foundasian.org

In his third feature film TRE (www.TreTheMovie.com), acclaimed writer/director Eric Byler (“Americanese” and “Charlotte Sometimes”) explores the relevance of social institutions such as marriage, work, love and family in an era where lies and corruption were rewarded over honesty and the rule of law. Sexual temptation and moral ambiguity are the only constants in Byler’s searing sequel to his critically acclaimed, surprise nominee of the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards, “Charlotte Sometimes.”

“The all-Asian cast I chose for CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES confused some viewers because they had come to expect an overt political commentary when confronted with ethnic faces in American films,” said Byler.

“My follow-up TRE features mixed Asian (‘hapa’) romantic leads and also ignores ethnicity, favoring humanity as its focus and theme. In a sense, TRE reasserts the right of ethnic artists to tell stories about our communities without focusing on the issue of race … without political agenda.” — Eric Byler

hapihour.org and APA for Progress invite you to a special screening, Q&A and private networking event on Saturday, February 2, from 5:10 p.m. at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

The screening is at 5:10 p.m. with Q&A to follow.  The networking event with APA writers, directors and actors starts at 7:30 PM at Sushi Dan, which is in the same complex as the theater.  The event is free.

RSVP on our evite
http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/ZENBRJPWUBUJNTLVOAZP/tremovie

The UCLA Asian American Studies Center, American Indian Studies Center, Bunche Center for African American Studies, and the Chicano Studies Research Center cordially invites you to attend an important public event just before the upcoming California presidential primary election.

“Coloring the Vote: Race, Politics, and Disenfranchisement” A Major Conference on Voting Rights will feature keynote speaker Greg Palast, a renowned BBC investigative journalist and author of the New York Times bestsellers Armed Madhouse (2006) and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy (2002).

The conference also features distinguished politicians, civil rights advocates, researchers, and journalists who will address the conference theme and engage with participants.

Saturday, January 26, 2008
9:30am – 5:30pm
UCLA Covel Commons, Grand Horizon Room

The conference is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required: https://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/rsvp/?Event=IACVOTE2008. For more information: 310-825-4023 or aascrsvp@aasc.ucla.edu. For Directions and a map to the campus, go to http://www.ucla.edu/map. Parking is available for $8/day at Sunset Village Parking, next to Covell Commons at UCLA.

Calling all film lovers! Do you have what it takes to be a Festival Blogger? Experience the excitement of the largest Festival of its kind with an All-Access Pass – over 120 Asian and Asian American Films, Live Music, Performances, Parties, and Celebrities. 
 
Tell us why you should be the next Festival Blogger! Submit a 26-second video online and enter a chance to win a trip to the 26th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in March 2008! 
 
Grand Prize includes:
· Roundtrip tickets for two (2) on Southwest Airlines
· Four-nights stay at J-pop themed Best Western Hotel Tomo
· $500 Shopping Spree at Macy’s 
· All-Access passes for two (2) to the 26th SFIAAFF
 
Hurry!!! Submission deadline is January 25, 2008! Visit www.asianamericanmedia.org for more details and to submit your video online. Good luck and see you at the Festival!

The Chinese Culture Center’s “In Search of Roots” Program involves a yearlong commitment on researching one’s Chinese American family history and genealogy. After exploring their Chinese roots in America, participants will explore their roots in China through visiting their maternal or paternal ancestral villages in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province.

The program culminates in an exhibition of the interns’ research at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco, where participants share what they have learned with family, friends, and community:

January 18, 2008 to March 15, 2008
6:00pm to 8:00pm on January 18, 2008
Chinese Culture Center Gallery
750 Kearny Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108

Twelve interns from the 2007 program present their journey throughout San Francisco’s Chinatown, the National Archives, and the homes of their ancestral villages. Each brought to the program their own personal history – their own life experiences, and their own identities.

Each was searching for something different and of course found distinctive answers, but very often discovered more questions.

This exhibit shows their journeys through the Pearl River Delta region of the Guangdong Province of China, and through the counties and municipalities of Guangzhou, Foshan, Doumen, Xinhui, Kaiping, and Taishan. See their experiences and encounters with water buffalo, long bus rides, towns, villages, cities and the people of their homeland.

These experiences brought the interns together in their unique quest and also brought them closer to understanding themselves, their family, and their history.

Hyphen Magazine is looking for Asian Americans from all walks of life between the ages of 20-40 year old to participate in a media survey focus group.

This survey, geared towards non-subscribers of Hyphen magazine, should take about 90 minutes and promises to be fun, interesting, and informative.

The focus groups will be held at 11 a.m. on February 2, 2008, at 360 Post St, 8th Floor, in Union Square.  Food and a cool T-shirt will be provided.

Email Wil Wong at wil@hyphenmagazine.com or call (650) 619-8870 for more information and please let your friends know!

APIAVote yesterday issued a press release highlighting the impact of Asian American and Pacific Islander votes in the Jan. 19 Democratic and Republican caucuses in Nevada.

The MSNBC Democratic Presidential Debate on Jan. 15 will pose AAPI-specific questions to the Democratic candidates, reflecting the strategic importance and political strength of the AAPI community in Nevada and throughout the country.

The CNN/Nevada Democratic Party Debate last November had four million viewers, setting the record for a primary debate. The upcoming MSNBC debate gives candidates an enormous opportunity to address the growing AAPI population in Nevada.

The AAPI population in Clark County has grown significantly in recent years, drawn by economic opportunities. First generation AAPIs have made considerable economic contributions, and more than half have gone on to become citizens. Within this diverse community, AAPI subgroups face more education and language barriers than others. AAPIs, for example, need both cultural and in-language assistance in order to fully participate in the upcoming caucus.

Click here to read more.. »

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a 34-year old civil rights organization, today released a new report detailing several obstacles faced by Asian American voters in nine states in the November 2006 Midterm Elections.

AALDEF’s report, “Asian American Access to Democracy in the 2006 Elections,” documents violations of the Voting Rights Act and Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and other incidents of anti-Asian voter disenfranchisement in 25 cities in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The report is available online at www.aaldef.org.

Click here to read more.. »

Comcast has partnered with Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote) on “Our Time to Vote,” a year-long, non-partisan voter education and registration campaign designed to increase voting in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities served by the cable industry.

The outreach to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, part of an estimated $5 million multicultural campaign, consists of four public service announcements as well as the creation and launch of two nationally available voter education resources: the ourtimetovote.com webpage and a voter information resources hotline, 1.866.544.VOTE.

One PSA , features Asian American and Pacific Islander entertainers, such as Lou Diamond Phillips, Tamlyn Tomita, John Cho, Will Yun Lee and Margaret Cho, encouraging Asian American and Pacific Islander audiences to register to vote.

The PSA was recorded at this year’s Asian Excellence Awards, and will begin airing on December 15, leading up to the 2008 primary elections in Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications, Inc. and Bright House Networks markets. A series of “Get out the Vote” spots will run from September 1 through November 3, 2008, just prior to the general election.

“The Asian American and Pacific Islander community is critical to the election of the next United States President and other key leaders,” said Congressman Mike Honda, Chairman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “Supporting APIAVote and launching the ‘Our Time to Vote’ program sets an example for other private, non-profit partnerships.”

Additionally, the Comcast Foundation awarded a grant to APIAVote, a national, nonprofit organization that encourages and promotes civic participation of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the electoral and public policy processes at the national, state and local levels.

The Comcast Foundation grant will assist APIA’s efforts to hire a director to coordinate and implement communications and outreach strategies; to operate the APIAVote toll free hotline; to respond to inquiries and to help address barriers to registration and voter education and to upgrade its website.

“APIAVote is honored to be in partnership with Comcast in 2008,” stated Christine Chen, APIAVote Executive Director. “The Comcast Foundation grant provides us with key resources to enhance our communications infrastructure, which is critical in our outreach to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. With each election cycle, our community has become an integral part of the American electoral fabric.”