices located in the US, London, India and S.E. Asia. Henry and his team is the Province's lead with respect to both trade and investment as well as government to government relations for international markets. Henry is born and educated in BC, he holds a Bachelor of Political Science from UBC and lives in sunny Vancouver with his young family. JENNY ZHU Jenny is a Senior Accountant at Deloitte Canada. She is interested in taking over the Treasurer duties of VAFF and will assist with preparing and reviewing VAFF's financials. Jenny will not be readily available until after tax season is over, but we have discussed having her assist with the finalizing of VAFF's financials prior to the next General meeting.

JACK YONG Jack has recently joined Lawson Lundell as a Partner to establish their Asia Practice. He has had an impressive career at Gowlings prior to this. Jack goals for working with VAFF - hopes to work with others to organize networking events, matchmaking events and pitch competitions held during the festival to bring together industry players from Asia and North America. The events will be simpler and smaller to start (for example, we may not have the numbers for a matchmaking event this year), but the plan is to grow them in size and sophistication over the years. I'd like to use my network to bring in film and media companies in China to attend the event and make connections, hopefully leading to investment and growth of production here in BC.

VAFF ADVISORY BOARD BOARD ADVISORY ANDY CHU The creative and visionary force behind FMA Entertainment. Andy's dynamic personality and energetic spirit has made him an innovator in the field of entertainment. Along with his extensive resume of film and television credits, Andy is the creator and producer of the Stripped Concert Series, FMA Fashion Week and Fashion Rocks Vancouver as well as FMA Awards Gala annual event, a large-scale fashion, music and art concert. Andy received three LEO Awards Nominations with current hit television series "FMA Entertainment Weekly" and "Real Estate 101". His current projects include television series "My Pet Diaries" and "The Big Show". Andy is also one of the producer of Vogue's (US) Fashion Night Out Vancouver and board of director of Miss World Canada (2012 and 2013). LEON NG A proud Vancouverite, Leon has lived in Singapore, Hong Kong, San Francisco, and Toronto, bringing a global perspective to his work. As a successful creative media entrepreneur and creator of North America's largest Real Estate Television Network, Leon taps into his powerful network of industry partners to lead award winning multimedia projects. In 2009 Leon founded LNG Studios, which has quickly risen to become one of Canada's premiere architectural visualization and animation studios with cutting edge 3D laser scanning and rendering technology. Through his broadcasting network Leon has provided programming for many lower mainland communities as well as fostered new talent and provided support, training and production services to non-profit organizations. KEN TAKAGI Ken Takagi was born in Los Angeles, has lived in Seattle, New York and Tokyo, but Vancouver has always been his home. The Vancouver Asian Film Festival's mission statement is one that he's very excited about and is looking forward to promoting dynamic and innovative images of Asians, while working with Asian filmmakers from around the world.

PETER LEUNG As past festival director and executive director and handling programming and advisory duties this year, Peter continues to channel his inner-Asian. Conceived in Kowloon and raised on Fantasy Island and Captain Crunch, Peter is fortunate to be allergic to math and chicken's feet and aspires to doctorâ&#x20AC;Ś his transcripts. He continues to channel his inner-filmmaker every summer as co-founder of the Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon (MAMM) along with Barbara Lee.

KATHY LEUNG As a writer, sometimes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;slash' director, Kathy's films have screened at numerous festivals, receiving two Golden Sheaf nominations and a Leo award nomination. Her scripts were selected for Whistler International Film Festival's Short Scripts Competition and twice for CityTV's Cinecity Initiatives as well as produced for broadcast on CityTV. Last winter, "Red Letters", an original musical she cowrote was produced by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre and toured three cities in BC.

MONA MOK Mona is a director with a background in sound design as a graduate from Vancouver Film School's Sound Design program. Mona's most recent project is a feature length comedy entitled Everything Louder Than Everything Else which premiered at the Whistler Film Festival in 2010. She was also co-director/editor/producer for a feature length documentary about Vancouver indie rock band Ladyhawk's recording session in an abandoned farmhouse in Kelowna entitled, Let Me Be Fictional.

VAFF 2017 FILMMAKERS Khalid Ali Ballad of the Knife Sharpener Khalid Ali (Director/Editor) is a filmmaker and educator based in Baltimore, Maryland. Khalid is co-founder of Ali Films, a dynamic, geographically mobile film production company specializing in documentaries. He has been instructor of digital film at G.W. Carver Center for Arts and Technology since 2010.

Dandrin Dorje Silent Dusk Born in 1987, Dandrin Dorje is an independent filmmaker from the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai, China. He graduated from Communication University of China and is based in Beijing. Previous works include short films Butter Lamp (2013), Glass Beads (2014), and Reincarnation (2015), as well as various documentary works.

Elisa Chee Lucy

Ashley Duong A Time To Swim Ashley Duong is a Montreal-based filmmaker and multimedia storyteller working to amplify marginalized voices by telling meaningful stories in fresh ways. A Time to Swim is her featurelength directorial debut. She also co-produced Land and Legends, an interactive website about the connection between the landscapes and myths of the Kelabit people of Sarawak, Malaysia. In the past she has worked on the teams of projects such as Uvanga, a modern Inuit drama, and The Fruit Hunters, a documentary about how intertwined we are with the fruits we eat. Currently, she is creating short films for CBC Arts and a dance film about women and sports.

Since graduating from the animation program at Emily Carr in 2003, Elisa Chee has directed animated music video Scenes, animated short Crow’s Nests, and created animated sequences for numerous documentaries. Elisa experiments with finding truth within personal stories in her animation and storytelling.

Jonathan Chiang The Lion Jon Chiang is a director based in Vancouver BC. His work focuses on creating intimate and moving branded content for his clients. The Lion is the first short documentary that he has directed and produced. The personal project was inspired by [the subject] Francis Arevalo’s courage to chase his dreams.

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Axel Frühmann The Ether Inside Axel Frühmann (1989, Hilversum, Netherlands), (stub)born cinephile, directed plays/shorts in high school; did acting at the Academy of Film & Television (ACTT), Sydney, Australia; and received his MA in Film Studies at the University of Amsterdam in 2015. He recently finished Vancouver Film School. His passions: Editing, writing, and directing.

Stanton Chong Lost In Transit ustin Chon was born in Orange County, California, and has worked as an actor for over 15 years. As a writer/director, his first feature film, Man Up, was distributed by Lakeshore Entertainment. He loves long walks on the beach and reading novels by candlelight.

Andrew Hida Im/Perfection Andrew Hida is an award-winning filmmaker and video producer based out of San Francisco, California. He was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Japanese and Chinese immigrant parents. With a background in journalism, Hida firmly believes in the power of nonfiction visual storytelling to create powerful, compelling, and beautiful stories about the human experience. His work has been recognized by the National Press Photographers Association, the Katherine Schneider Journalism and the World Press Photo Foundation.

Justin Chon Gook Justin Chon was born in Orange County, California, and has worked as an actor for over 15 years. As a writer/director, his first feature film, Man Up, was distributed by Lakeshore Entertainment. He loves long walks on the beach and reading novels by candlelight.

David Chuang Upstream Born in 1983 and emigrating to Canada at the age of 16, David Chuang received his film education in the Vancouver Film School, where he was inspired by the American genre film and became inclined to apply strong visual elements in depicting a blurred boundary between good and evil in his work. After graduation, he returned to Taiwan and received his M.A. degree of directing at the Institute of Department of Filmmaking at Taipei National University of the Arts.

Andrew Chung Sleepwalk

Andrew is a Director, based in Toronto. He is a graduate of the Vancouver Film School, with a diploma in screenwriting. His short films, Lovebites and Sleepwalk, and digital series, Millions, have screened in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, and France. For select works visit thisisandrewc.com.

Eva Cohen Paint It Red Eva Cohen works in the entertainment industry in a number of roles, both on large network sets, and on independent projects, including as a writer, director, production manager, and English-Mandarin translator. She holds dual Canadian-American citizenship, and has worked on TV, film, documentary and music video projects in both countries. She is passionate about helping to share diverse and underrepresented stories.

Kacey Cox Anastasia Lin: The Crown Viewing the medium of documentary as a powerful tool to stimulate dialogue around social issues—Kacey’s approach is born from the belief that the most powerful stories are told through the eyes of those who have lived them.

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Sanjay Jit Bulgogi Justin Chon was born in Orange County, California, and has worked as an actor for over 15 years. As a writer/director, his first feature film, Man Up, was distributed by Lakeshore Entertainment. He loves long walks on the beach and reading novels by candlelight.

Joonha Kim A Taxi of Coldness Joonha Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1979 and graduated from Sungkyunkwan University in 2005 as a Philosophy Major. since then he has been making movies, commercials, and company films, and has been the producer/director of Mento Films since 2013.

Kogonada Columbus Kogonada is a proud immigrant to the United States, born in Seoul and raised in the Midwest. He has been noted by Filmmaker Magazine (25 New Faces of Independent Film) and The New Yorker for his visual work and film criticism commissioned by the "Criterion Collection" and "Sight & Sound." He currently resides in Nashville with his wife and two sons. Columbus is his directorial feature debut.

Rob Leickner The Lonely Light of Home Rob Leickner got his start in the entertainment business as cofounder of The Hive recording studio, where he worked to help the one room studio grow into a 3,000 square foot complex and become one of the most significant indie rock recording studios in Vancouver (www.hivestudios.net). After achieving success in that medium, he felt his creative output pulled to the world of film. Rob immersed himself in cinema and redirected the passion that drove his commitment to The Hive, into independent filmmaking. Since 2002, Rob has written, produced, and directed six short films, and has directed five feature-length narrative films. His films have screened at festivals in Vancouver, Whistler, Toronto, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle; Seoul, South Korea; and Kampala, Uganda.

VAFF 2017 FILMMAKERS Robin Lung Finding KUKAN Robin Lung is a fourth generation Chinese American who was raised in Hawai‘i. She has a 15-year history of bringing untold minority stories to film. A graduate of Stanford University and Hunter College in NYC, Lung made her directorial debut with Washington Place: Hawai‘i’s First Home, a 30-minute documentary for PBS Hawai‘i about Hawai‘i’s historic governor’s mansion and home of Queen Lili‘uokalani (aired December 2008). She was the associate producer for the national PBS documentary Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority (aired October 2008), Hawai‘i unit producer for acclaimed film Vivan Las Antipodas!, unit producer for NOVA’s Killer Typhoon, and producer/director for numerous short documentaries for the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. She was selected as a documentary fellow for the 2015 NALIP ARC female filmmaker residency.

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Deepa Mehta Anatomy of Violence Deepa Mehta is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose work is celebrated on an international scale. Her emotionally resonating, award-winning films have played every major film festival, and been sold and distributed around the globe. She is best known for her elemental trilogy: Earth, Fire, Water, the final film of which received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Other films include, Bollywood/Hollywood, Heaven On Earth, and the epic adaptation of Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie’s three-time Booker Prize winning novel. Her work challenges traditions and stereotypes and is always daring, fearless, and provocative. It’s this spirit that saturated her last film, Beeba Boys, and now her latest work, Anatomy of Violence.

Natalie Murao Floating Light Natalie Murao is a filmmaker from Vancouver, British Columbia with a BFA from Simon Fraser University. Although she enjoys dabbling in production design, Natalie's passion lies in writing and directing films that can engage the Asian Canadian community. Her films draw from personal experiences, especially her childhood, which include themes of memory, the mundane, and magical realism.

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Kayla Tong Home is Where the Sunsets Kayla Tong (b. 1993, Hong Kong) is a director and cinematographer based in Los Angeles. Her films focus on women’s issues, immigration, and social justice. She is a graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts, a cinematography alumna of Asian Film Academy, and a recipient of the Armed With a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists.

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Mimi Nguyen Flagged As a second generation Vietnamese-Canadian, Mimi is aware of the diasporic anxiety of losing one’s “culture.” She has created video projects focusing on the lived experiences of members in Vancouver’s Vietnamese communities. Mimi believes that keeping their stories alive is the best thing we can do to honour their sacrifices.

Divya Pathak Contenders Divya Pathak is a filmmaker based in London. Prior to becoming an independent filmmaker, Divya worked at media companies such as J. Walter Thompson, YouTube, and the Tribeca Film Festival. Her first film, Code Therapy, a documentary about mental health and technology, screened at festivals in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and India. The film won Best Documentary at the 2016 Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival.

Phil Planta Skin To Skin Phil Planta is a filmmaker, recently winning the VAFF 2013, 2016, and 2017 Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon short filmmaking contests. He was educated at the Vancouver Film School and at Focal Point School, studying Design, Photography, and VFX. VFX credits in film and TV: Once Upon a Time, Falling Skies, Revolution, Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Big Eyes, Red 2. He is producer of the BCshot feature film Beyond Redemption.

Linnea Ritland Violet and June Linnea Ritland—full time student in UBC Film Production, part time lover of bread—once saw some comedy and was like, "wow, that brought me so much joy! Maybe I’ll try writing some." And that is when joy became suffering. But she hopes it has transcended back to joy when you see Violet and June! More at linnearitland.wordpress. com. Jingyi Shao Toenail Jing is a Chinese-American commercial director working extensively in China and in the US. Jing’s work for brands like Levi’s, Johnnie Walker, and Honda, has been featured in ad publications such as SHOTS, SHOOTonline, and Adweek. His PSA, Text History of Jane, recently received awards at Cannes, D&AD, and the AICP Show. His first short Toenail was a finalist in the inaugural HBO Visionaries competition, and premiered on the network in May 2017. His ultimate dream is to write and direct stories that bridge both China and the US.

Dinh Thai Monday Dinh Thai is an award-winning writer/director, by way of directing for commercials. He’s actively developing ideas for TV and film, one of them being Tuesday, the continuation of his award-winning short, Monday. He graduated from Art Center’s film program and currently runs his own production company, Art and State, creating ads for brands and ad agencies.

Kevin C.Y. Tseng Purple Days Tseng Chun-Yao (Kevin) was born in 1989 in Tainan, Taiwan. ChunYao is a recent graduate of Columbia University’s Film Program, where he’s studied under filmmakers such as Eric Mendelsohn and Ramin Bahrani. He currently lives and works in Surrey, BC.

Angie Wang Cardinal X Being a first generation Chinese American woman, growing up in both urban and rural neighbourhoods where she was often the only Asian, Angie Wang’s distinct "outlier" perspective comes through in her semi-autobiographical first film, Cardinal X, which shatters the idea of the "model minority" and peels back the layers on a palette of stereotypes. Her path to filmmaking has been a winding one; she worked in technology sales and founded a consulting services company before spearheading and serving as Director for the non profit, GROW. Her work at GROW (Global Resiliency Outreach Work) with at risk middle school kids ignited her passion for social change. She believes that film is the perfect medium to tell stories that entertain, inspire thought, and shift perspective.

Joyce Wong Wexford Plaza Joyce Wong’s previous films include: The Power of Love (Celine Dion Fans in Kenya), which screened at Hot Docs in 2010, EMBODYING TORONTO, which won WIFT-T’s “Most Innovative Film by a Female Director Award” at the Toronto Urban Film Festival in 2009, Souvenirs From Asia, which won Outstanding Canadian Short at the Reelworld Film Festival, and Banana Bruises, which won Best Fiction Short at York University’s Cinesiege Film Festival in 2006. Joyce graduated from York University with a BFA in Film Production in 2007, participated in the Berlinale Talent Campus in 2008, and the Toronto International Film Festival’s Talent Lab in 2016. Her work has been supported by the Canada Arts Council and Ontario Council for the Arts. Wexford Plaza is her first feature, and is based on her memories of growing up in Scarborough, Ontario.

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Dean Yamada Touring Dean Yamada is a filmmaker and film professor, who has traveled to Tokyo, Berlin and Jakarta to direct a series of award-winning short films and two feature films. His film Jitensha (Bicycle) premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and received the Golden Reel at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2010. His first feature CICADA won eight awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2014.

François Yang The Soul of the Tiger (L'âme du tigre) Born in 1978 in Fribourg, Switzerland, François Yang attended ECAL (Ecole cantonale d'art de Lausanne) cinema department from 1998–2003 as well as a scriptwriting workshop at La Fémis (Fondation Européenne pour les Métiers de l'Image et du Son), the film and television school of PSL Research University, Paris, in 2005. He is known for his documentaries. The Soul of the Tiger is his first feature-length fiction film.

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Chi Him Yuen in blossom A graduate of the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong, Chi Him Yuen’s work Not Now But When was awarded the Hong Kong International Short Film Festival Fresh Wave Award 2011, and Fresh Wave Best Film Award 2011. Yuen has also directed other films, such as The other side of the door and As Times Goes By. Pei Yu Su A Trip With Mom Pei Yu Su is a Communications graduate from Taiwan’s Chung Cheng University, currently studying filmmaking at the Taipei University of the Arts Institute, Fourth Grade Director group.

VAFF ANNUAL PROGRAM & EVENTS The Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society hosts multiple events, programs, panel discussions, workshops and forums throughout the year leading up to the Film Festival. In addition, we also co-present a variety of community partner events in the Lower Mainland. September 9, 2017 - Celebrate Canada 150: We Heart Canada + Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon MAMM 12 screening event and award gala July 29, 2017 - VAFF Canada's 150th Birthday, partnering with City of Vancouver - Summer Screening of "All Our Father's Relations" by BC filmmaker Alejandro Yoshizawa July 11 , 2017 - Might Asian Moviemaking Marathon (MAMM12) Indie Filmmaking Superhero Workshop May 3, 2017 - Celebrate Asian Hetiage Month - We Heart Canada “Swipe Right” Video Campaign Special Event, partnering with City of Vancouver April 19, 2017 - National Canadian Film Day, partnering with Reel Canada, explorAsian, Hapapalooza, Spring Screening of “Mixed Match,” by BC filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns Feb 15, 2017, - Meet our VAFF Executive and Board and each other in the community at the 2017 Annual General Meeting. We will launch 2017 events, programs and workshops sometime in May 2018. SPECIAL THANKS TO: VAFF Board, VAFF Executives, Festival Volunteers, VAFF 21 Sponsors & Partners, VAFF 21 Filmmakers, friends and family and screening audience.

PRINT SOURCE PROGRAM 1 Columbus Theatrical Bookings: +1.212.334.4858 michael@mtuckmanmedia.com U.S. and Canada Non-theatrical Screenings: columbusfilmproductions@gmail.com International Festivals & Sales: jy@visitfilms.com columbusthemovie.com PROGRAM 2 Upstream Stella Lin / Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation No.100, Lane 75, Sec. 3, Kang Ning Rd., Taipei 114, Taiwan, R.O.C. +886 2 26301125 PTSFestival@gmail.com www.pts.org.tw Toenail Jingyi Shao 241 S Avenue 52 Los Angeles CA, 90042, USA +19739861847 jshaoproducing@gmail.com SPECIAL PRESENTATION We Heart Canada - MOSAIC (1) Alfred Liu alfredgordonliu@gmail.com We Heart Canada - MOSAIC (2) Desiree Lim desireelimfilms@gmail.com We Heart Canada - Pacific Immigrant Resources Society Angelina Cantada curlytailpics@gmail.com We Heart Canada - Little Mountain Neighbourhood House Lisa Lee limecone@gmail.com Elizabeth Cheong elizabeth.s.y.cheong@gmail.com We Heart Canada - Simon Fraser University Phil Planta philplanta@gmail.com We Heart Canada - Vancouver Community College Bruno Cruz onurbgcc@gmail.com Neil Colango njbcolango@gmail.com We Heart Canada - Vancouver School Board Derek Kwan dkwan20@gmail.com We Heart Canada - YMCA Yvette Lu yvette.lu@gmail.com We Heart Canada - Vancouver Police Department Emily Chan emindustrial@hotmail.com

We Heart Canada - Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House Lucho Berzek info@farawayland.ca PROGRAM 3 Finding Kukan Nested Egg Productions, LLC 574 Paulele St, Kailua, HI 96734, USA +1 808-258- 7874 robinlung@hawaii.rr.com Contenders Divya Pathak divya.j.pathak@gmail.com www.contendersfilm.com Im/Perfection Andrew Hida/Hida Visuals Inc 965 Magnolia Ave #70, Larkspur, CA 94939, USA +1 (206) 290-8069 andrew@andrewhida.com www.andrewhida.com PROGRAM 4 The Lonely Light of Home Rob Leickner 1896 Stainsbury Ave, Vancouver, BC V5N 2M5, Canada +1-604-782- 3958 rleickner@gmail.com A Trip With Mom Pei Yu Su 2F., No.292, Dalong St., Datong Dist., Taipei City 103, Taiwan R.O.C. sinon5060@gmail.com PROGRAM 5 Cardinal X Angie Wang angie.s.wang@gmail.com The Lion Jon Chiang U-6 238 east 10th ave. Vancouver, BC V5T1Z5, Canada +1-604-785-9142 jon@jonchiang.com Jonchiang.com VAFF I² PANEL 2 Anatomy of Violence Hamilton Mehta Productions 301 - 460 College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1A1, Canada +1-416-516-0899 info@hamiltonmehta.com / anatomyofviolenceoffical@gmail.com hamiltonmehta.com PROGRAM 6 Monday Art and State, Inc 639 S. Spring St. #7A Los Angeles, CA 90014, USA 626-688-5818 dinhthai@gmail.com www.ArtandState.tv Ballad of the Knife Sharpener Khalid Ali 8124 Alan Tree Rd., Baltimore, MD 21237, USA mr.khalid.ali@gmail.com

In Blossom Chi Him Yuen 8b, 8/f, Gee Luen Factory Building, 316-318 Kwun Tong Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong 852, Hong Kong SAR yuenchihim@gmail.com A Taxi of Coldness Joonha Kim/Mento Films 4F, 15-4, Dosan-Daero 25-Gil, Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea +82-2- 517-2346 woomento@naver.com Silent Dusk Rutian Wang 42E Squire Dr, Rochester, New York 14623, USA tougao@ff1895.com PROGRAM 7 Gook Taylor Devorsky, Festival Coordinator Samuel Goldwyn Films 8675 Washington Blvd. Suite 203, Culver City, CA 90232, USA 310.860.3122 taylor@samuelgoldwyn.com PROGRAM 8 The Soul of the Tiger (L'âme du tigre) P.S. Productions Chemin En Fossiaux 5 / 1618 ChátelSt-Denis / Switzerland 0041.21.922.03.72 info@ps-productions.ch www.ps-productions.ch Home is Where the Sunsets Digital DCP 979 Nantucket Road, Venice, FL 34293, USA +1 9412167422 marc@digitaldcp.com www.digitaldcp.com PROGRAM 9 A Time to Swim Agata De Santis, Catbird Productions 210b ave Mozart Ouest, Montreal, QC, H2S 1C4, Canada +1-514-419-8590 admin@catbirdproductions.ca www.catbirdproductions.ca Anastasia Lin: The Crown Kacey Cox 11-61 Havenbrook Blvd, Toronto, ON M2J 1A7, Canada +1-647-718- 2933 kaceycox@gmail.com PROGRAM 10 Skin to Skin Phil Planta philplanta@gmail.com philplanta.com Lost in Transit Stanton Chong Eunoia Creations stanton.fchong@gmail.com youtube.com/eunoiacreations

Bulgogi Sanjay Jit 203-2225 Holdom Ave, Burnaby, BC V5B OA1, Canada +1-778-980-5292 sanjayjit@gmail.com Sleepwalk Andrew Chung/Jaded Pictures 319 Carlaw Ave, Unit 305, Toronto, ON, M4M 0A4, Canada +1-647-286- 1861 thisisandrewc@gmail.com www.jadedpictures.ca Lucy Elisa Chee 4113 Georgia Street, Burnaby, BC V5C 2T5, Canada +1-604-868-2162 elisa@artofchee.com www.artofchee.com Violet and June Linnea Ritland 4627 West 13th Avenue Vancouver, BC V6R2V6, Canada linnea.ritland@gmail.com The Ether Inside Axel Fruhmann Productions J.H. Meijerstraat 49, 1214Nh, Hilversum, The Netherlands +316 24591394 axeltf@gmail.com Flagged Cherie Au 602, 2580 Tolmie Street, Vancouver, BC V6R 4R4, Canada +1-604-613-6828 cheriesyau@gmail.com Floating Light Natalie Murao 2193 Bonaccord Drive, Vancouver, BC V5P 2N8, Canada +1-604-779-5508 natalie.murao@gmail.com PROGRAM 11 Paint it Red Eva Cohen 236 S. Los Angeles St., #425 Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA ecohenfilm@gmail.com Purple Days Kevin C. Y. Tseng 5988 Kildare Place, Surrey, BC V3S 6B2, Canada +1-778-929-1490 kct2119@columbia.edu PROGRAM 12 Wexford Plaza Level Film info@levelfilm.com levelfilm.com Touring Biola Films yamada@alumni.usc.edu

PRESENT THIS AD AT THE VAFF BOX OFFICE NOV 2 - NOV 5, 2017 DURING THE FESTIVAL. PURCHASE A GROUP OF 4 TICKETS , YOU WILL RECEIVE 10% DISCOUNT. (NOT VALID FOR OPENING NIGHT SCREENING AND CLOSING NIGHT SCREENING).

Proud supporter of the

2017 Vancouver Asian Film Festival

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