Connect San Diego

2011-11-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

This will be our LAST quarterly film screening in City Heights for Connect SD. This time, it will be at the Hoover High Auditorium. We hope you can join us to talk about the power of organizing, both in New Orleans and right here in City Heights.

WHEN: Thursday, November 17
TIME: 6-8 PM
WHERE: Hoover High Auditorium, 4474 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego, CA

A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES, directed by Leo Chiang

In a New Orleans neighborhood called Versailles, a tight-knit group of Vietnamese Americans overcame obstacles to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, only to have their homes threatened by a new government-imposed toxic landfill. A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES is the empowering story of how the Versailles people, who have already suffered so much in their lifetime, turn a devastating disaster into a catalyst for change and a chance for a better future. Panel discussion to follow. Film website: http://avillagecalledversailles.com/

Doors open at 6:00 PM
Film starts at 6:30 PM
Panel discussion to follow film screening

CO-PRESENTERS:
Environmental Health Coalition
Little Saigon Foundation
Mid-City CAN Youth Council
San Diego Organizing Project
Van Lang Language and Culture Center
Vietnamese American Youth Alliance

We are also now on facebook! Here is the link to the event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=237043329682680. Feel free to join the event page and invite all your co-workers, friends, family, and others who may be interested in this community event.

We hope to see you then!

Ratatouille

2011-09-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

Our next monthly outdoor film screening is coming up tomorrow (Friday)! We will be screening RATATOUILLE, and yes, there will still be free popcorn. Here are the details:

WHEN: Friday, September 23rd
TIME: 7:00 PM
WHERE: Teralta Park, City Heights (Orange Avenue and 40^th Street)

We are also now on facebook! Here is the link to the event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=130078733745865. Feel free to join the event page and invite all your co-workers, friends, family, and other who may be interested in this community event.

Thank you. See you then! =)

FREE Films at Teralta Park: UP

2011-08-22T23:21:00.000-07:00

Hello community partners,

Just a friendly reminder that our monthly outdoor film screening is coming up this Friday! We will be screening UP. Here are the details:

WHEN: Friday, August 26th

TIME: 7:30 PM

WHERE: Teralta Park, City Heights (Orange Avenue and 40^th Street)

We are also now on facebook! Here is the link to the event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189909091057322. Feel free to join the event page and invite all your co-workers, friends, family, and other who may be interested in this community event.

Thank you, and we'll see you Friday! =)

Another important event coming up in City Heights!

2011-08-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

How Would You Make it Easier to Get Around your Neighborhood?
Let’s talk about how to make it better

Colina Park Transportation Community Workshop
Thursday, August 11, 2011
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Ibarra Elementary School (4877 Orange Ave)
Free snacks and refreshments

Colina Park residents who attend this workshop and the follow-up workshop in late fall will be entered into a raffle to win a free commuter bicycle!

For more info contact:
Randy Van Vleck, Active Transportation Manager, City Heights CDC,
619-584-1535, rvanvleck@cityheightscdc.org

Under the Same Moon pics

2011-08-05T00:05:00.001-07:00

"Under the Same Moon" film screening was our first outdoor film screening at the Performance Annex in City Heights. We had over 150 people come out!

Kids playing Street Fighter 4 as we wait for the sun to go down!

Aglae selling popcorn as a fundraiser for the library.

Virginia Angeles from Proyecto de Casas Saludables was our MC for the night!

And the film begins!

Iron Giant pics

2011-08-04T23:48:00.000-07:00

Another successful film screening in Teralta Park!!

The crowd

The screen

These two boys have come to EVERY film screening since we've started doing film screenings in Teralta Park. Unfortunately for us, they are moving to Los Angeles, so they won't be coming to anymore of our film screenings. We will miss them dearly!

Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna)

2011-08-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Our third Connect SD film screening at the City Heights Performance Annex is just around the corner! We will be screening "Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna)"!

Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hops of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works undocumented in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite. Spanish w/ English subtitles.

WHEN: Thursday, August 4th
TIME: 7:00PM
WHERE: City Heights Performance Annex (outdoor screening)
3795 Fairmount Ave. San Diego, CA 92105

We are also on facebook! Here is the link to the event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=229581753743138. Feel free to join the event page and invite all your co-workers, friends, family, and other who may be interested in this community event.

We hope to see you then! =)

Colina Park Night Out

2011-08-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

Another event in City Heights by one of our partners!

4th Annual Colina Park Night Out

Join us at Colina del Sol Park to celebrate safety with a night of fun with your family and neighbors!!!

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

5:30 - 8 p.m.

Candlelight March for Peace & Safety

Kids Activities!

Free Raffle!

Community Resources

The City of San Diego

“WE ENRICH LIVES THROUGH QUALITY PARKS AND PROGRAMS”

COLINA DEL SOL RECREATION CENTER

5319 Orange Ave • San Diego, CA 92115 • (619) 235-1144 • www.sandiego.gov

Brought to you by residents of Colina Park in collaboration with The San Diego Park and Recreation Department, San Diego Police Department, City Heights Community Development Corporation, International Rescue Committee, Unity Tech Fitness, Pro Kids Golf, STAR/PAL, SAY San Diego-Crawford Community Connection, Proyecto de Casas Saludables, City Heights Foundation, City Heights Business Association, Mid-City CAN, Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention, and Youth Voice.

Iron Giant

2011-07-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hello community partners,

Just a friendly reminder that our monthly outdoor film screening is coming up this Friday! We will be screening IRON GIANT, and remember that we will have free popcorn! Here are the details:

WHEN: Friday, July 29th

TIME: 7:30 PM

WHERE: Teralta Park, City Heights (Orange Avenue and 40^th Street)

We are also now on facebook! Here is the link to the event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=230376813643461. Feel free to join the event page and invite all your co-workers, friends, family, and other who may be interested in this community event.

Thank you, and we'll see you tomorrow! =)

2011-07-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

Check out an upcoming event by one of our partners, the Nile Sisters Development Initiative!

SAVE THE DATE: Nile Sisters Development Initiative - "Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary"

Nile Sisters Development Initiative will be hosting its annual fundraising event on Saturday, September 17th, 2011. The theme of the luncheon will be "Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary". Please mark your calender. More details will follow shortly. For more information about this upcoming event, please visit our website at www.Nilesisters.org. Thank you.

When	Sat, September 17, 11am – 2pm GMT-07:00
Where	7715 Draper Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037-4380

Thank you,

Elizabeth Lou, President/CEO

______________________________________________

Nile Sisters Development Initiative 6035 University Avenue Suite # 22 , San Diego, CA 92115 Office: (619) 265-2959 Fax: (619) 265-2998 Website: www.Nilesisters.org

Shrek screening 5/27/11

2011-06-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

Shrek screening at Teralta Park was a great success. We had over 300 people come to the park to watch the movie! Definitely the biggest turnout we've had at Teralta Park thusfar. =) Pictures below...

May classes

2011-05-18T01:39:00.000-07:00

Kim Shults, the New Arrivals teacher at Hoover High, invited us to come into her classroom to teach her students about filmmaking. She has a total of 22 students from all over the world, including Vietnam, Mexico, Peru, Burma, Yemen, Congo, and Ethiopia! Although the language barrier has been difficult for them, hopefully the universal language of film will help them communicate to the world their unique experiences. We hope through teaching, we'll be able to capture all of their amazing stories, from their journey to the United States to what it's like to acclimate to a new country. Stay tuned!

Free Films at Teralta Park: Wall-E

2011-05-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

On April 29th, we had another free film at Teralta Park located in City Heights. This time, we invited families and friends from all around the San Diego community to join us as we showcased the fun film, "Wall-E"!

This little guy was one of the first people to grab a spot in front of our big screen! We gave him a prize for being so awesome. :)

Our staff work hard to get the big screen up and ready before sun-down.

We work hard to outreach to all community members, no matter how big or small!

As the sun went down the temperature also dropped to be very chilly... but families stuck with us and continued to watch the movie. Although we had a rather wet interruption that caused us to end the event early, everyone that came out had a great time with their families and friends.

Please join us for our next free screening also at Teralta Park! Next time, we'll be spending some quality time with a green ogre and his donkey friend. Please come out and watch "Shrek" with us on May 27th at 7:30PM. Hope to see you there!

Senior workshops at Hoover High

2011-04-26T23:01:00.000-07:00

Connect SD was invited to do senior workshops at Hoover High in City Heights today, on the topic of "Media Arts & Social Justice." We focused on three topics: multiculturalism, intergenerationalism, and social justice, and then discussed how media arts ties into everything. We did three sessions from 8:40am to 12:15pm in their auditorium, with 50-60 students per session. I'm glad to say that it was a very successful event, and we reached over 150+ seniors! Hopefully they learned the importance of arts & culture from our workshop and are able to incorporate multiculturalism, intergenerationalism, and social justice into their daily lives. Congrats to Wendy and Karla for doing an awesome job facilitating!

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" at Teralta Park

2011-04-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

We held our 2nd outdoor screening at Teralta Park on April 1st with a screening of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." Over 300+ people showed! Even City Councilmember Todd Gloria came out to welcome the crowd before the movie started.

Bridget from City Heights Business Association getting ready to pop the popcorn

Eric from City Heights CDC prepping the generator

The "Voices of City Heights" crew (aka Cami, Karla, Mike, and Phuong)
getting ready to do some interviews of residents in the community

Once it started getting dark...
Interviewing City Councilmember Todd Gloria

The popcorn line that never ends

Phil and Eric introducing the film

The crowd. Even more people trickled in as it got darker...

The big screen

Our next screening at Teralta Park will be on Friday, April 29th. Festivities will start at 7pm where we'll have activities for the kids until it's dark enough to start the screening. We'll be showing "Wall-E," so please come out! =)

Focus Group: Discussing Multi-culturalism, Inter-generationalism, and Social Justice

2011-04-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

On March 29th, we had the pleasure of gathering with some organizations in City Heights to discuss themes such as:

1. Multi-culturalism

2. Inter-generationalism

3. Promoting social justice through the media arts

Little Saigon Foundation tells us a little about what their organization does :)

City Heights CDC gives us a visual display of their goals.

Latino Youth Council tells us about the active work that they do with their members.

Midcity CAN tells us about their vision for the future.

We were very excited to get these group together and start interacting! :) We were very jittery as the date got closer and all of our plans started falling into place. The staff was very happy when the participants were so responsive!

The input that was brought to the focus group was very informative. There was great interaction between the older and younger generations that were present, as well as great responses to the questions that were posed. Over all, the discussions that took place at the focus group gave all of us here at Connect SD, a look into the bigger picture. The bigger picture on what the community in City Heights wish for the future and the different issues that they want to address.

We are so excited for the next focus group in May and what the new group of City Heights organizations will bring to the table! :)

Kung Fu Panda @ City Heights Teralta Park

2011-03-09T14:17:00.000-08:00

Together with the City Heights Business Association, a free film screening was held at the City Heights Teralta Park on Friday, March 4th. The film for this night was "Kung Fu Panda," a light, heart-warming movie to battle the cold that was slowly rolling in.

Setting up the screen and projector

Connect SD team mates, Karla and Phuong are excited to watch the movie! :)

Even though this screening was postponed from last week due to questionable weather, we were delighted to see lots of families come out to enjoy the movie.

Families waiting for the movie to begin.

A large number of families came to enjoy the movie with us.

While our screening equipment was being set-up, our go-to man for our Reel Voices program, Mike Watson interviewed some of the residents of City Heights with the help of our lovely Spanish interpreter, Karla.

"The Voices of City Heights" project is coming along nicely. :)

Our next screening is on Friday, March 25th. It is also at City Heights Teralta Park and we will be showing "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs!" Hope to see you there!

2011-03-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Our first film screening in City Heights! "Last Train Home"

Our first day of film classes in City Heights at Hoover High:

Our next film screening:

KUNG FU PANDA!
WHEN: Friday, March 4th

TIME: 6:00PM
WHERE: Teralta Park, City Heights (Orange Avenue and 40^th Street)

We will be providing free popcorn!

Please also let people know about the "Voices of City Heights" booth that we will be setting up at the event. As a way for people to get to know their neighbors, SDAFF will be doing short interviews of members in the community (such as yourself) before the movie starts. We will edit these interviews and then show a couple of interviews at each of the future Teralta Park screenings before the feature film. This is a great opportunity for you to tell your story and get it documented, so please stop by! We will be giving out free children's books as well. Interviews will start at 5pm.

Hope to see you then!

Last Train Home

2011-02-11T00:20:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Our first Connect SD film screening in City Heights is just around the corner! We'll be screening "Last Train Home" in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Every spring, China's cities are plunged into the world's largest human migration and chaos as 130 million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the Chinese New Year's holiday. (Mandarin w/ English subtitles)

The details!

WHEN: Friday, February 11th
TIME: 7:00PM
WHERE: City Heights Performance Annex, 3791 Fairmount Ave. San Diego, CA 92105

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Please spread the word to your family, friends, and constituencies. We hope you can join us!

Connect SD holiday potluck celebration!

2010-12-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

It's the moment we've all been waiting for... the end-of-the-year celebration of all of our participants' hard work! That's right, we'll be showcasing films about Linda Vista, including works of some of our very own participants! We encourage all class participants, community partners, and the general public to come join us in this celebration, and please bring your family and friends as well. It's a potluck, so bring some food to share if you can! The details:

WHAT: Connect SD Holiday Cultural Celebration
WHEN: Friday, Dec 17th, 6-8pm
WHERE: Bayside Community Center, 2202 Comstock St.
**check out our flyer above. you can find the Vietnamese and Spanish version online at: http://www.sdaff.org/connect/schedule.htm

Get excited! Hope to see you there tonight. =)

Bayside Champion

2010-11-29T21:20:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

This is Trinh, the new Connect SD project coordinator for 2011. Although we are gearing up for our program in partnership with the Jacobs Center in the Diamond District next year, we're still in the midst of wrapping up the program at Bayside Community Center in Linda Vista.

First, some exciting news! San Diego Asian Film Foundation was recently chosen to be honored as a Bayside Champion for 2010! We were recognized alongside other community leaders and organizations "who have made significant contributions to advance the mission of [Bayside]: To empower our diverse community to improve its quality of life through service, education, and advocacy." Thanks Bayside!

Here is a picture of our very own Mike Watson with our award!

We are now working out the details for the Connect SD Holiday Cultural Celebration, to be held at Bayside Community Center on December 17th. We'll be screening films about Linda Vista, and there will be performances and food as well! More info TBA. Stay tuned!

Farewell thoughts from intern Kami

2010-06-21T17:23:00.001-07:00

Everyone has a story, but not everyone has a voice. Enter Connect SD. Six classes into this program, not only are members of this documentary making community learning the potentials of their neighbor, they are also engaging their own talents to create platforms on which their voices can be heard. Though a new program, Connect SD is flourishing, finally shedding some long awaited light on the people of Linda Vista.

As we enter into summer, ideas are solidifying into projects. Members from various cultural backgrounds are coming together through filmmaking, struggling and learning together in hope of unearthing the overlooked stories of their home. Adding the techniques of engaged interviewing and fluid camera work to their documentarian tool belts, the class is preparing to embark on their journeys of capturing the curious characters embedded within each of their lives. It is exciting to watch this process unfold, knowing that when the film festival finally rolls around in October, the eyes of San Diego will be truly amazed as they experience the stories of the seemingly ordinary begin to creep out of the wood work, giving strength and value to the inherent beauty of Linda Vista.

2010-06-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

Our first interview from the "Connect San Diego" project at Linda Vista Multicultural Fair is up!

Check this space in the coming days and weeks for more stories from your community. Click "subscribe" on the youtube page to be notified of new stories, or follow our RSS feed on this page!

Two Q&A's!

2010-05-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest thing about going to a film festival is the director Q&A sessions. SDAFF flies in directors from around the country (and around the world!) to attend screenings of their film, then answer questions from the audience about what inspired them, and why they created their film.
Over the last few years, I've become more of a film fest aficionado. (In fact, almost the only time I enter a theater anymore is for a festival!) Director Q&A's are my 2nd favorite part of a fest (let's not forget the free food, shall we?), and I have tried to re-create that in both our summer Reel Voices programs, as well Connect San Diego.
Tonight, we screened two short films, and were able to Skype in the director for each one.
First, we watched Witness to Hiroshima, a film by Kathy Sloane. It was a very moving film about a Japanese soldier who had a compelling first-hand account of the A-bomb in Hiroshima. He chose to express his account via a series of watercolor paintings that made up the entirety of the film - there was no moving video through the entire short!
We Skyped in Kathy, and asked her a series of questions - from how she met Mr. Tsuchiya, to why the story was told in photos instead of video. Kathy was very gracious to answer all of our questions - she gave very heartfelt answers!

Next, we watched another short, Billy Cash - Live in Vegas. What a change of pace!
Director Zack McTee Skyped in from New York (at nearly midnight - Thanks, Zack!) and answered some questions about the film, his work, and how he came upon Billy. Though a much more lighthearted film, a great discussion ensued - was Billy treated fairly, and was this film an accurate portrayal of his life? Did the film need more depth, and was that possible?
We closed the night by going round-robin style around the room, with everyone giving a status update on what they want to shoot. We are not ready to disclose all the film ideas yet, but there are some *great* films in that room - just waiting to be made!

Thanks to all who made it out for class #4! Can't wait to see you June 2, to get the cameras out!

2010-04-27T21:52:00.001-07:00

First, a bit about my past - before I joined SDAFF in an educational capacity, I'd spent the last 15 years bouncing around newsrooms - from college to small market to big markets, and even some national stints. Every day I'd cover a story, and meet and interact with new people.

Often times in a situation like this, you are thrust into someone's life at one of its turning points. Think of a family where a soldier has been killed overseas, school walkouts, union strikes, major legislation, elections, traffic accidents, etc, etc, etc.

Sometimes when you start asking personal questions to people who are in a state of emotional flux, a certain bond forms between you - and they start sharing things they might not ordinarily share with a stranger. Life story kind of things. Deep dark secret kind of things. Really, really amazing things.

Sometimes those things are much more interesting than the story you're covering. (It's just that they're not newsworthy.)

I always wanted to do a series on the story behind the people we meet every day - but the pitch never got picked up. When we got the grant for Connect, I decided I'd work it in - and so I did.

This past weekend, myself and intern Kami set up a booth at the Linda Vista Multicultural Fair and asked people to tell their stories. People of all backgrounds, all colors, old and young, even a few who didn't speak a language we spoke!

My biggest fear was that we'd come home empty handed. That we'd set up all the gear, spend all the time, the effort, the resources... and we'd hear a bunch of empty stories.

No way. Everyone delivered. From the first body in the chair to the last, we heard incredible stories all day long. Escapes from concentration camps. Escapes from segregation. Lost loves. Lost wars. Dares taken and won. Dares taken and lost. Greatest fears. Native foods. Dangerous journeys.

At the end of the day, the man sweeping trash up in the street asked what we were doing, and I told him. He asked if we'd interview him. So I did. He had a pretty good love story. (We'll feature it here in weeks to come!) At the end of the interview, I asked him his passion. He thought about it, in silence. I just let the silence sit. He looked at me, and he told me that his passion was shining shoes.

I'm going to admit to you that I was immediately disappointed. It's not what I was hoping to hear. But not one to give up so easily, I asked him why. I mean... why on earth could your passion be shining shoes?

"Well... I guess 'cause I get to do what you do. I meet lots of different people every day, and I hear their stories. And when they walk away... they got great lookin' shoes!"

If the video biz doesn't pay out for me... maybe I'll go into shining shoes.

Stay tuned on this blog and the Connect San Diego page in the days and weeks to come, to hear stories of Linda Vista from this project!

Linda Vista Multicultural Fair

2010-04-26T23:44:00.001-07:00

From Intern Kami:

The Saturday sun rose with a promise of a glorious day, and indeed it was. The San Diego Asian Film Foundation in partnership with the Bayside Community Center set-up their Connect San Diego booth, welcoming in participants of the Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair to share their stories. Complete with a T.V. screen, camera, and backdrop, passers-by were able to experience a live screening of their neighbors as they revisited their roots and their journeys that have led them to the multicultural fusion that is Linda Vista. From Cambodian refugees to Puerto Rican pilots each story intertwined beautifully with the previous, revealing a diverse foundation on which the community is built.

As the most unsuspecting faces revealed how their footprints remain in the sands of Linda Vista's time, it inspires a sense of universal story. Though each individual's path may be splattered with varying colors of struggles and achievements, it is our humaness that we must never forget. As people continued to bustle along the Linda Vista Road, Connect SD was able to freeze time for a select few, capturing moments and stories that have helped shape this community now and forever.

First Connect San Diego Class

2010-04-26T02:05:00.000-07:00

After much preparation, Connect San Diego finally opened its classroom doors to members of the Linda Vista community. Beginning with an introduction to film analysis, the students quickly began to sink their teeth into the critical factors included in the composition of each piece. In hopes of provoking and inspiring each individual to think about stories within their own lives, we screened some documentaries, including "A Hand Up" by Jodie Hammond and select entries from the "Media that Matters" Film Festival, discussing the high and low points of each one. By the end of the class, those interested and dedicated to the idea of story-making began to do some preliminary brain-storming of moments and happenings that will serve as material to their future capturings. It was incredible to see the mental wheels begin to turn as such a varied group of people began to think about filmmaking in reference to their own worlds.

Connect San Diego Screens THE ANNIVERSARY at Bayside

2010-03-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

March 20th marked the final screening day for the Connect Linda Vista Program. The film is Ham Tran's remarkable short narrative piece, THE ANNIVERSARY. The film was well received by the excited audience.

Quan Ton and Van Tran of the Van Lang School were on hand to co-present the screening, and Adriana Gallardo joined us to talk US Census with the Vietnamese community. The film was attended predominantly by the Vietnamese community, but interestingly there was a Mexican family that came up to the screening all the way from Chula Vista, so the connections are beginning!

Don't forget Linda Vista, we are offering FREE CLASSES to the Linda Vista community starting in April!

Also, Phil Luque, Operations Director of SDAFF and Jorge Riquelme, Executive Director of Bayside Community Center were featured on VietNewsTelevision talking about Connect Linda Vista!

See you in April!

2010-03-04T21:49:00.000-08:00

Last week, the Mingei Museum in Balboa Park extended an invitation to the Connect San Diego advisory board to come and visit the museum, and talk about potential collaborative efforts.

As luck would have it, the museum's VIVA MEXICO exhibit opened just last week, and our group was treated to a private tour of the new exhibit, as well as the incredibly beautiful Sonabi: Another way of Seeing exhibit ... all led by none other than museum director Rob Sidner.

Afterwords, we sat down for dinner and a compelling round table discussion about how the Mingei can help Linda Vista reconnect with its culture - both through Connect San Diego, and through a separate venture (also funded by the James Irvine foundation). The museum staff had much to say about what they were hoping to do, but spent a lot of time listening to the needs and wants of our advisory board, and seem truly dedicated to serving the population of Linda Vista.

Hey Linda Vista - You Got a Story?

2010-02-26T16:05:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited that we're soon moving to the filmmaking phase of Connect in Linda Vista.

So here's the deal: we're looking for people with rich stories in Linda Vista that are interested in learning how to turn those stories into a short film! No experience needed, and we provide the equipment. If you're in high school or if you're 80 years old, we want to work with you!

Classes are FREE, two times a month on Monday nights from 6-9PM, April through July. So the only catch is that YOU must be committed to 8 classes. That's doable, right? Here's a schedule of our classes: http://sdaff.org/connect/schedule.htm

And it gets better.. We will select up to 8 film ideas for this project. And those who complete their film by August will receive a $500 artist fee!

If you're interested, let us know asap! email Phil Luque at phil@sdaff.org.

Success with Sueños

2010-02-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

Another packed house for Sueños Binacionales on Tuesday. A big thanks to all of those from the Mixtec community who came out to see a film full of compelling stories of others in their community!

Looks like our friends from Voice of San Diego were in attendance incognito, but I was thrilled to see their article today! Two pieces of good news in there - first, that Bayside's beloved lunch program for seniors has been saved - and secondly, fans of all ages attended the Mixtec screening. I noticed the same phenomenon; as did Lee Ann Kim, our illustrious Executive Director. The thing that tickles me most is that even our incognito columnist seems amused by the toddlers running about. Just moments into the film everyone settled down, and moments after the end the toddling began again. It was a true "community center" feeling, and I was especially happy that viewers of all ages were able (and willing) to enjoy our film.

For those interested in making a film about their community, our classes start soon - contact Phil@sdaff.org to sign up now!

Mixtecs in Motion: Sueños Binacionales

2010-02-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

Join us for our next FREE film screening of:

Sueños Binacionales
Tuesday, February 23
7PM - 7:30PM
Bayside Community Center

Sueños Binacionales tells the stories of the Mixtec people who have been immigrating to California for more than three decades and the more recent stories of the Chatinos who have been going to North Carolina for the past ten years.

Great chance to get insight about Mixtec immigrants, as there are very few films on this topic. Come join us!

Packed house for SPLIT HORN!

2010-02-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

Two hundred members of the Hmong community in Linda Vista turned out at Bayside on Saturday for a screening of SPLIT HORN, the seventeen-year chronicle of a Hmong shaman and his family from Laos to Wisconsin. Phil Luque, Operations Director for the San Diego Asian Film Foundation welcomed the group, and introduced Steven Hadley, Chief of Staff for councilmember Donna Frye.

It was a historic day for the group, who later elected the board of the Lao Hmong Family Association of San Diego.

Thanks everyone, for coming out, making your voice heard, and enjoying a great film!

18 Years in the Making: SPLIT HORN

2010-01-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

Our next free screening for Connect SD is taking place on Saturday, February 6 at 1PM at the Bayside Community Center in Linda Vista. It's a documentary film that spans 18 years, following the life of a Hmong shaman, trying to uphold his family traditions in Michigan. Here's the trailer:

We screened this film at the SDAFF in 2001, and I'm so glad to be able to see it again. Hope you can join us!

Q&A with director Zeus Quijano, Jr.

2010-01-22T15:13:00.000-08:00

Lee Ann Kim interviews Zeus Quijano, Jr., director of the short documentary, POINT OF ENTRY, which screened at the 2009 San Diego Asian Film Festival. Point of Entry is screening again in San Diego on 1/22/10 as part of SDAFF’s Connect program, as well as at the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival.

LA: How did you find Carlos, and what inspired you to tell his story? Was he afraid of exposing his immigration status on camera?

ZEUS: I would go to the restaurant that Carlos works in and being that he’s an amiable person, we would talk quite a lot. We’d talk about family and he’d tell me about his life in Mexico and it would be heartbreaking to hear him reminisce about having to leave his loved ones.

Because Carlos is such a kind and caring person, I knew that I wanted to tell his story. The story of illegal immigration has been told before, but I knew that if I focused on Carlos and his family and not the issue, something more powerful would resonate. Also, what inspired me was the chance to give him and his family a voice. The media doesn’t give that opportunity out much. Illegal immigrants are unfortunately and usually relegated to negative statistics.

I was more afraid for him as far as exposing his immigration status. Carlos is very adamant about wanting to tell his story. He’d tell me over and over again that he wants to be out in the open about it. He doesn’t feel like he’s done anything wrong. He has an honest job and cares for his family. America has given him many opportunities.

LA: I've seen this story so many times before. But what really made it different was spending time with his family in Mexico, showing who he left behind. What was that experience like, and was the family reluctant in any way?

ZEUS: My wife Lisa and I had never been to Mexico, but I knew that I wanted to go there to give Carlos a chance to see his family. I knew Carlos wouldn’t be able to go and we had our reservations, but in my heart, I knew that the family that raised such a kind person in Carlos would be equally kind to us.

The family took us in and treated us like…well…family. They were wonderful and they cared about our safety and well-being. They knew that the purpose for us being there was to give them a chance to see each other and that opened up the door tremendously. They were very forthcoming and honest. It was a great experience.

LA: What kind of message do you want to share in this film?

ZEUS: It’s a simple film. It doesn’t have a huge message. It’s just a movie about a family that loves each other…they just happen to live on opposite sides of an unyielding border fence.

LA: Is there a difference between how Latino/Mexican audiences see this film and the way non Latino audience see this film? What is their reaction?

It depends. There have been non Latinos who understand the immigration and separation. There have been non Latinos who haven’t but have told me that seeing them in this light has opened their eyes to something they haven’t been exposed to.

I was fortunate to screen the film to a Latino audience, and the reaction was favorable across the board. They felt very connected to the family and that was something I was hoping for.

LA: Did Carlos and his family see the film? If so, how do they feel about it?

ZEUS: Carlos loved it. It was both painful and joyful being able to “see” his family.

LA: I read in an interview about your best friend, a Border Patrol Agent who saw the film but had no comment. Has he talked to you about the film yet? And if not, what do you attribute his silence?

ZEUS: My best friend deals with illegal immigrants on a daily basis and some of them aren’t very nice. He also knows that not all of them are bad, but it’s his job to protect the borders. We have yet to talk about the film. We’ll talk about sports, though.

LA: Please share any surprising reaction to the film - esp if someone still feels negatively towards "illegals"

ZEUS: My trailer was posted on youtube and there were a couple of people who haven’t seen the film, but felt it necessary to say that Carlos is here illegally and that he needs to go back.

I understand that it’s a difficult issue to deal with, but at the end of the day, we’re all humans. People look to better themselves and it’s a shame that a few bad people ruin it for the honest and caring people out there. I imagine that the majority of illegal immigrants are honest and hard working. It’s just a sad situation.

Official Point of Entry website: http://www.pointofentrymovie.com/
Watch the trailer of POINT OF ENTRY on Youtube, click HERE.

How to Watch Film Critically

2010-01-21T13:05:00.001-08:00

One of the goals of our Connect San Diego program is to enhance our community's film literacy and ability to watch films critically. Not only does this make film viewing a more enjoyable experience, but it also increases our community's appreciate of film as art.

Please share this one-sheet on How to Watch Film with your family and friends.

How to Watch Film

Point of Entry - FREE FILM THIS FRIDAY

2010-01-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

We're kicking off our Connect San Diego film series at the Bayside Community Center in Linda Vista with the film, POINT OF ENTRY, by director Zeus Quijano. This film is extremely relevant in San Diego, given all the heated debate about immigration.

POINT OF ENTRY (Free Film Screening)
Friday, Jan 22 6:30 - 7:30pm
Bayside Community Center
2202 Comstock Street
San Diego, CA 92111-6502
(858) 278-0771

Gathering the Troops

2010-01-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

Years ago, when I first moved into San Diego, one of the first places I looked for a place to live was in Linda Vista. Home to the beautiful campus of the University of San Diego, Linda Vista holds a very special place in my heart - especially since we began our very first San Diego Asian Film Festival there in August 2000.

Now many years later, I return to Linda Vista through our partnership with the Bayside Community Center to launch a grassroots media arts program called CONNECT SAN DIEGO, where we are planning to bring together Hmong, Vietnamese, Mixtec, and Mexican residents together through film, digital storytelling, and rich discourse.

One of the best things of working with Bayside Community Center, is its passionate executive director, Jorge Riquelme, who has advocacy in his blood. I'm talkin' this brother is DOWN. And he always makes certain we're well-fed. (Gracias, compadre!)

We also invited leaders from various ethnic organizations to get their commitment to this program. I was so happy to see every group represented in this small room, and by the end of the evening, everyone seemed to agree what we proposed was a good start to connecting communities cross-culturally and inter-generationally within Linda Vista.

There are so many rich histories, languages, and cultures here, but the citizens themselves may not share them with one another because of various barriers. We hope to change that.

After our meeting of the minds, one our way to the parking lot, I was surprised to see this small group of young people at Bayside's basketball court practicing their lion dance. (It is that time of year, after all for Lucky Lion dancers). It was a nice end to a culturally enriching day.