OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR The Venetian proudly supports VSVN and Song Moi Congratulations on continued excellence and service to the community SÓNG MƠí M New Wave Vietnamese American Film Industry 10th Year Anniversary Celebration Saturday, August 29, 2009 Bowers Museum of Cultural Art Santa Ana, California EVENT PROGRAMME SYMPOSIUM and GALA RECEPTION In Partnership with: 16 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS SPONSORS LOGO I. Welcoming Remarks Page 3 II. The Story of Song Moi Page 4 III. Event Schedule Page 5 IV. Our Song Moi Panelists Pages 6-7 V. Our Panel Moderators Page 8 VI. About VSVN-Socal Page 9 VII. Autographs Pages 10-11 VIII. Gala Reception Page 12 IX. The Song Moi Planning Committee Page 13 X. Our Sponsors Pages 14-15 XI. Our Platinum Sponsor Page 16 Copy Right Information For Cover Page: Johnny Tri Nguyen and Ngo Thanh Van in the action drama CLASH, coming to VN theaters Chrismas 2009. Photo courtesy of Chanh Phuong Films. 2 15
OUR GOLD SPONSORS WELCOMING REMARKS BLUE CAPITAL LAW, LLC On behalf of our dedicated VSVN-SoCal Planning Committee, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to VSVN-SoCal s Song Moi: New Wave Vietnamese American Film Industry! VSVN-SoCal s mission is to promote entrepreneurial success and innovation in the Vietnamese American business, technology and professional communities. As the leading Vietnamese American business networking group in Orange County, VSVN-SoCal has organized many successful mixers and informative presentations designed to educate our members and help the VSVN-SoCal community connect with one another to build their individual and professional resources. OUR SILVER SPONSORS Greenberg Traurig, LLP Klein, O'Neill & Singh, LLP Advance Beauty College Device Lab Ben Tre Thomas Ha Long, M.D. Dr. Thuyen H. Tran, M.D. Bolsa Real Estate/Fidelity Lending Group Inc Pops VN This evening s very special program stays true to VSVN-SoCal s core mission to educate and celebrate innovation in the Vietnamese American community. Song Moi honors the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the New Wave in Vietnamese American cinema with an evening of education, music and celebration. The event is designed to celebrate this important cultural landmark, as well as to introduce the O.C. Vietnamese American community to the unique business and financial aspects of the emerging VietAm film industry, from film financing to production to distribution. For Song Moi, VSVN-SoCal is proud to have assembled a Panel comprising of some of the most innovative and groundbreaking artists, filmmakers and industry professionals in the VietAm film industry. In the Symposium half of our event, you will hear a diverse collection of stories and perspectives from from the individuals who have each contributed greatly to growth of the Viet Wave. And what is a celebration of the VietAm film industry without a strong dose of glamour and romance? The second half of our Event allows you to continue to rub elbows with our distinguished Panelists and Special Guests, meet new friends, or simply relax and celebrate with other guests and party-goers in truly elegant fashion. Our Gala Reception offers drinks and delicious hors d oeuvres by Patina Catering, and a night of live music and dancing featuring the Live Rhythm Band and the voices of Kieu Nga, Anh Tuan and many other singers. OUR SERVICE SPONSORS Spotlight Printing and Imaging pix Ritzgitt Hair Salon Nancy Ly Fabric Design Jacky Tai Nguyen-tainguyenstyle Our Song Moi event would not have been possible with the tireless efforts of the entire Planning Committee, led by our 2009 So-Cal Vice President and Event Chair Vince Trinh, Treasurer Uyen Tang and former Chapter President Dan Tran. The success of this event is indebted to our amazingly dedicated staff and volunteers (all of whom have spent countless hours to bring you Song Moi) as well as the generous support of our sponsors, our Community Partners, Bowers Museum, the media, and our dear guests. To all, I offer a sincere and heartfelt Thank you! Let the show begin! 14 3
THE STORY OF SONG MOI THE SONG MOI PLANNING COMMITTEE Vince Trinh (Chapter Vice President and Activities Chair, Event Lead) An inspiration Uyen Tang (Chapter Treasurer, Marketing/ Sponsorship) Nguyen X. Nguyen (Sponsorship) Dan Tran (Panel Content) In 1993 Tran Anh Hung s Scent of the Green Papaya won the prestigious Caméra d Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Two years later, his movie Cyclo, with Hong Kong s superstar Tony Leung Chiu Wai, won the top prize at the 1995 Venice International Film Festival. The next film The Vertical Ray of the Sun was released in 2000 and completed his internationally acclaimed Vietnam Trilogy. Ysa D. Le (Panel Content) Giselle Hoang (Reception) Tony Bui (Technical) Julianne Trinh (Event Coordinator) Bill Tran (Chapter President) These achievements have inspired many Vietnamese American filmmakers, who have turned their dreams into reality. Together they have generated a New Wave, which ripples to the far corners of the globe, mirroring the migration of Vietnamese people internationally Keith Nguyen Tom Dao Tam Nguyen The Vietnamese New Wave reached American shores in 1999. Supported by seasoned actors and actresses who had immigrated from Vietnam as well as by emerging Vietnamese talents from American universities and the mainstream film industry, and inspired by the arrival of Tony Bui s Three Seasons which captured the Audience, Cinematography, and Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, the VietAm film movement had grown from a ripple to a wave. Recent years have witnessed a remarkable increase in number of film productions by Vietnamese American filmmakers who explore a diverse range of themes and genres. At the same time, more of the 1.5 or 2.0-generation Vietnamese Americans have decided to pursue their careers in filmmaking, thus contributing to the beginning of an industry. 2009 marks the the 10th anniversary of the VietAm Wave in America SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS Katie Nguyen -Event Programme Editor (VAMBA Editor/Writer & VACOC Student Liaison) Natassia Trinh Misa Nguyen (NAAAP-OC Communications Chair) Charlie Nguyen (VAMBA) Kathy Hua (VAMBA) Chris Pham (VAMBA) Weilin Liu (VAMBA) Nathalee Truong (1st Runner Up Miss LA 2009, actress from Chuyen Tinh Bolsa) Phuong Huynh (OC Model) Betty Ta (Miss LA 2007) Trang Phung (OC Models) Kaylen Dao (American Top Model Qualified Contestant) Katie Tran (Model) VSVN-SoCal proudly celebrates this important cultural movement with Song Moi: New Wave Vietnamese American Film Industry. We hope you will learn from and be inspired by the voices and perspectives we present tonight in our Symposium. Ysa D. Le, Co-Moderator Dan Tran, Co-Moderator [OUR MEDIA FRIENDS] Ysa D. Le, Radio Host (VNCR, 106.3 FM) Kim-Yen Huynh, TV Host (Saigon TV) Thanh-Huong Vu, TV Host (Saigon TV) Huong Tho, TV Host (Little Saigon TV) Nu Tai Tu Thanh Lan, Host (SET TV) Tracy Bui, TV host (LA18/KSCI) Giang Ngoc, Host (SBTN) Theresa Le, www.ifacepr.com Michael Nam Nguyen, CEO (Saigon TV) Nguoi Viet Daily News Vien Dong Daily News Viet Bao Viet Herald 4 13 Thanh Tam, TV Host (VHN TV) Vanessa Hong Van, TV host (Saigon TV)
GALA RECEPTION EVENT SCHEDULE For the music and live entertainment portion of our Gala Reception, VSVN-SoCl proudly features: 6:00 Guest Arrival and Pre-Symposium Reception Lee Court and Courtyard 7:00 Symposium and Panel Presentation Auditorium I. New Wave Cinema Kieu Nga, Singer Long Ho, Singer Anh Tuan, Singer A Video Presentation by ViFF II. Opening Remarks Vince Trinh, 2009 VSVN-SoCal Vice President Bill Tran, 2009 VSVN-SoCal President III. Cultural Revolutions of Vietnamese Cinema Minh Chanh, Singer IV. Dr. Lan Duong, Professor U.C. Riverside, Media and Cultural Studies Viet Wave Films Music and Band by the Live Rhythm Band: A Video Presentation V. Panel Introduction and Discussion Dan Tran and Ysa D. Le, Panel Co-Moderators VI. Audience Q&A 9:00 Intermission 9:30 Gala Reception Lee Court Vince Trinh and Dan Tran Masters of Ceremonies - Music by the Live Rhythm Band - Catering by Tangata - Live Musical Entertainment and Dancing From left to right: Thien Hai (bass), Kim Bao (drummer), Hang Nga (singer), and Thien Tu (keyboard/singer). http://www.theliverhythm.com 12:00 Song Moi Ends 12 5
OUR SONG MOI PANELISTS Actress and Humanitarian. Kieu Chinh is an internationally-acclaimed actress and one of the most well-known figures in the Vietnamese American community. A refugee from her homeland at age 17, Kieu Chinh has appeared in numerous film and television roles, including her memorable portrayal of Suyuan in Wayne Wang s The Joy Luck Club (1993) which became a box office success. Kieu Chinh has been an integral part of the VietAm film movement, having appeared in several Vietnamese American films directed by many of tonight s co-panelists such as Journey From The Fall (directed by Ham Tran), Green Dragon (directed by Timothy Linh Bui) and Sad Fish (directed by Le -Van Kiet). In addition to her film and television achievements, Kieu Chinh has contributed extensively to cultural and humanitarian causes both here and overseas, and was recognized by the U.S. Congress in 1990. SONG MOI IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE SUPPORT OF BOWERS MUSEUM 2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706 Filmmaker. In 1997, Timothy Linh Bui returned to his birthplace of Vietnam and co-produced Three Seasons starring Harvey Keitel. A triple award winner at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, Three Seasons is the first film to win both the Grand Jury and the Audience Award in festival history as well as the Cinematography Award. In 2000, Timothy made his directorial debut with Green Dragon, which premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the 2001 Humanitas Prize Award and the 2001 Austin Film Festival Audience Award. Green Dragon was followed by Inside Out (2004), starring Kate Walsh, Eriq La Salle and Russell Wong, and The Owl and the Sparrow (2008), an award-winning film shot in Vietnam and distributed by Wave Releasing, a distribution company Bui co-founded with fellow filmmakers Ham Tran and Stephane Gauger. In 2009, Timothy directed and produced Powder Blue, a characterdriven drama starring academy award winner Forest Whitaker, Jessica Biel, and Ray Liotta. Filmmaker. Born in Saigon, Ham Tran has never lost sight of the country from which he immigrated in 1982. Ham s explorations in playwriting, prose, poetry, music, drawing, painting, film and video has been a journey to assemble Vietnam s lost history and culture. Tran recently graduated from UCLA with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film and Television, where his short films have won numerous accolades including National Finalist for the Student Academy Awards for two years in a row for his short films The Prescription and Pomegranate. Ham s film The Anniversary won the prestigious USA Film Festival award for Best Short Film, which qualified the film for the 2004 Academy Awards for Best Live Action Short. In the spring of 2007, Ham s first fulllength feature film Journey from the Fall was released theatrically, and has garnered widespread critical praise for its moving depiction of a Vietnamese family s fight for freedom in the wake of war-torn Vietnam. Ham is currently is working on his second film, Breaking Point, an action film starring Vietnamese Mix Martial Arts World Champion Cung Le. Filmmaker. Le-Van Kiet was born in Vietnam. In 1982, when he was two years old, Kiet and his family were part of the Second Wave of boat people who risked their lives to immigrate to the United States. For his short film The Silence, Kiet received a grant from UCLA s School of Film and television and was later awarded Best Student Film in his class. Kiet s feature film debut in Dust of Life (2007) was a gritty visual depiction of O.C. gang life which marked Kiet as one of the leading up-and-coming filmmakers of the New Wave. Kiet s latest feature film Sad Fish (2009) stars established actress Kieu Chinh in an exquisite drama that tells the stories of unconventional lives from Little Saigon, and portrays both the nostalgic longing for the homeland as well as the domestic turmoil that lie beneath the veneer of our daily routines. www.bowers.org 6 11
[Autographs] Film Buyer/ Theater Exhibitor. For Bob McCormick, the movie business has always been where his heart is. Bob started his career in movies in 1971, when he took a part-time job as an usher at an United Artists theater in Cerritos, California. While climbing up the ladder at United Artists, from usher to theater manager to a position in UA s film office booking movies, Bob decided that he was happiest doing movies. He hasn t looked back. In 1990, Bob accepted a position with 20th Century Fox, and for the next seven years learned the distribution side of the movie business. Bob returned to United Artists as Head Film Buyer. When UA was acquired by Regal Entertainment, the largest operator of motion picture theaters in the United States, Bob joined Regal Entertainment where he remains today. Bob is the Vice President and Senior Film Buyer for Regal Entertainment, and oversees Regal s film programming for over 1100 screens throughout California, Arizona and Hawaii. Producer. Binh D. Le, M.F.A., earned his graduate degree from Loyola Marymount University s School of Film and Television Production. Binh has produced more than 2000 Asian American news stories and reports for the International Channel and for AT&T s Digital Media Center. Binh is currently the president of InFocus Media Group, which produces original and internationally-distributed feature films, and which aims to help young artists advance in the entertainment and film industries. Binh has been noted for producing Southeast Asia s 35 Years of War, a 6-episode documentary war period in South East Asia from the end of World War II to the end of Vietnam War. Binh is also the producer of Passport to Love, a feature-length romantic comedy feature that won the Audience Choice and Best Supporting Actress at 2009 Golden Kite Awards (Vietnam s Equivalent to Oscar). Film Marketing/ Public Relations Consultant. Founder and President of his own entertainment marketing and P.R. firm, David Magdael draws from more than 17 years experience in public relations, strategic media planning development, marketing and entertainment and media relations in North America, Europe and Asia. David has worked extensively with the entertainment and film industries, and has launched winning media campaigns for Oscar-winning director Keiko Ibi and cable projects for HBO, AMC and other outlets. In October 2000, David received the inaugural AMMY Award which recognized David s excellence and commitment in business while owning the only Asian American-owned entertainment public relations firm in Hollywood, and for his contributions to Asian American media as Co-Director of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival as well as for his support and guidance to emerging filmmakers and artists. Professor/ Lecturer. Lan Duong, Ph. D, is an Assistant Professor in the Media and Cultural Studies Department at UC Riverside. Dr. Luong is working on a book entitled Treacherous Subjects: Gender and Culture in Viet Nam and the Diaspora, which explores the films and literature of the Vietnamese and Vietnamese diaspora through the themes of treason and betrayal. Dr. Duong s second book project, From the National to The Transnational: Cultural Revolutions of Vietnamese Cinema, examines Vietnamese cinema from its inception to the present-day. Her research interests include transnational feminism, postcolonial theory, youth culture, and diaspora studies. Her critical works has been published in Amerasia, Asian Cinema, and Transnational Feminism in Film and Media. Dr. Duong is also a poet and has been published in Watermark, Bold Words: A Century of Asian American Poetry, and Crab Orchard Review. 10 7
OUR PANEL MODERATORS ABOUT VSVN-SOCAL Currently the Co-Director of the Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF), Ysa D. Le started her involvement in art activism in 2000 when she volunteered for the non-profit Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA). Since then, Ysa has produced many events such as Dang Thai Son Piano Recital; Little Saigon Book Fair I; F.O.B. I: A Multi- Art Show and F.O.B. II: Art Speaks; the biennial Cinema Symposium 1, 2, 3, and 4 and the biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF). Since 2003, ViFF has been established as an important forum for the filmmakers of Vietnamese descent. Ysa is also currently VAALA s Executive Director. Since 2001, Ysa has hosted a weekly radio program on VNCR 106.3 FM reporting art events in the community and interviewing artists. In 2001, Ysa received the Arts and Culture (In-Language) Award from New California Media for her reporting, and in 2005, Ysa was chosen by the Orange County Register as one of the 30 Vietnamese Americans to Watch in celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Vietnamese American community in the United States. Dan Tran is a computer system architect and engineering executive. Dan designed processing and memory systems for Tandem Computers and for several startups in Silicon Valley and Southern California. He was the Engineering Department Manager for mainframe computer development at UNISYS, and the Engineering Manager for access communication and networking equipments at VINA Technologies. Dan was also a founder and Vice President of Engineering at Haplotec Inc., a video processing company. Dan earned his Bachelor s Degree from UCLA, where he was named an Electrical Engineering Departmental Scholar, and received his M.S.E.E. from Stanford University. Dan has been granted seven patents in the field of computer system design by the U.S.P.T.O. Dan was the 2008 VSVN-SoCal Chapter President. VSVN-SoCal is a nonprofit 501(c) volunteer organization whose mission is to connect aspiring Vietnamese American entrepreneurs in the Southland with information and resources to transform ideas into successful businesses. VSVN-SoCal has been successful in achieving its mission by holding frequent meetings and bringing together entrepreneurs in the high-tech and biotech industries, investors, and professional service providers for networking, exchanging ideas, and starting businesses. The mission of our Song Moi event is to introduce established entrepreneurs, professionals, and community partners of VSVN-SoCal to professionals in art-related industries. This event will expand VSVN-SoCal s current network of professionals and will connect our members and supporters to opportunities in the Vietnamese business, film and art communities. For additional information on VSVN-SoCal, please visit us at www.vsvn.org. OUR SONG MOI COMMUNITY PARTNERS The Vietnamese International Film Festival s (ViFF) mission is to support, celebrate, and project a diversity of visions and voices from filmmakers of Vietnamese descent and films by, for, and about the Vietnamese people and culture. Presented biennially since 2003 by the two non-profit organizations Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) and Vietnamese Language & Culture (VNLC), ViFF is an eight-day event showcasing films from all over the world. ViFF is held mainly at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Bowers Museum, Santa Ana. Learn more at www.vietfilmfest.com. The Asian American Women Business Women Association (AABWA) is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities, resources, training and marketing services to empower women throughout Orange County and elsewhere in their business and professional growth. Learn more at www.aabwa.org. VAMBA The Vietnamese-American MBA Alumni Chapter (VAMBA) was formed by a small group of friends who graduated from the Cal State University, Fullerton s MBA program. VAMBA s mission is to create social and business networking opportunities for current members and alumni of the MBA program, and to strengthen global relationships with the Vietnamese living in Vietnam and abroad. Learn more at www.vamba.org. The Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County (VACOC) is dedicated to serving the needs of Vietnamese American businesses throughout Orange County by providing business owners with the training and education and other resources they need to succeed. Learn more at www.vacoc.com. The National Association of Asian American Professionals, Orange County chapter (NAAAP-OC) is a non-profit professional organization that promotes career advancement and leadership development of Asian American professionals in all fields through networking, respecting Asian multi-culturalism, and supporting diversity and community service. There are currently over 25 chapters, venture and affiliates across the U.S. and Canada and a growing membership of over 3,000. Learn more at www.naaapoc.org. 8 9