Asian American International Film Festival 2007

Who is this mustached Elisa Paik? M.A.T.H. Club member extraordinaire, drinking buddy loyalist...

Name: Elisa Paik

Current occupation: Not really

Have you worked at the festival? Yes

If so, in what positions? Website, Filmmaker and Industry Liaison (2005); Special Events Coordinator (2002)

What are some memorable moments of working on staff?
- Hosting the "holistic fasting weekend," a.k.a. staff retreat, at the apartment Sonjia + I shared years ago. About eight of us agreed to fast for 48 hours to cleanse impurities before diving into the festival. Since we were all smokers + highly stressed, however, we did permit cigarettes. So, we ate nothing, smoked nonstop, and looked sullen; it was more a Supermodel Bootcamp than anything else - but man, did we bond!

- I've known Sonjia for 16 years + only ever heard her cuss out a superior twice - once was in junior high in a church van, and the last time was at the 2002 festival. Both times were so frightening that we've never really talked about them since.

Why should people come to the Festival?
Shall I be completely honest? Meeting crush-worthy boys + girls.

What are some memorable films you've seen at the Festival?
TRAVELLERS AND MAGICIANS (2003, Bhutan) was one of that country's first features. It was smart and heartfelt - not to mention lush and majestic. The MUSIC VIDEO SHOW program is always exciting - the crowd goes apesh*t! They videos are consistently innovative, and watching the voting is fun.

What do you think sets AAIFF apart from the other Asian American film festivals?
We are a classic New York story. We're scrappy (run on a shoe-string budget), indie (always encouraging emerging talent via networking events, workshops, and youth programs), and seasoned (the longest-running Asian American festival), but still manage to create a wonderful sense of home.

Posted by Sonjia Hyon at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Name: John Wong

Current (pre)Occupation: Graphic Designer/ Freelancer

Have you worked at the festival? yes

If so, in what positions? graphic design, intern, print traffic coordinator, national tour something, capa something soemthing...

What are some memorable moments of working on staff? it is hard for me to pinpoint one moment cause there are so many...from the fire escape conversations to breaking night for Cinevue...they were all memorable. it is weird there were so many but yet it is like i cant pinpoint one.
It makes me realize it is because the people involved were a constant...and we were the moments in each other's lives...awwww, snarf snarf...=p.

What are some memorable experience(s) you've had at the festival? of
course the WATERBOYS incident which everyone and their mother seems to know about. (Clarification for those who don't know about "the WATERBOYS incident." The print for the film never showed, so there was a disastrous attempt to trick the audience by screening a region 3 DVD.... Remember this was 2002, and believe it or not, DVD technology was still fairly new. Long story short, the joke was on the Festival. —ed.)
matter fact, that whole saturday of the first festival i worked on was unreal. every screening went wrong and it was the 25th so it was constant screenings...and guess who the print traffic coordinator was. it was also the first time Asia Society held the festival so it was just madness.
Another memorable experience is not so much an experience but every year i had this tradition that i would do when the last screening of the festival started, signifying the end of the festival. i would go to the luce on the 8th floor. Usually by then, the 8th floor was empty. i would sit there, look out thru the giant window overlooking park ave and just collect my thoughts. The tireness of the festival would set in. the contentment of havin accomplish somethin wit so little resources would set in. the sadness of having it all be over hits. there would be random woo hoos and shit talking on the walkies filtering thru about how we are done. at that moment i really enjoy wat i do or did. and everything was worth it. it was like we just made the best treehouse ever.

What are some memorable films you've seen at the festival? WHO KILLED VINCENT CHIN was memorable just for impact, i remember it being sold out and i watch the whole thing standing in the back of the theater and the tears kept pouring down. and once again i will say WATERBOYS for the wrong reasons of course.

What makes the AAIFF special?
i havent been to too many of the other asian american festivals so i am definitely biased...but i feel like AAIFF is the most human...like it is the sum of a person...u see it angry, u see it sad, u see it happy, u see it have fun, u see it cry, u feel its energy...it is everything. where as i feel other festival is rather detached and just there. just like "supply, demand,... economics" type thing(80's reference).

Posted by Sonjia Hyon at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)