Spring is in the air!

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - as opposed to April being Asian American Awareness Month. To some, it may depend on when the college or university is celebrating and recognizing the efforts of Asian Americans. Personally - 2 months of representing is better than 1 month! So try and check out as many events as you can!!

UP TO SPEED:

Last month's events were overwhelming and full of artistic interpretation. The highlights include:



India Night: -the Skokie Performing Arts Center was packed with South Asian American students cheering for their friends on stage. The last dance routine was astonishing and so fast paced that it was unreal to realize that all those steps could be learned. Bhangra dance was amazing to watch and the use of sticks and eccentric colored costumes made me wish we could establish an aerial shot. The use of small sketches to introduce the acts was a good way to keep the show flowing, rather then just having someone come out and introduce people. (This sometimes causes breaks in a show.) UIC's Indian Student Association even made their own 10 minute Bollywood film. Hillarious stuff and it literally was a 10 minute Bollywood film. Kudos on the editing! The night in general went well and "That Asian Thing" would like to give them a CONGRATS! and THANKS! - especially to Ravi Talati and Shital Patel for their help.

UNTRANSLATABLE!: YAWP - you may recognize this from a Walt Whitman poem (or quoted in the movie, Dead Poets Society). "I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world." This Y.A.W.P. (Young Asians With Power) event was great and very powerful in terms of the spoken word performances. A couple of the YAWPers were very vivid with their imagery and painted this picture of being put down because of their race. Some performances were of identity issues that were faced and of family problems that were learned. These moments sometimes take a lot of courage for writers and I commend them on their ways.

"That Asian Thing" was lucky to see Tatsu Aoki perform there. The jazz vibe made the whole room stand still - listening to great music. Also other talents, which include Xyzr_kx (pronounced "Scissor Kicks") and the atomic shogun herself, Anida Esguerra. "That Asian Thing" was very happy to be a part of this event and grab such great performance footage. We'd like to thank everyone for their cooperation, especially Jed and Anida.

ON THE CUSP:

-"That Asian Thing" is working on multiple projects to obtain on film. Right now, we're working with I.B.U. manager, Glenn Bermejo to try and set up a 3 group performance. On a previous "That Asian Thing" post - we had interviewed Jesch Reyes, member of former group S.O.T.O. (Sons Of The Orient). Hopefully a reunion can be established and a perfomance in Chicago can be obtained. Keep your fingers crossed!

-ASIAN PACIFIC HERITAGE CELEBRATION at Northwestern University:





http://www.northwestern.edu/asian-american/Heritage_Celebration_2006_Poster.jpg

Please support the Asian American organizations and celebrate!!



-Here are a list of websites "That Asian Thing" looks unto for research. Read up on some of the sites and learn of Asian American influences. Also, hopefully it'll help many of you attend some Asian American events that will happen across the nation or Chicago. Enjoy:



http://angryasianman.com/

http://www.angrylittlegirls.com/

http://www.desiclub.com/

http://www.indianparty.com

http://panasia.uchicago.edu/index.shtml

April is....ASIAN AMERICAN AWARENESS MONTH!

There was a scene in Eve and the Firehorse where Eve is speaking to her sister, Karena, on their walk home from school. A girl was being ridiculed by a bunch of boys calling her "P.W.T." Eve asks her sister, "What's P.W.T.?" And Karena explains to her sister of the racial slur - "Poor White Trash." Then Eve, young and innocent in her questioning, asks, "Are we P.W.T.?" To which her sister simply replies, "Don't be stupid."

This scene can be associated with the fact that we're Asian American and that's that. We're not trying to be a different race because we're simply NOT a different race.

"That Asian Thing" was lucky enough to meet many filmmakers (producers, writers, directors) this past weekend at the Asian American Showcase. Julia Kwan's story of Eve was delivered in a heartfelt storybook fashion. The spoken word and extreme urban behavior in Punching at the Sun showed what it was like for an Indian teenager to live up to the hype of his brother's b-ball playground legacy. Red Doors hit relatable issues within a family that just happens to be Asian American - this is what I loved about the film. Georgia Lee didn't play up to the "Asian" factor but rather to the fact that they follow an American lifestyle. And Bill Tapia's story of his love for the ukulele and his close, somewhat controversial, relationship with his 24 year old manager, Alyssa in To You Sweetheart, Aloha. A documentary that puts commentary on the relationship of people and how outsiders perceive these relationships.



The Asian American Showcase also introduced events that are up and coming as April is Asian American Awareness Month. Working with Anida Esguerra in the past, I was able to get a hold of Y.A.W.P. (Young Asians With Power). Thanks to Jed Dulanas, Apple, and George for helping make this more solidified. YAWP will have an event on Friday, April 21st, called Untranslatable. Please come out and support the organization. It's for a great cause. YAWP holds workshops for teenagers who want to strengthen their voice in writing. "That Asian Thing" will be there to capture some spoken word performances.

THIS WEEKEND:



-the University of Illinois - Chicago's Indian Student Association will have it's India Night @ the North Shore Performing Arts Center in Skokie, IL. I'm excited to get more South Asian footage for my documentary. Sometimes people only associate Asians with the Chinese, Japanese, or Koreans. People tend to forget all the branches of Asia - which also leads to interracial differences. "That Asian Thing" wants to give all talented Asian Americans from different decendents their fair share. Come out and catch the show!

WE'VE GONE PUBLIC:

-If you're in the New Jersey area, please pick up a copy of Exit Weekly Magazine. There should be an article about "That Asian Thing." I'm going to post the article here, but PLEASE pick up a copy to show that you're supporting me. I'd like to personally thank Greg Pallante and Amy Kuperinsky for making this happen. THANK YOU!!

http://www.exitweekly.com/entry.php?id=137

I feel that if the magazine gets a high percentage of pick up for this particular issue because of my documentary, then it'll pick up more coverage or recognition.

PASS THE WORD TO YOUR PEOPLES!!

Yes - more support!

First and foremost - from March 31st to April 13th, FAAIM and the Gene Siskel Film Center will be featuring the 11th Annual Chicago Asian American Showcase!! GO! I triple dog dare you to! You may even run into me there, filming some Q&A from directors after the viewing of their movie. If you think its me (Jonald Reyes - Writer/Director of "That Asian Thing"), please don't hesitate to say hello.



I wanted to take this time to thank the festival director, Mr. Tim Hugh, for being so cooperative during his busy schedule. Thanks Tim! Hopefully "That Asian Thing" will be a part of the Showcase next year (...it's a matter of how long it will take us to edit...).

I'd also like to thank all the filmmakers who I've contacted and who have responded back. I can only imagine how hectic it may be to promote your film, do interviews, attend viewings, and still answer all your emails. I appreciate the support that I've gotten from many of them. As compliment to my blog and to help promote their project, here are their films and links:



The 11th Annual Chicago Asian American Showcase 2006
[http://www.faaim.org]

Americanese, Written/Directed by Eric Byler
[http://www.americanesethemovie.com]

What's Wrong with Frank Chin?, Directed by Curtis Choy
[http://www.frankchin.com]

The Achievers, Directed by Abraham Lim
this is from the San Francisco Asian American Film Festival:
[http://www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org/films/film_detail.php?i=6]

Asian Stories (Book III), Written/Directed by Ronald Oda
[http://www.asianstoriesmovie.com]

Purity, Directed by Nahee Ahn
[http://www.myspace.com/puritymovie]

Eve and the Fire Horse, Written/Directed by Julia Kwan
[http://www.eveandthefirehorse.com]

Red Doors, Directed by Georgia Lee
[http://www.reddoorsthemovie.com]

To you Sweetheart, Aloha, Directed by Mercedes Coats
[http://www.walking-iris.com/sweetheartaloha/]

Kieu, Directed by Vu Thu Ha
this is also from the San Fran Asian American Film Fest
[http://www.asianamericanfilmfestival.org/films/film_detail.php?i=66]

Puzzlehead, Directed by James Bai
[http://puzzleheadthemovie.com]



Buy tickets now and go!! Hopefully I'll see ya there!

We are Asian American and there's no hiding it...

Cynthia Lin (http://www.cynthialin.com) Unplugged at the Ridge Street venue was a great success! I want to personally thank Cynthia and all my friends and family for coming out to this fun evening. It rocked and so did Cynthia's performance!

After playing email tag with Cynthia about a live performance, we decided that a small set-up could be accomplished at the house I live at. With some furniture rearranging, candles, and the right lighting, I transformed our living room into our own personal, VH1 Storytellers. All our regular house guests walked in and were amazed at the "new look" for the evening. After some finger foods, mingling, and drinks, we had our first live performance.

Instead of holding a one-on-one interview with Cynthia like I've done with my past artists, I decided to give out questions to my guests and have them ask her in between songs. Something that Cynthia Lin touched upon (which I've posted in a past update) is the playing up or playing down of her "Asianess" to sell records. Her honest answer was - "Well, I'm Asian American and there's no way of hiding that..." and that's what "That Asian Thing" wants the world to know. We, including myself, are Asian American artists and in the lime light we may look different and have different tastes, but there shouldn't be an assumption that all we can do is math or science. Let our art and talent speak for ourselves and like all other artists of any race, give us the equal opportunity to let it shine.

Sorry to get so Asian American patriotic on y'all, but those simple words of not being able to hide our Asian American look made me proud. Proud to be an artist and proud to be an Asian American. Also - to keep going! We, as artists, and NOT just Asian American, need to keep trying to do what we love to do and to not listen to those naysayers that assume that we don't exist. Cause we do exist and a bunch of us are pretty damn good at what we do!



Continuing on - Cynthia talked about multiple things, such as the minimal amount of Asian American artists out there right now and how more and more are becoming apparent, how Asian parents have taught more of their children to go towards the path of better paying jobs, and how artists (like I said before) should let their art speak for themselves.



Cynthia was even cool enough to get to know her audience members more personally before signing the cd's to a name with no personality. That's a very down to earth singer and I whole heartedly applaud her.

Thanks Cynthia!

Unsung Heroes

Dr. Romeo Munoz - author of Filipino Americans: Journey from Invisibility to Empowerment. He, himself, is an example of his own book (whether he knows it or not). First I would like to say how kind and welcoming he and Mrs. Munoz was to myself and the Wayne. Dr. Munoz was very accomodating and assisted in anyway that he could - to which I greatly appreciate his help.

Thank you so much Dr. & Mrs. Munoz!

Here are some points we touched upon:

--Acceptance. To go along with my documentary and the backroot of how teenagers persuade the masses into what becomes the mainstream, there is a force of acceptance that has to be made. Acceptance in all aspects. There is the acceptance of what teenagers think is cool. The acceptance of people - to have friends and to be welcomed into a group. Then there is the acceptance of recent immigrants who want to be part of this American lifestyle in full nature. They want to be accepted by American society and to receive the same opportunities as everyone else. However, how can you be accepted as another face in the crowd without standing up for yourself through sticking out?

--Education. Dr. & Mrs. Munoz hold workshops for under privileged adults and children that are willing to learn language, history, and culture. There isn't enough Asian American history in the schools to help relieve the ignorance that grabs a hold of people when it comes to purchasing Asian American entertainment. Sadly enough, some people are just not willing enough to open their minds to different cultures and when an Asian American artist tries to nurture their unknowing mind, it becomes very difficult to overcome an invisible barrier. More Asian American education in the high schools can help children of all races get some sort of starting point or new understanding of the "rice culture." Dr. Munoz believes that there should be some sort of bill passed to alieviate this problem.

--Parenting. Dr. Munoz is a very proud parent. He is going against the grain of most Asian parents who have children born in America. He son, Stephen, is someone "That Asian Thing" knows well - he is a musician/singer. His daughter is a filmmaker. Thus, he is the father of a couple of 2nd generation Asian American artists. He and Mrs. Munoz show nothing but support, even if they worry about money matters. Of course, money is always a factor in our American culture and art gets a shaft when it comes to talented people that aren't greatly recognized for it. So I commend these parents for supporting their children and breaking that model minority myth.

I must say - these 2 people are VERY active within the filipino community. Mrs. Munoz even said that they have dinner gatherings for nurses that recently arrive to America. They teach and try to make a difference. Please applaud these two for their efforts and grace....

NEXT IN LINE: Storytellers with Cynthia Lin.