Happy Fall everyone! We have a number of screenings this November. You know the drill, take a peek and spread the word:
SANTA CRUZ, CA
WHAT: FREE Screening at UC Santa Cruz WHEN: Wednesday, 11/2 @ 6pm (PST) WHERE: Cervantes and Velasquez Room, Third Floor, Bay Tree Building
Screening followed by discussion with director/producer S. Leo Chiang. Event presented by the Asian American/ Pacific Islander Resource Center.
LINCOLN, NE
WHAT: Screening at the Sheldon Museum of Art WHEN: Tuesday, 11/8 @ 7pm (CDT) WHERE: Sheldon Museum of Art in the Ethel E. Abbott Auditorium @ 12th & R Streets, Lincoln, NE 68588-0300
Screening followed by discussion. For more information, please contact Sharon L. Kennedy, Curator of Cultural and Civic Engagement at (402) 472-3541 or via email at skennedy3@unl.edu.
WHAT: FREE Screening at NYU WHEN: Friday, 11/18 @ 6:30pm – 9:30pm (EST) WHERE: Cantor Film Center at NYU @ 36 E 8th St., Between University Place and Greene St., New York, NY 10003
Screening followed by discussion with Director/Producer S. Leo Chiang. Event presented by The Asian/Pacific/American Institute at New York University.
We are proud to announce that A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES has been nominated for an Emmy Award, in the “Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story – Long Form” category. We are incredibly honored! Check out all the news & documentary Emmy nominees here.
Hope you enjoyed your Fourth of July holiday. After two years of screening A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES, people still approach me and ask, “Where can I see the film?” Today, I have a new answer to that question. Until the end of July, if you have Comcast Cable (a nationwide network), you can watch the film on Comcast On Demand in the comforts of your living room for the bargain price of $1.99!
1. Go to your digital cable menu, click on the “On Demand” button, and then look under the “Movies” folder.
2. Next, there will be a “Movie Collections” folder and inside of this viewers will find “Cinema Asian America.”
3. Click on “Make Do Say Think” folder and you will find Village/Versailles.
4. Click play and enjoy!
If you can’t find the film that way, you can always search for A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES, by typing in the title of the film using your remote control. Or, to add us to your Comcast On Demand cue from your computer, click here to do so.
Also happening this month, I will be traveling to Bahrain to screen the film with the American Documentary Showcase. To keep everyone informed on the latest events, I will be posting frequent updates to our Facebook page and Twitter, so stay tuned.
WHERE: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Room 356-357
Screening followed by panel discussion about how the residents of the region responded to the disaster, but also the ways communities began to rebuild. Panel participants include: S. Leo Chiang; Rebecca Troy-Horton, head of the Government Information Department at the McNeese State University Library in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Frederick Weil, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
Screening followed by a panel discussion comprised of local librarians and community organizers who are featured in the film. The panel discussion will focus on how library resources have helped the community after a crisis and the challenges for a community with the destruction of their local library.
WHERE: Pick up and drop off at W Hotel,333 Poydras Street New Orleans, LA 7013
The tour will be led by Minh Nguyen, the Executive Director of the Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association (VAYLA).
And in July, I am excited to be heading to Bahrain with the American Documentary Showcase, where the American Embassy has invited us to screen the film. The film will screen at the Bahrain Cinema Club on July 10th and 11th. And, on July 12th and 13th, Lois Vossen, Series Producer for PBS Independent Lens, and I will lead a workshop for young Bahraini and Saudi filmmakers emphasizing the power and importance of nonfiction media. The current political climate of Bahrain (to learn more, check out the BBC’s country profile of Bahrain), combined with the themes of community organizing and civic engagement present in A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES, should make for an interesting dialogue with the audience. To keep everyone informed on the latest events, I will be posting frequent updates to our Facebook page and Twitter, so now is a good time to check it out.
A year has passed since the Gulf Coast oil spill, and the BP claims process continues to delay restitution for Vietnamese American fisherpeople. MQVN CDC is once again leading the charge for justice. You can help by signing their petition for a fair and prompt resolution. To learn more, check out this The New York Times article, which features Tuan Nguyen, Deputy Director of MQVN CDC.
Another New Orleans organization featured in A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES, Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association (VAYLA) is celebrating their 5th anniversary with a Heritage and Hope Gala on Saturday, May 21. Join them in paying tribute to those who have empowered and created positive social change for the Asian Pacific Islander American and New Orleans communities.
Finally, we have been invited to participate in the Association of Asian American Studies Conference in New Orleans this month:
NEW ORLEANS, LA
WHAT: Screening/Discussion at the Association of Asian American Studies Conference
WHEN: Thursday, 5/19 @ 4:30-6pm
WHERE: Sheraton Hotel, 500 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, Room: Rhythms 2
Screening followed by panel discussion with Director Leo Chiang; Minh Thanh Nguyen, VAYLA; Diem Nguyen, MQVN CDC; moderated by Linda Trinh Vo, UC Irvine.
WHAT: Asian American Filmmakers Panel at the Association of Asian American Studies Conference
WHEN: Friday, 5/20 @ 1-2:30pm
WHERE: Sheraton Hotel, 500 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, Room: Nottoway
Filmmakers’ Roundtable: Art, Activism, and the Role of Asian American Documentaries in the 21st Century Marketplace. Chair: Larry Hashima, Cal State University-Long Beach; Panel includes Leo Chiang; Deann Borshay Liem, Katahdin Productions; Anita Chang, University of California-Santa Cruz; Russell Jeung, San Francisco State University; Valerie Soe, San Francisco State University.
It’s been a year and a half since A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES began its festival run. We are thrilled and grateful that the film continues to travel, and new audiences continue to learn about the amazing story of the New Orleans Vietnamese American community for the first time.
In March we screened at the South East Asian American Studies Conference, College of San Mateo APA Film Festival, University of Florida, and Harvard University. We appreciate the support we received at each of these screenings. This month, the film will travel to Bali for the Global Social Change Film Festival. So if you happen to be in need of a vacation and find yourself in Bali, make sure to catch the screening!
Here are our April screenings. We will also be updating the website and Facebook page with new screening information as it comes.
ANN ARBOR, MI:
WHAT: University of Michigan Screening
WHEN: Tuesday 4/05 @ 7:00pm-8:30pm
WHERE: North Quad- Multicultural Lounge, 503 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109
Free food provided and Q&A with Director S. Leo Chiang via Skype
CHARLOTTE, NC:
WHAT: FREE UNC Charlotte Screening WHEN: Wednesday 4/06 @ 11:00am-12:00 pm
WHERE: Student Union Room 200, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28223
WHAT: FREE Good Look Film Festival
WHEN: Wednesday 4/13-17
WHERE:
Mission High School, 3750 18th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94114
California College of the Arts, 5212 Broadway, Oakland, CA, 94618
MILWAUKEE, WI:
WHAT: FREE UWM Screening
WHEN: Thursday 4/14 @ 6:00pm
WHERE: Union Fireside Lounge, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd, Milwaukee, WI, 53201
NEW ORLEANS, LA:
WHAT: FREE Community Screening @ The Green Project
WHEN: Thursday 4/21 @ 7:00p,-10:00pm
WHERE: The Green Project, 2831 Marais Street, New Orleans, LA, 70117
BERKELEY, CA:
WHAT: FREE UC Berkeley Screening
WHEN: Thursday 4/28 @ 7:30pm-9:30pm
WHERE: 2060 Valley Life Sciences Building, Bancroft Way and Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA, 94704
The American Library Association has selected A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES as one of 15 Notable Videos for Adults 2011. The list includes “15 outstanding programs released on video within the past two years and suitable for all libraries serving adults. Its purpose is to call attention to recent video releases that make a significant contribution to the world of video recordings.”
Please share this info with your local university and public librarians and ask them to make the film available for the public!
Hi folks. Our director, Leo Chiang, is participating in the HandsOn Network’s MLK Day of Service event–America’s Sunday Supper. You will be able to watch the live webcast through the embedded video player on Sunday 1/16 at 6pm Eastern Time. Hope you can join us.
Following a brief hiatus over the holiday season, A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES is charging full steam ahead into 2011. We are excited to share with you that HandsOn Network, the volunteer-focused arm of Points of Light Institute and the largest volunteer network in the country, has chosen to include our film in their Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service 2011 events throughout January!
Starting this week, A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES will be presented in over 50 free Community Cinema screenings across the country. In partnership with ITVS, Campus Kitchens Project and the North Carolina Campus Compact, HandsOn Network will support cross cultural dialogue as an avenue for social change through the use of documentary film and organized service projects around the country. Each event will include a free public screening of our film, and a service project will be introduced where people can plug in and get involved in their local communities.
Secondly, Leo, our director, has been asked to participate in a panel, alongside Arianna Huffington and Olympic legend Carl Lewis, at the special America’s Sunday Supper event at the Newseum in DC on the eve of MLK Day. The panel will discuss ways to engage communities and to take action for a more just world. The event will webcast live via Livestream at 6 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 16th.
Please take part in this inspiring opportunity. Below, we have listed a several Community Cinema screenings that are already scheduled, but you can find the complete list of participating cities here. All screenings are FREE and open to the public. We will also be updating ourwebsite and Facebook page with new screening information as it comes. And don’t forget to tune in to the liveAmerica’s Sunday Supper webcast event!
ST. PAUL, MN:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema w/ HandsOn Twin Cities
WHEN: Wednesday 1/12 @ 7pm
WHERE: Lowry Lab Theater, 350 St. Peter Street, St. Paul, MN
The screening will be followed by a facilitated interactive discussion to reflect on the film and highlight related volunteer opportunities within the St. Paul community.
FRESNO, CA:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema w/ HandsOn Central California
WHEN: Sunday 1/16 @ 1 pm
WHERE: Revue Cafe, 620 E. Olive Ave., Fresno
Please contact pmurillo (at) handsoncentralcal (d0t) org for more info.
NEVADA, MO:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Cottey College
WHEN: Sunday 1/16 @ 2:30 pm
WHERE: 1000 W. Austin, Nevada, Missouri 64772
Dr. Sonia Cowen, executive director of the Institute for Women’s Leadership and Social Responsibility, will lead a discussion following the film.
CHARLOTTE, NC:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema w/ HandsOn Charlotte
WHEN: Sunday 1/16 @ 6 pm
WHERE: Actor’s Theater Charlotte, 650 East Stonewall Street
and
WHEN: Monday 1/17 @ 11 am
WHERE: Grady Cole Center, 310 N Kings Dr
CLEVELAND, OH:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema w/ HandsOn Northeast Ohio
WHEN: Monday 1/17 @ 10 am
WHERE: Broadway Boys & Girls Club, 6114 Broadway, Cleveland
WILMINGTON, DE:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Theater N
WHEN: Monday 1/17 @ 11:30 am
WHERE: Theater N-Nemours Bldg, 11th & Tatnall Sts., Wilmington, DE
ROCKY MOUNT, NC:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ N. Carolina Wesleyan College
WHEN: Monday 1/17 @ 1:30 pm
WHERE: Dunn Ctr for the Performing Arts, 3400 N. Wesleyan Blvd.
Please email bjrobinson (at) ncwc (dot) edu for more info.
AMES, IA:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Ames Public Library Auditorium
WHEN: Monday 1/17 @ 2-4 pm
WHERE: Ames Public Library, 515 Douglass Ave, Ames, IA
ASHEVILLE, NC:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ UNC Asheville
WHEN: Tuesday 1/18 @ 12:30 pm
WHERE: Highsmith University Union’s Alumni Hall, 1 University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804
For more info, you can call (828) 251-6585.
ASHEVILLE, NC:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Mars Hill College
WHEN: Tuesday 1/18 @ 7 pm
WHERE: Belk Auditorium, 100 Athletic St, Mars Hill College
WINSTON-SALEM, NC:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Wake Forest Univ.
WHEN: Tuesday 1/18 @ 7 pm
WHERE: Annenberg Forum, Carswell Hall, Wake Forest Univ
VANCOUVER, WA:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Clark College
WHEN: Wednesday 1/19 @ 11 am
WHERE: Penguin Student Lounge, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA
DEARBORN, MI:WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Univ of Michigan-Dearborn
WHEN: Thursday 1/20 @ 5 pm
WHERE: Rm 1225, University Center, 4901 Evergreen Rd., Dearborn, MI
PULLMAN, WA:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Washington State University
WHEN: Thursday 1/20 @ 6 pm
WHERE: CUB Auditorium, Washington State Univ
BIG RAPIDS, MI:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Ferris State University
WHEN: Thursday 1/20 @ 7 pm
WHERE: Business Bldg Rm 111, Big Rapids
SPOKANE, WA:
WHAT: FREE MLK Community Cinema @ Gonzaga Univ
WHEN: Friday 1/21 @ 7 pm
WHERE: Jepson Wolff Auditorium, 502 E. Boone Ave., Spokane, WA
Call 509.313.4037 for more info.
And we continue to screen at Universities and Colleges around the country. Here’s an upcoming screening at Santa Clara University:
SANTA CLARA, CA
WHAT: Screening @ Santa Clara University
WHEN: Monday 1/24 @ 6:30-9 pm
WHERE: Recital Hall (Center for Performing Arts/Musica and Dance Building), 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053
Cornell United Religious Work, the campus interfaith organization, is bringing out Father Vien and director Leo Chiang out for two days of wonderful programming in addition to the film screening. Check out the web page for more info.
Registration is required. The festival is a part of the APHA Annual Meeting that explores international public health issues.
Leo has also been invited to show the film on Tue 11/9 at University of Maryland (Dr. Larry Shinagawa’s Asian American Studies class @ 9:30a-10:45a) and University of San Francisco (my dear friend & collaborator Johnny Symons’ documentary studies class @ 6:30p-10p).
I wanted to update you on my latest film project commissioned by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) about Joseph Cao, the first Vietnamese-American Congressman. We just began the editing process, and will continue to follow Congressman Cao through the upcoming November election. Look for the film next Spring on PBS, and we’ll of course keep you updated on any developments.
I also wanted to announce that one of our partner organizations, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), is celebrating its 20th anniversary and presenting the AAPIP National Philanthropy Summit: Building Democratic Philanthropy on October 20, 2010. This free Summit will include the premiere of a new video about philanthropy and democracy, as well as remarks from key philanthropic leaders, and will be broadcast live on the web, as well as at ‘viewing parties’ in a dozen cities. Check it out and RSVP today!
Finally, I wanted to share some information about exciting recent A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES screenings and upcoming events everywhere from Michigan to Mexico, California to Delaware. I just got back from presenting the film at the Imagem dos Povos festival in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and our Associate Producer, Brittney Shepherd sent this note about her recent A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES screenings in Vietnam!:
Throughout the summer months, A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES had the chance to screen in Hanoi as a part of the Hanoi Cinematheque’s series, Vietnam on Film. Appealing mostly to foregin tourists in Hanoi, the screenings compelled many to take the story of Versailles back to their home countries.
And in late August, I screened the film at the Goethe Institute as a part of their educational screening series. A sold out screening to a local Vietnamese audience led to a compelling Q&A following the film.
This screening is part of the Delaware State University’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences’ day and a half symposium titled “Five Years Later: Hurricane Katrina and Global Disasters in the 21st Century.”
WHAT: FREE Screenings at the Pacific Rim Film Festival
WHEN: Saturday 10/16 @ 4pm, Tuesday 10/19 @ 1pm
WHERE: Sat.- Del Mar Theatre, 1124 Pacific Avenue; Tues.- Rio Theate, 1205 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
INFO: http://www.pacrimfilmfestival.org/films/village-called-versailles
Director S. Leo Chiang, Associate Producers Eva Moss and Brittney Shepherd to attend.
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO:WHAT: DOCSDF Film Festival in Mexico City, Mexico
WHEN: Friday 10/22 @ 5pm, Saturday 10/23 @ 2pm, Sunday 10/24 @ 1:30pm
WHERE: Fr.- SALA LUMIÈRE, Sat.- CINE LIDO, Sun.- JAIMA CIUDAD UNIVERSITARIA, Mexico City, Mexico
INFO: http://www.docsdf.com/
The five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is upon us and I wanted you to know about the incredible work being done on the Gulf Coast to repair past and current damages. If you haven’t yet visited the sites of the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation & Vietnamese American Young Leaders Assn.- New Orleans, please do so. We also recently partnered with VietUnity and their new group, Viet Gulf Coast Solidarity Network, for a screening of A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES. VGCSN is an Oakland-based grassroots organization working to aid the Vietnamese people of the Gulf Coast. If you are interested in knowing more about their organization and how you can help, join their facebook page, or email: vietgcsn@gmail.com.
Dozens of organizations and media groups have been trying to bring awareness to the current devastation in the Gulf Coast and how it is related to what happened five years ago. We wanted to share a few of the informative and poignant pieces we’ve found:
“I felt a compelling need to promote social change,” says Republican Rep. Joseph Cao. “I thought the best possible way for me to do that was to become politically involved.”
“Thuong Nguyen, a Louisiana shrimp fisherman, survived a treacherous trip from Vietnam and Hurricane Katrina. But now he worries that he may not make it through the gulf oil spill.”
I also wanted to let you know we have three A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES screenings coming up: two in San Francisco and one in North Carolina. Our associate producer, Brittney Shepherd also recently screened AVCV at the Goethe-Institut in Hanoi, Vietnam. Look for her comments on how it went in our next newsletter. Upcoming screening details:
Producer/Director Leo Chiang to present, along with Tin Nguyen, a Charlotte-based attorney and activist who has worked with Gulf Coast Vietnamese-American fisherfolk.
A new short film shows how the youth in Versailles stepped up to lead after Hurricane Katrina. The video includes Minh Nguyen of VAYLA (Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans) and Mary Tran of MQVN-CDC (Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation):
This is a press release of the pro-bono law clinics for the Vietnamese American fisherfolk impacted by the oil spill. Please note and support the organizations doing this important work at this time of need.
VABA-DC Joins Coalition of Non-Profits To Establish Volunteer Law Corps and Hold Pro-Bono Vietnamese-Language Legal Clinics For Oil Spill Disaster Victims in the Gulf Coast.
In response to the urgent legal needs of the Vietnamese American community affected by the BP Oil Spill Disaster, VABA-DC has joined forces with various national and local community organizations and bar associations to hold two bilingual legal aid clinics for Vietnamese American fishermen in the Gulf Coast on June 25-26, 2010.
“VABA-DC is committed to serving the legal needs of the Vietnamese American community,” said Mai T. Pham, VABA-DC President. “It is critical for us to be part of this important effort to protect the rights and interests of the Vietnamese American community along the Gulf Coast and their way of life.”
The legal clinics will provide language access, information, and legal assistance to approximately one thousand Vietnamese American fishermen regarding BP claims policy and procedures. The clinics will be staffed by a team of 26 Vietnamese American attorney and law student volunteers from various bar associations and community organizations across the U.S. Of those, five are VABA-DC members.
“The outpouring of support from individuals and organizations across the country has been extraordinary,” said Mai Phan, a former Biloxi native, former president of the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California and the project’s lead organizer. “During this time of crisis, Vietnamese-American attorneys and law students across the country have answered the call of service, dedicating their time and efforts to protect the rights and interests of thousands of community members.”
The large-scale legal clinics project highlights the tradition of service established by community advocates and organizations in bringing professionals of various backgrounds to the region to serve those in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The project is supported by Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao, who is scheduled to stop by the New Orleans clinic on Saturday.
VABA-DC is the only Vietnamese American Bar Association on the East Coast, representing over 100 Vietnamese American attorneys and law students in the area. Its mission is to promote the professional growth and advancement of Vietnamese American attorneys, encourage and facilitate the entry of Vietnamese American students into the legal profession, contribute to the public interest by serving as a voice for the local Vietnamese American community and assist community members with legal concerns.
Clinics Schedule:
Biloxi, Mississippi
When: Friday, June 25th 1-5pm
Where: Biloxi Community Development Department Auditorium
676 Martin Luther King Blvd, Biloxi. MS
New Orleans, Louisiana
When: Saturday, June 26th: 9am-5pm Where: Mary Queen of Viet Nam School
14001 Dwyer Blvd, New Orleans, LA
Did you know that between 30-50% of the fishermen along the Gulf Coast are South East Asians, especially ethnic Vietnamese? A comprehensive article on CNN.com today delves into the impact of the oil spill on the Vietnamese American fisherfolks & families on the Gulf Coast, many of whom are from Versailles. Read about how the community is responding from Father Vien, Tuan Nguyen from Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corp (MQVN-CDC), and Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao. Community activist Celine Tran speaks about the impact on the Biloxi Vietnamese American families. The article also has a nice shout out to A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES.
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