There are many things that I’m good at: hemming jeans, making fried rice and obsessing over teen shows. And there are many MORE things that I am not good at: organizing my closet, most team sports and doing crossword puzzles…and at the top of the list of things I am not good at is baking. Whenever I am asked why, my answer usually goes something like “I don’t like to follow strict instructions and always disagree with the amount of sugar required so my baked goods always fail”…however, I also think there is an element of growing up eating Asian foods like sweet pineapple buns, deep fried dough wrapped in rice noodles and pork & chive dumplings – foods that you can acquire relatively inexpensively (3 buns for a dollar! what?), so seemingly inexpensive that it has bred a sense of “why make it when it’s cheaper to buy?” so it’s safe to say I am continuously impressed whenever anyone attempts such Asian recipes.  Last year, Yang, our office volunteer, kept bringing in homemade treats like egg white tarts and coconut pudding cake which inspired me to buy less and bake more.  For more inspiring Asian bakers, check out this tasty BananaTimes blog entry on making the famous egg tart!

TIFF is hiring for several positions. Click on the links below to download the full job descriptions.

Coordinator, Programme & Event Services – Apply by 5/21/2012
Festival Marketing Intern – Apply by 5/25/2012
Assistant, Guest & Event Services – Apply by 5/28/2012
Coordinator, Guest & Event Services – Apply by 5/28/2012

Digital Marketing & Communications Manager – Apply by 5/11/2012

TIFF is hiring for several positions. Click on the links below to download the full job descriptions.

Junior Graphic Designer – Apply by 5/14/2012
Film Circuit Intern – Apply by 5/17/2012

Kapisanan Philippine Centre is hiring for internship positions. Click on the links below to download the full job descriptions.

Event Planning Internship – Apply by 5/11/2012

Marketing & Communications Intern – Apply by 5/11/2012

RA friends & filmmakers have been busy!  Check out what Romeo Candido, Raymond Pathanavirangoon, Kwoi Gin, Cuong Ngo, Lu Yi and Gerry Balasta are up to!

Kapisanan is presenting Lolo’s Child by Filipino Canadian filmmaker Romeo Candido as part of their Asian Heritage Month Filipino Film Series on May 8, 6PM @ Barbara Frum Library.  Director in attendance.  Lolo’s Child screened as Reel Asian’s 2002 Opening Night film.  Watch trailer here.  Romeo will also be speaking and screening parts of his new web musical Prison Dancer at the Innoversity Creative Summit on May 9.  Prison Dancer recently premiered as the closing of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.  More info here.

Thai film Headshot receives 4 awards at the 2012 Thailand National Film Awards (Golden Swans).  Headshot was produced by former Reel Asian International Programmer Raymond Pathanavirangoon.  Congrats Raymond!

Reel Asian Advisory Board Member and local filmmaker Kwoi Gin is the Director of Photography on a new project called Capital 金迷都.  This story focuses on the disappearance of a documentary filmmaker, the breakup of cross-cultural relationships, and a screenplay embellished with unique drawings, which suddenly becomes valuable, causing rifts among friends and lovers.  Kwoi and his team have wrapped up half the shooting in Asia and are currently raising $12k to shoot the remaining half in Toronto.  Support this project here.

Pearls of the Far East by Vietnamese Canadian Director Cuong Ngo will be screening at the Silk Screen Film Festival in Pittsburgh on May 12, 5PM.  Pearls of the Far East had its world premiere at Reel Asian in 2011.  Congrats Cuong!

Buddha Mountain by Chinese Director Li Yu will be screening at Silk Screen on May 12, 7PM.  Buddha Mountain was Reel Asian’s 2011 Closing Night Gala film.  Congrats Yu!

Gerry Balasta’s The Mountain Thief just got distribution and will be comcast VOD via Cinema Asian America from May 1-31.  Comcast has an impressive 22 million subscribers and anyone with VOD will be able to see The Mountain Thief.  Gerry is currently fundraising for $15k to complete his second feature The Solar Champion, a quirky film cast with some of the same scavenger-turned-actors from Gerry’s first film.  Reel Asian screened The Mountain Thief in 2010.

Legend of a Warrior follows filmmaker Corey Lee on his journey to reconnect with his father, the legendary Sifu Frank Lee aka Grandmaster of crane kung fu fighting style and owner of the Frank Lee Martial Arts gym in Edmonton.  Using graphic illustrations and archival photos, Corey paints an animated historical picture of his dad’s early beginnings as a Hong Kong immigrant in Canada.  Leaving his own son for 6 weeks, Corey decides to train once again as a way to discover who his father is.  While sparring with Frank’s students, Corey is once again reminded of the individuals who have the close relationships with his father that he always wished he had.  Over the years, Frank has created a devoted fans and loyal disciples, even training the once-famous Hong Kong fighter/actor Billy Chau.  Amidst all this fame and glory, as with many other Asian patriarchal figures, it is clear that Frank’s personal life has been the ultimate sacrifice.  Legend of a Warrior is a story of familial love, bravery and finding the way back home.  In one scene, Frank says to his son Corey, ”You don’t know your dad is Superman”.  Frank is Superman indeed.  At 70 years old, he is better shape than most 20 something year olds I know.  On the other hand, Corey is all too familiar with Superman.  It is Clark Kent that he wishes he had known.

Legend of a Warrior opened on April 30 and will be screening again on May 3, 1:30PM at ROM and May 4, 4:00PM at Bader.  Watch the trailer here.

This year’s Hot Docs includes a stellar line up of Asian docs!  You can check our complete picks here.  Hot Docs continues until May 6, 2012.

TIFF is hiring for several positions.  Click on the links below to download the full job descriptions.

Customer Relations Representative – Ticket Operator – Apply by 5/10/2012
Docent Programme Coordinator – Apply by 5/10/2012

This year’s 22nd annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival kicked off last Thursday at their Launch Party at The Burroughes Building, a beautiful 7-storey structure built in 1907. The evening featured an impressive silent auction, music, booze, and an announcement of this year’s festival line-up.  Of course we want to see everything and you should too!  Here is a look at our Asian picks from this year’s selections (all films are screened at TIFF Lightbox):

• Madame X (Director Lucky Kuswandi, Indonesia 2011) – Reel Asian will be co-presenting this film on May 21, 2:15PM
• Lady Shorts 4 (featuring work by Mitsuyo Miyaki) – May 22, 9:45PM
• Lady Shorts 3 (featuring work by Yun Joo Chang) – May 23, 5:15PM
• Speechless (Wu Yan) (Director Simon Chung, Hong Kong/China 2012) – Reel Asian will be co-presenting this film on May 23, 7:00PM.  Chung was our Canadian Spotlight artist in 2005.
• Lost in Paradise (Director Ngoc Dang Vu, Vietnam 2011) – Reel Asian will be co-presenting this film on May 25, 7:45PM
• Queer Video Mentorship Project (featuring work by Jeff Tanaka) – May 26, 2:30PM

More info on Inside Out here.

Last month, we blogged about RA artist Leo Shia’s (aka LEO37) newest project FANFARE.  Not only has this new album received over 2000 downloads in just its first week, it can received rave reviews all around the globe!  What the peeps are saying:

“Packed with power and purpose, Fanfare is an album that represents reinvention. It’s musical rebirth.” — Far East Vibes (New York)

“Fanfare sees him bring a darker and more contemplative sound than previous, all the while maintaining the same wide sprectrum of influences – think Miles Davis, the Soulquarians, Radiohead, Bjork and Del the Funky Homosapien engaged in a slowed-down knife fight and you’ll be on the right track.” – From the Feet Up (Saskatoon)

Just to give you a taste of what the hype is all about, check out his 3rd single Gorgeous here – shot entirely in Taipei’s world renowned Shilin Night Market.  You can also download the 5-track album for FREE here.