Category: Updates

Diverse Talents Unite for 2010 Fashion for a Passion

Proceeds from charity fashion show to benefit international orphanages

Fashion For a Passion Logo

Dallas-based nonprofit ATG Against The Grain Productions will host the 2nd Annual Fashion For a Passion (FFAP) with the purpose to join the talents and abilities of artists and philanthropists to raise funds for international orphanages and ATG’s community outreach programs and scholarship fund. The event takes places from 7-10 p.m. on Saturday, September 25th at LandCo/7 Senses located at 1202 N. Riverfront (formerly Industrial) in the Dallas Design District. 

The night’s festivities include music, art, food, cocktails, a silent auction and fashion show, followed by a live auction of select pieces from each presenting designer’s collection and other exclusive pieces donated from designers around the country. The evening will be emceed by actress/model LeeAnne Locken (She’s Got the Look) and fashion blogger Tina Craig (Bagsnob.com).

Presenting designers include Chloe Dao (Season 2 winner of Project Runway), Khanh Nguyen for Nhã Khanh, Nikki Duong Koenig for Cykochik Custom Handbags featuring Freedom Parc, Prashe, Judy Yang, Cac Lam for 2FeMale and New York-based designer Sumie Tachibana.

Musical artists include JR Kim, Xuan Nguyen and Miles Machon from Houston, plus Twisted Optiks and Mina Chang from the Dallas area.

Xuan Nguyen

Vietnamese singer-songwriter Xuan Nguyen said, “FFAP is a chance to be able to use my passion for music to help improve the lives of others, but it means even more to me because this event is to help children. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to unite with other talented artists in other industries to help those in need. Being able to sing and give back at the same time is wonderful.”

Twisted Optiks aka Ronnie Chea

Cambodian hip hop artist Twisted Optiks, also known as Ronnie Chea, said, “To be in an event such as FFAP gives people opportunities to not only network, connect and build relationships with others with the same mindset, it also gives us a moment to let our talents shine and be either be heard or seen. We can take part in an environment that appreciates our gifts and influence us to continue pursuing our particular dreams and ideas.”

Photographer Sam Sieng, who is of Cambodian, Chinese and Vietnamese descent, said, “It is refreshing to see up- and-coming designers get recognized for their vision, dedication and work ethic. I am honored to be invited to participate in an event that showcases individual talent and also promotes new artists as a collective from various avenues of artistic media. The fact that it is a charitable event makes it even more worthwhile.”

FFAP general admission tickets are $45-50 and can be purchased at www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com/events or at the door as available.

ATG Against The Grain Productions, a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, promotes Asian-American cultural awareness through compelling media projects and raises funds for international orphanages. Their premiere documentary feature, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, has received the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film at the Vietnamese International Film Festival and the Documentary Audience Choice Award from the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. For more information, visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com/events or www.TheBabylift.com.

 

Austin Film Society announces OPERATION BABYLIFT as recipient of 2010 Travel Fund Grant

Austin Film Society Grants $111,000 To Texas Filmmakers

http://www.persistenceofvision.org/2010/08/austin-film-society-grants-111000-to-texas-filmmakers/

Agnes Varnum | Aug 30, 2010

The Austin Film Society is very proud to announce the recipients of its 2010 Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund (TFPF) and Travel Grant programs, which this year gave away a total of $111,000 in cash and goods and services to 33 projects from emerging Texas filmmakers. AFS has now given out over $1.1 million to 293 film and video projects since the program began in 1996.

Cash grants totaling $93,000 and $6,000 worth of Kodak film stock and $5,000 in in-kind services from Seattle-based Alpha Cine Labs will be dispersed to 24 projects to recipients of the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund, adding to cash grants totaling $7,000 in stipends already dispersed to 10 Texas filmmakers via the Travel Grant program. The largest grant this year went to Ausinite Patrick Bresnan’s documentary feature VIETNAM APPRECIATION DAY, about a subculture of Vietnam War reenactors in suburban Pennsylvania. He received a $9,000 post-production grant for the film.

“The Austin Film Society is humbled by the hundreds of individuals and companies that contributed to make this year’s Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund possible,” said Rebecca Campbell, executive director of the Austin Film Society. “It goes to show how committed our community is to independent, diverse voices in filmmaking.”

Three Austin filmmakers who made award-winning first features received $7,000 grants to help complete their second films. Bob Byington will follow up the festival darling comedy HARMONY AND ME with SEVEN CHINESE BROTHERS, set to star Patton Oswalt (RATATOUILLE, BIG FAN). Kyle Henry received a grant to complete the 4th and final segment of his omnibus feature FOURPLAY, which began an innovative festival-and-digital-download release earlier this summer. And, Chris Eska, winner of the John Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Independent Spirit Awards for his debut AUGUST EVENING, received a grant for the Civil War-set drama SEPTEMBER MORNING.

Two feature documentaries also received $7,000 grants – Ruth Villatoro’s THE CANTINERA, which follows the daily lives of three “cantineras” in Houston – women hired by Latin bars to drink with their male clients; and Susanne Mason’s RETURN TO SENDER which examines the difficult transition faced by prisoners after they are released.

Projects from outside of Austin also fared well this year. Four filmmakers from Houston received grants – Villatoro’s THE CANTINERA, Roberto Minervini’s narrative feature MARFA RED, Jenalia Moreno & Nancy Sarnoff’s documentary STITCHED and Mary Magsamen & Stephan Hillerbrand’s experimental short FOUR PLACE SETTING. 
Two projects by El Paso filmmakers received grants – Elvira Carrizal-Dukes’ narrative feature OCHOA and Mikey Reyes & Carlos Corral’s narrative short RED SANDS. San Antonio filmmaker Will Shipley received a grant for his narrative short MENTIROSO and Laredo filmmaker Marcela Moran received a grant for her documentary short JORNALEROS.

AFS raises funds for TFPF through the annual Texas Film Hall of Fame
and major premieres like ME AND ORSON WELLES, PREDATORS and MACHETE.
AFS also successfully raised $40,000 for TFPF through online donation
and direct mail campaigns this summer. The final grant decisions were made by a panel of three acclaimed filmmakers from outside of the state – Sam Green, the Oscar-nominated director of the documentary THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND; Emily Hubley, director of many award-winning animated shorts and the feature THE TOE TACTIC which premiered at SXSW in 2008; and Alex Rivera, director of the sci-fi feature SLEEP DEALER, winner of two awards at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

AFS Director of Artist Services Bryan Poyser administered the 2010 TFPF and he was assisted by TFPF coordinators Elin Dunigan and Emily Robinson.

Special thanks to the sponsors of the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund: the Texas Commission on the Arts, the City of Austin Cultural Funding Program, Alpha Cine Labs, Kodak, the Four Seasons Hotel, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas and The Mohawk.

Photos (300 dpi) available upon request.

2010 Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund Recipients

59 SECONDS
Angela Torres Camarena
15 min narrative
$3,500 production, post-production & distribution

BIG BOY
Thomas Hackett
90 min narrative
$3,000 post-production

THE CANTINERA
Ruth Villatoro
80 min documentary
$7,000 for production

DEAD TO RIGHTS: THE WILLINGHAM CASE
Stephen Mims & Joe Bailey
90 min documentary
$3,000 production

FOUR PLACE SETTING
Mary Magsamen & Stephan Hillerbrand
14 min experimental
$1,000 post-production & distribution
$1,000 Alpha Cine Labs services

FOURPLAY
Kyle Henry
85 min experimental narrative
$7,000 post-production

THE GLIDERS OF ARCOSANTI
Jaime Cano
28 min narrative
$2,000 production & post-production

THE HAPPY POET
Paul Gordon & David Hartstein
85 min narrative
$2,000 distribution

JORNALEROS
Marcela Moran
30 min documentary
$1,000 production & post-production

JUST BETWEEN US 
Karen Skloss
7 min experimental narrative
$1,000 production & post-production
$4,000 Alpha Cine Labs services

MARFA RED
Roberto Minervini
85 min narrative
$7,000 post-production & distribution

MENTIROSO
Wilfred Shipley
10 min narrative
$2,000 production

OCHOA 
Elvira Carrizal-Dukes
90 min narrative
$2,000 post-production

PARENTS BEHAVING BADLY AT AN 8TH GRADE BASKETBALL GAME
Scott Meyers
90 min narrative
$4,000 post-production

RED SANDS
Mikey Reyes & Carlos Corral
18 min narrative
$2,000 post-production

RETURN TO SENDER
Susanne Mason
60 min documentary
$7,000 production

SAY HELLO TO MR. GO: AN ELEGY FOR SOUTH LOUISIANA
Don Howard
57 min documentary
$3,000 production
$3,000 Kodak film stock

SEPTEMBER MORNING
Chris Eska
85 min narrative
$7,000 production

SEVEN CHINESE BROTHERS
Bob Byington
90 min narrative
$7,000 production

STITCHED 
Jenalia Moreno & Nancy Sarnoff
60 min documentary
$1,500 production

UNTITLED GAY RETIREE DOCUMENTARY
PJ Raval
90 min documentary
$5,000 post-production

UNTITLED ZAYTUNA PROJECT 
Maryam Kashani
70 min experimental documentary
$3,000 production
$3,000 Kodak film stock

VIETNAM APPRECIATION DAY
Patrick Xavier Bresnan
90 min documentary
$9,000 post-production

WAR STORIES
Ricardo Ainslie
90 min documentary
$3,000 production & post-production

2010 Travel Grant Recipients (To Date)

David Modigliani
61 BULLETS
IFP Project Forum

Tammy Nguyen Lee
OPERATION BABYLIFT: THE LOST CHILDREN OF VIETNAM
San Diego Asian Film Festival

Michel O. Scott
THE HORSE BOY
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam

David Lowery
ST. NICK
Thessaloniki Film Festival

Amy Grappell
QUADRANGLE
Sundance Film Festival
Rotterdam Film Festival

Sam Douglas
CITIZEN ARCHITECT
Hot Docs

Kyle Henry
FOURPLAY: SAN FRANCISCO
Outfest

Clay Liford
EARTHLING
Outfest

Chris Ohlson
MELVIN
IFP Rough Cuts Labs

Paul Gordon
THE HAPPY POET
Traverse City Film Festival

Austin Film Society promotes the appreciation of film and supports creative filmmaking by screening rarely seen films, giving grants and other support to emerging filmmakers, and providing access and education about film to youth and the public. Through Austin Studios, which AFS opened in 2000 in partnership with the City of Austin, AFS helps attract film development and production to Austin and Texas. Gala film premieres and the annual Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards raise funds as well as awareness of the impact of film on economy and community. The Austin Film Society is ranked among the top film centers in the country and recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and Directors Guild of America. For more information on Austin Film Society, visit www.austinfilm.org.

ATG President/Founder to receive 2010 SMU Emerging Leader Award

Congratulations to ATG President/Founder Tammy Nguyen Lee, who will receive the prestigious SMU Distinguished Alumni Emerging Leader Award at this year’s SMU Homecoming Festivities.

The award recognizes an alumnus or alumna who has graduated within the last fifteen years and has distinguished himself or herself as an emerging leader in a particular discipline, organization, or cause that has brought distinction to the University. The Selection Committee of the Alumni Board convenes each year to consider nominees submitted by alumni throughout the country, and her nomination was unanimously approved.

The black-tie Distinguished Alumni Dinner and Presentation will take place on Thursday, October 21st at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, TX.  Tickets to the event are available here.

A screening of her award-winning documentary, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, along with Q&A and reception is also planned for Friday, October 22nd on the SMU campus. More details TBA.

Tammy will also participate in the Homecoming Parade and attend the SMU Football Game (Mustangs vs. Houston Cougars at Ford Stadium) on Saturday, October 23rd.

St. Louis Beacon covers Operation Babylift

During the time between college and grad school, Tammy Nguyen Lee began volunteering with the Vietnamese community in Dallas. At the time, she helped with the production of a play commemorating the 25th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. The play had something about Operation Babylift.

Nguyen Lee wanted to know more.

“I think why I was originally attracted to it was the fairy tale of what it seemed to be,” she says.

The adoption of thousands of orphans from Vietnam during Operation Babylift seemed like a story of humanitarians joining together to help people. And it was nice to find something so positive.

Read the Full Article Here

Share the Love: Dinner and a Movie With Sara Pascale

Take a cue from Sara Pascale, an ATG supporter and wife to Seth Pascale (Editor of Operation Babylift), who hosted a fundraising community screening at her home and helped raise over $1200 to help the distribution efforts of our documentary!

Sara Pascale, a hostess with the mostest!

“Seth and I have been wanting to do this ever since last April when we saw the world premiere of Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam in LA. Everyone we talked with about the film wanted to see it.  We waited until after the Dallas premiere to have an event and invited everyone to the Dallas premiere. Those who were unable to attend were still hopeful they would have an opportunity to see the film.

In November, a friend of mine who is a chef called asking if we had any events coming up that needed catering. I mentioned the fact that we had been hoping to have a fundraiser and screening of the film, and he said he would love to donate his time and energy to make a formal dinner for the event. Still not having seen the film, he shared the details of what ATG is all about with the restaurants he works at and his co-workers, and suddenly we had four chefs willing to volunteer their time and talents as well as silent auction items and dinnerware donated by the restaurants.

We had a short Q&A after the film with Executive Producer George Lee and Co-editors Seth Pascale. Most people stayed until nearly 11pm discussing the film with each other. In all, we raised a little over $1200.

Overall, the evening was absolutely phenomenal! It was so fun to get all dressed up and the guests really enjoyed getting to know one another. The food was both beautifully presented and full of wonderful and unique flavors. The film had a very warm reception and touched everyone in a different way.

I’d like to thank Chef Jesse Houston and his crew, Coast Restuarant, Shagly Photography, the Holy Grail Pub, Nate’s Seafood and Steakhouse, Landon Winery, Coffee and Cream, and Edible Arrangements for their generous donations and support.”

You can view more photos of the event here!

OPERATION BABYLIFT: THE LOST CHILDREN OF VIETNAM to Screen at the 10th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival

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DALLAS, TX – Dallas based non-profit ATG Against the Grain Productions is honored to present Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam at the celebratory 10th anniversary of the San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) at the Hazard Center UltraStar Theatres in San Diego, California.  The award-winning documentary described as “Amazing…compelling and hard hitting,” by Bolsavik.com screens at 2 pm on Saturday, October 24th.  The Vietnamese International Film Festival (VIFF) presents the film, with producer/director Tammy Nguyen Lee, along with several cast members scheduled to be in attendance.

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 Ann Kim, Executive Director of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation said, “Operation Babylift reveals a story of the Vietnam War that many are unaware of, dealing with the most precious and tiniest victims – the children. The San Diego Asian Film Festival seeks to share such untold stories, as we believe sharing these stories of war, history, and ultimately – hope – helps us understand more about the world and about each other.”

Cast member Lyly Koenig adds, “As an adoptee, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam is a story that resonates deep within my soul. It’s an historical and honorable piece of American and world history. The public will not only enjoy this amazing film, but be enlightened by a story they may not be acquainted with. This is a film you don’t want to miss!”

Producer/Director Tammy Nguyen Lee, a graduate from UCLA’s Producers Program, is proud to return to Southern California to showcase the film at the SDAFF. “The San Diego Asian Film Festival has an excellent reputation for supporting Asian American filmmakers. It’s an honor to be a part of this landmark festival year and share this timely and inspirational story.”

Tammy Nguyen Lee fled Saigon with her mother more than 30 years ago.  A UCLA film major graduate Lee founded ATG Against the Grain Productions to promote Asian American cultural awareness through compelling media projects, while also raising funds for international orphanages.  For more information please visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com.

Tickets and show times to the screening are available online or at the box office.

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