Month: May 2010

Going Against The Grain: NEAATO

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we wanted to highlight an organization that pays tribute to and keeps us aware of what’s going on in our Asian American community. Thank you for keeping us engaged and in the know of all the fabulosity! Cheers to NEAATO!

N.E.A.A.T.O

Full name:

NEAATO (Network of Entertaining Asian American Talent Organization)

Hometown:

Southern California

Current city:

The Interweb

Give us a brief bio about yourself:

I was raised on a healthy dose of Magic Johnson, Byron Scott and Chick Hearn. Weekends were for boogie boarding at the beach or eating Vietnamese food in Little Saigon. My parents came from Vietnam, and the first time they went back, my dad had not seen his mother in 18 years. 18 years! That story still blows my mind, and I was there to witness it. I think that’s why I love sharing stories so much. They are very powerful.

What made you decide to develop/start NEAATO?

It started with a Bruce Lee quote: “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”

In California, everyone is an actor/actress, writer, model, director, you name it. All my friends were working on their own projects, yet I never heard of them in the news. I started subscribing to different Asian American film fests and would get postings for casting calls. Since I wasn’t an actor, I needed somewhere to post them for my friends who were. I started posting more castings, more projects and created my blog to put it somewhere. It moved to MySpace where that used to be relevant and now Facebook. To be honest, I don’t even blog that much anymore. It’s pretty neat that now we can get Asian American news delivered right TO us, when before we had to LOOK for AA news. Basically I just share things on Facebook now. Sharing is caring.

What do you hope to achieve?

To promote my friends.  My favorite movies and bands never get press. I don’t know if America has bad taste or what, but it’ll always be like that, from Arrested Development getting canceled to Persepolis not winning the Oscar. My favorite groups, De la Soul, The Roots…Most Def will never sell as much as Black Eyed Peas.  People will always overlook the little guy making this great content. I’m just trying to give some press to the little guy, not because they are the little guy, but because I really think it’s better content.

Who inspires you and/or who are your biggest influences?

Dustin Nguyen’s hair. Ysa Le, director of VIFF, Leslie Ito of VC Film Fest, Leann Kim of the San Diego Asian Film Fest, Kym Pham of Kollaboration and Vascon, comedian PK, Stephane Gauger of  Owl and the Sparrow, Tim Bui of Green Dragon, Tammy Nguyen Lee of Operation Babylift, Jared Rehberg, Kieu Chinh for just being classy, David Nguyen of Queen of Virginia, Tuan of Anh Oi, the Susan Trans, the Danny Dos, Isabelle Dus, Gina Trans,  Nadine Truongs, Brittany Trans, Jenni Trang Les , the Viktors, Tiffany Duongs, Caroline Vus, Charlene Phans, Heather Nguyens out there. I’m missing a million people, but all these people inspire me on the daily with words/images/blogs/work ethic/etc. Lac Su, author of “I Love Yous Are For White People,” Steve Nguyen of Channel APA and Flip HD Interviews, Johnny Nguyen, artist Vudoo Soul, cousin Jennipho, the Kate Agathons and May-lees out there. Then there are the nonprofit workers, the Project Vietnams, Pencils of Promise, the VietActs, the Boat People SOS, Against The Grain. There are so many that don’t get the recognition they deserve.

What is the most important lesson/advice you would give?

Don’t complain. Just do. And back to Bruce Lee’s quote above:  “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” People always complain about racism, but Bruce Lee did it. How? He created his own opportunities. Don’t complain, just do.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment and why?

This interview. LOL. I like when people randomly message me and tell me thank you for sharing other people’s stories. Very small, very simple, but those are the best things in life. The little things. Kym Pham approached me to help her out with the ‘Hay Qua’ event in NYC, where I met ever more talented filmmakers and artists. That, so far, is probably the highlight of my life.

What’s up next (upcoming projects or plans for the coming months)?

I have some documentaries to finish. As for NEAATO, I’m not sure either. Maybe I’ll do my own film fest. Maybe I should start blogging more and interview more people. Maybe podcasting? Just continue to promote my friends really and figure out what’s the most efficient way to do that.

If you have any ideas, let me know. I would love to have this huge database of all my friends’ work in easy to find categories. I started it with http://www.neaat.wordpress.com and need to post more artists on the newer NEAATO Blog. I also need to start updating my Ao Dai News Blog for a documentary I was working on and VietQ News Blog. I have a lot of work to do.

Fashion for a Passion Designers: The Concept/Inspiration

Fashion For A Passion is just around the corner and the designers are getting ready. In the coming months leading up to the event, we’ve asked each designer to give us a sneak peak into their collection, and to highlight the behind-the-scenes creation of one of the signature looks that will be auctioned off that night. Here are some concepts and inspirations from a few of our designers:

Lyly Koenig of Lyly Thanh

“I am inspired by my recent trip to Vietnam — Vietnam as a whole, especially the children, and the colors found in Vietnam. I’ve included some random images that I took while in Vietnam. These photos are the most inspiring to me. They reflect the happiness that the people of Vietnam have about their lives. Vietnam is prospering, growing at a rapid rate. I hope to capture the prosperity, happiness and colorfulness of Vietnam in this collection.”


Judy Yang for JudYang

“The painting title is called “Hot Pursuit.” The bright color really speaks to me – feminine, yet very strong and defined lines. I think the direction I am going with this collection will be playful, with swirls and circles. ”

Khanh Nguyen for Nha Khanh

Nikki Duong Koenig for Cykochik (Congrats on your recent nuptials, Nikki!)

For the “special edition bag,” my inspiration is from my wedding colors and flowers.


For more information on this event and how you can sponsor or volunter, please visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com.

ATG Brings Spring Donation to Orphanages in Hue and Da Nang

In March and April, members of our ATG family took a trip to Vietnam and made donations to several orphanages in Hue and Da Nang. With the support from our friends, family  and local supporters, we were able to deliver  food, baby formula, books, toys, clothes, soap, and lotion to three different orphanages with the funds raised by your generous donations.

The ATG team had their first stop at an orphanage in Hue. The very first time we made a visit and donated to this orphanage, there were only 22 children. Today, there are 39 children who range from 7 months to 17 years-old — all of whom share a love for Choco-pie!

Sister PT informed us that currently there are many children with special needs, but with the lack of resources and facilities, she could not take them in. But the children who still remain seem to grow more quickly (and to our delight, stronger and healthier) with each year’s visit. During our first trip to Vietnam, we met an 8 month-old boy who had been abandoned and left at the orphanage doorstep. Now, he stands tall with a mischievous, playful spirit at 30 months.

On the second orphanage trip, our ATG volunteers paid a visit to an all-girls orphanage run by nuns. The children, which include 63 girls and 2 boys with Down Syndrome, were in need of summer clothes and milk. Our team went to the local stores and bought clothes and supplies for the children. That following Sunday, when the kids were off from school, we paid a visit to pass out the newly purchased clothes, milk and food.

ATG thanks all of you for your continuous support and donations. Without you, trips like these could not be possible.

To support our cause, please visit https://againstthegrainproductions.com/donate.php and scroll to the bottom of the page for easy donation options.

OPERATION BABYLIFT to Screen at University Of California-Irvine

Dallas, TX – To commemorate the anniversary of the Fall of Saigon and Operation Babylift, Dallas based non-profit ATG Against the Grain Productions is honored to screen Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam at the University of California – Irvine. The award-winning documentary screening takes place on Friday, May 14th from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm  at UC Irvine Schneiderman Lecture Hall, Room 100A.

Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam tells the significant, yet untold story of the $2 million U.S. initiative that airlifted over 2,500 Vietnamese orphans out of a war-torn country from the impending threat of the Communist regime. These adoptees grew up facing unique challenges in America, including prejudice overshadowed by a controversial war and cultural identity crisis. Featuring compelling and insightful interviews of the volunteers, parents and organizations directly involved, the documentary takes a contemporary look at Operation Babylift and its relevance to international adoption today.

Lee Ngo, UC Irvine PhD student in the department of anthropology and organizer of the event, reflected upon the theme of cultural identity found in Tammy Nguyen Lee’s feature documentary. “With respect to the heated debates over interpreting the aftermath of the Vietnam War, it’s hard to choose a subject of analysis that manages to supersede many of the cultural politics of representation and identity. Tammy does exactly this through her diligent and powerful documentary,” said Ngo. “I think anyone that’s interested in formations of ethnic identity, an alternative to the hegemonic American perspective in contemporary Vietnamese history, and the complexity of international altruism should see this film. It is certainly one of the highlights of the 2009 Vietnamese International Film Festival,” said Ngo.

There will also be a Q&A following the screening with the film’ producer and director, Tammy Nguyen Lee.   “We had our world premiere at ViFF and are thrilled to return to Southern California to share this inspiring story during what is a most significant month for our community’s history,” said Lee, a MFA graduate from UCLA’s Producers Program.

The free community screening is sponsored by the UCI Department of Anthropology, UCI Vietnamese American Coalition (VAC), UCI Asian Pacific Student Association (APSA) and the Union of Vietnamese Students Association of Southern California (UVSA). Tammy Nguyen Lee is a first generation Vietnamese American and founded ATG Against the Grain Productions, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, to promote Asian American cultural awareness through compelling media projects, while also raising funds for international orphanages. This is her feature documentary directorial debut. For more information please visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com. Additional information for the UCI community screening is available at www.TheBabylift.com or www.vietfilmfest.com.