The SFIAAFF is the largest and most prestigious showcase for new Asian American and Asian films in North America, annually presenting approximately 120 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose. SFIAAFF also features the best in Asian American music and digital and interactive media. Since 1982, the SFIAAFF has been an important launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers as well as a vital source for new Asian cinema.

“It’s [SFIAAFF] great. I’m really proud to be part of it because it’s a community. It really is a community. And it’s great to see the variety of films this year. We’ve gone beyond talking and complaining about Asian American issues and being a minority to just telling great stories. That’s exciting to me.”
-Daniel Wu, Actor

“What began as a way for Asian Americans to counteract negativity and neglect in American mainstream media has blossomed into an acclaimed draw for actors, producers, musicians and artists of all kinds.”
- Kevin Lee, AsianWeek

“The pressures to make a living and to fit in, without denying one’s parents or losing sight of one’s origins, are the stuff of cliché, or fiction. To the contrary, the S.F. International Asian American Film Festival reminds us, in a variety of ways from a dozen directions, that’s reality. Up to the minute, and at the same time the latest chapter in an unfolding history. Our collective history, I might add.”
- Michael Fox, KQED Arts and Culture

“This is one of the finest, most respected Asian American film festivals in the country, and they always put together a really fun, amazing program. I’ve had a close relationship and affinity for the good people who put this festival on for years. SFIAAFF rules.”
- Angry Asian Man

“…SFIAAFF has grown from being a niche event to a major contender on the international festival circuit—with more than enough voices and crossovers to justify its unwieldy moniker.”
- Max Goldberg, SF360

Festival details will be announced soon. In the meantime, connect with CAAM at http://caamedia.org.

With the November elections in many states and the 2010 Census behind us, another critical election cycle is right around the corner and APIAVote is ready to help ensure that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are heard loud and clear in the 2012 contests.

We can only do this with your support. Donate today to help us with the resources needed to launch our 2012 programs.

As the only national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing AAPI civic participation, APIAVote’s efforts are needed now more than ever. Although AAPIs are one of the fastest growing populations in the U.S. – with a 46% growth rate compared to a 10% national rate – we have the lowest voter turnout when compared to other groups in the last election according to the Pew Research Center.

In 2012, we will be conducting trainings in states like Ohio, Michigan, Texas, Nevada, Arizona and Florida, as well as New York, Washington State, California and Hawai’i. We want to continue our efforts to work with local nonprofits, coalitions and civic groups to help them incorporate civic and voter engagement into their existing frameworks.

We re-energized our leadership with board members Toby Chaudhuri (Co-Chair), Janelle Hu, (Secretary/Treasurer), Stephanie L. Chang, Johnnie Giles, Keith Kamisugi, William Kaneko, Daphne Kwok, Tina Lee, Tana Lepule, Mini Timmaraju, Bouapha Toommaly and Patrice Yao working together with interim executive director Christine Chen.

Since 1996, you have seen us working hard every day to give a voice to the AAPI community through:

• Building the capacity of community-based organizations throughout the U.S.
• Training and inspiring community leaders, volunteers and youth organizers
• Conducting aggressive voter registration drives
• Executing effective Get-Out-The-Vote campaigns
• Translating materials into different Asian languages

Make a decision to help APIAVote move forward with your tax-deductible donation today. Your contribution of $10, $50, $100 or even $500 will give APIAVote the financial stability we need to continue our work.

Thank you in advance for your support. Please forward this email to your friends and networks.

No amount is too small. Click here to make your donation.

In unity,

APIAVOTE
Toby Chaudhuri, Co-Chair
Janelle Hu, Secretary/Treasurer
Stephanie L. Chang
Johnnie Giles
Keith Kamisugi
William Kaneko
Daphne Kwok
Tina Lee
Tana Lepule
Mini Timmaraju
Bouapha Toommaly
Patrice Yao
Christine Chen, Interim Executive Director

Actor James Kyson Lee, most famous for his role on NBC’s “Heroes” television show, will collaborate with San Francisco-based film director Henry J. Kim on an independent feature film that is thought to be the first joint film project between San Francisco and Seoul production companies.

Kim will direct a short prelude film, titled “No Rest for the Righteous,” starring Lee in San Francisco that will start shooting on Dec. 16. The short film will set up the untitled feature film.

Through the collaboration between South Korean and Asian American filmmakers and actors, Kim and Lee hope to spur more opportunities to showcase Korean American and Asian American films and artistic projects in South Korea and other Asian countries.

“The film and entertainment industries in Seoul, Hong Kong and Tokyo have been incredibly successful in influencing their American counterparts,” said Kim, who is also co-founder of Empty Kingdom, one of the leading media arts websites, “which is fantastic since it represents the pendulum swinging back after Asian creatives embraced, adapted and evolved American cinema.”

“Unfortunately, Asian American artists are largely overlooked in Asia, so No Rest for the Righteous and the following feature film represents an effort by James Kyson, me and many others to create more opportunities for Asian audiences to experience Asian American cinema.”

To kick off the filming of the short film, Kim and Lee will appear at a special event to raise funds for the project on Dec. 15, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Aato Restaurant, 1449 Lombard St., San Francisco. Empty Kingdom, Asian Business League of San Francisco (ABL-SF), Korean American Professional Society (KAPS), Keith Kamisugi, Louis Hong, Claire Chang, Suhi Koizumi, Min Lee, Dennis Kwon, Tae E. Kim, Amy Kang and Christine Chang are also on the event host committee.

Organizers are requesting a $20 donation at the door. Food will be available to order and bar will be no-host. To RSVP for the event, visit http://on.fb.me/sfseoul or http://sfseoul.eventbrite.com.

If you’d like to support the project with a donation, but can’t make the event, contribute on indiegogo.com.

If passed, the Act would allow Americans to adopt refugee orphans who have fled the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) to neighboring countries such as Mongolia, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. These children are struggling in harsh circumstances, and run the risk of being sent back to North Korea, a country facing regular food shortages, and where one in three North Korean children under five are chronically malnourished.

Right now, it is extremely difficult to bring refugee children to the United States. One American family on the East Coast is currently working to secure the adoption of two orphaned siblings from North Korea. The adoption process for them could take anywhere from three to 10 years, and approval is not guaranteed. The passage of this Act would reduce the waiting time for families seeking to adopt refugee orphans.

This is not simply an adoption issue, or a Korean American issue. Refugee orphans do not have access to food and clean water, and are vulnerable to human trafficking and deportation. The North Korean Refugee Adoption Act would lessen the burden on parents in the United States who wish to provide a safe and caring home for refugee orphans.

Express your support by clicking here (http://kacla.org/?page_id=2535) and filling out a short form that will generate a letter of support to your Members of Congress.

Topple Hunger in North Korea (THINK) is a program organized by the Korean American Coalition (KAC) to inform the public about famine and humanitarian issues in North Korea, and to increase civic participation in the Korean American community.

Source: KAC

They are hoping to raise at least ten thousand dollars to cover production expenses on USA Projects, created by United States Artists to expand its mission of investing in America’s finest artists. They plan on beginning production in the spring of 2012.

Chink is about an Asian American man who has internalized the racism he felt as a child and turned it into a hatred of all Asians – including himself. His anger and his desire to be like his hero (Ted Bundy) leads him to violence and ultimately to his dream of becoming the greatest serial killer in history.

The production team of Stanley Yung, Koji Steven Sakai and Quentin Lee have produced more than a half-dozen independent motion pictures. Their films have been exhibited on television, in theaters, and at major festivals such as AFI, São Paulo, Golden Horse in Taiwan, Toronto, and most of the Asian American and LGBT film festivals throughout the world.

USA Projects is a community where America’s finest artists and those that love and support them can share their latest work, discover new artists, enter into a dialog with each other, and make direct donations (of any size, all of which are tax deductible) to new projects created by each artist. This is the first website that allows direct public donations between art patrons and accredited artists on the Internet.

For more information and to donate, visit http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/project/chink.

Source: Press release via Koji Steven Sakai

“The Caucus’s vision of progressive API activism as part of a broader movement to secure equality and justice for all, is as relevant today as it was 40 years ago,” said Rho. “I am honored to be joining the talented team at the Caucus to build on this powerful legacy.”

Rho brings valuable litigation, advocacy and executive management experience to the position. She began her career as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice as part of the Attorney General’s Honors Program, and subsequently practiced poverty law as a staff attorney at the Urban Justice Center in New York City. Most recently, as the Country Director of the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) China Program, Rho managed the national office and led the implementation of ABA ROLI’s social justice programs in areas including public interest lawyering, criminal justice reform, women’s rights and environmental protection.

Rho’s selection comes after the Caucus board conducted a nationwide search with assistance from CompassPoint Nonprofit Services.

A member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco is the nation’s oldest organization advocating for the civil and legal rights of APIs. The mission of the Asian Law Caucus is to promote, advance and represent the legal and civil rights of API communities, with a focus directed toward addressing the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved individuals. In addition to supporting clients with legal expertise, the Caucus seeks to bring together elements of policy advocacy and community organizing so that through one person’s individual struggle it is able to achieve broader results for the community.

Source: Asian Law Caucus news release

NAPAWF, Mr. Angry and Hyphen have been highlighting community leaders – one per day since Oct. 24 – from the labor union powerhouses to the student activists to the working moms who are organizing in their neighborhoods.  These fearless women are not only leading the way towards social change, they’re also raising funds for NAPAWF in honor of the 15th year anniversary.

Cheer these women on by donating on their behalf and support the work of NAPAWF who will continually fight for the rights and issues of our communities.

Here’s to the sisters!
Urooj Arshad, nominated by NQAPIA
Lisa Chen, nominated by ASPIRE
Zenei Cortez, nominated by FAJ
Caroline Fan, nominated by APALA
Lillian Galledo, nominated by Jean Tolentino
Lisa Hasegawa, nominated by Sandy Lee
Isabel Kang, nominated by Terry Park
Amy Lam , nominated by Anne Chiang
Jenny Lares, nominated by Peter DeCrescenzo
Theresa Navarro, nominated by CAAM
Sham-e Ali Nayeem, nominated by Jane Kim
Tram (Jas) Nguyen, nominated by Vinh Kim Vu
Stephanie Tanny, nominated by Brandon Iwamoto and Iimay Ho
Mari Rose Taruc, nominated by Ellen Choy
Monica Thammarath, nominated by Minhchau Dinh

Visit angryasianman.com to view the profiles, starting with Isabel Kang, the director of Shimtuh, a domestic violence and sexual assault program based at the Korean Community Center of the East Bay (KCCEB), a multi-service organization located in Oakland.

From Senator Dan Akaka's Facebook photo album

The JACL today issued a press release on the Congressional Gold Medal ceremonies held this week for the veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Infantry Battalion, and the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) of the United States Army, who served valiantly during Word War II.

The veterans were honored on November 2 in Washington, D.C. as they were collectively presented with the Congressional Gold Medal. Over 300 veterans were in attendance to accept their replicas of the medal. The veterans, widows, next of kin of deceased veterans, family members, and friends attending the festivities numbered more than 2,500.

The 100th Infantry Battalion was comprised of servicemen from Hawai’i. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was largely made up of Japanese American young men (Nisei, or second generation citizens of the United States) who were incarcerated with their families in the camps in which over 110,000 people of Japanese descent were held after the beginning of World War II.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, which paved the way for the camps to be established There were others in these units who were not interned because their homes were in various inland states. The MIS served primarily in the Pacific theater and were credited with shortening the war with their language expertise and service.

These brave and patriotic young men who faced severe racial discrimination and prejudice served willingly to defend their country, the United States of America. In spite of the challenges, the 442nd were exemplary and became the most highly decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the United States military.

At the end of World War II, President Harry S. Truman stated of the Nisei soldiers, “You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice and you won.”

The National Veterans Network (NVN) is a coalition of Japanese American veteran and civic organizations which came together in 2008. Their chairperson is Christine Sato-Yamazaki. The NVN was responsible for putting together the events in Washington, D.C. with the assistance of PSA, an event planning and project management company.

All the organizations which comprise the NVN were heavily involved in the planning and execution of the three days of festivities to honor the veterans and their families.

“The JACL was honored to be a participating organization in this historic occasion,” said Floyd Mori, National Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and a member of the NVN steering committee.

“We revere the Japanese American veterans of the 442, 100th, and MIS who served courageously during World War II and to whom we owe a great deal. They made the world a better place for all Japanese Americans in subsequent years. We will be forever grateful for their sacrifice and dedication to life and liberty. They suffered untold ridicule, discrimination, bigotry, and hardship, but they triumphed. The veterans are most deserving of this long overdue honor.

“We are also grateful to the Japanese Americans who served in various others branches of the service. Thanks to the members of Congress, the United States Military, the NVN, the sponsors, and all others who made the Congressional Gold Medal events possible as well as to all the volunteers who assisted and all who attended to make this a memorable occasion.”

I received this email as a forward from Richard Wada, who received it from Harvey Dong, a recipient of the original email sent by author Steve Woo. I cannot authenticate the email and publish it here with that disclaimer. – Keith

Dear Mayor Jean Quan,

We first met you celebrating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Asian America Political Association. As a former activist in the TWLF student protests and Asian American movement of the 1960s, you helped to inspire and renew our commitment to the social justice movement. As founding members of the AAPI Alumni Association, we celebrated the legacy of the TWLF movement together with you.

This excitement continued into your mayoral campaign, where many members of the Alumni Association and young activists supported you in your run for office. We had hoped that with your election to being Oakland’s mayor would come a different style of leadership and a new vision for our community.

Today our sentiment is much different. We’re disappointed and angered to have witnessed the recent course of events that turned Oakland into a war zone.

While both of us peacefully protested the corporate greed and intensely unequal distribution of wealth which plagues American society, multiple canisters of teargas exploded on us, along with rubber bullets and flashbangs being shot into the crowd, sending us reeling for cover. None of this much compares, however, to the life-threatening injuries endured by Iraq veteran Scott Olsen, who remains hospitalized in critical condition after being struck in the head.

Recalling the memories of the fight for Third World Liberation and the government-sponsored violence that you and your fellow comrades faced, it is almost unbelievable to have fallen victim to such militant repression in the city in which you lead. It is a sad day. We once believed you to be an ally to low-income, communities of color; to progressive politics; to real democracy. What happened?

The Occupy Oakland movement is growing, and your constituency will not stand for such police brutality. You need to renew our faith in you as an ally to the progressive community.

Our open question to you: will you allow Occupy Oakland protestors to continue their peaceful assembly/encampment and will you back down from the use of police brutality now and in the future?

Sincerely,

Susan Fang and Steve Woo

with endorsement from fellow alumni and Oakland residents:

Harvey Dong
Bea Dong
Victoria Wong
Liz Del Sol
Belvin Louie
Miriam Ching Louie
Matt Blesse
Hatty Lee
Keith Kojimoto
Manuel Delgado
Alex Tan
Leon Deleon
Emily Jieming Lee
Connie Huang
Kori Chen
Brian Lau
Pauline Sze
Nhi Tran

Watch APIAVote’s public service announcement on our YouTube channel and help spread the word by sharing the video with others through Facebook, Twitter and email.

In our latest ad, APIAVote asks you, “What do you want?” When you exercise your right to vote, you’re taking a stand for your values, your family and your community.

Thanks to our partners at Comcast, this PSA started airing nationwide on NBC on October 24, 2011. It will serve as a great reminder for voters to take action on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 and cast their ballot for many local elections.

The PSA was co-produced by the Center for Asian American Media and Director/ Producer, Anson Ho, of Arowana Films production.