Here’s some info for a film called Tie a Yellow Ribbon that is available on Comcast this month:

Shouting Cow Productions & Cinetic Media: TIE A YELLOW RIBBON is on Comcast ON DEMAND

Shouting Cow Productions and Cinetic Media are proud to announce that our awardwinning feature film TIE A YELLOW RIBBON will be available to all Comcast digital cable subscribers with ON DEMAND starting from March 1, 2011 through to March 31, 2011 as part of Cinema Asian America’s March lineup. It’s a monthly-curated series that show the best of the best of Asian American films.

The feature-length narrative film TIE A YELLOW RIBBON gives a rare view into the emotionally complex interior of young Asian American women, featuring a Korean adoptee who needs to come to terms with her damaged past. Joy Dietrich won the Director Prize at CineVegas Film Festival for TIE A YELLOW RIBBON, her first feature film.

More about the film and how to view it can be found at: http://www.yellowribbonmovie.com 

For people in the Northeast, you might want to check out the Korean American Film Festival in New York City from March 17-20.

Here’s the press release with all the information for those interested:

KOREAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK (KAFFNY):  MARCH 17-20

Now in its fifth year, the annual Korean American Film Festival (KAFFNY) is the only New York based independent film festival showcasing Korean American and Korean diasporic perspectives in film.  Since 2006, KAFFNY has broadened its programming to include international films and videos by Korean and as well as non-Korean filmmakers.

For its fifth anniversary, KAFFNY presents New York audiences with a challenging and innovative program ranging from groundbreaking early Korean cinema to the most current emerging Korean American films.

This year KAFFNY honors the veteran documentary filmmaker Dai-Sil Kim-Gibson with a retrospective of six pioneering films that powerfully capture the complexities of the Korean diaspora.  Special guest and long-time collaborator Charles Burnett will join Dai Sil Kim Gibson for a discussion about the LA Riots, 19 years later, after the screening of her documentaries SA-I-GU and WET SAND: VOICES OF LA.

KAFFNY’s opening night presentation features a live re-score of the seminal Korean Golden age drama MADAME FREEDOM (1956) by Paul Miller aka DJ Spooky with virtuoso violinist Sean Lee and acclaimed cellist Okkyung Lee. KAFFNY will screen over 14 feature films and more than 25 short films by emerging and established Korean American, Korean and international directors.

FESTIVAL LOCATIONS

Chelsea Clearview Cinemas: 260 West 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
White Box: 329 Broome Street. New York, NY 10002
Big Screen Project: 6th Avenue between 29th and 30th Streets

All programs at White Box will be live streamed to the Big Screen Project in the public plaza behind the Eventi Hotel at 30th and 6th Ave.

Please visit www.kaffny.com for program updates and final schedule.

FEATURE-LENGTH FILMS

International Premiere: THE BOAT (Chelsea Clearview): Korean Japanese co-production directed by Young Nam Kim, tells the unlikely story of a cross-cultural friendship that develops between a couple of smugglers, Hyung Gu (Ha Jung Woo) and his contact on the other side, a young Japanese man called Toru (Tsumabuki Satoshi).

NYC Premiere THE HOUSE OF SUH (Chelsea Clearview): Award-winning documentary by Iris Kim recounts the chilling story of the House of Suh, an immigrant family whose pursuit of happiness quickly became riddled with misfortune, culminating on September 25, 1993, when Andrew shot and killed his older sister’s fiancé of eight years, Robert O’Dubaine, at Catherine’s bidding.

NYC Nontheatrical Gallery Premiere PSYCHOHYDROGRAPHY (Chelsea Clearview, White Box, Big Screen Project): An analysis of the flow of water from mountain to aqueduct, city to sea. Shot at and around the Eastern Sierra Nevada, Owens Valley, Los Angeles Aqueduct, Los Angeles River and Pacific Ocean. HD video constructed entirely from single frame photography, directed by Peter Bo Rappmund

US Premiere THE WOMAN, THE ORPHAN, AND THE TIGER (Chelsea Clearview, White Box, Big Screen Project): The third film in a trilogy of narrative experimental films by Jane Jin Kaisen dealing with international adoption and the ideological, geopolitical, historical, and psychological effects of that process. This film looks at the legacy of international adoption from a feminist perspective and within a transgenerational and transnational scope. Directed by Jane Jin Kaisen and Guston Sondig-Kung.

DOUBLE BILL

CENTRE FORWARD (Chelsea Clearview) – North Korea’s first football film originally made in 1978, remastered by Koryo Tours in 2010. This 75 minute film is well known in North Korea but has never been released internationally. Fascinating both as an example of North Korean filmmaking and a strong story of overcoming athletic adversity, CENTRE FORWARD is at once inspirational, dramatic, amusing, and educational. Even better, by showing the sport’s importance in societies very different from our own, this illustrates the truly universal appeal of the ‘beautiful game’. Directed by Pak Chong Song.

RED CHAPEL (Chelsea Clearview) – One of last year’s standout films at Sundance, where the film had its US premiere. RED CHAPEL is a feature-length documentary about a journalist without scruples, a self-proclaimed spastic and a comedian who travel to North Korea under the guise of a cultural exchange visit to challenge the totalitarian regime. Directed by Mads Bruegger.

DAI SIL KIM-GIBSON RETROSPECTIVE

Born in northern Korea when it was under Japanese colonial rule, Dai Sil Kim-Gibson came to the United States in 1962 to pursue graduate studies. She received her Ph.D. in religion from Boston University, and taught at Mount Holyoke College, which was followed by her career as a federal and state government employee: senior program officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities and director of the media program of the New York State Council on the Arts. She resigned from the New York State Council on the Arts to pursue a film career in 1988, going on to produce an array of award-winning films.

Sa-I-Gu (3/4″ video, 36 minutes), or “April 29,” about the 1992 Los Angeles crisis from the perspectives of Korean woman shopkeepers, was praised by the Washington Post as “a passionate point of view piece.” A Forgotten People: The Sakhalin Koreans (16 mm, 59 minutes), her film about the forced Korean laborers on Sakhalin island, victims of World War II and the Cold War, was called “a bracing reminder of the human victims in the global chess game played by superpowers” by the Los Angeles Times. Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women, a powerful documentary about Korean women forced into sexual servitude by the Japanese Imperial Military during World War II was called “a wrenching and formally inventive film,” by the Village Voice. Wet Sand: Voices from LA (2004) explores the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest and has been shown at numerous festivals in the United States and abroad, including the 8th Pusan International Film Festival in Korea and the 12th Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles. Her most recent film, Motherland (Cuba Korea USA), had a sold out world premiere at the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in October, 2006. It is currently distributed by Women Make Movies in New York City. In addition, she produced and wrote America Becoming, a feature documentary, and Olivia’s Story, a 14-minute drama, directed by Charles Burnett, was cablecast on Sundance Channel in 2001.

Chelsea Clearview, Sat 3/19 – Sun 3/20:
Sa-I-Gu: From Korean Women’s Perspectives (1993)
Wet Sand: Voices from LA (2004)
Olivia’s Story, directed by Charles Burnett (1999)
A Forgotten People: The Sakhalin Koreans (1995)
Motherland(Cuba Korea USA) (2006)
Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women (88 min version) (1999)

SHORTS COMPETITION

Richard the Elite University Student from London by Lee Yong-seung
Affair (Jung) by Dou Xing
Heart by Erick Oh
Apple by Jung Chul
To Wander in Pandemonium by Edward Kim
Mist Trail by Andrew Oh
Triangle by Janice Ahn

SHORTS 1
Works of Art by Andy Pang
The Queen by Christina Choe
The Agency by Sam Schectman
Maria the Korean Bride by Maria Yoon
Mister Green by Greg Pak
Hanji Paper Project by Aimee Lee

SHORTS 2
ether by Gi Young Rhee
Inert by Kyunghee Kang
Ajumma Are You Crazy by Brent Anbe
Chase Thompson: A Film by Chase Thompson by Vincent Lin
Rosewood by Marvin Choi
Arirang Blues by Pyeungheun Baik
Toy House by Yun Jeong Ko
Daddy Called Me a Snake by Sun Young Kim
One Blue Strip Show by So Young Yang

SPECIAL EVENTS/PANELS

KAFFNY 2011 Launch Party – Sat, 3/12, ArtGate Gallery, 520 W. 27th Street, #101

MADAME FREEDOM Live Rescore – Opening Night Presentation, Thursday – Thurs, 3/17, Chelsea Clearview

LA Riots 19 Years Later Discussion with Dai Sil Kim-Gibson and Charles Burnett – Sat 3/19, Chelsea Clearview

White Box + Big Screen Project Film/Video Screenings: Peter Bo Rappmund’s PSYCHOHYDROGRAPHY, Jane Jin Kaisen and Guston Sondig-Kung’s THE WOMAN, THE ORPHAN, AND THE TIGER and video works by So Young Yang – Fri 3/18, Sat 3/19, White Box/Big Screen Project

Korean American Filmmakers Panel, Sun, 3/20, Chelsea Clearview

RELATED LINKS
www.kaffny.com
www.twotigers.org
www.whiteboxny.org
www.bigscreenproject.org
www.djspooky.com
www.okkyunglee.com/okkyunglee
http://seanleeviolin.com
http://www.artgateny.com

A limited number of screeners are available for review and interview purposes. For the complete program, please visit the Film Guide at KAFFNY.com and check the schedule for updates.  Tickets cost $12 (general admission) and $9 (students and seniors).

A picture is worth a thousands words.

The picture above is that of an Egyptian protestor holding a tear gas cannister made in the USA, which was fired during the recent revolts in Cairo.

The image is very apt in that it implicitly suggests the broader relationship between America and Egypt: that of a puppetmaster and its puppet.

For the past 30 years, the United States has propped up Hosni Mubarak’s regime with billions of dollars in US military “aid,” some of which was designed for the political repression necessary to keep this pro-USA dictator in power.  

Now that Mubarak has said he will step down, however, the United States is feverishly searching for his replacement, someone with more democratic credentials … like maybe spy chief-turned-Vice-President Omar Suleiman, whose loyalty and devotion to the American Empire and its policies like “enhanced interrogation” and “extraordinary rendition” would make him perfect for the job.

Derek Nguyen is a multifaceted artist with a diversity of career accomplishments and personal experiences. He has worked as a writer, director, producer, and playwright on both films and stage dramas. And he is also very active in the Asian American arts scene, as he’s collaborated with Greg Pak, Risa Morimoto, Soomi Kim, as well as George Takei.

In my interview with him below, he provides insights on issues like his own unique background, the creative process, the state of Asian American film in general, and his new film, The Potential Wives of Norman Mao, which is a comedy about the exploits of a socially awkward guy who is looking for love–sometimes in all the wrong places and with matchmaking help from his parents.

Personally, I think the film would be worth viewing to see not only how Norman finds True Love in the end but also noted writer Ed Lin (who plays Norman) rock a bowtie like a true playa.

Q: Firstly, can you talk a bit about your personal history? For instance, how did you get involved in film and drama as a career?

A: I was born in Saigon in the heart of the war. My parents and I were boat people who escaped Vietnam after the fall in 1975 and settled in Jacksonville, Florida when a Catholic church sponsored us to get into the country. After living in Florida a few years, my family moved to Orange County, California to live with our extended family. I went to college in Santa Barbara, moved to LA after graduation, and have been living in New York for about 15 years.

I’ve always been interested in the theatre and started my career as a playwright. I loved live storytelling as a kid and wanted to be a part of that world. A few years back, the Sundance Institute approached me after reading my play Monster and encouraged me to adapt it into a screenplay. Although I’ve always loved film, I never thought of working in the film industry until then. So I wrote the screenplay and it was admitted to the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2004. After that, I really started to embrace filmmaking and began meeting people who ended up helping me learn more about this luscious world. I didn’t stop writing and started collaborating with some amazing filmmakers that helped shape my voice.

Q: The Potential Wives of Norman Mao is a comedy about a socially awkward guy who needs help from his parents to find a wife, and it seems to be spoofing the idea of arranged marriages at one level. What was your thinking behind the premise and story for the film?

A: The story was inspired by personal experience actually. There was a period of time in which my step-mother would try to set me up with all these women every time there was a family function. She was quite obvious about it and it made everyone involved quite uncomfortable but it was really funny at the time. Of course, this all happened before I came out!

Q: The film also has an impressive crew and cast list including novelist Ed Lin, actress Tina Chen, and executive producer George Takei. How do you hook up with these people, and what did you learn from working with them?

A: I knew most of the cast before I started the film. I have been close friends with Ed Lin and Cindy Cheung for a great many years (I went to their wedding!). Soomi Kim and I have been artistic collaborators and close friends for almost 15 years. We collaborated on a multimedia theater piece called Lee/gendary about the life of Bruce Lee that ended up getting a few awards. I met George Takei years ago when my play, Monster premiered at East West Players in Los Angeles. And when I was beginning production on Norman Mao, I thought he’d be the perfect narrator for the film and got back in touch with him through the theater’s artistic director, Tim Dang. Ron Nakahara, Tina Chen, and Wai Ching Ho are amazing trailblazers in the Asian American theater and film communities that I had the privilege to meet through personal contacts. Wai actually came to my house during 9/11 when the subways were stopped and she was on a shoot in Brooklyn and couldn’t get home! And I met Michelle Ang through auditions for the film. Her energy and professionalism really shone through. I really enjoyed working with all of them and there was a great camaraderie on set!

Q: What do you think are the differences between working on a comedic film versus other genres like drama, for example? And what is the key to making a comedic movie effective? For instance, do think there is one particular element that is especially important to get right like story premise, acting, dialogue, etc?

A: In many ways, comedy is much harder to pull off than drama. I believe that the most important part of comedy is the acting. You’ve got to have some great actors who can get the comic timing and understand the humor in the script. I had the privilege to work with some great comic actors in Norman Mao. And of course, the other important thing is a good script. Without a good script, you have nothing.

Q: Talk about your own creative process. How do you specifically generate story ideas for films and then develop them into script? And how do you deal with problems like writer’s block?

A: I’ll be honest with you… I’ve never had writer’s block. Knock on wood. I actually have a database of story ideas for new films and plays that I refer back to occasionally. I get inspired by things I read and the people I meet mostly. And I write in a journal almost every day.

As for my creative process, characters and stories stay inside me for a long time before they’re ready to be fully materialized. And after a couple of years writing in my journal about them and simmering with them, I get to writing the script. And by that time, it’s a relatively quick first draft. I wrote the script for Norman Mao in one day. And only rewrote it once before filming. But I thought about the characters and story for at least two years beforehand.

Q: The Potential Wives of Norman Mao has a Kickstarter website page to solicit donations for the project. Why did you choose to use this site in particular as a fundraising source? And what are the best ways to raise funds for film projects in general?

A: I love Kickstarter! We’ve had an amazing response from our Kickstarter campaign. I like the idea of “microfinancing” and bringing artistic projects to people you might not have the experience or opportunity to participate. I love the idea of working collectively to make something happen so everyone feels a sense of ownership and investment in the project. As you know, film is a collaborative art so the producers and I decided to open up our project to people who might want to get involved. They’re like our extended family! I really think the concept of “Doing It With Others” is the wave of the future.

Q: What advice would you give to people interested in breaking into the film industry? For instance, what are the best venues or tactics for networking? What are the costs/benefits of using the internet as a way to distribute and promote a film as opposed to the traditional film festival path?

A: My advice to people who are interested in breaking into the film industry is to do it yourself. Don’t stop writing! Don’t stop getting behind the camera! Just do it. Use the internet to post your work. Get yourself out there. Be brave. Be honest. Be creative. And most of all, be you!

Q: You’ve worked with Asian American filmmakers like Greg Pak and Risa Morimoto. What is your opinion of the general state of Asian American film? And what do think should be its future direction as a distinct artistic movement or aesthetic?

 A: I believe that Asian American film is still in its infancy. I think we need more opportunities to grow and have producers trust our filmmakers more with larger budgets and expanding our stories to include subjects outside the immigrant story. I have a lot of hope for the future of Asian American film though because I’ve had the honor to work or meet with some filmmakers in the forefront of this upcoming revolution. I think the future of Asian American film will be largely dependent on Asian American producers. There are plenty of filmmakers out there that have amazing ideas, great stories, and infinite talent. But it’s a matter of getting producers to make it happen.

Q: One issue that often comes up in discussions about Asian American film is stereotypes–particularly those relating to Asian males like the infamous Long Duk Dong character from Sixteen Candles. Is this an issue that you thought about in creating The Potential Wives of Norman Mao and the lead character of Norman?

A: I’m glad you brought up stereotyping! As an Asian American male writer, I’m very conscious of depictions of Asian men in entertainment and art. All of my films and plays feature an Asian American male character (it wasn’t conscious actually but it just came out that way). The characters range from private detectives, to forlorn lovers, to Bruce Lee! But when I was looking at the breadth of characters I had created, I realized that none of them we anything like me. They were all pretty macho and kick-ass. I’ve always been attracted to outsider characters. People who are not accepted for who they are and feel like they have to change themselves to be “normal.” I was developing Norman Mao a few years ago and I have to admit, I was a bit afraid of the reaction to him and if he was a stereotype. I even considered making him Caucasian! But then, I started to realize that I can’t do things out of fear and it became a challenge for me to make Norman not a stereotype. It forced me to go deeper into his character and work harder. And now, I feel that Norman is a rather positive depiction of an Asian man. I hope others agree when they see the film!

More information about The Potential Wives of Norman Mao is found below. The DVD of the film can be purchased from Kickstarter.com.

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/928450839/the-potential-wives-of-norman-mao-with-george-take

 http://www.normanmao.com/

Spoken word artist Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai has released a new album entitled Further She Wrote.

Here’s the 411 below.

Moving Earth Productions LLC is proud to announce the digital release of HBO Def Poet Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai’s sophomore spoken word album, ‘Further She Wrote.’ A continued evolution from her debut ‘Infinity Breaks’ (2007), this album marks Kelly’s second collaboration with international touring artist and producer Black Cracker, whose beat-making has been featured in VIBE, The New Yorker, Dazed & Confused, Playboy, and XLR8R.

Recorded at Liquor Laughter Studios 3.0 in Brooklyn, NY, ‘Further She Wrote’ features eleven of Kelly’s original spoken word poems, re-imagined with Black Cracker’s spacey, sexy, electro-flavored hip hop beats. Kelly says of their collaboration: “We wanted to up the game of what’s happening in the world of music and spoken word.”

An innovator and veteran of the spoken word stage, Kelly has performed at over 450 venues worldwide including three seasons of “Russell Simmons Preasents HBO Def Poetry” and on the same bill as Mos Def, KRS-One, Sonia Sanchez, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Talib Kweli, DMX, Wyclef Jean, Tracy Morgan, Amiri Baraka, Abiodun Oyewele of the Last Poets, Harry Belafonte, and many more.

The daughter of Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants, Kelly describes growing up within the culture of spoken word: “I’ve been doing it since I was a teen, so it’s a crucial part of who I am and how I’ve come to have an artistic voice and a global audience, despite stereotypes that distort Asian females as being silent without anything powerful, passionate, or important to say.”

‘Further She Wrote’ is available via digital download on Kelly’s Bandcamp (http://kellytsai.bandcamp.com). Physical CD’s will be available in January 2011 via her Bandcamp and website (http://www.yellowgurl.com). Kelly’s seventh consecutive Move This Earth National Spoken Word Tour is continuing to book tour leg dates that include the East Coast, South, Midwest, and West Coast in 2011.

For further information contact:

• Press inquiries: Doreen Kramer, publicity@yellowgurl.com

• Booking inquiries: Jill Aguado, booking@yellowgurl.com

• Official Website: http://www.yellowgurl.com

• Bandcamp: http://kellytsai.bandcamp.com

• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/kztsai

• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/yellowgurlpoet

• Facebook: Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai

This story below brings new meaning to the phrase a “White Christmas.”

A guy in Idaho has built himself a KKK snowman, replete with a hangman’s noose no less.

Mark Eliseuson has caused a stir with his snow homage to the Klan.

This isn’t the first time that Eliseuson has engaged in antics like this.

According to one report, “Eliseuson has angered neighbors in the past by flying Aryan Nations flags at his home. At Halloween he passed out bullet casings after he said he ran out of candy.”

That’s the ”brilliance” of the White Master Race in a nutshell.

I got an e-mail from filmmaker Derek Nguyen about his new short film The Potential Wives of Norman Mao. It’s a comedy about a guy who is searching for a wife with a little help from his parents who arrange for him to meet some “interesting” prospective brides. Wacky situations and humor ensue.

The film also has some notable people involved. For instance, writer Ed Lin stars in the lead role as Norman Mao. Actress Tina Chen has appeared in many movies like Alice’s Restaurant  (with Arlo Guthrie) and Three Days of the Condor. And George Takei (Sulu from Star Trek) is the executive producer.

The film is currently in post-production and needs funds to help complete the project.

Here is the kickstarter page where people can make contributions to the film and watch behind-the-scenes footage.

And here is a link to the website for the film itself and its Facebook page.

Check it out.

Korean American Film Festival New York and Big Screen Project Launch KAFFNY Urban Program in Midtown, Nov. 3-7, 2010

The Korean American Film Festival New York or KAFFNY today announced five days of film programming to kick off Eventi Hotel’s Big Screen Project launch in New York CIty.

Now under construction behind the Eventi Hotel (6th Avenue, between 29th and 30th) adjacent to Koreatown, the Big Screen Project features a 15,000-square-foot mix-use outdoor plaza to highlight innovators in film, animation, art, and to raise awareness for humanitarian and environmental issues. JD Carlisle Development is the plaza’s developer. All films will be projected on a one-of-a-kind 30-foot by 16.5-foot outdoor LED screen, with tables and chairs for easy
viewing.

“We are excited to be partnering with KAFFNY Urban to bring their festival to our outdoor public screen for all of New York to experience,” said Stuart Rentzler, senior director of the Big Screen Project.
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-NY/Big-Screen-Project/130836706959917?ref=ts)

“The proximity to Koreatown, one of New York’s vibrant neighborhoods, along with KAFFNY’s unique and diverse content is an example of the type of opportunity we like to bring to the community,” Rentzler said.

The 15 hours of film are part of KAFFNY Urban, a new programming initiative geared toward promoting Korean and Korean-American film projects with a focus on urban issues, including the LA riots in 1992. Programming highlights include two documentaries on the 1992 LA riots — “Sa-I-Gu” and “Wet Sand.” Some additional programming is being provided with special support from Indiestory and Amuse Film, the leading distributors of independent Korean film.

“Most people know KAFFNY for our annual film festival in February. But we wanted to connect with our audience more regularly and thought this smaller screening was a great way to showcase Korean and Korean-American films using technology and a unique public space. We’re honored to be the Big Screen Project’s debut art event,” said Dave Kim, KAFFNY’s co-founder and director of the annual film festival held in February. “We’re calling this project KAFFNY ‘Urban’ because we have a commitment to showcasing NYC-based, homegrown film talent as Korean film projects also continue to attract international audiences and markets.”

PROGRAMMING

KAFFNY Urban will feature 15 hours of programming in five, three-hour blocks, 8pm-11 pm. The event also will feature a fundraiser/media event for filmmakers, sponsors, and special guests to celebrate the new space and view selected KAFFNY programming.

NARRATIVE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
“Chemical Fiction” by Thomas Kim / “Crippled” by Len Chi / “The 8th Samurai” by Justin Ambrosino /”The Last Mermaids” by Liz Chae / “The Last Vacation” by Jae-Ho Chang / “Love Is Worth It” by Sung-Min Yi / “Passing” by Esther Chung / “The Postcard” by Josh Kim / “Texas Girl” by Hyung Hyup Kim / “Une Vie Merveilleuse a Paris” by Sungmi Park / “Within Limits” by Eubin Ki

NON-NARATIVES INCLUDES:
“My Daddy Called Me a Snake” by Sun Young Kim / “red; state” by Sun Young Kim /
“Symphony” and “Way Home” by Erick Oh

Check our Website for programming updates http://kaffny.com/
You can also visit the Big Screen Project http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-NY/Big-Screen-Project/130836706959917?ref=ts

++++++++++++++
LOCATION/DIRECTIONS
Public plaza behind Eventi Hotel 851 6th Ave (btwn 29th and 30th streets)
1, 2, 3, B, D, F, M, N, R, Q

+++++++++++++
ABOUT KAFFNY

Founded in 2007, KAFFNY, a 501(c)(3), is the first film festival created in New York City dedicated to presenting the work of filmmakers and media-makers of Korean descent. KAFFNY offers a unique platform to feature and support the growing Korean American filmmaking community in NYC and abroad. Past programming has featured international festival participants, Student Academy Award winners, and box office hits. Each year, the festival attracts a diverse audience of 500+ from industry executives to professionals in law, finance, arts, technology and marketing. The 5th Annual Korean American Film New York is scheduled for February 2011.

++++++++++++++
Press Contacts:
Ashley Miller
ashley@kaffny.com

Susie Lim
susie@kaffny.com

The British rapper Lowkey delivers a much needed salute to Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama and America, the Leader of the Free World ™.

A middle finger salute that is.

One of the most perverse things about America is that no matter how many countries the USA bombs, invades, exploits, threatens, regime changes, or colonizes around the globe, many Americans still cling to the delusion that their country is a “force for good” in the world.

America is the Land of the Free (which has freed hundreds of thousands people in Iraq and Afghanistan of their lives, according to even lowball estimates).

America is the Beacon of Liberty (as evidenced by Gitmo Gulag, Abu Ghraib torture, and secret CIA prisons around the globe).

America is nobly defending democracy, freedom, media freedom, human rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, animal rights, the environment, and all that is good and true everywhere on Earth. NOT.

This belief is the cult of American Exceptionalism–the idea that the USA is a “Shining City on Hill” uniquely blessed by God to act as a beacon for all humanity, according to people from John Winthrop to Ronald Reagan.

For adherents of this secular religious cult, America is God’s chosen nation in everything but name.

Moreover, American Exceptionalism is the basis of US national identity itself and explains how many Americans and its apologists rationalize in their own heads the fundamental and irreconcilable contradiction between what the USA claims to stand for and what the USA in reality is.

More outrageous still is the fact that Americans will accuse other nations of crimes of which the USA is guilty a million times over.

The USA demonizes the Other as “Evil” in order to uphold itself as the epitome of the Good.

It claims to be threatened by other nations–even as the USA and its “democratic allies” are actually engaged in bombing, invading, and threatening nations the world over.

You might call this Uncle Sam’s Evil-Doers-Hate-Our-Freedoms doctrine of US foreign policy:

• America smears Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as an Axis of Evil.
• America labels other countries as “terrorist” states–despite the fact that the USA (and allies) are engaged in covert sponsorship of terrorism on a massive scale, and a guy named Usama Bin Laden was a US intelligence asset during the anti-Soviet Afghan Jihad in the 1980s.
• America accuses Latin American nations of being “narco-states”–even though it is a dirty secret that America is engaged in drug trafficking as a covert policy for decades.

• America paints nations that oppose US/Western policy as “rogue states”–ignoring the uncomfortable idea that America itself is the preeminent rogue state on the planet.
• America invokes thinly disguised forms of Yellow Peril against Asian nations like Japan in the past and  China today.
• During the Cold War, America called the Soviet Union the “Evil Empire.”

This last accusation is the most hypocritical of them all.

As they say: Pot. Kettle. Black.

Psychological projection  is the Anglo-American Way, it seems.

Most Americans are in deep denial that their vaunted “democracy” in fact is an empire–and has been an empire since it was spawned in 1776.

Currently, America has over 700 imperial military bases/outposts in over 100 nations. In fact, there are probably more nations on this planet with an American military presence than there are countries without one!

And in terms of its “defense” (sic) spending, America spends more on its military than the next 14 countries combined, comprising over 46% of the world’s military spending by itself.

As John Perkins has stated, America is the “world’s first truly global empire”–an empire whose way of life and economy are fundamentally premised upon exploitation of the (Developing) world. Perkins should know what he is talking about, as he was personally an “economic hitman” for the US Empire while working as an agent for the National Security Agency and the “private” consulting firm of  Chas. T. Main.

Today is the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, which has become a sort of quasi-religious, nationalist “holy day” in America.

Behind all the patriotic propaganda, Islamophobia, and pious posturing about Sept. 11th, however, is a more disturbing reality: It’s a lie.

A Nazi-style Big Lie.

Not only is the official American story about the Sept. 11th “terrorist” attacks riddled with holes and increasingly challenged by many people but the American-led War on Terror in general is a geopolitical deception on a world historic scale.

Simply put, America’s “War on Terrorism” is not about fighting terrorism. It’s about expanding global American dominance, or what the US military calls  its policy of Full Spectrum Dominance.

In short, the America-driven War on Terrorism is about empire–American Empire.

For American apologists,  raising these issues makes one an extremist, a terrorist-sympathizer, a Commie, a crackpot, a conspiracy theorist, …  an anti-American thought criminal in all but name.

Here is a funny but very incisive video that captures both examples of the American Exceptionalist mindset and the “rap sheet” of America’s endless crimes. It’s based upon William Blum’s work. Like John Perkins, Blum is a former US government insider-turned-dissident. While working at the US State Department, Blum personally witnessed how the American Empire operates up close and personal: