The Asian American FilmLab presents…


“Welcome Home: An Evening with Director and Writers of West 32nd”


With the upcoming world premiere of “West 32nd” at the Tribeca Film
Festival, director Michael Kang and screenwriter Edmund Lee will join
us for a special evening to discuss the trials and tribulations of
bringing “West 32nd” to life.


Tuesday, April 24th
@ 7:00 p.m.

19 West 26th Street, 5th floor
(b/w Broadway and 6th Ave)


6:45 - 7:00 Attendees arrive
7:00 - 7:30 Challenges facing emerging filmmakers, The Motel
7:30 - 8:00 Challenges facing the emerging writer
8:00 - 8:30 The making of West 32nd
8:30 - ?  Q and A

ALL ATTENDEES, please RSVP to with “West 32nd”
in the Subject Heading and your First and Last name only in the Body
of your email.  No other text is necessary.  No Guests or (+1’s) allowed,
everyone must individually RSVP. This event is limited to the first 50 p
eople, so please RSVP as soon as possible.


*This is a free event for AAFL members and $5 for Non-Members.  You
will have the option to have your fee go towards your membership dues
should you be interested in joining.


Regarding Membership:  Dues are only $30/year.  Dues go towards
helping us put on more programs like this, it will also help us
administer this year’s 72 Hour Shootout.  Speaking of which,
membership gives you $30 off the entry fee this year!  So if you
compete it’s basically paid for.  Also, you get discounted movie
tickets, magazine subscription and a hug from our management team.
We will have a membership rep at the meeting, just ask for them.  Cash
or check accepted.


Making the Indy Feature - “West 32nd” & “The Motel”
with Michael Kang & Edmund Lee


Michael Kang, Director
“Ever since moving to New York City in 1989, I have been interested
in the Korean American community and my relationship to it. I grew up
in the suburbs of New England and my exposure to the Korean community
was mainly through the church and through the scattered amount of
Korean friends of my parents. When I moved to New York, I found a
rich Korean community that both attracted me and alienated me. West
32nd came from wanting to explore this relationship.”


Edmund Lee, Screenwriter
As a reporter for the Village Voice in the late Nineties, Edmund Lee
investigated the rise of Korean crime groups in New York that emerged
in the wake of the Chinese Tongs that fell in the Eighties. But the
larger story behind these crime groups would find further exposure on
screen in West 32nd. Inspired by the true-life workings of this
hidden subculture, he wrote the script with Michael Kang. It is a New
York drama about acceptance and betrayal, ultimately, a needful tale
about Korean American life.

The Asian American FilmLab presents

“Casting Workshop with Susan Shopmaker”

Tuesday, April 10th
@ 7:00 p.m.

19 West 26th Street, 5th floor
(b/w Broadway and 6th Ave)

You’ve probably heard that casting is 75% of the work in film production.  Our upcoming Casting Director Workshop is directed to both filmmakers and actors as we will be holding a Semi-Mock casting session with Susan Shopmaker.  Susan Shopmaker has made her mark by casting films such as Party Monster, Short Bus, West 32nd, Red Doors, and The Motel.  There is no other Casting Director who has had more experience casting Asian American feature films that have made it to market than Susan Shopmaker, so we are very excited about having her.  Please don’t miss out. 

6:45 to 7:00 pm: Attendees arrive
7:15 to 8:00 pm: Semi-Mock Casting Session
8:00 to 8:45 pm: Question and Answer with Susan

So what is this Semi-Mock Casting Session?
The AAFilmLab is proud to announce our newest film production “Gimme”, a short film by Son Tran.  Although Son’s script didn’t make the cut for the Writer X Project, the AAFL has decided to use his script for the first of what we hope to be a series of AAFL Internal Development Projects (IDPs).  Nothing fancy, just projects AAFL members can all get behind from pre to post production.  David Hou, our programming Director will be making an announcement at the meeting and will also be seeking people for key production roles.

We will be using the Casting Workshop as an opportunity to begin casting for “Gimme.” Susan Shopmaker will advise and share her process with us as we try to cast the three lead roles.  We are seeking the following:

Jerry - Young male, early twenties, slightly built. Jerry is a student with a part time job, balancing the different pressures in his life. Still trying to make it in the world he is naïve but resourceful. He is still trying to find the confidence that maturity and experience bring.


Annie - Mid twenties, natural attractiveness. Annie is a native New Yorker with a hard edge, honed through years living in the city and a natural competitiveness. Never one to back down from a situation she has fully entered adulthood but still enjoys being young and single with money.


Marshall - Late twenties, early thirties. Taller, with a good build, handsome in a put together kind of way. Marshall has established himself in the business world. He hates his job but enjoys the privileges that the salary and position brings. He carries himself with an air of bored arrogance and entitlement.

ACTORS, please email headshot and resume to .  No hardcopies accepted and email files over 1MB will be deleted.  Type the Name of the Role (Jerry, Annie or Marshall) in the Subject Heading.  A few selected actors will be chosen to read for Susan Shopmaker, although preference will be given to AAFL members (See membership details below).  Not being selected for the Workshop does not mean you will not be considered for the production.  For the workshop we can only see at most 2 to 3 people per role, so we will be holding another casting call in the near future.  Note: If you think you’d also like to attend this meeting you must RSVP as well, just type that you would like to attend in the body of your email.  ALL ACTORS, please bring a hardcopy of your headshot to the event, we will be collecting them to give to Susan.

ALL OTHER ATTENDEES, please RSVP to with “Susan Shopmaker” in the Subject Heading and your First and Last name only in the Body of your email.  No other text is necessary.  No guests or (+1’s) allowed.  Individuals must RSVP for themselves.

This event is limited to the first 50 people, so please RSVP as soon as possible.  Actors are really quick about RSVPing, so you Writers, Directors, and others, make sure you don’t drag your feet!

*This is a free event for AAFL members and $5 for Non-Members.  You will have the option to have your fee go towards your membership dues should you be interested in joining.

Regarding Membership:  Dues are only $30/year.  Dues go towards helping us put on more programs like this, it will also help us administer this year’s 72 Hour Shootout.  Speaking of which, membership gives you $30 off the entry fee this year!  So if you compete it’s basically paid for.  Also, you get discounted movie tickets, magazine subscription and a hug from our management team.  We will have a membership rep at the meeting, just ask for them.  Cash or check accepted.

Calling all actors for this Tuesday’s AAFL meeting.  We will be
reading the submissions for the Writer X Project that launched a month
ago.  Screenwriters were given one month to come up with a short
screenplay which will ultimately become an AAFL film production.  We
will also be featuring “Ana’s Time” a short film by Alice Cox.  Hope
to see you all there!


Script Reading Series:Writer “X” Project Submissions…
Featuring scripts by Son Tran and Myra Velasquez


Tuesday, March 13th @ 7:00 p.m.
19 West 26th Street, 5th Floor


RSVP to .


In *Subject* Heading include:
Script Reading RSVP (Actors interested in reading please type “ACTOR
for Script Reading")


In *Body* of your email:
Your First and Last Name (No other text is necessary)


Title: Ana’s Time
Format: Super 16mm, 16mm, HDV
Screening format: miniDV or DVD
Running time: 15 min screening

Synopsis:
In Ana’s Time, a young Asian-American writer attempts to direct a
film based on a script her domineering, Caucasian step-father wrote, in
order to make sense of her abusive past in the isolated environs of rural
Texas. Thematic oppositions, based on the step-daughter/step-father
relationship, their racial differences, and the locales of Texas and
Boston provide the basis for Ana’s story as she struggles with
self-assimilation. Her relationships with various men also provides
the backdrop for her sense of closure as she begins constructing the film
after her step-father’s death.


**2007 Membership Drive:  Like to become an AAFL member?  Benefits
include FREE admission to our quarterly workshops, discounted tickets
at the Imaginasian Theater, $30 discount off of the 72 Hour Shootout
Entry Fee, and much more!  Membership dues are only $30 per year.  You
get a fun AAFL ID card designed by members Elliot Gerard and Nayon
Cho, as well as a hug from all of the AAFL management team.**


*Note hugs are limited to fully clothed double arm grab with
simultaneous pat on the back and not to exceed 5 seconds in duration.

We will kick of this meeting with film screenings…

“5; 55” and “Untitled” by Tony Chen and “Papa’s Branch” by Gregory Singer


Then, time permitting, we will have actor monologues performed by Actors Carl Ka-Ho Li, Sung Cho and Tana Sarnt

At our temporary home…


Maxim Lounge
Inside the Hotel Stanford in K-Town
43 West 32nd St.


This Tuesday, February 27th @ 7 pm


Please RSVP to with “Film Screening” in the Subject Heading and your First and Last name only in the Body of your email. No other text is necessary. This is a free event.


Announcement: We will begin the 2007 AAFL Membership Drive...become a full fledged member of the Asian American Film Lab! If you like what we do and want to support our programs by becoming a member, dues are a lowly $30 per year (12 months). Members will be able to attend workshops and meetings for free and also receive discounts with local vendors. Come to the meeting to find out more…


“5; 55”
Directed by Tony Chen
DV, Sony Handicam
Running Time: 5 min
Synopsis:
Office workers try to escape their overbearing boss.


“Untitled”
Directed by Tony Chen
Mini DV, Panasonic DVX
Running Time: 6 min
Synopsis:
A retired civil rights activist experiences racism in 2006.


“Papa’s Branch”
Directed by Gregory Singer
Video
Running Time: 22 min.
Synopsis:
Singer Marlon Saunders learns about his great great grandfather, a freed slave.