a first goodbye

This is what we’ve all been waiting for…

This Friday, June 20th, 2008, at 8pm, the long awaited Theme will be announced at the Shootout Launch Party and posted simultaneously on http://www.72hourfilmshootout.com.

Starting at 6pm, come kickoff the start of the 5th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout! If you are an actor, writer, director, or film fan looking to join a team, we will be making team match-ups at the event. Come to find new team members, join an existing team, and meet other local filmmakers.  Also, if you would like to participate in the Shootout, we will have Registration on-site, so it’s not too late to sign-up! 

As a special treat, New York hip hop sensations Koba and DJ Boo will be performing live at the launch party. Representatives from Shootout sponsors Asia Cinevision, The Museum of Chinese in America’s (MOCA) Chinatown Film Project, Deluxe, Ningin.com, and Aspire Asian Film Circle will be on hand to meet guests and share a few words about this year’s Shootout and their own projects.

Save the date for the Shootout Awards this year on July 13, 12:30pm, at Asia Society (725 Park Ave, NYC), presented as part of the Asian American International Film Festival.

WHITE RABBIT LOUNGE
145 E. Houston Street (Btwn Forsyth St and Eldridge St)
East Village, New York, NY
(212) 477-5005
http://www.whiterabbitnyc.com

NO COVER, NO GUEST LIST.
NO ONE UNDER 21 WILL BE ADMITTED.

DOORS OPEN @ 6PM
THEME ANNOUNCED @ 8PM

NYC Shootout Teams looking for actors should swing by this week’s AAFilmLab Casting Workshop with Susan Shopmaker. Susan has worked as casting director for HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, SHORT BUS, THE MOTEL, RED DOORS, and WEST 32ND.

Actors are also very welcome to attend, of course! All advance RSVP reading slots have already been filled by Members. There are two remaining open slots that will be randomly selected at the workshop. The two random slots are open to Members and non-members. Readers will be provided with materials at the workshop. Bring headshots!

Free for AAFilmLab Members. $10 for non-members.
Time: Seating begins at 7pm. Workshop begins at 7:30pm.
Location: 19 West 26th Street, 5th Floor

Asian American Film Lab and Ningin.com are proud to unveil the new 72 Hour Film Shootout website. You’ll find the latest news for the Shootout, FAQs, registration forms, event photos, team info, and past Shootout films! Plus find new team members or join an existing team in the new AAFilmLab forums.

You’ll also be able to vote for this year’s Audience Award on the new 72 Hour Film Shootout website. The Audience Award winner will be announced at the Shootout Awards Ceremony on July 13 at the Asian American International Film Festival in New York City. The Audience Award winning team will receive an Apple iPhone provided by media sponsor Ningin.com.

Get ready for the kickoff of this year’s Shootout at 8pm, Friday, June 20. The Theme will be announced live at White Rabbit Lounge in New York City and simultaneously online at 72HourFilmShootout.com.

You emailed us saying the website was bogged down.
You called us and said you were out shooting on location.
You came to the Shootout Social, got excited, stayed way too late and couldn’t make it to the Post Office.

We listened.

Early Registration deadline for the 5th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout is EXTENDED TO JUNE 6.
Registration Forms must be postmarked by FRIDAY, JUNE 6.

Early Bird Registration deadline for the 5th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout is TOMORROW. Registration Forms must be postmarked by June 3. Early Bird Registration is only $50.

Download Registration Forms and Rules at:
http://www.72hourfilmshootout.com
Click on STEP-BY-STEP to get started!

This year’s Shootout is better than ever with over $5000 in prizes from Deluxe Post Production, Final Draft, and Ningin.com.

The top ten finalists The Top 10 will screen at the New York Asian American International Film Festival organized by Asian Cinevision (July 10-19, 2008), the First Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (October 24-30, 2008), and a special screening event organized by NYC-based Aspire Asian Film Circle.

This year’s Shootout will include a special category juried by the Musuem of Chinese in America (MoCA). Films that incorporate Chinatown as a location or theme are entered into the “Chinatown Award” category. Selection of the winning film will be decided by both MoCA and AAFilmLab. (The inclusion of the Chinatown element of a film has no bearing whatsoever on judging for other award categories.)

SEND YOUR REGISTRATION IN TODAY!

For more information, email:
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The 5th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout is only weeks away and the prize list is growing! The top three teams will all now receive copies of Final Draft Scriptwriter Suites, which includes Final Draft 7 and Final Draft AV 2.5! The top team will also receive Final Draft’s ScriptXpert Basic Coverage service!

So it’s time to start making your teams and this Tuesday, we’ll be hosting the Shootout Social! Starting at 7:30pm, the Shootout Social will begin with snacks and refreshments. The AAFilmLab team will be on hand to answer your questions about the Shootout and connect you with other potential teammates at the Shootout Social.

The Shootout Social is also a great chance to renew your AAFilmLab Membership! Membership is now tax-deductible and entitles you to many discounts, one of which is discounted entry for the 5th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout!

At 8:15pm, we’ll screen two short films from AAFilmLab Members Alice Cox and Eddie LeBron.

Alice’s film ANA’S TIME is a highly textured cinematic meditation on memory and identity. This diaristic narrative follows 20-something Ana through her troubled relationships as she struggles to confront her past. A meditation on writing and remembrance, Ana confronts her confusion and discovers a friend in the process. Runtime: 25:05mins

Eddie’s film SECRECY introduces us to John and Ami who have been the best of friends for many years.  Ami is currently pregnant with her boyfriend’s child while John is his first serious relationship but all that is thrown into jeopardy due to one mistake in the past.  A mistake that will effect all parties involved, especially the friendship of John and Ami. SECRECY is the second installment in Eddie Lebron’s “Love in Chinatown” series, a collection of films involving different people and their romance ventures in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Runtime: 17:01mins

Alice and Eddie will be on hand to answer questions about their films.

RSVP to:
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
with subject line:
Shootout Social

See you this Tuesday at 7:30pm!

Asian American Film Lab
19 West 26th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY

The 5th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout begins on Friday, June 20, 2008. The competition theme will be announced at the New York City launch party to be held at White Rabbit Lounge (145 East Houston Street, New York City) and simultaneously posted online at 72hourfilmshootout.com at 8pm. As a special treat, New York hip hop sensation Koba will be performing live at the launch party!

The Top 10 will screen at the New York Asian American International Film Festival organized by Asian Cinevision (July 10-19, 2008), the First Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (October 24-30, 2008), and a special screening event organized by NYC-based Aspire Asian Film Circle.

This year the AAFilmLab together with the Museum of Chinese in America (MoCA) have added a special award category to this years Shootout: The Chinatown Award! Films that incorporate a Chinatown as a location or narrative device are entered into the “Chinatown Award” category. Selection of the winning film will be decided by both MoCA and AAFilmLab. The Chinatown Award will be comprised of in-kind services totaling $3000 from Deluxe New York. (The inclusion of the Chinatown element in a film has no bearing whatsoever on judging for other award categories.)

AAFilmLab will be at the 29th Annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival, hosted by Coalition of Asian Pacific American (CAPA)

Date: Saturday, May 10, 2008
Time: 12pm - 6pm
Place: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, East 47th Street and 2nd Avenue
For more information, visit the CAPA website:
http://www.capaonline.org/

President: David Hou
Vice-President: David Hsin
Shootout Director: Peter Chin
Outreach Committee: Jeanie Tse, Amy Chang, Carl Li, Jimzy Lui
Fundraising: Hai Ninh
Treasurer: Janet Fu

Please join us in congratulating Simon Ko for winning the AAFilmLab Feature Film Treatment competition with his story “Forgive the Grey.”

In the middle of the night, two families struggle to find the truth behind the escape of an organ donor from a proposed transplant operation. But matters are made worse when a murder turns everyone into a victim of a gray form of evil.

We would like to thank all of the writers from all over the country who submitted their film treatments.  This was a difficult decision, and we were very impressed by the creative forces out there!  Keep up the amazing work.  Our Six Directors will now spend the next month fleshing out the rest of the story of “Forgive the Grey.”  Pre-Production will be during March/April, and then be filming this feature-length film in April/May of 08.  If you are in the New York area and would like to get involved with this project, email us at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  Check the website for our progress!

Sincerely,

AAFilmLab

The 72 Hour Shootout has shown what filmmakers are capable of achieving with a few restrictions, very little time, and a miniscule budget. The FFR is the AAFilmLab’s attempt to apply that same independent filmmaking spirit to create a feature length film.

HOW THE RELAY WORKS:
This will not be your typical feature film production. The story will revolve around a selected treatment that outlines the characters and story from beginning to end. Six directors will then divide the treatment into equal parts, develop their section and then shoot it. Each director will have exactly one week to shoot and edit their film. The six short films will then be assembled into a feature length film. There will be several meetings where all six directors/writers come together before production to establish cohesiveness and awareness as to what each director plans to do. However, the production process will be in the form of a relay - the 1st Director will complete his/her work within a week, then hand off the finished product to the 2nd Director who has to continue telling the story from that point in a weeks time, and so on.

For this inaugural Feature Film Relay, the AAFilmLab will host the project in New York and will employ longtime AAFilmLab members for its first six directors: Tony Chen, Matte Chi, David Hou, Hyunsuk Kim, Karen Song, and Peter Wang.

We are in the first phase of this project: SCRIPT DISCOVERY.  We seek treatments from all over the country for consideration. Details outlined below.

Please email your one page treatments to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with “AAFL Film Relay Treatment” in the Subject Heading by Friday, January 4th at 9 PM (EST). In the body of your email, include the Title of your work, writing credits and contact information including cell phone and email.

Treatment minimum requirements*:
1. Name, contact info.
2. No more than 1 page in length.
3. Write a one sentence logline at the beginning of your treatment.
4. There are no restrictions regarding subject matter, structure, or/and style.
5. Must be original.

* Multiple submissions are allowed.

The selected winner will receive:
1. “Story by” credit
2. A $100 fee for a three year option to develop the story into a feature film as part of the Feature Film Relay.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, January 16th.

SEND US YOUR STORIES! Join us for this unique, exciting and unpredictable ride. If you have any questions, please email us at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The Basics:
Six directors
Six weeks of total shooting
Six 15 minute shorts
One feature film.

Phases:

Script Discovery/Development Phase(1 month): Deadline Friday, January 4th, 2008
Nationwide search for feature film treatments. Deadine: January 2nd, 08

Pre Production Phase (2 months): January - February 2008
Directors, Writers, Producers come together to flesh out story and production details.

Production Phase (6 weeks): March - April 2008
Each director gets one week to shoot their segment of the feature.

Post Production (1 month): May 2008
Cut all the films together, mix sound, master.

Festival submission and seeking Television and Theatrical release.

Red Eight and the AAFilmLab invite you to join us for an evening with Sung Kang, producer Karin Chien, and executive producer Phil Lam to celebrate the opening weekend of UNDOING.

Saturday, December 8th , 6:30pm
White Rabbit
145 E Houston St
New York, NY, 10002

UNDOING, a film by Chris Chan Lee and starring Sung Kang, Kelly Hu,
Russell Wong, and Tom Boweris will be making its New York theatrical
debut exclusively at The Pioneer Theater on Wednesday, December 5, 2007! For more info about the movie visit: http://www.undoingmovie.com

$20 includes food, two drink coupons, an opportunity to meet and mingle
with the UNDOING cast and crew, as well chances to win autographed movie posters. Event tickets can be purchased in advance online via
http://redeight.org.

Why see Finishing the Game?

To our filmmakers,

You might be tired of hearing about Finishing the Game.  No judgment
here.  But if you haven’t seen the film already for whatever reason,
please consider this.

It’s a tough reality that not only is there little money to support
Asian American films but independent films in general.  We keep
working with hopes that it won’t always be like this.  The Finishing
the Game folks are testing a theatrical distribution model that just
might be the key to a consistent release of Asian American films in
theaters in the future.  I know I would love a world like that, where
we could have the choice to see whatever Asian American films we want
and no longer having to “support” films for the sake of supporting
them.

Do you want to wait another 3 or 4 years for the next big Asian
American film?  Personally, I’m getting tired of waiting, aren’t
you?  We are heading in the right direction for sure, but please
understand the importance of this particular moment and the future
impact it will have.

You may have been planning to watch the film at some point in the
future..but now is the time when the distributors are watching (and
not just IFC Films. They all want to see if this works!).  Now is when
your vote will count.  Three months from now will be too late.  Please
watch Finishing the Game in theaters, Video on Demand, DVD or all of
the above.

You will thank yourself later..

Thank you for lending an ear.  Feel free to share your thoughts with
me at tana-AT-aafilmlab-DOT-com.  Go to http://www.youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily.com/
for information on the film and how to get tickets or watch it On
Demand.

Tana

Francis Hsueh & Steven Hahn’s “Pretty to Think So”

Please see note below from our friends Steve and Francis.  This is a
full length feature film that was recently completed in New York
featuring Asian Americans in all of the lead roles.  Francis was a
former active member of the AAFilmLab.  Also if you need a good
lawyer, consider these guys as well!

Dear Friends,

Where were you seven years ago, in the autumn of 2000?  In New York,
the club kids were at Twilo and young lawyers and bankers were dancing
to throw-back swing.  Greenspan warned of irrational exuberance but no
one was listening.  The dot-com boom was at fever pitch and we thought
it was going to last forever.

This is the time and place of our upcoming movie, “PRETTY TO THINK
SO”.  The second film by Francis Hsueh & Steven Hahn.  Executive
Producer, Michael Zee.

PRETTY TO THINK SO is a story about newfound love and the past which
haunts us.  From the corporate world of white-shoe law firms to the
streets of Chinatown and the Bronx, PRETTY TO THINK SO takes us on a
journey to a place where romantic passion and human frailty violently
collide.

We invite you to view the film’s website at http://www.prettytothinkso.com
where you will find more information about the film, stills, and a
trailer.  Please forward to friends who might be interested.

Please also check out yesterday’s New York Times piece about our work
at: http://shiftingcareers.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/lawyerfilmmaker-buddies-share-two-jobs/

Francis Hsueh & Steven Hahn