casting call

SEOND CASTING CALL 

Award winning writer/director Minh Nguyen-Vo (Nguyễn-Võ Nghiêm-Minh), Buffalo Boy (Mùa Len Trâu), continues the audition to find the LEAD ACTOR for his new project, a romantic comedy set in Los Angeles. 

The film is an intense, character-driven ensemble portrait of Los Angeles‘ complex multiethnic identity.

 

Character’s description: 

LONG (50s to 0s) – ASIAN, preferably VIETNAMESE, should have a fair command of English, however it doesn’t have to be fluent 

Jaded, reserved, timid.  An ex-officer in the South Vietnam Army who suffered from a tragic event in the aftermath of the war.  Haunted by his past, he has a deep mistrust of maps.  So when he tries to go from one point to another, he has to pass by the supermarket where he works, which constitutes his unique point of reference. Living a limited life, he will make several encounters that will drastically challenge his world’s view, cracking him open and ultimately liberating him from his past. 

The audition will take place on SUNDAY, Jan. 27, from 11:30AM to 2PM, at VAALA Studio (Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association) 14772 Moran Street, Westminster, CA 92683.  Phone number: 714-893-6145. 

Professional and non-professional actors welcome. 

For directions, please go to: http://www.vaala. org/contact- vaala.php 

For further information, please contact Titi Mary by email: titimaryt@yahoo. com

special screening of the award winning feature film

 

“Journey from the Fall”

 

“A major accomplishment”

– Kevin Thomas, The Los Angeles Times

 

“Writer/Director Ham Tram achieves the impossible”

-Mart Seiz, The New York Times

 

Inspired by the true stories of Vietnamese refugees who fled their land after the fall of Saigon, and those who were forced to stay behind, “Journey from the Fall” follows one family’s struggle for freedom.

 

Special Guest: Writer, Director: Ham Tram

 

Tiger Woods Learning Center

on the corner of Crescent and Gilbert

Friday, February 29, 2008

3:30 – 7:30 p.m.

 

*This program is designed to meet Diversity Standard 17 for Teacher Credentialing but is open to all employees

 

Sign up in the E Directory using SRN# 2008047701

 

Email or call the office at 999-5601 for more information

Cinema Symposium, VAALA Art Contest, Tet Festival!

 

(from previous year)

 

Hello friends,

Yup, it’s time to prep for Cinema Symposium 4, which will take place at UCLA on April 13th. (Mark it on your calendar!) We are searching for a theme for Cinema Symposium 4.

With Cinema Symposium, we try to bring together different areas of filmmaking; we plan to invite a couple of directors and actors, a film fest organizer, a producer, a make-up artist, a costume designer, etc. to be on the panel. The theme of Cinema Symposium 3 was “From Script to Screen” (I think Viet Le came up with this theme). The theme of the second Cinema Symposium was “Passionate Dreams and Realistic Journeys.” The theme for the first Cinema Symposium was “Behind the Camera.”

I would like to suggest that we play with the idea of “Viet Film Wave.” (Ham, please don’t charge for your royalty! : ) ) I think we gotta push the wave upward

Humm…. How about: Riding the Viet Film Wave. : ) Please give your ideas/input! Thanks!

After we come up with the theme for Cinema Symposium, we will out our heads together to find a theme for ViFF 2009! Be ready!

Cheers,

ysa

———–

VAALA Children’s Art Contest at UVSA’s Annual Tết Festival!

Please send in your artwork to participate in an art contest for the 2008 Tết Festival! Your work may be in watercolor, pastel, or color pencils at maximum size of 9 x 12″. Each person may send in up to two (2) submissions following any of these two themes: “Spring of Unity” or “Tết and My Family”. Artwork will be divided and judged for two age group categories: Ages 5-8 and 9-12. Prizes will be awarded for each category. ONLY 30 submissions total will be selected by the judges to be displayed at the Tết Festival in Là ng Việt Nam . The judges are artists Nguyá»…n Thị Hợp, Ann Phong, and Nguyá»…n Việt Hùng.

* First prize: $100
* Second prize: $50
* Third Prize: $25

Deadline: must be received by January 30, 2008!

Send submissions to: Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) 14772 Moran Street, Westminster , CA 92683 with Name, Age, and Contact Information (parent‖s name, address, email, and telephone number) for each contestant. Â

For questions or concerns, please contact Lilian Bui, Co-Contests Director, at (714) 588-2340 or lilian.bui@tetfesti val.org

————–

Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Two Vietnamese American Film Screenings

6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Bayside Community Center
2202 Comstock Street
San Diego, CA 92111
Free admission.
Contact Information: Brian Schaefer, ArtPower! At UC San Diego , Tel. 858.534.0499

Film Screenings:

The Anniversary – Ngay Gio (by Ham Tran) – tells the story of two brothers who meet as strangers in a hapless confrontation during the Vietnam war in 1973. Thirty years later, a Buddhist monk is still haunted by his memories of war and betrayal on the anniversary of his brother’s death. This is a tragic story that resonates deeply to this day in the hearts of many Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American families.

The Story of Spirits (by Tien Nguyen) explores the pain of a South Vietnamese family torn apart by war and forced to leave loved ones behind in order to escape. Decades later, memories and ghosts return to haunt those who survived.

Discussion Theme: Art and Politics
Guest Moderator: Michelle Phuong Thao, Executive Director, Viet Art Center

Organized by ArtPower! at UC San Diego and Bayside Community Center, the San Diego Asian Film Foundation, the Vietnamese International Film Festival, Vietnamese American Youth Association (VAYA), the UCSD Vietnamese Student Association, the Viet Arts Center, the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA).

Sincerely,
Helena Tran
———————

Hello friends,

transPOP: Korea Vietnam Remix will be traveling to Irvine and San Francisco in November. Stay tuned!

You may view some artworks on http://www.vaala.org .

Cheers,

ysa

From: Hong-An Truong [mailto:hongan. truong@gmail. com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 1:23 AM
To: Hong-An Truong
Subject: transPOP: Korea Vietnam Remix Symposium

transPOP: Korea Vietnam Remix

Symposium, Gallery Tour with Curators, Performance & Film/Video Program

January 18 & 19, 2008

Arko Art Center, Third Floor

Seoul, Korea

Organized by Viet Le and Yong Soon Min

You are cordially invited to the symposium and special events, held in conjunction with transPOP: Korea Vietnam Remix, a traveling contemporary art exhibition that introduces a dynamic mix of sixteen critically acclaimed artists from Korea , Vietnam , and the United States , signaling an unprecedented engagement with the rich historic and contemporary linkages between Korea and Vietnam . The featured artworks variously engage interconnections between the two countries, including the intersections of history, trauma, and contemporary popular culture.

The symposium seeks to build upon—and expand—the critical discourse examining Korean and Vietnamese historical and contemporary cultural, political, and socio-economic interactions. The symposium brings together leading scholars, artists, media producers, and activists to explore the intersections of contemporary popular culture–including hallyu and V-pop–and the legacies of historical trauma in Korea and Viet Nam and their diasporas. A better understanding of the development and dynamics of the Korean Wave and V-pop can be gained from a broader discussion of the transnational circuits and flows of popular culture and desire that represent and are constituent parts of the intertwined constructions of Asian modernity and emerging subjectivities, examined within a historical context. We wish also to contribute to the nascent, comparative scholarship on the triangulated relationship between Korea , Viet Nam and the United States that resulted from Korea ‘s substantial involvement in the American War in Vietnam , as well as the current close cultural and economic relationship that has developed between Korea and Vietnam .

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

FRIDAY (half day)

Welcome Address and Special Guest Presenter: 1-1:20 pm

Kim Jung-heun – Chairman, Arts Council Korea

Lee Eyun Kee, Writer

Symposium Introduction: 1:20 – 1:30 pm

Viet Le and Yong Soon Min – transPOP Exhibition and Symposium Co-Curators

Korea Vietnam Remix: 1:30 – 3:15 pm

Moderator: Viet Le – American Studies & Ethnicity, Southern California, Los Angeles

Kil J. Yi – History, Bergen Community College , Bergen New Jersey

Yoon Chung Ro – War & Peace Institute of HanSung University , Seoul

Viet Nguyen – English/American Studies & Ethnicity, University of Southern California , Los Angeles

Transnational Contact Zones: 3:30-5:15 pm

Moderator: Yong Soon Min – Department of Studio Art and Culture & Theory PhD Program, University of California , Irvine

Ashley Carruthers – School of Archeology and Anthropology, Australian National University , Sydney

Koichi Iwabuchi – Media & Cultural Studies, Waseda University , Tokyo

Young Chan Kim– School of Communications of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul

Cuong Phu Le – Curator, Casula Powerhouse, Sydney

Gallery Tour with curators and artists: 5:30-6:30 pm

Video Shorts Screening: 8 – 9:30 pm

Introduction by Hong-An Truong, University of California , Irvine

SATURDAY (full day)

Introduction: 10-10:15 am

Viet Le and Yong Soon Min, transPOP Exhibition and Symposium Co-Curators

Pop & Modernity: 10:15-Noon

Moderator: Yong Soon Min

Mariam Beevi Lam – Comparative Literature/Vietname se Studies, University of California , Riverside

Woo Shin-Koo – Architecture and Urbanism, Pusan University , Busan

Tuan Andrew Nguyen – Artist and Filmmaker, Ho Chi Minh City

Jung Sun Park – Asian Pacific Studies Program, California State University , Dominguez Hills

Conversations – Art in Context: Power and Predicament: 1:30-3:15 pm

Moderator: Joan Kee – Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington , DC

Area Park – Artist, Seoul

Sandrine Llouquet – Artist, Ho Chi Minh City

Koh Seung-wook – Artist, Director of Alternative Space Pool, Seoul

Tran Luong – Artist and Curator, Hanoi

New Asian Subjectivities: 3:30-5:15 pm

Moderator: Viet Le

Eunshil Kim – Ewha University , Seoul

Ysa Le – Vietnamese International Film Festival; Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association Southern California, Los Angeles

Darcy Paquet – Film Journalist, Founder and Editor of Koreanfilm.org website

Nora Taylor – Alsdorf Professor of South and Southeast Asian Art in the Department of

Art History, Theory and Criticism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago

Symposium Plenary and Review: 5:15-5:30 pm

Moderators: Viet Le and Yong Soon Min

Artist Performance in Gallery: 5:30-6 pm

Tran Luong

Feature Film Screening: 7:30-9 pm

Introduction by Viet Le

Film/Video program curated by Lan Duong, Women’s Studies, University of California, Riverside

* Symposium program and speakers may be subject to change.

* Speakers will present in English or Korean. Consecutive translation is provided on the 18th, simultaneous translation is provided on the 19th.

——–

Hi all,

Directed by Uyen, VAALA’s Theater class is going
to perform “120 Minutes Around the World” on
Friday March 28th at Huntington Beach Library
Theater. This is an all-children performance!
We are in need of costume designers/makers,
props, etc. If anyone would like to join the
production team for this wonderful performance,
please let me or Uyen know. Hiep, thanks for
agreeing to help with the set.

ysa

— On Tue, 1/8/08, Uyen Huynh
wrote:

From: Uyen Huynh
Subject: [vaala] Help! Children’s theater!
To: vaala@yahoogroups. com
Date: Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 9:25 PM

Hi Anh Hiep,

I finally got a chance to sit down and work on
props/set and costume list. Will you have time to
meet to talk about it? I know you only offered to
help with set but I’m in dire need of help on
costume and props as well. Would you know anyone
else who would be interested in helping also?
Please pass the word along for me. Miss and
thinking of you. Love, Uyen

———— ——— ——— —
To: vaala@yahoogroups. com
From: hihiep@yahoo. com
Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2008 09:10:20 -0800
Subject: RE: [vaala] VAALA’s Children’s Art
Contest at UVSA’s Annual Tet Festival!

hi Ysa,
I’d like to participate in the event. However,
I’ll be traveling oversea from Jan 30 to Feb 16.

May be next time. Thank you for your
consideration.

Hiep Nguyen
(714)423-2584
http://www.circlepainting. com

— On Tue, 1/8/08, Ann Phong
wrote:

From: Ann Phong
Subject: RE: [vaala] VAALA’s Children’s Art
Contest at UVSA’s Annual Tet Festival!
To: vaala@yahoogroups. com
Date: Tuesday, January 8, 2008, 8:35 AM

Hi Ysa:
Yes, I’m happy to participate. Count me in.
Ann Phong

—–Original Message—–
From: vaala@yahoogroups. com on behalf of Ysa D.
Le
Sent: Tue 1/8/2008 12:46 AM
To: vaala@yahoogroups. com
Subject: [vaala] VAALA’s Children’s Art Contest
at UVSA’s Annual Tet Festival!

Hi all,

I know, I probably scared a lot of people by
mentioning “Children’s Art Contest” in the
heading! No, not that again!

No, it’s nothing like the Moon Fest art contest
that we just organized a few months ago. UVSA is
asking VAALA to hep organizing a children’s art
contest. Hiep, this is very close to your idea of
a juried art contest! May be this is a “pilot”
contest (?). Anyway, I met with Lilian today for
the first time (she called me yesterday, and due
to time constraint, I couldn’t consult with
anyone, sorry!). UVSA really needs help with this
contest!

The kids will not draw on site, but they will
mail in their artwork instead. VAALA will invite
3 judges to select 30 paintings to display at the
Tet Festival. The Tet Festival’s volunteers will
take care of all of the artwork display. The
prizes are offered by UVSA with the art supply
sets (~ $15/each are from VAALA).

So, basically, VAALA only needs to 1) invite 3
judges 2) collect and keep the artworks via mail
3) publicity for the contest . Lilian (UVSA) will
be the main contact. She has drafted an
announcement below. Pls give your input! It won’t
be distributed until this Thurs. We are waiting
to confirm on the awards.

Due to the time constraint, I would like to ask 2
of our members to be the judges: chi Ann Phong
and Hiep. Would you be available to spend 2 hours
on Saturday 2/2 to judge the paintings at VAALA
Studio? I will invite another artist from the
first generation to join the judging panel. I
don’t think we will get 300 paintings!

I see this as a good opportunity for VAALA to
reach out to the youth. UVSA has been very
supportive of VAALA. I feel that there’s more
awareness to the arts from UVSA. Their Non Song
Magazine will have an article on The Rebel,
another on the Film Panel we did in November, and
an article written by our own Yolanda Vo on the
smART Program. Incredible!

ysa

———— ——— –

VAALA Children’s Art Contest at UVSA’s Annual Tet
Festival!

Please send in your artwork to participate in an
art contest for the 2008 Tet Festival! Your work
may be in watercolor, pastel, or color pencils at
maximum size of 9 x 12″. Each person may send in
up to two submissions following any of these two
themes: “Spring of Unity” or “Tet and my Family”.
Artwork will be divided and judged for two age
group categories: Ages 5-8 and 9-12. Prizes will
be awarded for each category. The judges are
____, ___, and ____. ONLY 30 paintings selected
by the judges will be displayed at the Tet
festival in Lang Viet Nam.

First prize: $50 + art supply set
Second prize: $30 + art supply set
Honorable mention: art supply set

Deadline: January 30, 2008

Send submissions to: 14772 Moran Street,
Westminster, CA 92683 with Name, Age, and Contact
Information for each contestant.

For questions or concerns, please contact Lilian
Bui, Co-Contests Director, at (714) 588-2340 or
lilian.bui@tetfesti val.org

On Jan 7, 2008 11:18 PM, Ysa D. Le
com> wrote:

Hi Lilian,

You’re so productive! Thanks! Could you please
add these details:

VAALA’s Children’s Art Contest at UVSA’s Annual
Tet Festival!

Age groups – 2 categories: 5-8 and 9-12. Prizes
are awarded for each category.

Paper size: 9 x 12

Also, ONLY 30 paintings selected by the judges
will be displayed at Lang Viet Nam. If we don’t
say this, people may expect us to display all
paintings.

Humm. pls give me some time, may be until Wed
night before you distribute this out. Let me see
if I can get some funding to increase the prizes.
$100 first, $50 second, $25 third. Let me check
first.

Also, I think let’s have everything sent to
VAALA. It’s because people will come to VAALA to
turn in the artworks, I know for sure! We will
keep you posted of how it goes. It’s one less
thing for you. You have so many things to worry
about!

VAALA’s address: 14772 Moran Street, Westminster,
CA 92683. VAALA is located in a very convenient
location, so a lot of people will just drop by.

Thanks, Lilian.

ysa

_____

From: Lilian Bui [mailto:lilianbui@ gmail. com]
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 10:56 PM
To: ysadle@yahoo. com
Subject: [Bulk] Press release for Tet art contest

Hi Ysa!

Here is what I wrote for the press release.
Again, thank you so much for helping me for the
Tet festival. It was a pleasure chatting with you
today, and I look forward to talking again
sometime soon!

Sincerely,
Lilian Bui

———— ——— ——— ———

VAALA Art Contest at UVSA’s Annual Tet Festival!

Please send in your artwork to participate in an
art contest for the 2008 Tet Festival! Your work
may be in watercolor, pastel, or color pencils.
Each person may send in up to two submissions
following any of these two themes: “Spring of
Unity” or “Tet and my Family”. Artwork will be
displayed at the Tet festival in Lang Viet Nam
and will be judged by ___________.

First prize: $50 + art supply set
Second prize: $30 + art supply set
Honorable mention: art supply set

The deadline is January 30th, 2008, and artwork
must be sent to 12821 Western Ave., Suite H,
Garden Grove, CA 92841 with Name, Age, and
Contact Information for each contestant. For
questions or concerns, please contact Lilian Bui,
Co-Contests Director, at (714) 588-2340 or
lilian.bui@tetfesti val.org

———— ——— ——— —
Make distant family not so distant with Windows
Vista® + Windows Live™. Start now!

TRAM LE
626.627.6826

Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) “Beyond Boundaries”
http://www.VietFilmFest. com
The Club O’ Noodles Show “Reinventing Entertainment. ..one Vietnamese at a time”
http://www.clubOnoodles. com
VAALA “Enriching our communities since 1991”
http://www.vaala.org

Viet Le’s transPOP and Tony Bui’s interview

Co-curator Viet Le is working 10-12 hours a day in Seoul to get ready for his transPOP: Korea Vietnam Remix .  (Things are look great, Viet!)  TransPOP’s press release has been posted on VAALA website www.vaala.org .  Please also read the article below for more info on this amazing exhibtion:

Korea Times http://www.koreatim es.co.kr/ www/news/ art/2007/ 12/135_15558. html

I can’t wait to see the exhibition in January!

VAALA’s Website Editor Yolanda interviewed Tony Bui re the WGA strike.    Tony’s important message: “We are all in this together, and the success of our union and our strike will help ensure a template for the success and fair compensation of all artists in our industry.”   

 

I hope the strike will end soon with the victory for WGA.  It has been a tough fight!  Tony, please keep us posted!

Best,

Ysa

www.vaala.org

low budget Indie feature seeking for PRODUCTION CREW

low budget Indie feature seeking for PRODUCTION CREW

Please see ViFF 2005 Van Pham (A Soul Apart)’s email below. Please email Van at vanmpham@yahoo. com directly if you’re interested in helping out. Thanks.

Cheers,

ysa

____________ _________ _________ _________ ________

Hello VIFF Artists,

My name is van pham, and i’m currently seeking for anybody who might be available throughout feb and march 2008 to help out on an ultra-low budget feature film. just to give you an idea of the project, please watch a 2 minute teaser that we did for investment purpose. This script is also a 2007 Tribecca Film Festival All Access official selection:

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

unfortunately this is a no pay gig. good for imdb credit, copy, food. we are working with a handful of talented and upcoming tv actors. If you’re interested, please let me know. The following positions are open:

Assistant Producer, 1st AD, gaffer, Production designer, wardrobe coordinator, make-up artist, 1st ac, key grip, production sound mixer, continuity supervisor, and PAs.

hope to get some support from the viet filmmaking circle.

best,
van pham

VAALA’s smART Program is looking for a photographer

Hello friends,

 

VAALA’s smART Program is looking for a photographer to teach a 2-hour digital photography workshop for 30+ highschoolers on Friday January 25^th from 4pm – 6pm at Wesminster High School , Orange County .   Must have a BA or MFA in Photography.  Stipend/gas reimbursement.  Please email me ysadle@yahoo. com if you’re interested!  Thanks! 

 

Best,

 

Ysa

www.vaala.org

Documentary on Vietnam’s most famous spy begins this week

Documentary on Vietnam’s most spy begins this week

Pham Xuan An on a street of Saigon in 1952   A documentary film about one of Vietnam’s most famous spies will be broadcast on Ho Chi Minh City television channels from Dec. 9, the HCMC Television Film Studio (TFS) said in a press conference last week.

It is the longest portrait documentary ever made by TFS and presents the brave and skillful espionage activities of the “perfect spy”, Pham Xuan An, during the American War. The 12-part documentary, entitled Huyen Thoai ve tuong tinh bao Pham Xuan An (The Legend of Intelligence General Pham Xuan An), will show never-before-seen footage of the war that is stored in the US troops’ document warehouse. The film’s director, Phong Lan, said the film started in 2002 and took five years to shoot. Viewers of the documentary film will have a chance to see An not only as a brilliant communist spy with effective strategies but also as a normal man in his daily life looking after his garden, watering his plants, and calling on his friends. The documentary ends with deeply moving footage of the talented spy losing his three month battle with emphysema. An, who was born on Sept. 12, 1927, started his intelligence work in 1952. Many admired An for his remarkable and perilous life as an undercover communist agent and a respected reporter for Reuters and the Times during the war. An maintained extensive relations with CIA agents and officials of the US-backed South Vietnam regime under President Ngo Dinh Diem. As a journalist for foreign news organizations, and by using his contact with political and military officials serving US troops, An could access US military bases and gather precious intelligence. With his formidable skill, he was able to provide accurate strategic analysis to the revolutionary forces He once told the Associated Press, “I fought for two things – independence and social justice.” He also said he had never reported any false or misleading information in his role as a journalist. During 23 years as a double agent, his life was always in danger. He always carried suicide drugs in case he suddenly needed them, but luckily, due to his talent and skill, he never had to resort to such measures. A year after the country unified in 1975 with the fall of US-backed South Vietnam regime, An was honored to become the “Hero of the Armed Forces”. The documentary film was completed just after he passed away at the age of 79. He had suffered for three months with emphysema at a military hospital in HCMC. Over 300 Vietnamese and international representatives came to pay tribute to Vietnam’s famous spy at his funeral. Lieutenant-general Nguyen Chi Vinh, Head of the Defense Ministry’s General Department No 2, read a memorial speech: “Comrade Pham Xuan An was one of the best double agents that worked nonstop for 23 years behind enemy lines…An always upheld a transparent morality in the face of adversity … He was a charismatic man, the quintessence of the intelligence service…” Many local and overseas journalists and authors have written about An showing deep respect for him personally and appreciation for his work. For instance, American Larry Berman wrote about Pham Xuan An in his book Perfect Spy, which is now very popular in the US.   Berman, a professor of Political Science at the University of California, Davis, made over 15 visits to Vietnam to interview An and members of his espionage network while writing the book. The documentary film will be broadcast from Dec. 9, at 12:30 p.m. on Channel 9 of HCMC Television network (HTV9), 8:30 p.m. on HCMC Choice Center (HTVC), and then broadcast again on HTV9 at 7:25 a.m. from Dec. 10.   This is TFS’s third documentary film featuring the espionage network in the American War, following Sai Gon Special Task Force and Intelligence Major-General Nguyen Dinh Ngoc. Source: Tuoi Tre

Casting At VAALA

 

14772 Moran Street, Westminster , CA 92683

www.vaala.org; Tel. (714) 893-6145

Directions: http://www.vaala.org/contact-vaala.php

 

Saturday, December 15, 1pm-3pm:  Filmmaker Peter Rubi holds a casting for his feature film SAIGON , CA . Please see attachment ( Saigon , CA Casting call) for information on various roles.  Please contact  occasting@gmail.com   for more information.  SAIGON , CA is a 35mm drama shooting in February 2008 in Orange County . 

 

Sunday, December 16, 10am-3pm:  Award winning writer/director Minh Nguyen-Vo (Nguyễn-Võ Nghiêm-Minh),  Buffalo Boy (Mùa Len Trâu), is auditioning to find the LEAD ACTOR for his new project, a romantic comedy to be shot in  Los Angeles in Spring 2008.  The film is an intense, character-driven ensemble portrait of  Los Angeles ‘ complex multiethnic identity.   Character’s description:   LONG (late 40s to late 50s) – ASIAN, preferably VIETNAMESE, should have a fair command of English, however it doesn’t have to be fluent.  Jaded, reserved, timid.  An ex-officer in the South Vietnam Army who suffered from a tragic event in the aftermath of the war.  Haunted by his past, he has a deep mistrust of maps.  So when he tries to go from one point to another, he has to pass by the supermarket where he works, which constitutes his unique point of reference. Living a limited life, he will make several encounters that will drastically challenge his world’s view, cracking him open and ultimately liberating him from his past.   (for the Vietnamese version of the casting call, please see attachment Thong Bao Tuyen Dien Vien).

Casting Call in both English and

Casting Call in both English and
> Vietnamese is attached**
>
> SUNRISE SEAGULL PRODUCTIONS is holding a
> CASTING CALL for PAID, NON-UNION, TV commercial
> work for the following roles:
> – (2) LEAD VIETNAMESE FEMALES: 25-45 years
> old, speaking role. Must speak Vietnamese
> fluently. Attractive, confident look. Must be
> able to express various emotions through facial
> expressions.
> – (1) FEATURED SUPPORTING VIETNAMESE
> FEMALE: 25-45 years old, speaking role. Must
> speak Vietnamese fluently. Very attractive,
> healthy, fresh look with Pan-Asian features.
> – (5) SUPPORTING VIETNAMESE FEMALES: 25-45
> years old, non-speaking role. Must be able to
> take action directions well.
>
> Vietnamese TV commercial
> Paid, Non-Union
> Location: Orange County , CA
> Auditions will take place the weekend of
> December 14-15, 2007. All interested candidates
> must submit a recent headshot/photograph along
> with contact information to
> info@sunriseseagull .com by Thursday, December
> 13, 2007.
>
>
> About Sunrise Seagull Productions:
>
> Sunrise Seagull Productions is a full service
> creative production house with a niche for
> in-language productions for local ethnic
> markets. Our services comprehensively cover pre
> to post-production, ranging from translations
> to full-scale television commercials. With
> almost a decade of experience in Production,
> Media and Marketing, our expertise lies in our
> inimitable sense of how to effectively
> communicate messages to local ethnic
> communities through linguistic and cultural
> sensitivity. – http://www.sunriseseagull. com

‘Holly’ rises above standard melodrama

(click to enlarge)

A scene from “Holly.”

‘Holly’ rises above standard melodrama

By Robert Horton
Herald Movie Critic

Having been mired in extremely serious films for the last couple of months, it comes as no surprise to encounter “Holly” at this point. For here is a film about child prostitution in Southeast Asia.

This isn’t another in the flood of recent documentaries; “Holly” takes a traditional dramatic route, and with pretty strong results. But it uses so many real locations that it could be a documentary.

The film’s greatest weakness is its rather cliched idea of a main character, a burned-out American known for his card-playing skills in Cambodia. This is Patrick (Ron Livingston), the type of guy who’s a little too familiar in stories like these.

We don’t know what happened to Patrick to make him dead inside, but he works as a courier for another American (Chris Penn, in one of his last roles) dealing in illegal transport.

By accident, Patrick makes the acquaintance of a 12-year-old girl, Holly (Thuy Nguyen). He slowly realizes she has been sold into sexual slavery by her Vietnamese parents, and taken to a slum district of Phnom Penh to work as a prostitute.

It will come as no shock that Patrick’s encounter with Holly stirs some slumbering sense of righteousness within him. That much of the plot is standard; what’s admirable about the movie is that it doesn’t entirely play out the way you might expect.

Director Guy Moshe catches the creepy, humid atmosphere of his milieu, which was reportedly filmed in Phnom Penh neighborhoods that had very recently housed brothels like the ones depicted here. That gives the movie believability, even of a disturbing kind.

Adding immeasurably to this is a fascinating score by Ton-That Tiet, the Vietnamese composer of “Scent of Green Papaya.” It sounds like atonal jazz of the 1950s, and it absolutely works for the story.

The average-guy qualities of Ron Livingston (recently seen in “Music Within”) give his character some ragged life, and French starlet Virginie Ledoyen is all right as a social worker. Udo Kier lends his usual air of decadence to the role of a veteran consumer of brothel culture.

The film’s ending takes some gutsy turns. It isn’t quite enough to turn this into a classic, or lift it above the level of melodrama, not matter how sincere and committed. But it gets the job done.