Podcasts about caamfest

Send us a Text Message.Owl is a film that debuted at CAAMFest this year about a woman who returns home to Oakland to care for her ailing father, and her problems quickly become much bigger than she ever expected. Director/writer/co-producer Julian Pham and co-producer/lead talent/musician Marica Petrey join us to share how the idea for this film stemmed from a picture Julian took of Marica, their pride in highlighting Oakland and finding beauty in the grittiness of the city, the reason behind their eclectic choices in music styles, and some great advice for budding filmmakers.Follow director/writer/co-producer Julian Pham on IGFollow co-producer/talent/musician Marica Petrey on IGFollow Marica's band Girl Swallows Nightingale on IGSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 11 years, recorded 800+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

We're celebrating CAAMFest (Center for Asian American Media) 2024 with two films about young women athletes!Home Court is a documentary that follows Ashley Chea, a basketball prodigy and first generation Cambodian-American, as she navigates recruitment, injury, and generational trauma. We are joined by director Erica Tanamachi and producer Jenn Lee Smith who share their excitement in telling a story about Asian American sport leagues, showing a positive relationship between a player and her coach, prioritizing people on and off camera, and working with two Bitch Talk favorites, Lisa Ling and Ruby Ibarra.The documentary Ashima follows a year in the life of 13 year-old Ashima Shiraishi, one of the world's youngest elite rock climbers, as she travels with her father/coach from New York to South Africa in the hopes of becoming the youngest climber to conquer a V14 boulder (in the climbing world, this is an elite ranked climb). Director Kenji Tsukamoto and producer Minji Chang share their decade long journey into getting this film made, Kenji's intimate filmmaking experience that involved living with the family, and Ashima's reaction to watching the film ten years later.Follow Home Court on IGFollow director Erica Tanamachi on IGFollow producer Jenn Lee Smith on IGFollow Ashima on IGFollow director Kenji Tsukamoto on IGFollow producer Minji Chang on IGSupport the Show.Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 11 years, recorded 800+ episodes, and won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 and 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

The 42nd annual CAAMFest kicks off tomorrow, May 9, in The City.   In this bonus episode, meet CAAM's Festival and Exhibitions Director, Thuy Tran. Hear about how Thuy ended up in San Francisco and working at CAAM, the history of this Asian-American media organization, and this year's film, food, and music festival, which runs through May 19.   Visit the CAAMFest website for more details.

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Join Powerleegirl hosts Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee and Ayame Keane-Lee, a mother daughters team. They are celebrating Asian American Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage month.They talk with artists and activists who are telling their stories in so many different ways. Artists from the annual United States of Asian America festival, including artistic director, Melanie Elvena, storyteller Nancy Wang, and musician, Scott Oshiro. Jalena learns about the POC Food and Wine festival from Director Gina Mariko Rosalis and talks with Thuy Tran about CAAMfest, Asian American film festival. Miko speaks with Cyn Choi from Stop AAPI Hate.   Events Covered in this APEX Episode May 2-5, 2024  POC Food & Wine Festival @cielcreativespace, Berkeley & @fouroneninesf, San Francisco, CA April 25-June 23, 2024 United States of Asian American Festival various locations throughout SF. Including performers such as Eth-Noh-Tec and Scott Oshiro May 9-19, 2024 CAAMfest various locations throughout the Bay Area. May 10-12th, 2024 After The War Blues Z Space May 16-June 1, 2024, DARKHEART – A Concert Narrative by Golda Sargento at Bindlestiff Studio Stop AAPI Hate campaign Spread AAPI Love   Additional Events: May 10-12, 2024 After The War Blues at Z Space May 31, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sacramento AAPI NIGHT MARKET   SHOW Transcripts Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express. Asian Pacific Expression Community and cultural coverage. Music and calendar. New visions and voices. Coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   Miko Lee: [00:00:34] Good evening. You're tuned into apex express. We're bringing you an Asian American Pacific Islander view from the Bay and around the world. We are your hosts, Miko Lee and Jalena Keane-Lee, the PowerLeeGirls, a mother-daughter team. Tonight we are talking about Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month and all of the amazing events that you can experience. We meet with artists and activists who are telling their stories in so many different ways. We hear from the artists from the annual United States of Asian America festival, including artistic director, Melanie Elvena storyteller, Nancy Wang, and musician Scott Oshiro. Jalena learns about the POC food and wine festival from director Gina Mariko Rosales and talks with Thúy Trần about CAAMFest an Asian American film festival. And I hear from Cinci from StopAAPIHate. First up, we're going to hear about all the amazing artists behind the 27th annual United States of Asian America festival.   Hello, Artistic Director Melanie Elvena from Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center. We're so glad to have you on Apex Express.   Melanie Elvena: [00:01:44] Hello, everyone. Thank you so much, Miko, for having me here today and letting me talk about our festival.   Miko Lee: [00:01:49] This is the 27th year of the United States of Asian America Festival, which is stunning to me, already 27 years. Tell us about the theme this year, Be(long)ing Here.   Melanie Elvena: [00:02:02] Yeah, it's crazy to believe that it's 27 years. It's also my 10th year with APIC. And our theme this year is Be(long)ing Here which asks us what it means to be, Here, what it means to belong here, but also what are we longing here? Actually, I created this theme with our previous festival coordinator who unfortunately passed away in October, but he came here from San Diego and was just blown away by the richness of the AAPI arts community and our culture and our history. We just wanted together to reflect on where we have been, where we are now, And just what our collective future holds while acknowledging our backgrounds as immigrants, as refugees, mixed race descendants, and just really wanting to dive into what it means to belong. I think a lot of us as AAPI community members are folks who immigrated here, we're always looking for our home and our place where we can feel safe and belong, especially with everything going on right now in the world politically, the war in Gaza, a lot of us have even just in our own AAPI community, have lost a lot of community members. We're going through this moment of grief and reflecting upon our time in the pandemic, where we also just lost a lot of there was just so much death, right? What does that mean now in this current moment? Every year we try to come up with a theme that, you know, reflects upon us. What we're experiencing as Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders. And also what do we see for ourselves in the future?   Miko Lee: [00:03:21] Thank you for sharing Melanie. I'm so sorry to hear about your colleague. That's heartbreaking and you're right. We are living in such a time of immense grief. It is powerful how we can use arts and cultural events to enrich us and bring our spirits back to ourselves. Can you talk about the breadth of the festival and what people can expect?   Melanie Elvena: [00:03:40] Of course. So every year we have multiple events. , this year I believe we have 22 different events. It showcases all disciplines, theater, music, dance, film, literature, visual arts, many, many more. There's even culinary events and we have artists of all different disciplines, AAPI backgrounds, represented and, it goes from May through June. There's a little bit of something for everyone but I just want to talk a little bit about our featured events. Our first event is a kickoff celebration for the festival, but it's also an opening reception for our annual arts exhibition. This year, I worked with Independent curator Delaney Chieyen Holton, and they curated this exhibition called Where is Your Body and for them they are exploring how the body is the lowest common denominator for solidarity and thinking about the body and our vulnerabilities. What does it mean to have a body, especially as someone who identifies as AAPI, a person of color, queer, for us, we're always negotiating what the body means, for ourselves out in the world. There's a handful of artists and that's going to open on April 25th. Then the exhibition will run through May 24th at SOMArts cultural center. So we would love for everyone to come and see the show. Another event that we're highlighting. We have two featured. the first one is Megan Lowe Dances from May 31st through June 9 at The Joe Goode Annex called Just a Shadow. Megan is bringing together seven artists to make six different duets. It's about pretty much celebrating life, but also acknowledging grief and the memory of loved ones and resilience. For Megan, who personally has experienced a lot of loss in the last handful of years, she's using this piece to reflect upon everyone's collective grief that we've all been experiencing. Our next featured artist is Ramon Abad, who's doing an immersive theater experience for children and families at Bindlestiff Studios called Duck Soup. He has shows from June 8th through June 15th. I really love about Ramon's work is, he works with puppets and brings in children and youth to tell their own stories. There's going to be multiple stories with different youth, and they're going to be able to tell them to an audience and to have families involved, especially in San Francisco, where there's not as many programming for children. We wanted to highlight Ramon and be like, San Francisco is a place where families can thrive and have a space and with his art with his theater his puppetry. It brings to life, the humor, the joy, but also some of the hard things that we have to go through, especially through the perspective of youth and of children.   Miko Lee: [00:05:58] What is a collaborative event that you're doing this year that you're excited about?   Melanie Elvena: [00:06:02] Yeah, so We're collaborating with Sunday Streets Tenderloin to do an outdoor showcase from 1 to 4pm on June 23rd It's a street fair, two blocks on Golden Gate Avenue in the Tenderloin between Jones and Hyde Streets. We're so excited to have this partnership again with Sunday Streets and Livable City. We're going to have a whole afternoon of performances from both artists, as well as Tenderloin artists and local artists. Our Artists we're featuring is dNaga Dance Co., Johnny Huy Nguyễn & Tim Kim, Sun Park, as well as Swetha Prabakaran Productions with Nirmathi. We're just so excited for this day because last year we had such a good time. We brought the stage to this street fair and people from all walks of life came to enjoy as well as a lot of families and youth. It was just like a beautiful day where folks could just come and enjoy as well as take advantage of the free services that they had. The street fair offered, especially when we talk about the tenderloin and all the issues and problems you think of homelessness substance abuse and all those things. But, for one day, there was just like this beautiful time where everybody was just enjoying and being each other's company. That's the real San Francisco. I think that's the real beauty that we have here. The real richness and what it means to experience art together. It really brings people together and it brings some healing. I'm super excited to have this again and can't wait to be out there.   Miko Lee: [00:07:20] Thank you so much APICC, for continuing to show up and provide us with a varied experience of what it means to be Asian American for curating such an amazing event. We really appreciate your work. People can have access to all of these amazing adventures with APICC and a greater understanding of belonging here by looking at the website, which we will link to on our apex express site at KPFA. Next up, listen to elements of freedom from Scott Oshiro Part of Afro Asian futures playing Saturday, May 18th. As part of the United States of Asian America Festival.   MUSIC   That was Scott Oshiro from Afro Asian Futures playing the song Elements of Freedom. This will also be part of the United States of Asian America Festival.   Welcome Nancy Wang from Eth-Noh-Tec to Apex Express.   Nancy Wang: [00:10:18] Thank you. Thank you, Miko. Miko Lee: [00:10:20] We are so happy to have you, and I understand that Ethnotech is going to be part of APICC United States of Asian America Festival. Can you tell me about what work you're going to be presenting in APICC Festival?   Nancy Wang: [00:10:34] Yes, my piece is called Shadows & Secrets, and it's about my grandfather's death in 1924. We had all been brought up to think it was an accident, although my grandmother accused her own brother of murdering him, so no one took her really seriously, but I began to notice inconsistencies around what was going on at the time of his death. And so I've been doing a lot of research and I've come up with too many suspicious circumstances around his death. I agree with her. I think it was murder. And so my piece is about trying to find in this cold case, uh, Who could have been the murder. There are four suspects I have found, and maybe they all did it together, or maybe they all wanted to do it, but this is what this piece is about and it's multidisciplinary. So there's going to be media behind it with different photos of this restaurant. He was a very famous restaurateur in Chicago. I have six other actors who are going to do the parts. It's going to be a stage radio play genre. So it's kind of exciting with all the Foley sounds. It's going to be at the Mission Cultural Center on May 4th and 5th. May 4th at 6:30pm. and May 5th at 2pm. In addition to that, we're doing an art exhibit at 447 Minna, because there's an artist in New York, Chee Wang Ng, who has been collecting various memorabilia of Chinese restaurants in that era of the early 1900s. It is going to be really interesting to see the lavishness of the restaurants at that time, east of the Mississippi river, because both. non Chinese and Chinese were very, very much in love with Chau Sui. If they could afford it, they went to these lavish restaurants.   Miko Lee: [00:12:20] And how is the exhibit connected to your work?   Nancy Wang:[00:12:24]  Because my grandfather had one of those lavish restaurants in Chicago. He was known as the, Prince of Merchandom or the wealthiest Chinaman in the Midwest. Because of his fame and his ability to draw in like the upper crust of the lo fan or the European Americans who came to his restaurant and were loyal to him. He had more than one restaurant and they were all very lavish. You'd have opera singers and violinists from Russia. And he had a 10, 000 organ in his restaurant and he had, uh, organ player every night besides bringing in special guests. So it was really very lavish, but very suspect as to what else was going on. Everyone's dead. So I can say what I need to say. [Laughs].   Miko Lee: [00:13:14] This feels like a new genre for Eth-Noh-Tec in terms of doing a radio play and an art gallery. How, what does it feel like to expand into a new kind of medium?   Nancy Wang: [00:13:24] We saw the Ross Valley players put on a stage radio play and it was so interesting. I just love the idea of it. And it also saves the actors from having to memorize because they get to use their scripts since it's supposed to be a radio show. They all get to play different characters, so they have to find different stances and different voices, so it's a challenge for them. so it really simplifies and at the same time is really interesting and exciting.   Miko Lee: [00:13:50] I'm excited to see it because mostly your work is movement oriented. Many different forms of Asian, traditional dance forms that are moved in this storytelling style, so it will be very fun to see a new kind of work. Can you talk a little bit about how your show fits into the festival's theme of belonging here?   Nancy Wang: [00:14:09] I think, everything that happens whether they're part of the Tong Wars or they're part of, just trying to make a living, survive, it's all about trying to belong here. Even if the Tongs are at war, it's about territory. It's about saying, no, this is where I live. This is my territory. I belong here. So it's always about trying to make sure that your own way of life is going to be grounded in some kind of permanency, trying to make sure that you get to stay in this country. So, whether you have to, you end up doing it illegally, It's still about trying to stake out where you belong. That's how I see it.   Miko Lee: [00:14:51] And lastly, Nancy, talk to me about what Asian American Pacific Islander Native Hawaiian Heritage Month means to you.   Nancy Wang: [00:14:59] Well, you know, it should be our heritage all year round, but in this time that the federal government has put aside for us, , it's a way to really hone in on here we are. This is who we are. This is what we're capable of doing. This is how we think. This is how we express ourselves. We belong. Please understand. We're not foreigners forever. We have been here for seven to eight generations already. So how can you say we don't belong? This is our world. This is our country too. It's really important for us to use this time to celebrate who we are. And hopefully that the rest of the country, who are not Asian, Get to understand that and somehow create the bridge that will connect us all in some way so that diversity is celebrated rather than something to fear.   Miko Lee: [00:15:52] Nancy Wang, thank you so much. Looking forward to seeing your show as part of APICCFestival. Thank you.   Nancy Wang: [00:15:58] Thank you, Miko, for having me on your show.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:16:00] I am here with Gina Mariko Rosales and so excited to talk about the POC Food and Wine Festival. Thank you so much for joining us on Apex Express.   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:16:10] Yeah, I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for having me.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:16:14] Can you tell us a little bit about the festival and what listeners can expect if they are to attend?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:16:20] Been a long time event planner, producer. We've been doing a ton of work in the Filipino community in San Francisco for over seven years. So one of our biggest festivals has been Undiscovered SF, this Filipino night market. And it's been so beautiful for us to be producing that event. But I've really had this desire to build with more multicultural communities. And so that's how this idea of POC Food and Wine was born, was really wanting to bring together multicultural communities in food, beverage, art, music and how do we bring all these folks together to build something that's bigger than any one of us? How do we share knowledge resources across our communities? So POC Food and Wine Festival is launching. It's a four day festival and we're featuring all kinds of different events, but our main event is happening on saturday May 4th. So it's the main dish where we're featuring pairings so like tastings from amazing award winning chefs. It's paired with POC winemakers, spirits, non alcoholic drinks, and beverage brands. And then of course, Make it Mariko, we always do music really big in everything we do. So of course there's going to be tons of amazing DJs and live music performers. But there's really something for everyone. You want that festival vibe, you want our after party vibe, you can come to that or we have these really amazing family meals where it's like more of the traditional sit down, coursed out, dinner service.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:17:45] So exciting. And for people who don't know, why is it particularly important to highlight POC winemakers and food creators? What is it about those fields that makes it difficult for people to rake into?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:17:57] In the mainstream spaces and all of those industries so many of these festivals, a lot of the smaller batch winemakers or just folks who don't maybe have PR agencies, they don't really get access to a lot of these festivals. And even when POC folks do get access. A lot of the time it costs a ton of money for these chefs to come and present at some of these festivals. And so that's not accessible to a lot of people who may be really amazing chefs but don't have the budget for that. So our whole goal with our festival was to create a space that was highlighting folks who don't necessarily typically get access to these big festival spaces and how do we do it accessibly for them so they can really come and be a part of it.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:18:41] And speaking of accessibility, I feel like wine sometimes can be something that it feels like, you know, there's a lot of clout around it or maybe some studying or something that's needed. Can you talk a little bit about the space around wine and inclusion in that field?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:18:57] Totally. I mean, so I'm a wine lover. I love drinking wine. I love going to wine bars. I just got back from Calistoga last week. , but sometimes the reality is a lot of these wine spaces for people of color may not feel accessible or safe or welcoming. A lot of them are, but I've definitely been to a lot of spaces where I've kind of been ignored. Or maybe I'm the only person of color in the room. Maybe you've even had the experience of feeling, getting shushed at a winery or a wine event. And that just, to me, doesn't feel comfortable. It doesn't feel like home. So we really wanted to create a wine studio. space that feels more comfortable and accessible. Even just playing music that we like, little things like that make people feel comfortable in a space like I can come as my authentic self.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:19:42] That's so true. I think a lot of times the culture around wine can feel a bit stuffy and exclusionary. For someone who's not sure about wine, what would you say to them about reduced barriers to entry to be a connoisseur or an appreciator of wine?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:19:58] This festival is a perfect way to get introduced to that culture and start to feel comfortable there people who love drinking wine But maybe don't they don't consider themselves like a wine person because they don't have knowledge about it Because we're creating these pairings for you So we're gonna be telling you like here's this bite this amazing tasting from this chef and we paired it with this drink for these Reasons, so why don't you try it out and see how you feel how you like it and if you don't then that's fine like at least you're learning something and you're getting your, foot in the door and, learning how to even do a wine tasting. So we'll be sharing some tips like that for people before they go to the festival like, all right, here's some things that you might want to know about and here's how you can taste at a wine festival. Here's how you can spit at a wine festival. Here's what these buckets are for. So we're going to help try to introduce people to that culture and make it, you know, less scary.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:20:51] How did you first connect with wine and what was that experience like?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:20:56] My dad loves drinking wine and he would always drink like the darkest, richest red wines. And so when I would taste it, I was like, I do not like this. This is gross. I started drinking my first foray into wine was like really sweet wines, like Gewürztraminer and the more I got into it, my palate started developing and I was like, okay, I'm starting to like this now and now I like this. And it changed. So I actually took a sabbatical from my company after like a really bad burnout after COVID and I got a received a wine scholarship to this program that gave me an introduction to wine that I could actually now learn and study it and that gave me so much inspiration to be like, Oh, this is something that I can do. This is accessible to me and now I'm just educating myself. And there's so many of these kinds of scholarships available for people who are. excited or curious about wine and just want to get into it and make it more of a passion. So we really want to introduce those to folks too.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:21:57] Wow. That's so incredible. When you're talking about who you want to come to the event, can you talk a little bit more about that of who would be the ideal audience for this event and who, or what are you hoping that they bring with them?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:22:11] Yeah, that's a great question. Of course, we really want those like wine lovers, wine connoisseurs, folks who are, even studying wine, going up for the WCET, or, even like high class sommeliers who are really lovers of wine and understand it really deeply because some of the winemakers we are featuring are just wine Amazing, amazing winemakers with very delicious wine. So the wine pro is welcome here and we'll have an amazing time, especially with the pairings. But The like, entry, I'm just curious about wine, and really I just like, love music and festivals in general, like you are absolutely welcome here, because who doesn't love food, first of all? People all love really delicious food and drinks, so that's gonna be there for you. Some of the other people that we'd love to come or even people who just love music. I love music. I love culture. I love dancing. That is going to be on display throughout the week. So we have some of the best DJs, not even just in the Bay Area, but in the world that are going to be showcasing and spinning at the events. There'll be line dancing galore. So even if that's more of your jam, you're going to have an amazing time too. Another group that might be really excited about coming and that we really want to come to the festival are industry people. So if you are a person who's actively working in the food, beverage, hospitality events or entertainment industry, like we want you to come. Friday night we're hosting a special event. special sip and scratch industry night reception just for the people who are working in the industry. And we're going to be hosting like a really amazing industry roundtable discussion where we want to like get people's thoughts and ideas. How do we help improve diversity in these industries? Who's out there doing it really well? What are some ideas of what we could do better? And how can we come together as the industry? Fellow folks in the industries and, you know, work together to improve that. So that's something that I'm really excited about too. We really just want to have a community conversation. Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:24:12] That's great. And you know, this is a mother-daughter radio show. And you know, my mom thought that this was more my lane, but I'm curious what you think about the parents and older generations coming through too.   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:24:23] Oh my gosh, absolutely. Mother's Day is coming up. And we really love the idea of people buying tickets for their moms or chosen moms or aunties or dads or whoever, and bring your family to this event. It's really going to be a super family friendly. Festival where you can come, bring your parents, do all the tastings together, dance a little. I invited my parents to the after party last year Brown is Beautiful and they had an amazing time and we're just like dancing up a storm. So I definitely encourage people like make this a family friendly day and invite them.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:24:57] I love that. And I'm so glad that you're bringing this event to the Bay and that, you know, all of these world renowned people are going to be here in our hometown. And of course, there's so much wine production that happens nearby us as well. What is special about the Bay Area informing the idea of the event and your own worldview?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:25:17] I mean, I am a Bay girl born and raised. So I was born in Pacifica and raised in Daly City, San Francisco, Berkeley, you know, so I've been around the Bay and I probably will be for the rest of my life. So I just. Love it here so much. I love the creativity of people, the diversity of people and diversity of thought out here. So of course, like the festival is really highlighting the best of the Bay and we're really focusing on What are some of the amazing diverse creatives that are building here currently? What is it that makes the Bay the amazing place that it is? And highlighting some of those key businesses throughout. So they're going to come and give you tastings at the festival, but some of them have beautiful brick and mortars that really do need support outside of that. So that's one of our big goals too, is like, how do we just introduce people to new spaces that they never knew of before? Because we all know that we get stuck in our little pockets of places, even me, sometimes it's hard to get even out of like Excelsior and Soma in San Francisco, but how do we challenge ourselves to find new spaces outside of our comfort zones and then become part of a bigger community and expand our community.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:26:28] Yeah, I'm so glad, and that definitely happens to me too. I'll get this idea that nothing happens here, and then I'm like, girl, you're the one that's been inside, like, all this time.   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:26:38] The thing, too, is like ever since COVID, the pandemic, we got so comfortable in these little niche spaces. And that's okay. You know, we went through trauma together, but now it's time for us to really explore and expand. And I think that doing this multicultural festival really challenges us to meet new people, meet new restaurants, meet new small businesses that we can support, and connecting people is one of the biggest goals of our festival.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:27:02] Yeah, and what have been some of the unique challenges that you have faced and overcome when it comes to making a multicultural festival in this place and time?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:27:11] Oh, man, it's definitely, it's definitely been a journey, but one I'm really, honored to be on. First off, we're long time festival producers, but new to the wine industry. And so that was really a big hump and I had to kind of get over was figuring out my way. Who's the who's who of the industry? Who's already doing diversity work? Who are some of the big players? And who can I also reach out to for help? You know, so that's been definitely a challenge. But one I'm really have been excited about because I've been meeting all these amazing new people. Secondly, we're self funding this festival. We do have some sponsors, which I'm really excited about, but the majority of the festival is self funded by our agency and we are really small startup women of color owned agency. So that alone is a lot of investment, but we feel so passionate about the space that we're trying to build and highlighting the people that we are. So we're very excited about that and really excited for the community to turn out and show their support for something like this.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:28:10] That's so great. Can you talk a little bit more about your agency and being a woman run business? And I know that, some of the events are at CL Space, which is also a woman owned, great studio in Berkeley. So yeah, how does that impact the festival?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:28:23] One of the hardest things I was like, daughters, sons of immigrants, you know, I'm a second generation. My parents came from Japan and the Philippines and immigrated here. We often deal with so much scarcity mentality, like we're just trying our best to make it. Maybe we have imposter syndrome. Maybe we're the only woman or person of color in a room. So there's a lot of challenges already from us just taking up space. So that alone has been a real mental challenge for me to even just Say like, Hey, we deserve to be in this space. The space is necessary and we want you to hear us loud and proud. You know, we say it so confidently, but there's a lot of mental work that comes behind just getting to that place of confidence to say that out loud.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:29:08] Absolutely. And it feels to me like the festival is really an example too of, staking a claim in the fact that we deserve joy too, and we deserve rest and play and luxury, and that as important as it is, of course, to come together across, you know, lines of difference when it comes to like urgent actions and organizing. It's also so important to be able to have that kind of space in our joy and in our leisure too.   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:29:34] Yes. Oh my gosh. I'm so glad that you did have that takeaway because we try so hard to really just constantly put this message of, Hey folks, we know you're tired. We're tired too. And we've been doing a lot. We've been pushing a lot. We all have. And yes, we deserve nice things. We deserve joyful experiences. We deserve spaces where it's centered on us being taken care of. And that's really the kind of environment that we want to create here at this festival, a place of. You know, wellness and healing and joy, because food is healing. Food is also connection, food is culture. So by creating this space, also like, you know, we have, we're featuring a CBD wine sound bath. You know, there's all kinds of other activities. So come be fed in your, in your belly, but also of your heart and your mind, you know, take care of that too. So it's this holistic approach to joy and healing.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:30:30] I love that. And how does your own cultural background impact, why you wanted to create this event and how you organize?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:30:37] Oh, yes. So I'm Filipino Japanese, and there's not many Filipino Japanese people around my age, mainly because of, like, that was like World War II time, that our grandparents were kind of coming together. So, I take a lot from both of my cultural backgrounds that kind of helped me determine like, what I do and how I curate, you know, Japanese people are so beautiful at creation and curation and really just like honing a craft and becoming well at it. I take a lot of inspiration from that and try to really do that for myself. But when it comes time to party time, Filipinos. know what is up. And so a lot of my curation of how I plan parties and festivals comes from my Filipino upbringing and what a Filipino family party looked like. You know, tons of food, karaoke, singing, drinking, you know, laughing. Like that is my background and what I want to bring to every festival we produce.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:31:40] I love that. And you know, as someone born and raised in the Bay Area who did a lot of theater growing up, I have been to many a Filipino party. They're always amazing. Great, great food, great, uh, singing. Although some content is a bit competitive, but [Laughs].   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:32:00] Absolutely. You might even see my mom there and then, you know, it's like a big party. She'll just be welcoming everyone at the front.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:32:06] That's so sweet. Um, what are three of your like highlights of the festival? Like things that you're really, really looking forward to? Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:32:17] First is basically our Main Dish Palate Pass Experience. That's what we're calling it. And that's basically the 14 to 15 chef pairings with beverage that you're going to get to experience at the main dish. We're really excited because we've paired these amazing chefs. With the multicultural beverage providers creating these collaborations that never existed before. I'm really excited about our opening family meal that is going to be, hosted by Chef Reem Assil of Reem's California. So we're really highlighting the Palestinian family meal experience, which is going to be served family style. So I'm really excited because Chef Reem is just, just a joy that cooks straight from her soul onto the plate. So I'm excited to experience that intimate dinner. And I'm really excited about our Brown is Beautiful after party. So that's the one that's sponsored by like Bacardi and Doucet and Case Tea. So this whole mix of like spirits and also non alcoholic Asian tea and putting together this fashion forward after party experience where people just get to come and enjoy and get down.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:33:26] That sounds great. We've talked about the wine and the food and a little bit about the music too and how important that is. I know that there's also a marketplace. What can people look forward to from the marketplace?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:33:38] Yeah, we're so excited about featuring about 15 retail vendors who are going to be selling some amazing array of goods. So like jewelry, cookbooks, we're even going to have a vendor doing like massages and chiropractic services. So there's going to be this huge mix of vendors. selling their goods as well, selling some art, selling pastries too. If you can't get enough from the tastings, you can buy extras on the side. So there'll be so much stuff for you to explore in this 40, 000 square foot space at CL.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:34:12] Beautiful. Is there anything else that you'd like to share?   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:34:15] I think the last thing is I just really want people to come as themselves in whatever capacity that is and really just to be ready and open to meet whoever comes along. I know it sometimes can be hard for folks to get out nowadays, can feel really introverted, and we really just want people to feel like they're coming to a giant family party where we're all welcome.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:34:38] Amazing. And yeah, I'm sure it is going to feel just like that and so much joy and how important it is in this time to have a space that is centered on joy and, building up our resilience and resistance through just things that are fun and pleasurable and full of culture.   Gina Mariko Rosales: [00:34:57] Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. And centering our cultures and our stories center stage.   Miko Lee: [00:35:03] Next up listen to StayGo from DARKHEART,  A Concert Narrative by singer, & songwriter Golda Sargento playing at Bindlestiff through May   MUSIC   That was the voice of Golda Sargento from the new Filipina|x|o Futurism Punk Rock Sci-Fi  DARKHEART at Bindlestiff thru May.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:39:04] Hi, everyone. I'm so happy to be joined by Thuy Trần, the Festival and Exhibitions Director of CAAM, or Center for Asian American Media. Thanks so much for joining me, Thúy.   Thúy Trần: [00:39:15] Thank you for having me. I'm so excited.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:39:18] We're so excited too. We're such big fans of CAAM and, you know, long time participants and audience members, what do we have in store for CAAM 2024 this year?   Thúy Trần: [00:39:29] Yes. So CAAMFest is May 9th through the 19th is the leading showcase for Asian American talent and film, food, and music. And we're probably the only festival where you can see this large concentration of Asian American media. So the last few years we've expanded to having multidisciplinary programs with food and music. And what's really important for us is, you know, curating, A holistic and experiential experience for a guest, whether you're a filmmaker, artist or audience member. and so I guess a couple of things that, I feel really excited about this coming year. Of course, we have our opening night this is going to be at a brand new venue, new to Camp Fest, we'll be at the Palace of Fine Arts up in the Presidio and our opening night film is Admissions Granted, by Hao Wu and Miao Wang. and it follows the events leading up to the overturning of affirmative action and all the players that are involved. And, afterwards, there will be the opening night gala at the Asian art museum. We have some amazing chefs. And food vendors confirmed there, including Audrey Tang of Batik and Baker, their Malaysian pastry pop up, Sita's Kamai Kitchen. We also have Patty Liu from Gear of the Snake, another Asian American pop up in Berkeley, and Melissa Chu, who's the pastry chef of Grand Opening. And she used to work at Mr. Ju's. and of course you have music by DJ Dree Lee, who's the resident DJ and organizer of Honey's and Hot Sauce, and you'll frequently see them DJing at Jolene's and, you know, other venues across the Bay Area.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:40:59] Incredible. Well, that sounds really exciting. what are some upcoming dates that people need to keep in mind? Are the tickets available already, or what's kind of upcoming?   Thúy Trần: [00:41:07] Dates are available. You can get them online at camfest.Com. and, the dates are May 9th through the 19th, with most of our programming concentrated during the two weekends.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:41:17] Perfect. And what's an event or a screening that you personally are really looking forward to?   Thúy Trần: [00:41:22] I'm looking forward to a lot. I mean, of course, our centerpieces are pretty amazing. You know, we have our centerpiece documentary called Q by Jude Chehab. and that one is on May 11th at the SFMOMA, Jude made this film to save her mother, who's been deeply indoctrinated into a mysterious religious order that has has woven through three generations of their matriarchal lineage. Another film that I'm really looking forward to is, Ashima by Kenji Tsukamoto and this is about 13-year-old rock climbing prodigy Ashima. It follows her trying to solve a, I think it was like a grade 14 boulder problem, something really advanced. and she does this with her coach, who's an eccentric retired avant garde dancer who has zero professional climbing experience and also happens to be her father. So it's a really touching, tender documentary. and of course we also have our food programs as well. One of the programs this year highlights, Chef Tracy Koh from Damansara, as well Chef Emily Lim from Davao, Singapore. So they are coming together for a really specially curated menu, celebrating Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine and this will take place on May 14th at Damansara. We also have our Directions in Sound, music concert that's a collaboration with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, and we are highlighting Tao formerly of Tao in the Get Down, Stay Down, she's a local, Bay Area musician, and she had a CAAM funded documentary called Nobody Dies back in 2017. So we're all really excited about these programs.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:42:53] Beautiful. So many fun and exciting things coming up. So many things to do in the Bay. And we'll link to the tickets and all the other information in our show notes, too, for anyone listening who wants to figure out how to get tickets. When you were kind of building up the program for this year and going over all of the submissions, were there any themes or anything that stood out that's kind of maybe unique to this year?   Thúy Trần: [00:43:15] Definitely. This is, in election year. We want folks to go out and vote and also thinking about the social issues that are important to us. So we do have a couple of films that talk a lot about, just empowerment through community building. And so many of our stories come from their personal stories from our chefs. And we're also looking at CAAMFest as, we're shining a light on truth tellers. and thinking how we're lifting the truth of our stories, how these stories are brave and beautiful, bizarre, and they're all true of something, right? They're ours, and they're generous expressions of what impacts us, what matters, and what we long for and imagine. So those two themes were really resonant for us throughout this entire curatorial process.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:44:02] That makes so much sense. And I love the films that you highlighted. Jude is one of my really close friends and I can't wait to see her screening here in that year. You're bringing her to the Bay Area. I'm so excited for that. And I saw Ashima in the fall and I love that one too.   Thúy Trần: [00:44:15] Oh, that's so amazing. I know we're flying Jude in from out of the country. So it's going to be really special. We're actually, you know what, her mom is going to be with us as well. I know. So it's going to be really special. Jude was saying that her mom, I think she was only able to make it out for their world premiere at Tribeca. Right. And so we're, yeah, it's going to be, it's going to be really incredible to have both of them on stage.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:44:41] Wow, that's gonna be, that is an event that you cannot miss, everyone listening. It's gonna be so phenomenal, and Q is truly breathtaking, as is Ashima, and I'm sure all of the other films that were programmed, and it's just so beautiful to see how diverse and unique and, you know, everything you're talking about our community is, and so much breadth and depth, so thank you so much for hosting this event and bringing us all together.   Thúy Trần: [00:45:06] Awesome. And thank you, Jalena, for again, having me and of course, like all the wonderful work and art that you create.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:45:13] Thank you. Is there anything else that you'd like to share before we wrap up?   Thúy Trần: [00:45:16] I just want to say that, you know, everyone is, of course, invited, and I just want folks to know that, yes, lifts Asian American storytellers, but ultimately it's for everyone, it's for the community as a whole, and we really encourage you to bring all of your friends, your family, tell everyone. We really rely on our community bringing folks in. It's a really special time to get folks together too. This is a great way to celebrate Asian American Heritage Month.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:45:44] Exactly. And you know, you don't have to be Asian American to celebrate the month and learning about Asian American stories from Asian American storytellers is a great way to do that.   Thúy Trần: [00:45:56] Yes, a hundred percent.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:45:58] All right. Thank you so much. Hope you have a great rest of your day.   Thúy Trần: [00:46:01] Thank you.   Miko Lee: [00:46:02] Welcome Cyn Choi to Apex express. We are so happy to have one of the co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate on Apex express.   Cyn Choi: [00:46:12] Thank you so much, Miko, for having me.   Miko Lee: [00:46:14] Can you tell us where Stop AAPI Hate comes from?   Cyn Choi: [00:46:19] Stop AAPI Hate was born out of a crisis moment for our community nearly four years ago when COVID was being racialized we decided to create a reporting center. So we can have everyday people share with us what was happening to them. With that data and those stories, we have been able to establish number one, that this was a pervasive issue that we needed to have a robust response to the different forms of hate and discrimination and harassment that our communities were experiencing. We've used that to advocate for meaningful change and we've done that in a myriad of ways at the grassroots level, policy, local, state, and national level.   Miko Lee: [00:47:04] And you have grown with your collaborators Stop AAPI Hate from a conversation around a table about what was going on in the world into a national movement. What does that feel like for you to be a founder of this?   Cyn Choi: [00:47:17] It's really humbling, and I think what's really important to note is that, of course we have experienced racism, discrimination, ,and violence throughout our history, and it defines our experience in many ways, and that our movement Is robust and diverse, and it's both about we are shaping this country the ideals of a multiracial democracy. And obviously, we have contributed in ways that I think are really important to lift up and to celebrate. And unfortunately, that's not really taught within our public education system. It's not what we talk about within our families. And that is something that I think is really important to note, especially in light of AAPI Heritage Month.   Miko Lee: [00:48:13] Can you tell me a little bit about what AAPINH Heritage Month means to you personally?   Cyn Choi: [00:48:19] I think Heritage Month becomes a time where we get to focus on our history which includes our history of resilience, resistance and solidarity, where we get to in our own words and share with our own stories what that means. It allows. others to have exposure. And so we think that focusing on our heritage and what that all means within the month of May is really just our opportunity to share what that means for us.   Miko Lee: [00:48:49] Thank you for sharing that. I wanna step back and ask a question about you, and I am wondering who you are, who your people are, and what is the legacy that you carry with you from your people?   Cyn Choi: [00:49:03] First and foremost I have to name that I am a daughter of immigrants. My parents came to the United States, to California specifically in the early sixties. And they benefited from the lifting up of really severe restrictions. quotas that allowed my family and so many others so I think that's incredibly important and the legacy of the civil rights movement that really pushed for and advocated for these kinds of changes. It continues to define who I am in terms of how I see the world. And it really does inspire me in terms of my advocacy work. It makes sense that I have been concerned about removing barriers and opening up opportunities for immigrants, for refugees, for women and girls and people who have been traditionally locked out. And so I know that my inspiration and my grounding comes from that. My people, that's an interesting one for me to answer because I'm a part of so many different communities, a community of activists, a community of mothers who wants to raise their children so that they are compassionate I am a part of a community of organizational leaders that is really trying to make sure that whatever we do, we are Thinking seven generations ahead, what are we trying to build? What are we trying to nurture? And for me, that's not just a privilege, but it certainly is a feeling of responsibility. So I'm a part of a lot of communities that make me feel grounded and accountable to.   Miko Lee: [00:50:42] Thank you, Cyn. Can you share with us this new campaign that Stop AAPI Hate is showcasing during our Heritage Month?   Cyn Choi: [00:50:50] We have been working on a new campaign called Spread AAPI Love. It's a project of Stop AAPI Hate, and it's specifically for AAPI Heritage Month. It's a storytelling campaign that amplifies the voices of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. It's about stories of resilience, it's celebration, solidarity, resistance. It's from everyday people, it's from community members. We want to hear from our communities. It's also about highlighting those in our community who represent many of the values that we uphold around solidarity, around unity around justice. and equality and it's about harnessing our joy and power and our cultural pride.   Miko Lee: [00:51:35] What inspired this campaign?   Cyn Choi: [00:51:37] After four years of emphasizing and highlighting the rise of hate and structural racism against our communities, we really wanted to center more affirmative narratives. Of who we are and the power that we have to create change. We are not victims of hate. We are more than a series of tragic headlines. We are a richly diverse group of people. And again that is about joy. It's about our power. It's about our collective power and a celebration of our diversity and with that it is pride and the sense that we have come from somewhere. That we have journeyed, we are still on this journey of establishing belonging, in a sense that we have collective fate and shared fate, not just amongst and within our AAPI communities, but with other communities as well.   Miko Lee: [00:52:31] And what do you hope that the community will understand or walk away with after hearing some of these stories?   Cyn Choi: [00:52:37] One of the things that we're really trying to uplift is, that we have to focus beyond acts of hate, that it is about, as I said, our power and joy, but also that We need to tend to healing from this trauma. We need to be able to sustain ourselves because this work is long term and we also need to uplift the fact that. It's not just visibility. But it's about what do we do in these moments. So it's about mobilizing community members to take action. There's aspects of it where it's about representation. We want to amplify the voices, the many voices and perspectives and experiences. So that our community members feel seen. and heard and represented. Again, it's about healing. So we want to really promote this idea that we can heal, that we can overcome moving from a place of anger to really be anchored in love. from a place of love. And that needs to be our driving motivation. It's about the narrative change. What are the stories that we're able to tell? From our own voice. It's about being affirmative about the richness and diversity of our communities and that we have never been a monolith and that it's important that we also uplift those that tend to be underrepresented within our communities.   Miko Lee: [00:53:59] And how can people get involved in this campaign?   Cyn Choi: [00:54:02] One of the fundamental ways that we're hoping to engage with people is we're going to invite people to share their stories. And so we have a campaign microsite. It's spreadaapilove.org. This is where we're going to feature stories. People can submit stories, video, audio, art, photography. We're going to highlight some amazing people who have turned. A tragedy or an experience of racism into something positive. We also want to just hear everyday stories about what makes you feel proud. What makes you, what do you want to lift up about your experience, your family's history? And it could be something as simple as cooking together. It could be as simple as understanding your family's contribution, whether it's in your local community or in the schools, in your neighborhoods.   Miko Lee: [00:54:53] Cyn, I understand that there has been some research that's been recently released around some of the work of Stop AAPI Hate. Can you share with us about that research and what it says?   Cyn Choi: [00:55:02] Another aspect of our research and data collection is we also do nationally representative surveys. And one of the things that we wanted to learn more about is what really motivates people when it comes to taking action against racial injustice, and our research shows that APS are actually more motivated By positive factors like hope acts of solidarity and cultural pride and some of the statistics that I want to share with you, which was really enlightening to me is when we asked them about if this is motivating 81 percent said that hope for a better future for younger generations was really motivating. It was one of the top 72 percent said that seeing the collective efforts of AAPIs to combat racism, that was number two. And then 69 percent said that feeling strongly connected to their ethnic and racial identity. And so that could take many different forms. And then finally what was a motivating factor? To get involved to take action was, of course, their own direct experiences with hate, and that was roughly a little over 60 percent. And so what that really tells us is that we need to share more affirmative stories about how everyday people are choosing to be grounded in love, to take affirmative steps, to do acts of care, of solidarity to feel that they are doing this as part of a larger movement. And that is really driving in large part our spread API love campaign and the work that we're doing every day.   Miko Lee: [00:56:40] Thank you. It's so important to hear positive stories and hear about the work that's going on in the community. Thank you so much for joining us today. We will put a link to the campaign on our website so people can access this and share their own stories. Thank you so much, Cyn, for joining us today.   Cyn Choi: [00:56:57] Thank you, Miko.   Miko Lee: [00:56:59] Please check out our website, kpfa.org to find out more . We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. Apex express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Hien Nguyen, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Nate Tan, Paige Chung, Preti Mangala-Shekar, and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by Miko Lee and edited by Ayame Keane-Lee. Have a great night.     The post APEX Express – 5.2.24 – Celebrating AAPINH Month! appeared first on KPFA.

This is the first #BasicBitch that we've recorded since March, and clearly we have a lot of shit to catch up on!We talk major changes in the Bitch Talk universe (including celebrating our 10 year anniversary!), highlights from CAAMFest (the Center for Asian American Media Film Festival), our favorite movies of the summer, fancy dinners, live music/art, dicks and menopause, our favorite guests of the summer, and a chaotic pub crawl that included a dirty twist. This episode is loaded and bloated just like us...enjoy!Bitch Talk Recommendations (as referenced in the episode)Restaurant:Old Skool CafeBooks:Wannabe: Reckonings With The Pop Culture That Shapes Meanything by Samantha IrbyFilm:JoyrideJeanette Lee Vs.Fanny: The Right To RockArt/Science:Kehinde Wiley exhibit @ the de Young MuseumThe ExploratoriumMusic:The Lost ChurchFleetwood MacrameStern Grove Festival--Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of The Bay Best Podcast without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal.--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM 

The whole crew is back for the first time in APAHM 2023 to discuss the latest MCU film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, where the guardians go on a galaxy spanning quest to save their friend Rocket Raccoon. We've been down on MCU films recently, will Guardians 3 turn out to be good pop and end the slump?What's Popping? - CAAMfest 2023, She is a Haunting, Top ChefFollow our hosts:Marvin Yueh - @marvinyuehJess Ju - @jessjutweetsHanh Nguyen - @hanhonymousFollow the show and engage with us at @goodpopclubPart of the Potluck Podcast CollectiveProduced by HappyEcstatic Media

We're celebrating CAAMFest (the Center for Asian American Media Festival) 2023 with the awesome and inspiring documentary, Fanny: The Right To Rock.Ange sits down (virtually) with director Bobbi Jo Hart to discuss how she first found out about Fanny (the first all female rock band to release an album on a major label), and the serendipitous steps (including a David Bowie quote) that led to her directing this film. She discusses how the band is still breaking glass ceilings as women in their 70s, stories from their recent concert at the iconic Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood, and the true definition of success.For tickets to Fanny: The Right To Rock at the SFMOMA tonight, May 19th @ 5:30pm, click hereFor information on the Directions in Sound: Fanny and Friends FREE concert on Saturday, May 20th @ 1pm, click hereFollow Fanny: The Right To Rock on IG & FB & TwitterFollow director Bobbi Jo Hart on Twitter--Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of The Bay Best Podcast without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal.--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Welcome to CAAMFest (Center for Asian American Media) 2023, where we're covering a documentary on our favorite pool player of all time, Jeanette Lee VS.Director Ursula Liang and Jeanette Lee (aka the Black Widow) sat down with us to share how this film came to be during a very life changing time for both of them. Ursula shares some insight for indie filmmakers on being commissioned to direct a film, and the importance of us being able to tell our own stories. Jeanette Lee opens up about being vulnerable on camera, and how she dealt with mansplaining at the pool table. Then Jeanette gives an update on her stage 4 cancer diagnosis, and shares some words of inspiration.Watch Jeanette Lee VS on ESPN hereFollow Jeanette Lee on IG & FB & TwitterFollow Ursula Liang on IG & Twitter--Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of The Bay Best Podcast without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal.--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and every May, the Center for Asian American Media (also known as CAAM) puts on CAAMFest, a ten-day excursion into film, music, food and culture that highlights the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.  To hear more about what CAAM does to celebrate AAPI communities in May and year-round, KCBS Radio's Mallory Somera attended opening night of CAAMFest and caught up with Stephen Gong, Executive Director of CAAM.

Back in the early 1900s, the town of Allensworth became the first California town founded, financed and governed by Black Americans. The fertile Tulare Lake region should've been a utopia for the Black doctors, professors and farmers who settled there. But historic power dynamics left them, and the Allensworth community today, on the losing side of many water and land use questions. Now, as the Sierra snowpack melts and floods the Tulare Lake Basin, communities like Allensworth are uniquely vulnerable to flooding. Reporter Teresa Cotsirilos visited Allensworth earlier this spring to learn how residents are coping. Plus, when you think of California rockers from the 1970s, bands like the Eagles or Journey might come to mind. You probably don't picture an interracial band of women — some of them Filipina-American and queer — from places like Sacramento and Folsom. Fanny was the first all-female rock band to release an album on a major label, breaking ground for women musicians like the Go Gos, the B52s, and Bonnie Rait. In fact, Fanny released five albums by 1974, but today, a lot of people haven't heard of them. A new documentary film screening at CAAMFest in San Francisco follows band members nearly 50 years later as they record a reunion album. Sasha Khokha spoke with June Millington, Fanny's lead guitarist, and film director, Bobbi Jo Hart, about the band's legacy, the film and why age is just a number.

Welcome to CAAMFEST ( Center For Asian American Media) 2023! We're kicking off the festival (May 11-21st) by bringing you a fun conversation with the Festival and Exhibitions Director, Thúy Trần. Thúy is a ball of energy and a force to be reckoned with! She shares her upbringing as a Vietnamese immigrant, why she felt called to the Bay Area, how she landed her role at CAAM, and what exciting events and films we have to look forward to. We also discuss the evolution of Asian American representation, how she takes her role as a gatekeeper very seriously, and the importance of community. We are so excited about this year's CAAMFEST lineup of events, and hope to see you there! Bitch Talk is a proud Community Partner of the following two CAAMFEST events, we hope to see you there!Jeanette Lee VSDirections in Sound: Fanny and FriendsFor other exciting events and tickets, click hereFollow Thúy Trần on IGFollow CAAMFEST on IG & FB & Twitter--Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of The Bay Best Podcast without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal.--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Welcome to a special episode of APEX Express, Host Powerleegirls Miko Lee and Jalena Keane-Lee, a mother daughter duo talk about Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and all the amazing happenings. They talk with with artists, curators, activists who are telling stories about our AAPI experience in different ways. This is actually a two part episode as there are so many things going on. Today we speak to the about film with Thuy Trang, about CAAMfest, the premiere Bay Area Asian American film festival about storytelling with ethnohtec's Robert Kikuchi yongo and Nancy Wang, and about dance with creator Joti Singh from Duniya dance and drum company.   AAPI Heritage Month Events Bay Area April 27 – June 15, 2023 Bay Area film, dance, theatre, visual art, food check out full calendar: United States of Asian America festival 2023 Horizons May 11- 21, 2023 Bay Area film & food  Caamfest 2023 May 13, 2023 12:00 –  5:00 PM Kapwa Gardens, SF Yum Yams, Kultivate Labs/Kapwa Gardens‘ popular ube festival May 12-14, 2023 Mission Dance Center, SF When Eyes Speak (walking tour sold out) More info about our guests and their work (in order of appearance) Joti Singh, Artistic Director Duniya Dance & Drum Company Berkeley South Asian Walking Tour Anirvan Chatterjee: www.chatterjee.net, @anirvan on Twitter Barnali Ghosh: www.barnali.com, @berkeleywali on Instagram FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK Asian American Storytopia on youtube Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo & Nancy Wang, Artistic Directors EthNohTec   Other events not covered in the special Asian Art Museum  Beyond Bollywood 2000 Years of Dance & Art May 23 Community Care Power & Wellness  led by AAPI Women Lead Stand Up for Yourself & Others Attend a Free Right to Be Bystanding Intervention training: Korean 4/25/23 at 3:00pm Pacific: Register Here English 5/10/23 at 4:00pm: Register Here English 5/13/23 at 11:00am Pacific at Rowland High School in the Performing Arts Center: 2000 S Otterbein Ave, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 Mandarin 5/13/23 at 11:00am Pacific at Rowland High School in the Performing Arts Center: 2000 S Otterbein Ave, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 English 5/18/23 at 11:00am Pacific: Register Here  The post REPLAY of APEX Express AAPI Special – May 2, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Welcome to a special episode of APEX Express, Host Powerleegirls Miko Lee and Jalena Keane-Lee, a mother daughter duo talk about Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and all the amazing happenings. They talk with with artists, curators, activists who are telling stories about our AAPI experience in different ways. This is actually a two part episode as there are so many things going on. Today we speak to the about film with Thuy Trang, about CAAMfest, the premiere Bay Area Asian American film festival about storytelling with ethnohtec's Robert Kikuchi yongo and Nancy Wang, and about dance with creator Joti Singh from Duniya dance and drum company.   AAPI Heritage Month Events Bay Area April 27 – June 15, 2023 Bay Area film, dance, theatre, visual art, food check out full calendar: United States of Asian America festival 2023 Horizons May 11- 21, 2023 Bay Area film & food  Caamfest 2023 May 13, 2023 12:00 –  5:00 PM Kapwa Gardens, SF Yum Yams, Kultivate Labs/Kapwa Gardens‘ popular ube festival May 12-14, 2023 Mission Dance Center, SF When Eyes Speak (walking tour sold out) More info about our guests and their work (in order of appearance) Joti Singh, Artistic Director Duniya Dance & Drum Company Berkeley South Asian Walking Tour Anirvan Chatterjee: www.chatterjee.net, @anirvan on Twitter Barnali Ghosh: www.barnali.com, @berkeleywali on Instagram FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK Asian American Storytopia on youtube Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo & Nancy Wang, Artistic Directors EthNohTec   Other events not covered in the special Asian Art Museum  Beyond Bollywood 2000 Years of Dance & Art May 23 Community Care Power & Wellness  led by AAPI Women Lead Stand Up for Yourself & Others Attend a Free Right to Be Bystanding Intervention training: Korean 4/25/23 at 3:00pm Pacific: Register Here English 5/10/23 at 4:00pm: Register Here English 5/13/23 at 11:00am Pacific at Rowland High School in the Performing Arts Center: 2000 S Otterbein Ave, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 Mandarin 5/13/23 at 11:00am Pacific at Rowland High School in the Performing Arts Center: 2000 S Otterbein Ave, Rowland Heights, CA 91748 English 5/18/23 at 11:00am Pacific: Register Here  The post APEX Express AAPI Special – May 1, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Artist, filmmaker, and Assistant Professor for the School of Contemporary Arts, Nadia Shihab, sits down with Am Johal to explore her path as a filmmaker. Nadia begins by sharing her university days as an Iraqi student at the University of Texas, feeling a personal sense of loss from the war, and burnout from her student activism within a conservative state. She speaks of this as the inspiration for her first film, I Come from Iraq. Nadia also explores the inspirations and meanings of her other films, such as Amal's Garden and Jaddoland. She and Am also explore her urban planning background, and Nadia shares some advice for aspiring student filmmakers. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/205-nadia-shihab.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/205-nadia-shihab.html Resources: Nadia's website: https://www.nadiashihab.com/ I Come from Iraq: https://vimeo.com/59374843 Amal's Garden: https://www.nadiashihab.com/amalsgarden-archived Jaddoland: https://www.nadiashihab.com/jaddoland Echolocation: https://www.nadiashihab.com/echolocation 57 Manchester: https://www.nadiashihab.com/57manchester Bio: Nadia Shihab is an artist and filmmaker whose work explores the personal, the relational, and the diasporic. Her studio practice includes film, collage and sound. She is the director of several short films and the feature-length film JADDOLAND, which was awarded five festival jury awards, including the Independent Spirit "Truer than Fiction" Award, and went on to broadcast for two seasons on US public television. Her work has shown in exhibitions and festivals internationally, including at the Centre Pompidou, Walker Art Center, Berkeley Art Museum, Dubai International Film Festival, DOXA, CAAMFest, and New Orleans Film Festival. She is the recipient of fellowships and support from the Sundance Institute, Center for Asian American Media, Firelight Media, and Tribeca Film Institute, and has been an artist-in-residency at the MacDowell Colony and Djerassi Residency. Her creative practice is bolstered by over a decade of experience as a community practitioner. She holds an MFA in Art Practice (UC Berkeley, 2021), as well as a Master in City & Regional Planning (UC Berkeley, 2009) – a degree which grounds her art practice within critical understandings of urban space and practical training in ethnography. Her community-based work includes Fulbright research in southeastern Turkey, and facilitating projects spanning affordable housing preservation, refugee youth mentorship, and community-guided philanthropy. She was raised in west Texas by immigrant parents from Iraq & Yemen. Cite this episode: Chicago Style Johal, Am. “Film and the Political — with Nadia Shihab.” Below the Radar, SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Podcast audio, March 14, 2023. https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/205-nadia-shihab.html.

Much has changed from the 1990s to now in the film industry for the AANHPI community. Chris Chan Lee is a key proponent that has inspired many Asian Americans to pursue filmmaking since his groundbreaking feature, "Yellow." On this episode, Chris and Rasha talk about his journey, how the film landscape has changed, and how it can still be improved.   Chris is a Korean-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, C He graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and has spent his career of over 25 years developing and producing Asian-American content. His debut feature film as writer/director was "Yellow" (1997), a coming of age movie about a group of teens in Los Angeles. The film features the first performances of John Cho and Jason Tobin, and re-envisioned the American teen comedy with an ensemble of Asian-Americans in the lead roles. "Yellow" world premiered at the 1997 CAAMFest Film Festival (then called NAATA) with three sold-out screenings, and was selected for more than a dozen film festivals including Raindance U.K., Slamdance, Singapore International, Hawaii International, and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The film won the Gold Carp 1st Place Audience Award for Best Feature Film and the Golden Reel Award for Best Independent Feature Film. "Yellow" had a successful limited national theatrical release including a 5-week run in Southern California across 9 screens. He served twice as a judge for the Filmmakers Media Fund Initiative at CAAMFest, and was an independent filmmaker panelist at events hosted by KASCON (Korean American Students Conference), WGA (Writers Guild of America), LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, and a number of other professional and community organizations. The film is considered a milestone in Asian American filmmaking.

Welcome to Flash Back Friday! With 700+ episodes in our archive, we're excited to revisit some of our favorites with y'all! This time we're flashing back to our 2021 conversation with director Patricio Ginelsa and actors April Absynth and Katrina Dimaranan from the film Lumpia With a Vengeance. We're picking this episode to flashback to because Lumpia is in Bay Area theaters now as well as Southern California  theaters and about they're about to add New York to their list. This film is a fully independent venture, not carried by any big studio and a great way to celebrate Filipino American History Month. Original episode description is below:We are back at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival and have a packed house this time around with director Patricio Ginelsa and stars April Absynth and Katrina Dimaranan from the long awaited sequel Lumpia with a Vengeance. We get into the creative ways to make lumpia on the go, having badass bitches as the hero and the villain, the importance of diversity and representation in this film, and the struggle to keep a straight face on a set of jokesters. Finally, Katrina dishes on the struggles of wearing two different colors of lipstick at the same time, and Patricio shares how Danny Trejo became part of the lumpia family. This was a fun conversation and we loved their energy! And now, we need to eat some lumpia.You can follow director Patricio Ginelsa on IG & FB & TwitterYou can follow actor April Absynth on IG & FB & TwitterYou can follow actor Katrina Dimaranan on IG & Twitter--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 700 episodes without your help!--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Welcome to Flash Back Friday! With 600+ episodes, we're excited to revisit some of our favorites with our new listeners (and maybe new to our regular listeners).We're riding the Filipino Pride wave with all the good vibes around Jo Koy's filipino family film Easter Sunday  so we decided to revisit our Zoom hang  with our dear friend of the show H.P. Mendoza, --It's been a couple of years since we've had Director and San Francisco native H.P. Mendoza on our show. We catch up with him about his (almost) year living in Tokyo, what it's like to come back to the states during a pandemic,  Japanese chicken nuggets, CAAMfest, how he won the internet early during SIP, and his legendary Mission Arcade parties.  It's always a comfort to talk and hang with H.P. and we hope to have him back on the show again soon. You can follow H.P. here. Enjoy our two part interview with H.P here & hereBe well, stay safe, and thank you for staying home.Subscribe to our NEW channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!--Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 600 episodes without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for being vaxxed!Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 600 episodes without your help!--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for being vaxxed!--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Catch up with Allison Kugel on YouTube, Instagram, and at www.allisoninterviews.com Aizzah Fatima is an award-winning writer, actor, comedian, and producer. She has been featured on NPR, The Guardian, Woman's Hour (BBC), The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time Out, The New York Times, and The Huffington Post. She wrote, produced, and starred in the feature film Americanish which won the audience award at the prestigious CAAMFest, where it world premiered as the closing night film in May 2021. Aizzah's film, Americanish, also won the Grand Jury Prize at Heartland International Film Festival. As a producer she has worked with James Franco's company Rabbit Bandini. She starred opposite Annette O'Toole in her award winning short film Stuff. Her short film Off Duty is currently airing on Alaska Airlines and on Ruku. Her TV pilot Muslim Girls DTF: Discuss Their Faith is the winner of the 2020 Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award, 2020 Yes, And...Laughter Lab, and an ISF Film award. Aizzah Fatima's solo play Dirty Paki Lingerie has been produced in NYC, Toronto, Italy, Turkmenistan, Pakistan (four city tour U.S. State Dept.), Edinburgh Fringe Festival, United Kingdom (15 city tour), and at universities across the U.S. Visit https://www.americanishfilm.com/ and follow Aizzah Fatima at https://www.aizzahfatima.com/. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/allison-interviews/support

Welcome to Flash Back Friday! With 600+ episodes, we're excited to revisit some of our favorites with our new listeners (and maybe new to our regular listeners).To cap off Filipino American History Month (October), we're flashing back to some of our favorite interviews with Filipino artists from the past year! We were blown away by not only the amount of Filipino stories, but also the diversity of stories that we've covered in just the past 12 months. We laugh at the quirkiness of the short film Learning Tagalog with Kayla (with writer/director/star Kayla Galang), we discuss the power of Filipino cuisine in the superhero film Lumpia With a Vengeance (with writer/director Patricio Ginelsa and stars April Absynth and Katrina Dimaranan), some tears are shed while discussing death and family obligation in the narrative drama Islands (with writer/director Martin Edralin), and we celebrate A Thousand Cuts, a documentary on Filipino-American journalist and 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa (with director Ramona Diaz and Bay Area Hip-Hop activist Ruby Ibarra). Happy Filipino American History Month, we can't wait to see what kind of stories 2022 will bring!Due to time constraints, we couldn't include every Filipino artist interview in this episode, but if you're thirsty for more, check out our coverage of the film The Fabulous Filipino Brothers with  writer/director/star Dante Basco, and his sister, co-writer and star Arianna (Boss Bitch) Basco.You can follow director/writer/actor Kayla Galang on Instagram  and on her websiteYou can follow director Patricio Ginelsa on IG & FB & TwitterYou can follow actor April Absynth on IG & FB & TwitterYou can follow actor Katrina Dimaranan on IG & TwitterYou can follow Islands the film on TwitterYou can follow director Ramona Diaz on Twitter & IGYou can follow Hip-Hop activist Ruby Ibarra on Twitter & IG & FBYou can follow Filipino-American journalist and author Maria Ressa on Twitter & IGThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 600 episodes without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for being vaxxed!--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

We had an amazing experience covering the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival, and we're bringing you all of the behind the scenes dirt! Find out how we ended up doing not one, but 2 interviews for 2 different films (The Fabulous Filipino Brothers, and Ricochet), which film left us pleasantly confused, which interview made one of us so nervous she couldn't focus, and what caused Erin to almost poop her pants (metaphorically...we think). Then we get into the story behind Captain Party missing the panel with Margaret Cho. This was a film festival for the books, and we are exhausted. Enjoy!--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

In celebration of Filipino Heritage Month in Canada, we are back with another episode featuring Filipino-Canadian filmmaker Joella Cabalu. The award winning director and producer joins us to talk about her new short film, 'Ode to a Seafaring People' featuring spoken word artist Sol Diana. A story that poetically reveals the often-hidden world of Filipino seafarers, and in doing so celebrates the resiliency of the Filipino community. Produced by Lantern Films, the film is one of the collection of stories featured in 'Behind the Facade', airing on Knowledge Network. According to the Global Maritime Forum, about 400,000 of the world's 1.6 million seafarers are Filipino - contributing $6.14 Billion to the Philippine economy. Filipino seafarers are lauded to be the unsung heroes in the shipping industry and world trade. Upon the development of the film, Joella wanted this film to be rooted in community and reach out to the Filipino Canadian arts & literary community to be a part of telling the story. Sol Diana was able to convey a moving story about the life of a Filipino seafarer. "It's a marvel how we make ghosts out of the living" - a compelling line that illustrates how Filipinos are often forgotten, overlooked and invisible. Even as major contributors in many sectors and industries, we find ourselves as living ghosts fighting for our representation to be known. We discuss at length on the great imbalance and disparity of our representation, along with the other factors that affect our ability to have conviction in our presence; internalized racism and identity insecurity where we find ourselves 'gaslighting' or second-guessing ourselves in what we are able to do. These are the results from colonial influence, capitalism and white supremacy - a reality we are still working through today. We talk about celebrating Filipino excellence in the arts and filmmaking, storytelling with care and the ongoing learning process of exploring our Filipino cultural identity. Joella Cabalu is a Filipino Canadian documentary filmmaker based in Vancouver, BC. Her films lay bare narratives about intimacies, identities, and relationships. Her first mid-length documentary, It Runs in the Family (2015) — a personal exploration of acceptance and what the modern queer family can be in the Filipino diaspora — won the Audience Choice Awards at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival and Vancouver Queer Film Festival and a special jury mention at CAAMFest for the Loni Ding Award for Social Justice Documentary. In 2021, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the DOC BC + YT + NWT Breakthrough program, Joella is developing Nakabingwit: First Comes Love, a feature-length documentary that follows four Filipino Canadians and their white partners as they navigate race and romance against the backdrop of Canadian multiculturalism. Nakabingwit is Joella's first feature documentary as a director. Joella is an alumni of the Langara Documentary Production Program (2015), the BC Arts Council Early Career Development program (2014-2015), Hot Docs Shaw Media Diverse Voices program (2015), and CBC Development Workshop for Diverse Creators (2016).

We're wrapping up our coverage of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival with a powerful documentary, Because We Are Girls. Director Baljit Sangra, who also directed a short that preceded the documentary entitled Have You Forgotten Me, explains why it is so important to capture the lives and history of Asian immigrants, and in this case, in the form of a Punjabi family dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault. We get into how she dealt with filming the most intense scene of the film, the question of wether first generation children can ever find common ground with their immigrant parents, and how we are much more than just our trauma. This film shines a light on the unfair loopholes within the criminal justice system, the repercussions of sexual assault, and the unbreakable bond of sisterhood.You can follow director Baljit Sangra on IG & Twitter--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

We're celebrating Asian American history at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival, this time focusing on a documentary called The Race Epidemic. The history of racism against Asian Americans is something that has been hidden and erased from our history books, making a documentary like this more important than ever in this moment. We sat down with filmmakers Tony Shyu and Ron Wong about the evolution of this film, why certain words like "freedom" are triggering to people of color, how they decided which stories to choose, and their potential plans to turn this into a series. We thank them for telling these important stories, and hope this can eventually lead to the inclusion of Asian American history into our classrooms.You can follow The Race Epidemic on IG & FB & TwitterYou can follow director/writer Tony Shyu on IG & FB & Twitter--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions   

We're virtually covering the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival, featuring the documentary Who Is Lun*na Menoh?   and the prolific Japanese artist herself, Lun*na Menoh, who Zooms with us to talk about her art, the question of what is reality, getting lost in the twists and turns of this film, and which art form she considers to bring her the most joy. This is a film that left us pleasantly confused, in the best way possible! And just like her art, she is an enigma, and we were just happy to be along for the ride.The film Who is Lun*na Menoh? will be screening at the upcoming   SF DocFest & Art of Brooklyn Film Festivals, be sure to keep up on their film website. You can follow the film Who is Lun*na Menoh? on IG & FB & TwitterYou can follow the artist Lun*na Menoh on IG & Twitter--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

The filmmaking dynamic duo of Leslie Alejandro and Dani de Jesus joins the Changing Directions interview series to discuss their latest project called Gold, a music video featuring Ella Jay Basco and Ruby Ibarra. The video was part of the 2021 CAAMFest programming and is receiving critical acclaim from media outlets all across the country. Changing Directions is a podcast interview series focused on diverse and emerging filmmakers who are pushing the boundaries of what's possible for women and minorities while creating amazing films.

We are back at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival and have a packed house this time around with director Patricio Ginelsa and stars April Absynth and Katrina Dimaranan from the long awaited sequel Lumpia with a Vengeance. We get into the creative ways to make lumpia on the go, having badass bitches as the hero and the villain, the importance of diversity and representation in this film, and the struggle to keep a straight face on a set of jokesters. Finally, Katrina dishes on the struggles of wearing two different colors of lipstick at the same time, and Patricio shares how Danny Trejo became part of the lumpia family. This was a fun conversation and we loved their energy! And now, we need to eat some lumpia.You can follow director Patricio Ginelsa on IG & FB & TwitterYou can follow actor April Absynth on IG & FB & TwitterYou can follow actor Katrina Dimaranan on IG & Twitter--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

We're full steam ahead at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival, and this time, we're bringing the Aloha spirit to Bitch Talk with the documentary One Voice. This film follows ten Native Hawaiian high schoolers as they prepare for the annual Kamehameha School Song Contest. Director Lisette Flanary talks about the importance of revitalizing the traditional Hawaiian culture, the intensity of the song competition, and how the personal stories of these students are just as compelling as the harmonies in the songs they sing. You can follow director Lisette Flanary on IG & FB --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

We're at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival covering Legacy and Lineage, a series of shorts that highlights 5 Bay Area Asian American artists. We spoke with director Laura Paule and producer Melanie Elvena about how they chose which artists to cover, why this project is especially personal to both of them, and how the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC) is working to keep Asian American stories told. In a time when violence against the AAPI community are on the rise, we need these stories told more than ever, and we are honored to highlight artists and organizations that are making that happen.You can follow the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center on FB and join future events hereYou can follow director Laura Paule on IG--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

We're at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival with part 2 of our coverage on the documentary Ricochet (if you haven't already, check out part 1 with director Chihiro Wimbush!). Matt Gonzalez is someone whose work we have followed (both as a trial lawyer and as a politician) in San Francisco for almost 20 years, and we were so excited to have him on the show to speak about his pivotal role in Ricochet. We get into the need for reform in immigration law, how the term sanctuary city has often been misunderstood, and why working on this case was so important for him. He also shares some insight into his 2003 run for SF Mayor against Gavin Newsom, his run for Vice President alongside Ralph Nader in 2008, and how art gives him balance. Enjoy!You can follow Matt Gonzalez's art on IG--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Mei Makino joins the Changing Directions podcast series to talk about In Between Girl, her debut feature film, which world premiered at SXSW and is an official selection of CAAMFest. Changing Directions is a podcast interview series focused on diverse and emerging filmmakers who are pushing the boundaries of what's possible for women and minorities while creating amazing films.

We're at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival discussing Ricochet, a documentary that follows a San Francisco court case that ultimately had an affect on the 2016 election and the state of the entire nation. It's a riveting documentary that not only shows you the complicated nature of court cases, but also how politics and the media often get in the way. Director Chihiro Wimbush discusses his emotional journey to finish the film after the untimely death of SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi, and how he hopes this story will motivate change in our criminal justice system. For updates on Ricochet, check out their website and FB page.You can follow director Chihiro Wimbush on Twitter .--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions  

We're covering another amazing documentary at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Festival, The Donut King! The doc follows the life of Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian refugee who lived through both the rise and the fall of the American Dream - by way of donut. We chat with director Alice Gu about how the story kept progressing into so much more,  why it was important to add historical context about the genocide in Cambodia, and how hard she worked to get Wu Tang Clan to approve the use of their song. This is a great documentary that really takes you for a ride!Click here to stream The Donut King, it also airs on PBS on May 24th! (check your local listing for times)You can follow director Alice Gu on IG & Twitter & FB--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions

We're (virtually) covering the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Film Festival, and bringing you a conversation with director/co-writer Iman Zawahry and co-writer/star Aizzah Fatima from the film Americanish. This is the first American Muslim romantic comedy made by an American Muslim director, and it's about damn time! We get into what it took to get this film made, racism (both outside and inside our own communities), the personal decision to wear a hijab, and the true definition of a feminist. We had a great time with this conversation and loved their energy! Americanish is screening virtually for anyone in California on May 23rd @ 5:00pm, you can but tickets here!To watch Americanish at the Fort Mason Drive-In on May 23rd @ 5:30pm, buy tickets here!You can follow director/co-writer Iman Zawahry on IG & Twitter & FBYou can follow co-writer/actor Aizzah Fatima on IG & Twitter & FB--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

This episode is Part 2 of the two-part series of our podcast interview with the cast and crew of the feature film JUNHO, an official selection of CAAMfest 2021. This episode was recorded five months after Part 1's interview when we met up in San Francisco pre-pandemic with writer/director David Boo, actor Wojun Jo, and producer Rebecca Teresia. See how the world changed for each of our guests as they called in from South Korea and Hawaii. How are they keeping their storytelling dreams alive? JUNHO is about a young man running from his previous life as a member of the Changbi theater troupe. After sexual assault revelations surface, the troupe is not only dismantled but blacklisted from the community. Although he is just a bystander, the titular character Junho is overwhelmed by his complicity through silence, especially because of his close friendship with one of the victims. In an attempt at a fresh start, Junho moves to San Francisco, but he soon realizes that distance is no cure for the pain and stifling guilt that he feels inside. David Boo is a Korean American Writer/Director, born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised between the United States and South Korea. With an engineering background, David moved to Korea to study Film at Dongguk University. During his time there, David wrote, directed, and edited five short films and participated in multiple independent productions. Along with other filmmakers in the Bay Area, David formed a group called the Bay Area Film Collective. Its mission is to develop and nurture a variety of independent projects in the Bay Area. With the help of the collective and his Korean colleagues, David began developing his first feature, JUNHO. David's primary career goal is to direct a feature film with Asian American emphasis for a major production company. Rebecca Teresia is a Finnish-born Actress/Producer with considerable experience in Television and Film. Rebecca is best known for her work in drama, horror, and action films. In addition to an extensive background in international business (MBA), she continues to tell remarkable stories while establishing herself as a leader and mentor to other aspiring filmmakers. While living in Hawaii, Rebecca developed an earnest curiosity and appreciation for Korean culture. Her interest led to an opportunity to produce her first Korean-origin film, which has since furthered her knowledge of the Korean film scene. Wonjun Jo was a member of Mokhwa, a theater troupe exposed by the #MeToo movement. As a result of the scandal, everyone associated with the troupe (regardless of involvement) was blacklisted by the industry and society as a whole, forcing everyone to make radical career changes. Won Jun Jo being one of them. Like so many other bystanders who looked away from institutional abuse, Won Jun was deeply troubled by his inaction. Wonjun wanted to take on the role of Junho to illustrate the lives of the neglected and bring their stories to the forefront in a closed society to prevent future tragedy. WeXL founder and CEO Arabella DeLucco hosts WeXL Weekly, a podcast that encompasses WeXL's mission to empower and unite through passion, purpose, and story. Listen in to learn the inner workings and journeys of creators and creative individuals from all over the world—experience how stories unite us. Together, We eXceL. To support our work, please go to WeXL.org. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wexl-org/support

Thank you to CAAMFest, we had the honor of hosting their spotlight panel with dream Bitch Talk guest, Margaret Cho and filmmakers Minsun Park and Teddy Tenenbaum to talk about their horror short - Koreatown Ghost Story.  Since this was a live (virtual) panel, you will hear an interview with comedian/actress/activist and SF native Margaret Cho talking about her lengthy career, the MeToo movement and its affect on women comedians, being a germophobe, and so much more. Then you'll hear Minsun Park and Teddy Tenenbaum enter the conversation to talk about their film Koreatown Ghost Story and how Margaret got involved, their favorite horror directors, and the not-so-fun filming during a pandemic at the height of L.A.'s 2020 holiday Covid surge.It was a dream come true to have Margaret Cho on the pod and hope we can welcome her back on again in the future for a Basic Bitch cause she is one of the baddest bitches out there. Follow Margaret Cho on IG, Twitter, and at her websiteFollow Minsun Park on IG, and TwitterFollow Teddy Tenenbaum on IG and TwitterFollow CAAMFest here--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

The documentary WUHAN WUHAN  follows five stories as the Covid-19 epidemic is at its worst in the Wuhan province in China during February and March of 2020. Director Yung Chang was not in Wuhan filming as this part of the pandemic was unfolding, but was fortunate to receive the footage from a team of filmmakers that were in Wuhan by chance at the time.  The stories give a snapshot of how some of the citizens of Wuhan were dealing with the lock down in real time and how humanity and science can work together. All of the stories in WUHAN WUHAN are important as we emerge (carefully) from a 14 month shutdown to understand how our fellow humans across the world dealt with Covid, the toll it took on their community, and to put faces to the political rhetoric and hate that was and is still prevalent now. You can follow Yung Chang on IG, Twitter, and at his websiteFollow CAAMFest here--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Mari Walker and Lynn Chen joined the Changing Directions podcast series to talk about their new movie See You Then which world premiered at SXSW and is an official selection of CAAMFest. It was an honor to have both on hand to celebrate the one year anniversary of the podcast, especially since Lynn was my very first guest when the podcast debuted. Changing Directions is a podcast interview series focused on diverse and emerging filmmakers who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for women and minorities while creating amazing films.

As part of our AAPI Heritage Month interview series, Dig IN Magazine Host and Editor-in-Chief Cindy Maram speaks with Actor/Director/Producer Dante Basco about his directorial debut ‘The Fabulous Filipino Brothers,’ which had its World Premiere at SXSW 2021 and is having its Bay Area Premiere at CAAMFest 2021 on May 14. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

If you listened in to our last episode with Dante Basco, you heard us mention his sister, Arianna Basco. She's one of the co-writers of the film The Fabulous Filipino Brothers and in our humble opinion, takes the movie to the next level. Arianna is a spoken word artist, musician, author, producer, and is the founder of the Palms Up Academy .  When she's not hustlin' for herself or the community, she's a single mother of two and is the only girl in a family full of Basco boys. Arianna, or Lady B as she is called, is certainly an artist and bad bitch in her own right, the Basco bros have so much to learn from their baby sis. We vibed so hard with Arianna and felt like we could have talked another 30 min...we hope this isn't the last time you'll hear from her on Bitch Talk.  Enjoy!You can find Arianna on IG and TwitterYou can donate to and find Palms Up Academy here--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Bay Area, REP-RE-SENT! We're so excited to bring you our chat with the writer/director/star of The Fabulous Filipino Brothers, Dante Basco. We get into his process of writing the film, starring alongside  his real life family, and what it feels like to bring his film back home to the Bay. We discuss our shared love for Hip Hop activist Ruby Ibarra, and he gives us some insight on his 30+ years in the entertainment industry. As kids watching him on shows like Moesha and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, this was a really full circle interview, and we're so glad we had people like Dante to pave the way for more Asian American representation. You can follow Dante Basco on IG & Twitter & FB--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Masashi Niwano is the Festival Exhibition Director for the Center for Asian American Media's film festival, CAAMFEST. This year's festival is virtual, so anyone from anywhere can attend! I especially encourage Asian American filmmakers from the American south to check it out since CAAM is partnering with other groups to support your endeavors, check out their website for more details. And to all you aspiring filmmakers CAAM offers fellowships! funding! and distribution! So get to work on your films so we can see them next year, hopefully in person! CAAMFEST 2021 MAY 13TH - MAY 23RD https://caamfest.com/2021/ https://caamedia.org Produced and hosted by Angie Suh  twitter: @asian_fail  www.asianfail.com  Music by Purple Planet Royalty Free Music: https://www.purple-planet.com Do you wanna start your own podcast?  Record via Squadcast.fm  Host with Podbean.com   Tell them Asian Fail with Angie Suh referred you. Elbow taps all around!

We're so excited to be a part of CAAM (Center for Asian American Media) Fest 2021!  Every year they compile the best in Asian and Asian American stories, and this year they've really outdone themselves. We get into our historic past with CAAMFest (including the one time Captain Party had to wear makeup), and all the great people we've met along the way. We also peel back the curtain and talk about our first two interviews for the film The Fabulous Filipino Brothers, with siblings Dante Basco and Arianna Basco. So sit back, enjoy, and we hope to see you on Sunday, May 16th, for our panel with Margaret Cho! You can RSVP hereFor tickets and info on CAAMFest, click here--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions  

"Sky Blossom" screens at CAAMFest on May 18 at 6 p.m.

This episode is Part 1 of the two-part series of our podcast interview with the cast and crew of the narrative feature film JUNHO, an official selection of CAAMfest 2021. This episode was recorded in person right after the production wrapped in San Francisco in December 2019. Travel back in time with our podcast guests with writer/director David Boo, actor Wojun Jo, and producer Rebecca Teresia as they speak about their experience making the film. Then listen to Part 2 and hear how the world changed for these filmmakers. JUNHO is about a young man running from his previous life as a member of the Changbi theater troupe. After sexual assault revelations surface, the troupe is not only dismantled but blacklisted from the community. Although he is just a bystander, the titular character Junho is overwhelmed by his complicity through silence, especially because of his close friendship with one of the victims. In an attempt at a fresh start, Junho moves to San Francisco, but he soon realizes that distance is no cure for the pain and stifling guilt that he feels inside. David Boo is a Korean American Writer/Director, born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised between the United States and South Korea. With an engineering background, David moved to Korea to study Film at Dongguk University. During his time there, David wrote, directed, and edited five short films and participated in multiple independent productions. Along with other filmmakers in the Bay Area, David formed a group called the Bay Area Film Collective. Its mission is to develop and nurture a variety of independent projects in the Bay Area. With the help of the collective and his Korean colleagues, David began developing his first feature, JUNHO. David's primary career goal is to direct a feature film with Asian American emphasis for a major production company. Rebecca Teresia is a Finnish-born Actress/Producer with considerable experience in Television and Film. Rebecca is best known for her work in drama, horror, and action films. In addition to an extensive background in international business (MBA), she continues to tell remarkable stories while establishing herself as a leader and mentor to other aspiring filmmakers. While living in Hawaii, Rebecca developed an earnest curiosity and appreciation for Korean culture. Her interest led to an opportunity to produce her first Korean-origin film, which has since furthered her knowledge of the Korean film scene. Wonjun Jo was a member of Mokhwa, a theater troupe exposed by the #MeToo movement. As a result of the scandal, everyone associated with the troupe (regardless of involvement) was blacklisted by the industry and society as a whole, forcing everyone to make radical career changes. Won Jun Jo being one of them. Like so many other bystanders who looked away from institutional abuse, Won Jun was deeply troubled by his inaction. Wonjun wanted to take on the role of Junho to illustrate the lives of the neglected and bring their stories to the forefront in a closed society to prevent future tragedy. WeXL founder and CEO Arabella DeLucco hosts WeXL Weekly, a podcast that encompasses WeXL's mission to empower and unite through passion, purpose, and story. Listen in to learn the inner workings and journeys of creators and creative individuals from all over the world—experience how stories unite us. Together, We eXceL. To support our work, please go to WeXL.org. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wexl-org/support

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!    1. Masashi Niwano is the Festival & Exhibition Director at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). He is a Bay Area native who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Production from San Francisco State University. Masashi has been associated with CAAM for over a decade, starting as an intern, then becoming involved in theater operations and, finally, being chosen as a selected filmmaker (Falling Stars, 2006). Prior to re-joining CAAM as Festival & Exhibition Director, Masashi was the Executive Director for the Austin Asian American Film Festival. He is also an active filmmaker, who has worked on numerous films and music videos that are official selections at Outfest, Newfest & South By Southwest.  2. Br'er Peach Andrew Saito@AlterTheater (donate by May 9) 3. Sheila Malkind, founder and Executive Director, Legacy Film Festival 4. AMERICANISH director/writer/producer, Iman Zalwahry joins Aizzah Fatima (writer/producer) to talk about CAAMFest 2021 closing feature May 23. It is also their first feature film!

Abraham Ferrer is the Archives and Distribution Manager for Visual Communications, a non-profit media arts organization based in downtown Los Angeles. They host the annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Because of the pandemic, the festival was moved to September this year. Send your entries now! Volunteer, sign up for classes, or even get some seasonal work at Visual Communications if you wanna help get our voices heard. We chat about the history of Visual Communications and the state of Asian American cinema now.  Visual Communications: vcmedia.org Asian CineVisions and the Asian American International Film Festival: asiancinevision.org Center for Asian American Media (nee National Asian American Telecommunications Association): caamedia.org San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (now CAAMFest): caamedia.org/caamfest/ Pacific Arts Movement (presenter of the San Diego Asian Film Festival): pacarts.org Vancouver Asian Film Festival: paff.org Asian American Film Lab (presenter of the 72 Hour Film Shootout): asianamericanfilmlab.com   Report hate crimes to: https://stopaapihate.org   Abe also mentioned the D word (diversity) and the R word (representation).    Check out earlier episodes with Dr. Grace and Dr. Nathan, as we discuss specific issues growing up Asian in America: model minority myth, anxiety/depression, how Asian women and men are seen in America.    Produced and hosted by Angie Suh  twitter: @asian_fail  www.asianfail.com  Music by Purple Planet Royalty Free Music: https://www.purple-planet.com Do you wanna start your own podcast?  Record via Squadcast.fm  Host with Podbean.com   Tell them Asian Fail with Angie Suh referred you. Elbow taps all around!

On Hard NOC Life, Dominic and Keith welcome Lauren Lola -- who took a moment out of her busy CAAMFest schedule -- to talk about Hamilton and Mandalorian season 2 coming to Disney+. Over the last few weeks, Disney+ announcements have turned the nerd world upside down. In addition to all of the casting news surrounding season 2 of The Mandalorian -- namely, Rosario Dawson, Temuera Morrison, and Katie Sackhoff potentially bringing animated characters to live action -- the Mouse House also announced exclusive streaming rights to the filmed version of Broadway's Hamilton which was originally scheduled for a theatrical run in 2021. In rule of three fashion, YA fantasy author Rick Riordan also revealed he's working on a Percy Jackson series for the Plus, satiating a legion of Demigods who have been who have been clamoring for years! Finally, in a special streaming of edition of what's #NerdPoppin -- Lauren is excited for Avatar: the Last Airbender on Netflix; Dom is watching old Spider-Woman cartoons on Disney+; Keith is curious about the new Captain Pike-centered Star Trek series on CBS All Access, while also attending the virtual premiere of TNT's Snowpiercer. All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit "play," and check this. Subscribe to all of the podcasts in the Hard NOC Media family on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, NPR One, Spotify, and now on Stitcher Radio! Support us on GoFundMe and Patreon! Buy merch on TeePublic! As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops.  

It's been a couple of years since we've had Director and San Francisco native H.P. Mendoza on our show. We catch up with him about his (almost) year living in Tokyo, what it's like to come back to the states during a pandemic,  Japanese chicken nuggets, CAAMfest, how he won the internet early during SIP, and his legendary Mission Arcade parties.  It's always a comfort to talk and hang with H.P. and we hope to have him back on the show again soon. You can follow H.P. here. Enjoy our two part interview with H.P here & hereBe well, stay safe, and thank you for staying home.Subscribe to our NEW channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!--Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Let us know how we're doing: therealbtpod@gmail.comVisit our BRAND NEW website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen in every Monday from 6:00 - 6:30 AM on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Tell me if you’ve either heard or said the following phrase before: “It’s all about who you know.” Unfortunately this has become an excuse for many who think the barrier of entry to success in Hollywood (and many other creative industries) is knowing the right people. And of course only the privileged are a part of those prestigious circles…so you might as well give up, right? My guest today, Evita Zhou, is a film & tv editor who has worked in both documentary and narrative in both the United States and China. More importantly, Evita is the perfect example of why “It’s all about who you know” is not a valid excuse…because the solution to this problem is simply to get to know more people, and Evita could teach a masterclass on how to meet people and build relationships. I met Evita years ago at a networking event, and the story of how we first met is quite possibly my favorite Hollywood story of the almost twenty years I’ve been in this business. In our conversation Evita and I talk about how she has steadily built an editing career that she’s passionate about despite not going to film school, not speaking English as her first language, not being from the United States, not being a man, and not being [insert 100 more excuses here]. If Evita’s passion, tenacity, and confidence don’t inspire you to get out there and start building relationships (no matter how awkward, difficult, or scared you are of the networking process), then I suggest checking that you still have a pulse. Want to Hear More Episodes Like This One? » Click here to subscribe and never miss another episode Here’s What You’ll Learn: Evita’s journey from Hong Kong to success in L.A. Zack’s favorite L.A. Story and how he met Evita for the first time The difference in the value of editors in the U.S. vs China How Evita’s confidence and specificity in her networking introduction found her the job she wanted Learning to be clear about the things you want and need in your career Making peace with the fact that you will have to put in work to get on every project for the rest of your career When to dump the project you’re working on to pursue the one you need Our Generous Sponsors: This episode is made possible for you by Ergodriven, the makers of the Topo Mat, my #1 recommendation for anyone who stands at their workstation. The Topo is super comfortable, an awesome conversation starter, and it’s also scientifically proven to help you move more throughout the day which helps reduce discomfort and also increase your focus and productivity. Click here to learn more and get your Topo Mat. Guest Bio: Instagram Her documentary credits include Making A Murderer Season 2 (Netflix), Loss Of Only Child (Guangdong TV), and 2019’s Confucian Dream, which premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and won Special Jury Prize at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Her documentary short Organizing Happiness was China’s official entry in the HIGH 5 Series at the 2018 BRICS Film Festival in Durban, South Africa. Evita’s narrative works have also screened around the world, including “Human Terrain”–AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, Shatterbox Short Film series Season3; “The Visit”– Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 42nd Asian American International film festival, CAAMFEST; “Ablution”– Mill Valley Film Festival; Dances with Films etc. Her current project 26.2 to Life: The San Quentin Prison Marathon documents a marathon running club inside California’s oldest prison. Show Credits: This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared and published by Elyse Rintelman. The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet). Note: I believe in 100% transparency, so please note that I receive a small commission if you purchase products from some of the links on this page (at no additional cost to you). Your support is what helps keep this program alive. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Graduations, college signing day and a question: What are the biggest challenges do you think the community faces? Also, an interview with filmmakers Josh & Harry Chuck of Chinatown Rising, premiering at CAAMFEST 37, The post Graduations & College Signing Day! appeared first on Alive and Free.

So there's this girl that we met way back in early May. When she came over to us on the red carpet of the CAAMFest launch party she gave us big ol' hugs and we never looked back. A month and some change later, we met up with her at the Pinterest headquarters in San Francisco to have dinner, catch up, and see what makes this magical unicorn a magical unicorn.  Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter...  

We're back in the studio and ready for some basic bitch talk. Catching up on the WARRIORS, CAAMFest 36, Blindspotting, and those damn e-scooters. Download, relax, and pop a cold one.    Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter...  

Join in as Erin and Captain Party moderate the "Nothing on US: Pinays Rising" Q&A with director/MC Ruby Ibarra, co-director Evelyn Obamos, spoken-word artist Faith Santillo, and creative director Dale Keano. It was a powerful conversation about being immigrant women, the power of mothers, and what it means to be Pinay. Whether you are brown, tan, black, white, or anything in between, our Q&A will open your eyes to this movement and why Ruby Ibarra is leading it.    Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter...    

San Francisco's CAAMFest has landed and Ange and Erin are on the opening night red carpet to chat with director Dianne Fukami and producer Debra Nakatomi of the film An American Story: Norman Mineta and His Legacy. Download now and enjoy the hustle and bustle of a true red carpet at the historical Castro Theater!    Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter...    

Basic Bitch Talk from a bar in SF.  Erin, Ange & Char talk all things CAAMFest, Dave Chappelle, Michelle Wolf, catching baseballs, and much more! (They even find a way to squeeze in a John Stamos minute!) Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter...  

We are bringing you some of our favorite interviews LIVE from the red carpet at the CAAMFest launch party in San Francisco! Listen in as we talk with friend of the show H.P. Mendoza, Sammay Dizon, Evelyn Obamos, and Jun Stinson. We had a BLAST talking to these Asian American media makers and we hope our conversations will get you out to see, taste, and hear what CAAM is all about during their festival this month.    Get CAAMFest tickets --> https://bit.ly/2jozMaC   Come visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.........      

What's up, Bitch Talkers? We are running all over town getting you only the best interviews during the run of the San Francisco International Film Festival! We had a moment to record a basic bitch in the lobby of the beautiful San Francisco Fairmont Hotel after one of our interviews with the director of the upcoming film Boundries. We have an update to our senior key moments, talk about our live podcast show coming up tomorrow at the Punchline comedy club, and finally, one of us has totally forgotten their upcoming birthday - I wonder which one??? Download ep. 268 now!   See us at the Punch Line during the Reimagine End of Life week in San Francisco on April 18! Get your tickets here. Look at our new website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.........      

Marky "Proof" Enriquez is a DJ and Marketing Manager in San Francisco. In this episode we talk about his journey leaving a job in the engineering world to pursue a career in the music industry. Marky expands on this idea of following your passion to help you decide where you don't want to be. Find out more about Marky's upcoming gigs or listen to some of his mixes: http://www.livin-proof.com/ For more info on CAAMFest, check to: https://caamedia.org/blog/category/caamfest-2018/

Hey everyone. We're back...back again (sorry for the delay yall). Welcome back to another installment of your brother's favorite podcast, M.E.Mcast. This week's featured guest is none other than Eric Ignacio (http://ericignacio.com) sitting in with Ray (@rayhomdotcom) and Willis (@woooolis). They discuss such matters like meeting at a CAAMfest party, being a military brat in Japan, filmmaking and staying up til 6 A.M. while trying to follow a grip truck, Willis's featherduster, Ray's love for James Cameron, the list goes on and on and on and on and on and. As always, please visit http://MindEraseMedia.com for all things related to MEM, and leak this info to your credible news sources. Or fake news. Whatever gets us some exposure. And Here...We...GO!!!!

A few months ago, Bitch Talk was lucky enough to support the web series Brown Girls during CAAMFest and we were not going to say no when the Frameline Film Festival asked if we would partner again on this groundbreaking series. We wanted to catch up with the people that were involved in getting this Chicago based series out on to the digital platform and had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Aymar Jean Christian from OpenTV. OpenTV launched Brown Girls in February of 2017 and we got to sit down with the Assistant Professor at Northwestern and OpenTV development executive to talk about Brown Girls and the future of web series. Thanks for listening and remember to #listensharerepeat.Many thanks to Frameline Film Festival for having Bitch Talk be a community partner on three of their titles; Brown Girls, BKPI, and 195 Lewis! #Frameline41Support the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 & 2023 without your help! -- Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal. -- Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage! Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts! Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook Listen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

A few months ago, Bitch Talk was lucky enough to support the web series Brown Girls during CAAMFest and we were not going to say no when the Frameline Film Festival asked if we would partner again on this groundbreaking series. We wanted to catch up with the people that were involved in getting this Chicago based series out on to the digital platform and had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Aymar Jean Christian from OpenTV. OpenTV launched Brown Girls in February of 2017 and we got to sit down with the Assistant Professor at Northwestern and OpenTV development executive to talk about Brown Girls and the future of web series. Thanks for listening and remember to #listensharerepeat.  Many thanks to Frameline Film Festival for having Bitch Talk be a community partner on three of their titles; Brown Girls, BKPI, and 195 Lewis! #Frameline41

The CAAMFestivities continue with my second LIVE podcast at the Asian American film fest in San Francisco with actors Vincent Rodriguez III and Vella Lovell from the hit CW musical comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!

I was super excited to record my first LIVE episode of Off White with Master of None co-creator Alan Yang and actor Kelvin Yu at CAAMFest in San Francisco. After screening the "Parents" episode of the show, we talk about how Master of None came to be and they have A LOT of insight about the hot-button topic of diversity in Hollywood (and we crack some jokes along the way, of course). After our panel discussion we open the floor to questions which leads to a very interesting finale.

Festivals festivals everywhere! This week we invite So Yun Um, a filmmaker, critic, and festival programmer for the upcoming Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, to talk film, festivals,and family. Minji also checks in from her adventures at South by Southwest in Austin, and Marvin reports in from his weekend at CAAMFest in San Francisco.  This week’s intro music is provided by Kollaboration Alum Blazing Rays of the Sun, check out their new albumYoung Love available now! Subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, or via our RSS feed (http://kollaboration.libsyn.com/rss) and check out our highlights on Clammr Follow our guest at: So Yun Um @ssoyunum www.sosreelthoughts.com LA Asian Pacific Film Festival Follow our hosts at: @minjeeeezy @marvinyueh

A few weeks ago, it was my pleasure to have filmmaker Pamela Tom in the Lounge to talk about her documentary Tyrus, the story of Chinese-American artist and Disney Legend Tyrus Wong. Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to finally see Tyrus on the big screen. The film opened CAAMFest, an annual film festival in the San Francisco Bay Area that supports and celebrates Asian art and culture. It was a delightful evening, with the screening held at San Francisco's historic Castro Theatre. It was followed by a gala at the Asian Art Museum. On display at the event was an 80-year old watercolor masterpiece by Tyrus Wong called "Chinese Jesus." It depicts an ethereal Christ-like figure floating in a partially clouded sky. For decades, the painting was thought to have been lost, only to be rediscovered a few years ago stashed away in a San Francisco church. The painting came full circle on March 9, when, during a ceremony designating the day as “Tyrus Wong Day” in San Francisco, Tyrus Wong, at 105-years old, signed the painting. Last Friday, since I was in the neighborhood, I dropped by the Walt Disney Family Museum and spent time with Michael Labrie, the museum's director of collections. In 2013, Michael curated Water to Paper, Paint to Sky an exhibition of Tyrus Wong's work. In our conversation, Michael and I talked about Tyrus, as well as a contemporary of Tyrus's at Disney, Mel Shaw. Mel is the subject of a current retrospective at the Museum, Mel Shaw: An Animator on Horseback.  After talking with Michael, imagine my surprise to run into none other than Tyrus Wong at the Museum. He was the guest of honor at a member event later that evening, but he had arrived early to take in the Mel Shaw exhibition. We only chatted briefly, but as always, Tyrus was charming, good humored and an absolute pleasure to talk with. CAAMFest runs through March 20, so if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area this week, I highly recommend seeing one of the many fascinating films screening during the festival. In fact, the Walt Disney Family Museum, in celebration of Tyrus Wong, is showing Bambi this Saturday and Sunday. Plus, you can catch an encore showing of Tyrus at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland also on Sunday. For times and ticket information, visit caamfest.com/2016/schedule. Michael Labrie is my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge. Enjoy!www.TheMouseCastle.comRSS Feed: http://themousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Greetings from the Bay Area! We're here for CAAMFest 2015, specifically to catch the world premiere of the Kollaboration SF Documentary! Joining the team this week is our friend Jenny Yang, who chats with us about movies at CAAMFest, teaching ourselves production, women in digital media (inspired by our new favorite podcast Bullet Train), and all sorts of other beautiful nonsense. Enjoy! This week's intro music brought to you by G Yamazawa, check out his debut hip hop album 23 available on bandcamp.

   It's Kwik-E-Pod 037: Three Men And A Comic Book. Returning guest, Masashi Niwano is here to talk about his obsession with Milhouse.  Not only do we share our favorite Milhouse Van Houten moments but we get down and dirty with representations of race, the anthropomorphism of Beast's furniture, memories of comic book stores, the X-Men problem, is Martin gay?, what's the deal with pajamas?, GALI MA, Chris rants against found footage films, and the moral of the story. 

"We pick 'Flat3' over 'Girls' - so there you go."  Please welcome writer/director Roseanne Liang and actresses JJ Fong and Perlina Lau of Flat3, a New Zealand web series that Bitch Talk will be co-presenting at CAAMFest on March 14th and 16th.  It's wild.  It's wacky and, of course, there's even talk of John Stamos.