Asian Reporter Awards Banquet

The APA Compass crew gathered last night to attend the annual Asian Reporter Awards Banquet. In addition to handing out college scholarships for youth and honoring community elders, the Asian Reporter named APA Compass one of its 2008 Exemplary Community Volunteers. It was a great honor and a great party!

Friday Night

We’ve had a fantastic day here on Day Two of DisOrient. Patti S. got up with the sun to drive back to Corvallis before the evening screenings, but Liz, Toni and I rolled out just in time to have brunch with Jason, Wydia, Rose of DisOrient and filmmakers Will and Michael (Kang). FYI: Brail’s diner in Eugene serves the best corned beef hash this side of Tommy’s in Corvallis. I highly recommend it!

As for the films screened tonight: we watched a selection of shorts, the most brilliant of which was Hari Kondabolu’s “Manoj.” Oh my god, I laughed so hard my face hurt. The two features were Nā Kamalei: The Men of Hula and Big Dreams, Little Tokyo. We’ll post some details tomorrow, but right now I’m turning in after a late night with the women of APA Compass (we miss you, Priya and Patti D!).

Kushlani

DisOrient Opening Night

Greetings from Eugene!

Patti S., Toni and I just watched the second showing of Michael Kang’s West 32nd. Liz is on her way from Portland after getting a late start… We met Michael Kang in person, which was exciting since APA Compass featured a phone interview with him last year. He’s great, and his film–a gangster movie set in NYC’s Koreatown–is a slick, action-packed production. He says he was influenced by 1970s films like Serpico and especially A Bittersweet Life. Ji-Woon Kim’s 2005 feature was kind of a touchstone for Kang’s project, and you can really see its influence on West 32nd’s aesthetic. If you want to see the Bittersweet Life trailer, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URLtMbZLeVk

Toni was particularly excited to see actor Grace Park in action (you didn’t know Toni was a closet Battlestar Galactica fan, did you? One of these days, we’ll do a feminist analysis of West 32nd, but right now it’s bedtime. The opening night reception is being held at Oregon Electric somethingorother… Toni, Liz and Patti were heading out to hang out DisOrient director Jason Mak, Michael Kang, and the other festivalgoers, but I’m staying home.

Keep checking the apacompass.org (news) for more updates and details on the Film Festival!

Kushlani