Spring Time Screening in 2010!

Virtual high-fives to the people at Northwestern, including Mr. Tedd Vanadilok of the Asian/Asian American Student Affairs. "That Asian Thing" will be screening, as well as include a Q&A session with Director/Writer, Jonald Reyes, and guests. If you haven't caught this documentary completed in 2008 yet, here's an opportunity to watch! Words:

WHAT: "That Asian Thing" Screening (run time 84 min.) and Q&A session after, to include Jonald Reyes & Cynthia Lin

WHERE: Northwestern University, University Hall, Room 122, 1897 Sheridan Road, Evanston IL

LINK: http://aquavite.northwestern.edu/maps/buildinglookup.cgi?lookupfield=university+hall

WHEN: Thursday, May 6th, 2010 from 7:30 to 10'ish pm

TIX: Nah...not this time. We're gonna go the Free! route.

Sponsored by Asian/Asian American Student Affairs, Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. & Sigma Psi Zeta Sorority, Inc.

Since this documentary was filmed with lower-scale equipment back in 2006, it seems like the quality is retro on purpose and adds a new dynamic to watching it today. It's interesting to watch this film over and see where or what these Asian-American artists are up to 4 years later. Who's still going for the dream? Are they still pro-active in the Asian/Asian-American scene? Are they still in Chicago? What other avenues/adventures have they taken on remote from their art?

Also, since the completion of "That Asian Thing," many new artists have risen and taken leads to pushing Asian-American awareness in the arts. So, if you're not doing anything on this nice Spring night, come on out and watch! We'll see you there!

PS - "That Asian Thing" DVD to come out this Summer. Cross yo fingers!

Try this Music Video on for size!

As new projects continue, please check out this music video completed by Jonald Reyes and the Chicago talent - Parts Per Million (http://www.partspermillion.com). Please pass this on to friends as we're trying to get crazy number of hits! Thank you! Enjoy!

Happy Holidays Hiatus....

Hello everyone! Just wanted to post an update to keep everyone informed of what's been happening with the film of recent.

Since the completion of the film in March of 2008, it has participated in 5 film festivals and screened at over 5 colleges. This is actually more than what was expected for this low budget, very indie documentary. As a one-man director/editor, this film was intended to get my (Jonald Reyes's) feet touching the water and it has done so. It was not only an exhilirating experience to be part of great dialogue at Q&A sessions, but also awesome to meet people that were inspired by the film. I can't tell you how many times a good handful of Asian-Americans and NON-Asian-Americans that would approach me after viewing the film to shake my hand and tell me their own viewpoint on why there should be more Asian-Americans in mainstream American culture.

Currently the film is open for invitations to be screened at college campuses - just shoot us an email (asianthing@gmail.com).

However, previously mentioned, as Jonald (the Director) is the one-man crew, he's been honing his craft to come back in the near future with a narrative film (genre yet to be determined). He's getting his creative juices flowing by the great theater classes/workshops in the Chicagoland area and has been focusing more on writing. Keep an eye open for any small projects along the way, which include music videos, comedy troupe performances, and plays.

Thanks to everyone that has been supportive in all aspects of "That Asian Thing" and tangent projects. If a DVD self-distribution gets ironed out, the world will be informed. Thanks again and happy holidays!

Indie Film Fests Galore!

Hey guys and dolls! It's a new month in the summer season, so I hope you've taken advantage of some good weather. On top of that, why not go watch some great indie flicks!??!

"That Asian Thing" will be screening at the end of this month and on top of that, we got an "Honorable Mention" award. Check out the following:

INDIEFEST USA

WHAT: "That Asian Thing" Screening at IndieFest USA Film Festival (http://www.indiefestusa.com)

WHERE: AMC Downtown Disney - 1565 Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802

WHEN: Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 at 5 p.m.

TICKETS: Via online purchase is $10/adult. Make sure you change the "Showing On" date to Tue., Aug. 25th, to see "That Asian Thing" at the 5 o'clock slot. Here's the website:

http://www.movietickets.com/house_detail.asp?house_id=7584

EXTRA LINKAGE: http://indiefestusa.bside.com/2009/films/thatasianthing_indiefestusa2009

Please tell all your friends, family, peeps, disciples, kittens, and Disneyland characters! We definitely want a great showing as we're not far from Los Angeles and you just never know who'll come out for a screening...

THANKS to all the IndieFest crew and communications personnel. Nothing but good emails have been sent to filmmakers and it looks to be a good festival - one you don't want to miss!

INDIE GATHERING

We've been notified by the Indie Gathering Film Festival of an Honorable Mention Award!! WOO HOO "THAT ASIAN THING!!"

Check out the following linkage and under the Documentary Feature category:

http://theindiegathering.com/2009winners.htm

Thanks for the recognition from the Indie Gathering peoples and big handshake to Ray Szuch for being patient with the delivery of our film. Thank you, thank you!

PROPS TO INDIE FLICKS!

I just wanted to say big ups to all the Indie Film Festivals out there. It's always such a great opportunity to showcase your work and get the experience of displaying it in front of an audience (beyond your immediate circle of friends/family). I also wanted to say big ups to all the other indie filmmakers out there. Congrats if you're participating in either of these film festivals and hope to hear more from your camp.

Take care guys and stay tuned....

Indie Fest USA 2009

Welcome to the wild wild West "That Asian Thing"!!

Click here:

http://indiefestusa.bside.com/2009/films/thatasianthing_indiefestusa2009

And here's your info breakdown:

WHAT: "That Asian Thing" Screening @ Indie Fest USA 2009

WHERE: AMC Downtown Disney - 12; 1565 Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92802

WHEN: Tuesday, August 25th at 5:00 PM

WHY: Why not?! Because "That Asian Thing" is hitting up it's 4th Film Festival since completion and if you haven't caught it yet, what are you waiting for?! The Asian-American population in California is in high percentages and we want the community to come out and support!

We also wanted to give props to the Indie Fest USA people and say thank you for their consideration to participate in their event. As well as their association with B-Side for helping create our film profile page.

Spam emails will fall out of the skies to our peoples on the west coast. Sorry for any over indulgence but we'd like to hype this up to maximum capacity. Let's rock the AMC and let them know our community can represent!

Thanks everyone!

Goodness for your mind

Yeeehaw! "That Asian Thing" is still pumping out that good Asian-American notification per film festivals and colleges/universities across the nation. We've just learned that we've been accepted into the Indie Fest USA 2009 Film Festival. The letter kicked it like so:

"Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that your film has passed our three round screening process and is now an "Official Selection" of the 2009 INDIE FEST USA at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the festival dates, August 22nd – 28th, 2009. There are many exciting changes this year, more events, seminars and let’s not forget the opening night reception and the closing night awards show and Gala! Plus our concert series, Special Guests and Celebrities."

Therefore, if you and/or your friends are in the Anaheim area in Cali, please check out our film. Our screening time is:

"That Asian Thing" Screening
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
5:00 pm in AMC Downtown Disney - 12

More info to follow!

SUMMARY OF PAST EVENTS:



Since we havent' updated our peoples for awhile, we should at least post up some images of traveled past. From our last post, Writer/Director, Jonald Reyes, took part in a panel discussion at Northwestern University. The great Mr. Tatsu Aoki was very generous in giving us another platform to reach out and speak to the college crowd. With friends on side (Amy Homma, Harrison Pak, and Mia Park), we were able to talk to the Northwestern community about our practicing art adventures. For myself (Jonald), it felt good to talk out the issue of gaining more recognition to Asian-American arts.



Like I usually do, I was able to pick out certain aspects of "That Asian Thing" and bring them into conversational pieces. For instance, I always like bringing up Tatsu's p.o.v. of instilling Asian/Asian-American pride to the community. We do this art to speak to people and want them to understand our culture. In turn, people within the community should gain a better sense of pride of our culture. Not even just one ethnic group, but for the whole Pan Asian spectrum.



This is also a shout out to Harrison from Stir Friday Night, as I brought up my own experiences from Second City and shared how humor is used as a device to express these cultural differences (the good and the bad). This aspect of humor has also brought up a new viewpoint to myself and how the community responds to the artform. As most racially energized topics, humor mixed in can institute a sensitivity factor. To some, things may be understood as funny, whereas to others, it can come off as offensive. How do we know when we've crossed that line? Just something to ponder and question about in comparison to how other races react to the joking of their own race.

And as another note of past adventures - the Skokie Public Library experience was amazing! The audience in attendance was very attentive to "That Asian Thing" and the Q&A portion afterwards. I was very happy to see an older crowd at hand and hear what they thought of the film. I'd also like to acknowledge a lady and her two kids - one of which is a writer. They came up to me after the Q&A and asked for advice from my own writing experiences, to which I said what I've always been taught from almost all my writing instructors - "Just keep writing!"

Thanks for keeping up the support y'all! More info to come on the Indie Fest USA!

In this episode of "That Asian Thing"...

Hey "Asian Thing" peoples -

Hope everyone is doing well.

Yes, it's been quiet on this blog for awhile, but we've no doubt been busy with new projects and networking ventures along the way. So here's our up-to-speed reports!

THE SLANT TV:



Let's get crackin' with what's been on the forefront recently. After our last post regarding the new project on a public access television show, we've been taking it to new levels with each step of the way. "The Slant" (http://www.theslant.tv) is a magazine style, entertainment news media show packed into a half-hour punch. Just like "That Asian Thing," we've taken the Asian/Asian-American culture to lengths of exposure by delivering Chicago's great talent. And what's even better is that we get local and in-depth on the intertwined Chicago culture by featuring Asian/Asian-American related restaurants, clubs, bars, and organizations. We've got a young crew that works hard in getting up-to-date styles, cultural issues, and cool people involved. So check it out! Here's our last uploaded episode:





If you're in the Chicago area, pop up your rabbit ears or tune in thru the AT&T cable package, and pop on KBC-TV (Channel 41 on public access) every Thursday night at 6 p.m. and replay at midnight! Do it! You know you want to....

ASIAN AMERICAN ARTS IN PRACTICE:

Thru the various projects taken on and continuous pursuit to open up eyes to the Asian-American culture, Northwestern University's Asian-American Studies Program has put together a panel of Asian-American artists to display their art. Jonald Reyes, Director of "That Asian Thing" and Executive Producer of "The Slant" will be part of this one-night event. He's put together a short video portfolio of his works in television and film to fit his 20 minute presentation. This short includes footage from the Director's Cut of "That Asian Thing" which is completely different from the final product; his works with the Korean American Community Services; his music video with Chicago's hip-hop group, Contriband; and of course, footage from episodes of KBC-TV's "The Slant." Here are links/info for your stalking purposes:



What: Asian American Arts in Practice
Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Northwestern University, University Hall, Room 102
Street: 1897 Sheridan Rd.
City/Town: Evanston, IL

http://www.asianamerican.northwestern.edu/events/

-AND-

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=86825371209 - hit the ATTEND!! come out, come out, wherever you are!!

SKOKIE PUBLIC LIBRARY ROCKS:

As we are in the midst of Asian-American Heritage Month(s)...

[Ed. Note: I like to say monthsssss because some colleges celebrate it in April due to Final Examinations in May and others celebrate it in May cause we can rock it out for two months!!. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Pacific_American_Heritage_Month ]

...the Skokie Public Library (http://www.skokielibrary.info), has given "That Asian Thing" the green light to showcase the documentary. First, thanks to Richard and the Skokie Public Library for taking our film into consideration and seeking us out to participate! Next, if you haven't seen this film yet - we urge you to come out! Here are your details:

WHAT: "That Asian Thing" Screening w/ Director Q&A to follow
WHERE: Skokie Public Library, Petty Auditorium - 5215 Oakton Street, Skokie, IL 60077
WHEN: May 15th @ 6:30 pm
WEBSITE: http://tiny.cc/ng3Sm

Also be sure to check out all the other events from the Skokie Public Library as for the most part they're free or low costing. They do lots of great things and what's that?? Why yes - it's truly is a library too with awesome books to boot! Can't go wrong with that!

JONALD'S THOUGHTS:

If you've followed me for awhile, you've gathered that my first true passion is writing. Doing "That Asian Thing" was great experience to get a film together and get my feet wet in the experience. But back in the day, all I did was write, write, write. And now we're back to write, write, write. I'm pushing my screenplay out as much as possible and really hope to start production on this by the end of this year. What I hope is that my storytelling capabilities and "Jonaldian" lexicon surpass critics and become understood for playful interpretation by viewers. This isn't a precursor to cushion a blow of pushed comedy nor art house, experimental writing, but what this section of a post is for, is for therapeutic release. As a writer (if you can relate), you read things you write over and over again which sometimes makes you a bit unsure of yourself. However - you just gotta keep pushing and get all this stuff that's in your head on paper. What was great about the Second City Training Center was that they helped kill your internal editor from incorporating what's p.c. Don't get me wrong, they also help establish great structure and reasoning to character dialogue, but they helped release boundaries that places like work or even certain scholarly teachings may have ingrained into a writer's head. So with this....I just wanted to say - keep on truckin y'all! If you're working on a project of your own and feel like you're at a dead-end, believe me, we've been there before. Just keep pushin and good luck!

UPDATE on the BIG DAY!

Greetings all -

January 20th, 2009 - now a very historical date for many to remember.

Whether you're on the conservative trail, liberal end, left vs. right, or even completely independent on viewpoints - you must admit that today's inauguration of Barack Obama is "change." There is a new face of America and it's is now of minority background. And how does this relate to "That Asian Thing"? PLENTY!

There was a scene within the documentary where Laura Kina took my question of "Why is Asian-American culture important?" and moved it around to ask the question "Why is African-American art important?" Then she went into detail of when she was in school and found African-American art form fascinating and how one of her first role models was Romare Bearden. Laura then made a parallel viewpoint saying that African-American culture is important, just as Asian-American culture is too - "We just have to see it..." (Laura said).

So please take today as a moment in history when the United States of America made change happen.

EXPOSURE:


I've been getting emails and facebook messages on the Jonald Reyes article in the new issue of Rutgers Magazine. YAY! Looking over the bio, you'll learn that Jonald is a Rutgers University (New Brunswick) graduate and is also an active member of the R.U. Club of Chicago. So he definitely has the Scarlet fever! For y'all staying posted via internet, here's the article:

http://www.alumni.rutgers.edu/s/896/index.aspx?sid=896&gid=1&pgid=252&cid=1735&ecid=1735&crid=0&calpgid=497&calcid=1289

Many, many thanks to all the Rutgers Alumni Association people that made this article possible (including Lori Varga, Shannon Allen, Matt Manfra, and Adam Torrisi). The online version is a shortened version compared to the actual magazine article (as I was told), so for you Rutgers alumni, please check it out. And if you're a Rutgers alumnus that doesn't get updates/emails/magazine, check out what to do online:

http://www.alumni.rutgers.edu

ALSO - as a follow-up from our stint at the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival in November, Ed Mallilin, Director of "Brown Soup Thing," has included us in his article on the website, BakitWhy.com . Please check it out here:

http://bakitwhy.com/chicago-filipino-american-film-festival

Thanks Ed! Please check out "Brown Soup Thing" at: http://www.brownsoupthing.com

NEW PROJECT:

On a ripple from the "That Asian Thing" pebble that dropped in a pond, Jonald was contacted by a local television studio. This studio was originally purchased to accommodate to the Korean community within the Chicagoland area, and still does! However, as years have passed, more shows have been created and on-air time has been distributed to other Asian communities, which in turn has made it Chicago's Asian-American Network.

Channel 41 (on local sets) WOCH-CA, KBC-TV Chicago has been active in reaching out to more people in the Asian/Asian-American community and currently has a show entitled, AAN News (http://www.aanwoch.com). With this feisty, young crew at hand, Jonald was given the creative freedom to produce a magazine style, entertainment news show. And now....this is where he stands.

Come February 5th, "The Slant" will debut on Channel 41 KBC-TV at 6:30 pm (re-broadcast at midnight). More news will come on the website and viewing online. Stay tuned!

WRAP-UP:

If you read the Rutgers Magazine article, Jonald has already completed the Contriband music video and that will be uploaded unto his upcoming Groovy Ghost Production website which is now in the works. This will hopefully launch by April 1st (yes, April Fool's Day!). Screenplay for the new project is currently in writing mode and if plan goes accordingly, shooting can hopefully start by Fall.

"That Asian Thing" is still being entered into film festivals and is still open for various screening opportunities. Don't hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for reading up and stay warm everyone!

2008 going, going......gone.....

Hey Boys & Gals -

Whew - it's been awhile since we've brought people up to speed. Of recent, we've updated our main website with those cool film festival laurels. Super thanks to Cliff Malloy of Steady Digital!! Please check it out and also click on our IMDB page on the top bar if you haven't checked that out yet. We'd appreciate any reviews and votes if you have the time.

Also, as follow-up to our adventures at the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival, we were interviewed by Asian-American News (AAN TV41) based here in Chicago. Check out the short youtube clip that features the segment:







(if it doesn't view, click here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9grYlyFOvyk )

Also check out the AAN people (http://www.aanwoch.com/) as they're always covering Asian-American news in and around the Chicagoland area.

As for now, we've taken the momentum of "That Asian Thing" and have been able to transpire it into forks in the road. Looking at our previous posts, you can see that Director, Jonald Reyes, has already been involved with other projects. However, "That Asian Thing" is still being reviewed by other film festivals for 2009. Please continue to check in on a monthly basis to updates. When news comes in, blog posts grow to a code yellow (and then red).

AND for the holiday season, don't forget to look out for your Asian-American artists who design shirts/shoes, create music cd's, filmmaker dvd's, etc., etc. to buy as presents for the friends and family. If you're gonna get presents, you can also support an awesome cause on Asian-American awareness!

An End of Year Thought:

If there are no posts from here till 2009, we wanted to say thank you to everyone that has made "That Asian Thing" a mini-success in the independent film scene. Some good films out there don't even see the light of day at film festivals because these days, everyone is making a film (or getting internet fame) and competition is always at a new high. With digital camcorders and film editing software readily available to anyone/everyone, film festivals get overwhelmed with submissions. So we'd like to give a huge thanks to the film festival people who have given us the honor of participating in their cinematic art show. And of course, we can't deny the awesome people that have followed us along the way and have shown us consistent support - especially right here at home base, Chicago, IL. Without the help and assistance of everyone, we wouldn't have gotten any recognition. THANK YOU!!

Happy holidays and be safe!

Recap and...LET'S KEEP GOING!

Whew - finally able to get the recap into the mix!

This past weekend was a flurry of activities courtesy of the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival. This year, the Film Festival relocated into the historic Portage Theater. This classic theater was recently renovated and although updated with new seats, walls, and what nots - the classy historic feel never left the atmosphere. The ceiling fixtures and grand scale curtains add the intricate details for big movie buffs to breathe in.

Before dipping into Festival news, we must send a huge thanks of gratitude to the staff and committee of CFAFF, especially Jonathan Laxamana and Larry Versola. They were great to work with and kudos to all their efforts in bringing this grand event to Chicago and the Filipino community. Applause to all the volunteers, sponsors, performers, audience members, and of course, the Filipino American Network. THANKS!



During this Festival, Jonald Reyes, writer/director of "That Asian Thing," was also a participant in the Music Video Competition for his work with the Chicago hip-hop band, Contriband. Contriband has become a well known staple within the music scene in Chi-town, and Jonald was fortunate enough to work with the guys. The music video was created for the song, "The Addict" to the theme of: ZOMBIES!


After a meeting with the guys, and numerous viewings of Michael Jackson's (or John Landis's) Thriller, Jonald was able to create storyboard sketches in the creation of this version of a short film. Filmed in color and then transferred to black & white, the final product was a homage to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. A version of the video will be uploaded to the world wide web at a later date. Please stay tuned for more details to satisfy your curiosity.

And oh - did you want to know the results of the competition? We unfortunately came up a few feathers short of a soft pillow - resulting in a close 2nd place to the Gold Medalists's Slow Machines music video. Ironically enough, the Gold Medalist is under the Actually, Records record label. If your "That Asian Thing" trivial knowledge is up to par, you'll realize that we've just come full circle. Mr. Chien Yuan, of Actually Records, was part of "That Asian Thing," to which we now transition...



"That Asian Thing" was granted a nice time slot by the Festival peeps and was the first showing on Saturday afternoon. Just in time to get your AA fix. "Asian-American" fix, that is! hardy-har! We were told that we had a total audience of 130 people. Thanks to all that attended! And sitting within the crowd, and hearing personal reviews afterwards, the feedback was nothing but positive vibes. Afterwards, Jonathan Laxamana led the Q&A discussion with filmmaker, Jonald Reyes.



A big old shout out goes to the Asian-American artists that were part of the film which made an appearance at the screening. From memory (and if you were there and I missed you, let me know please!!), we saw Mia Park, Robbi, Jenny Guzon-Bae, Leslie Arca (Northwestern's Kaibigan 2006) and Jesch from Flipside/SOTO.



After the Q&A with Jonald, a Panel Discussion was held with Jonald and two other Filipino-American filmmakers who were in attendance as part of the Festival: Johnny Asuncion of the movie Float and Ed Mallillin of Brown Soup Thing. Both gave insight into the premise of their films, barriers faced, as well as how race (especially being Filipino-American) played a role into the creation of their project. When responses were accumulated, the bottom line seemed to be two things - a good story and financial budget.



Overall, the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival was a successful screening for "That Asian Thing." Not only was it a fun & exciting weekend, but the experience and new met friends was an overwhelming bonus. As it was it's Chicago Premiere, it has come in full circle from a year ago. One year ago, "That Asian Thing" held a private screening to display the first cut of the film to friends, family, and the Asian-American artists involved. After receiving feedback, going back to the editing board, and churning out a new layout, a final product was made in March of 2008. And now, we stand with 3 Film Festivals, 2 college screenings, 1 Audience Choice Award, and most important, more people who have become interested in Asian-American culture and artists.

Thank you. (most possibly the number one phrase used since the inception of this blog)

LET'S KEEP GOING!! WOOOOO HOOOOOOO!

Post historic date update!

Wow - Chicago is now in the midst of the nation's eye. Not only have we taken part in a historic moment by electing an African-American president, but we're also about to embark on the 5th Anniversary of the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival! (haha - great transition!) But really - I wanted to not only applaud all of the people that helped in Barack Obama's journey, but I'd like to stand-up and cheer for all the Asian-Americans that pushed our community to go out and vote. As an Asian-American filmmaker, I've done research on film festivals and have built many relationships with the people involved, including other artists/filmmakers, and as we're now in a technologically advanced, grassroots method of interaction on the internet, I've seen people/friends in locations near and far put extra efforts in placing the Asian-American community as an important portion of the voting numbers.

So thanks to all of them to which I bow...

UPDATE:



THIS SATURDAY! ONE O'CLOCK P.M. AT THE HISTORIC PORTAGE THEATER! "THAT ASIAN THING" CHICAGO PREMIERE - BE THERE! (you should be reading that in a movie trailer voice-over sort of way) Not only will I be present, but other filmmakers and artists will be in attendance amongst the crowd that shall show up. I urge you to pass this news over to your friends and tell them to pass it to their friends because the Portage Theater is well worth the look and feel of a true cinematic experience. I'm not putting down the advanced "IMAX with super dolby digital X-5000 supersonic, see in the future, ultra ray-ban, as seen only on t.v., surround sound" movie feel, BUT if you're a big movie buff and have always wanted to see a classic theater, THIS is the place to be. Not only that, but the Portage is cool enough to sell alcohol for all y'all 21 and up folks. This will no doubt induce party atmosphere to which watching a documentary about very talented Asian-American artists right in the Chicago area will only add to the fun. So come on out this Saturday for a screening not to be missed!

WEBSITE CLUSTER:

As usual, I'd like to give a handshake thanks and hat tip to the postive posters of plugs for the documentary and the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival itself. There the coolest of the cool, so if you're not reading up on "That Asian Thing" blog, I suggest checking them out too. THANKS Y'ALL!!

Asian-American Film.com:

http://www.asianamericanfilm.com/2008/11/20081108-that-asian-thing-chic.shtml

Slant Eye for the Round Eye:

http://www.slanteyefortheroundeye.com/2008/10/chicago-filipino-american-film-festival.html

Angry Asian Man:

http://www.angryasianman.com/2008/10/5th-annual-chicago-filipino-american.html

And lastly with the websites - WE'VE MADE IT ON IMDB.COM - the biggest internet movie database known to man! YAHOOooooOOOOoooo!!!

Please log on and post anything you can about "That Asian Thing":

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294220/

Thanks again!

ALSO TO ADD ON YOUR CFAFF VISIT:

Don't miss the world premiere of Contriband's music video to "The Addict" as part of the music video competition at the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival. This will begin on Friday, November 7th @ 10:30 pm @ Portage Theater, with a live performance on the card. Come out and support!

Filipino Fests galore!

Alright, alright - it looks like the Filipino community is coming out in full force of "That Asian Thing." This is great! Not only as a Filipino-American myself, but as a supporter of other Filipino/Filipino-American art. My Mom and Dad had old VHS tapes of Dolphy via John & Marsha; Tito, Vic, & Joey; and Eat Bulaga! (these are classic shows from the Philippines) Now, I have the honor of showing my first feature length film to my community. It's pretty exciting! Here's the line-up:

the 15th Annual Filipino American Cinefest (FACINE):

Short notice, but we've recently learned "That Asian Thing" will be part of FACINE's program this year. Here are the details of our screening:


"That Asian Thing" Screening - 15th Annual Filipino American Cinefest
Friday, October 31st, 2008, at 2:45 p.m.
San Francisco Main Library, Koret Auditorium
100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
San Francisco, CA 94102
This is a FREE event organized by FACINE or Filipino Arts & Cinema, International, a not-for-profit media arts organization in San Francisco that aims to promote & develop Filipino American, as well as, Philippine national cinema.


Here's a link to their press release which entails the rest of the films and events:

http://www.geocities.com/mrbrown19/Facine-schedule08.pdf

If you're in or around the area, please come out to the screening! We can use all the support we can, since we just found out so recent. Thank you to Mr. Mauro Tumbocon, the Artistic Director, for giving "That Asian Thing" it's first premiere on the West Coast. Good luck to all the other Filipino-American filmmakers and hope to cross paths with you in the near future!

the 5th Annual Chicago Filipino American Film Festival:

This screening is a special one as it will be the Chicago premiere of "That Asian Thing." The significance for the unknowing is that this documentary concentrates on the Asian-American artists located in the Chicago area. We're looking to have a big turn out and would like EVERYONE to come out and join us! Calling all participating artists - if you're involved with this film, please come out!

As I've experienced first hand from previous screenings, the audience members are always excited to see the people they've just watched on screen. So I'd like as many of the artists to attend if possible. Thanks guys! Seriously couldn't have done this project without y'all!

Screening details:

"That Asian Thing" Chicago Premiere - Chicago Filipino American Film Festival
Saturday, November 8th, 2008, at 1 p.m.
Portage Theater - 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60641
Tickets are $10/person and can be bought online via the CFAFF website or bought the day of at the theater


There will be a Panel Discussion to follow with Q&A on the topics featured within the documentary. The Panel will comprise of myself, other Filipino American filmmakers in attendance, and a few artists. Please come out and join us for this special screening. Also, check out the CFAFF website for more detail on the other films showing - http://www.cfaff.org .

Thanks to Jonathan Laxamana and Larry Versola, as well as all the other volunteers/helpers, for working in putting this great program together!

As a sidenote, we were also fortunate enough to make it to the final round of the music video competition. Working with Contriband (http://www.myspace.com/contriband) was great and this music video was actually a short film in my eyes. We hope you can make it out to the world premiere of Contriband's "The Addict" music video on Friday Night.



ON THAT NOTE:

Thanks to everyone that's making this possible. We're still pushing and continue to get more screen time across the nation. We hope to have a screening by you and if you'd like to set it up, don't hesitate to email for more information. Hope to see you soon!

From one to another! Chicago Filipino American Film Festival - here we come!

From our friends in attendance and straight from Miss Cynthia Lin herself, the feedback from our Bloomfield College screening event was in ultra positive magnitude! We'd like to personally thank the faculty, staff, and students who assisted in putting this college/community activity together - espcially, Gregory Allen, Laura Nova, & Adam Castro. Obviously, big ups to Cynthia Lin for carrying the Q&A portion along with her great singing styles! Thanks guys! And as we've stated in previous posts - any colleges/universities out there that are interested, don't hesitate to send an inquiry to us at asianthing@gmail.com - we can send you our press kit along with DVD featuring extra performance footage and some outtakes.

DO IT! You shall not regret it!

CONTINUING ON...

We've recently learned that "That Asian Thing" has been selected to the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival (CFAFF)! WOO HOO!! Not only this, but "That Asian Thing" Director, Jonald Reyes, has recently worked with Chicago hip hop band, Contriband (http://www.myspace.com/contriband) on their first low-budgeted, zombified music video. With this, we've also been notified that the video has reached the finals of the music video competition program at CFAFF!

Mass emails, social networking invitations, and flyer distribution will be sent out in the weeks to come, but here are some quick hit details:

1. "That Asian Thing" Screening is on Saturday, Nov. 8th @ 1 p.m.

2. Contriband - "The Addict" Music Video will be part of the music video portion of the CFAFF program to be held on Friday night.

3. Right now, CFAFF is offering FREE day passes to Students & Seniors. Yup, yup - we said the magic word - "FREE!!" Here's the link to take full advantage of this offer you can't possibly pass up if you apply:

http://cfaff.org/2008Site/freepass.htm

4. This will be the Chicago premiere of "That Asian Thing" which was all filmed in Chicago. It should be for a great showing at the Portage Theater as part of the festival. Thanks to the CFAFF cast and crew for giving us this opportunity!

Now go on and tell all your friends, family, peers, students, co-workers, seniors, teachers, waiters, top 32 myspace friends, facebook status, robots that can buy tickets, auditors, presidential candidates, economic advisors, imaginary friends, streetwise providers, and cable guys!

Thanks everyone! Thanks!

SCREENING AT BLOOMFIELD COLLEGE!! OCTOBER 8th @ NOON!

Hey Everyone!

It's been awhile since our last run, but connections to colleges/universities have been solidifying. Of recent, we've set up a sweet little diddy over at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. Special thanks goes out to Adam Castro for passing over necessary contacts. Thanks to all the great staff and crew, as we were able to have the following event:




WHAT: "That Asian Thing" Screening with special live performance by Cynthia Lin
WHERE: Westminster Arts Center, Bloomfield College (467 Franklin Street, Bloomfield, NJ 07003)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 8th at Noon
WHY: Cause it's an awesome documentary, an awesome performer, and an awesome cost - FREE!!

http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=27865632859





Another special thanks goes out to Cynthia Lin for making this screening even better. To the people that have never seen her perform live, you'll be in for a great treat. "That Asian Thing" doesn't do her live performance justice.

ALSO....

In other news, I've been working on other projects and plan to start up another website in the future that features productions by Jonald Reyes. We'll be hooking up with Tinbox Solutions to bring you a great site! More news on that in the future.

Otherwise, please tell all your friends and their friends to come on out to Bloomfield College for this great event! And don't forget-it's free! So come in packs of people cause you'll not only watch a slick flick, but you'll get to listen to the cool stylings of Miss Cynthia Lin!

Thanks y'all! And if you're interested in having a screening for your school/organization, don't hesitate to contact us!

Don't lose that steam...

Coming off of that last adventure high has brought up the question of, "Now what?" And well - we'd like to offer this proposal to all the college/university Asian-American organizations/departments:

"That Asian Thing" has been deemed by audiences as an Intro to Asian-American Issues documentary. Jonald Reyes takes a close look at the Asian-American artists in the Chicagoland area to try and figure out "Why is there a low impact of Asian-America in mainstream American culture?" Now YOU can have a screening of "That Asian Thing" at your campus! We'd like to take this show on the road and take advantage of the message that this film brings. For all interested parties, please send your comments/questions/ideas to asianthing@gmail.com . We'll be more than happy to assist you in anyway on having a screening near you. We just need you to be that planted seed for us to throw water at! haha!

PICS and VIDS:

For the people that missed out at the last screening, here are our pics from the event:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16852987@N05/

You can also check out some behind the scene videos from the ooVoo guys at IFFF through the Independent Features Film Festival website:

http://www.independentfeatures.com

Check it out! Thanks guys!

Independent Features Film Festival 2008 - RECAP!

"I love New York in June, how 'bout you?"

Well - how about July, actually? We've finally made it back from the weekend hijinks that the Independent Features Film (IFF) Festival brought to our laps. First and foremost, "That Asian Thing" would like to thank everyone that made our trip possible and fantastic - from the online voters, friends & family, the Independent Features Film Festival Staff, the ooVoo staff, the myspace/facebook/friendster armies, the Asian-American organizations, magazines, blogs, and other communicative outlets in our grassroot efforts. THANK YOU!



Next, it was great to meet the IFF people. Speaking to Phillip Nelson (President) and Jose Ruiz (Vice-President) in person was very good for me personally because I'm currently working with the Chicago Filipino-American Film Festival (http://www.cfaff.org) this year and they gave great advice on running a festival. These two guys started with their own indie feature and then took it to the next level by creating a festival catered toward the hardships they faced. And now they're one of the premiere festivals that puts the power in the hands of the audience by online viewing and voting. Not only that, but to hold it at the acclaimed Tribeca Cinemas theater in New York City..."well, that's just buttah, baby!" Congrats to these gentlemen and their helpful & friendly staff members for putting on a great festival.



Now, "That Asian Thing" screened on Sunday at 12:30 pm in Theater One. We were very fortunate enough to sell out online and have the theater packed 5 minutes before screening time. With introduction to the film and people in their seats, I must admit that not having watched the movie in about a month helped my nerves. I think the last couple of screenings that we've had, I was a bit nervous because I had watched the film over and over so many times prior that it made me question myself. But this time around, I was a bit more relaxed and actually wanted to watch the movie since I haven't it seen it in awhile.

Thus we proceeded to Q&A with the Director. Through the advancement of the web, ooVoo (http://www.oovoo.com) was able to broadcast our Q&A session to parties keeping track of the Independent Features Film Festival online. They also recorded greetings, VIP accessed moments, and other segments of the festival.

A couple of hours after our screening and massive late lunch eating (which was moved to Hop Kee in Chinatown, not far from Joe's Shanghai Restaurant since it was so packed), the IFF Fest held their awards ceremony.



After all was said and done, "That Asian Thing" won the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary at the Independent Features Film Festival of 2008!



Thankfully I scribbled a few notes before going to the stage ("just in case..."). I was able to thank everyone that made it possible, but I made a point to thank all the Asian-American artists involved with this project and urged the people to go to our website and find out more info on them. This was important to me because really, I wouldn't have a movie without these people. And I just hope I did them proud...

Moving on to a personal note, this was great but we gotta keep on going! So if you're part of an Asian-American organization and you're interested in having our docmentary screened at a spot near you, please send an inquiry to asianthing@gmail.com. Don't hesitate to inquire and we'll try our best to help out in anyway. We'd like to take this on the road and get more air time at colleges, universities, movie theaters, film festivals, etc. etc.

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Filteany Productions (http://filteany.wordpress.com) for covering our Premiere Screening at Tribeca. It was a pleasure to work with this dynamic duo who took the time to interview people at our screening, as well as myself. They also taped a portion of our Q&A, which now that I've seen it, makes me think I should practice my oration skills a bit. (Sorry...I'm more of a writer...eek!) Please check out their Youtube Channel (http://youtube.com/user/filteany) and website. Here's the segment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDZcKpaisKo

THANKS GUYS! THIS ROCKS! And keep writing, Hazel - your innervoice will shine through paper no matter what. Just keep writing!

IN CLOSING:

Wow - that was fun! Let's do it again! Here's your recap in 3 minutes:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3tXT8i7ZLCM

THANK YOU AGAIN! Let's rock and roll, baby - can't stop now....

WE SOLD OUT AT TRIBECA!

Sorry - I can't hook up any tickets if you weren't able to get them in time. I apologize, but do insist that if you really want in, email the Independent Features Film Festival or Tribeca to see if they have seats hidden on the side (wink, wink).

SEE YOU ON SUNDAY!
~Jonald

THIS SUNDAY!

PLUGS:

When next time you get Korean food (store or restaurant) or if you're active in the Korean/Korean-American community or if you want to read a great newspaper that talks about the Asian-American/Korean-American community, I strongly suggest picking up Korean Quarterly (http://www.koreanquarterly.org/Home.html). Not only for all the fine wines of articles, reviews, and event postings, but because there is a feature article written up about "That Asian Thing" by Ms. Martha Vickery (thanks Martha!). Here's the .pdf of the article, but you should still pick up the newspaper! Enjoy:

[This story was reprinted with permission from Korean Quarterly, an independent non-profit volunteer newspaper of the Korean American community of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and the Upper Midwest. Korean Quarterly's website is: www.koreanquarterly.org]

http://www.geocities.com/mrbrown19/korean-quarterly.pdf

Next on our list are the great blog posting done by the ever popular, Angry Asian Man and Slant Eye for the Round Eye. Check these out and return to them on a daily basis for your Asian-American updates! Thanks guys!

http://www.angryasianman.com/2008/07/that-asian-thing-screening-at-tribeca.html

http://www.slanteyefortheroundeye.com/2008/07/film-that-asian-thing-lands-at-tribeca.html

And last but not least, our good friends at Asiance Magazine has given us a plug under their Daily section. Please check out their website as they focus on the Asian-American women in our society today. (Thanks Jaymie!)

http://asiancemagazine.com/news/2008/07/11/that_asian_thing_screening

Thanks to everyone for thier great support and mention! We are completely, utterly, absolutely, and thoroughly gracious for your words and hope to continue this ride with future projects. Thanks again!

THIS SUNDAY:

Gametime is at 12:30 pm at Theater Uno @ the acclaimed Tribeca. Be there! Get your tickets now (as we're in Limited status):

https://tickets.tribecafilm.com/online/default.asp?brand=cinemas

And stick around for your Director's Q&A. Then if you're hungry for some fine Chinatown eats, we'll be meeting at Joe's Shanghai Restaurant at around 3 pm:

http://www.joeshanghairestaurants.com/

No reservations taken, so just show up and wait in line if need be. We can talk outside too.

This is your captain's log. The truth is still out there....(uh...been watching a couple of episodes of X-Files and Star Trek...sorry). Hope to see y'all this Sunday!

LIMITED STATUS!

Aloha mi amigos -

Floating on Cloud 9 on the way to the Independent Features Film Festival - it'll actually be a return back home for me (Jonald Reyes). If you haven't read up on my bio from our main website (http://www.thatasianthing.com), I grew up in Jersey and going to Tribeca Cinemas is like a dream. What I'm looking forward to is catching up with old friends and families while being able to show them what I've been working on for the last 3 years.

Yes - it's been almost a full 3 years since the conception of "That Asian Thing." If you check our blog archives, it's been quite a journey and I still can't believe we've gotten to show our stuff at Tribeca. AND YES - thanks to all of you, you awesome people you!!

However, I wanted to say the few things -

LIMITED STATUS:

If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, buy them now!! We're on "limited status" according to the Tribeca Cinemas online ticket sales. Therefore, go to here:

https://tickets.tribecafilm.com/online/default.asp?brand=cinemas

Get you and your friends their tickets, and I'll see your coolness at the door. Werd.

AFTER SCREENING MEAL:

Okay - this took a long time to figure out, but the end result is us just bombarding a restaurant that doesn't take reservation. Therefore, after the glimtz and glamour of our screening at Tribeca, we will all go to:

JOE'S SHANGHAI RESTAURANT:

http://www.joeshanghairestaurants.com/

Most likely we'll all meet up there at 3 pm. I suggest carpooling or figuring out how you'll get there after the Q&A and aftermath. Remember - we have NO RESERVATIONS!! Just go afterwards! It's not very far and here's the Citysearch review:

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7113307/new_york_ny/joe_s_shanghai.html

It's the one on Pell Street!! There are 3 other Joe's Shanghai Restaurants - don't get lost or else I won't see you. booo!

Alrighty - this is all for now, boys & gals. Get your tickets, come out to the show, and eat some dumplings with me!!

Do your ticket buying dance!! WOo Ha!!

Howdy boys and gals -

YES! SO WE'VE MADE IT INTO THE INDEPENDENT FEATURES FILM FESTIVAL!!




"But Jonald, all my friends and I want to know how to go about getting tickets?"

Well, no fret, my pretties! Here's your link straight to purchasing tix:

https://tickets.tribecafilm.com/online/default.asp?brand=cinemas

BUY NOW!! Find "That Asian Thing" under the Sunday, July 27th Screenings (12:30 pm) and click on the BUY TICKETS!

I can't hold tickets for anyone, I apologize in advance. I have no power over our ticket sales. If miracles show that we sell out, then email the Independent Features Film Festival and let them know to have another viewing. haha! Let's have'em know "That Asian Thing" is high in demand! YES!

I'm also in the works of possibly setting up an after screening late lunch get together. Planning is being worked on and should be solidified this week. Check here later on for any details. Please come out and play!

Thanks everyone!