Nrityagram: For the Love of Dance, a short documentary by dance photojournalist Nan Melville, will screen at the Newport Beach Film Festival at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Newport Beach, California.

Melville, a freelance photographer for several arts institutions including The Julliard School, Carnegie Hall, and The New York Times, specializes in photographing and filming the performing arts, primarily dance.

Melville first met the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble in 1996, when she was assigned by The New York Times to photograph their U.S. debut performance in New York. After visiting the Nrityagram dance village in Bangalore, India, at the invitation of the late Protima Bedi, she began working on her documentary. She returned to India to film life in the dance village, and research archival materials.

“I’ve become a great friend of the members of Nrityagram, photographing many of their New York performances,” says Melville. “I’ve even put up dancers on my sofa when hotels were overflowed.”

Nrityagram: For the Love of Dance debuted in January 2010 as an official selection of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Dance Films Association, Dance on Camera Festival in New York City. The New York Times’ chief dance critic Alistair Macaulay said, “Many intelligent points are...

March 15, 2012 - 

THE FP

Written and Directed by: Brandon Trost & Jason Trost

Starring: Jason Trost, Lee Valmassy, Art Hsu, Caitlyn Folley, Nick Principe, Brandon Barrera, James DeBello, Sean Whalen, and James Remar

Indie film The FP makes its debut in limited release in theaters nationally today March 16, 2012. Click here for The FP screening schedule. 

I would go to see The FP only because Art Hsu is one of the stars in this quirky, funny movie.

Film critics are writing that this homage to retro-80's B movies and 90's hip hop spoken by white folks is hilarious, utterly ridiculous, and fun.

A word of caution however, one reviewer warned there is some rough dialogue that is racist, sexist and homophobic in this retro romp.

The FP won the Audience Award at 2011’s Fantasia International Film Festival in Toronto, and was a hit at 2011's SXSW, the mega film and music festival in Austin, Texas. 

AsianConnections' interview with Art will be posted soon! 

Meanwhile, enjoy our exclusive interview with Art on his first feature film starring role back in 2009 in Cranked: High Voltage!

March 19, 2012

Automaker Volvo announced today it has signed a brand endorsement deal with New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin.

Lin will reportedly become Volvo's brand ambassador for the next two years, with focus in the U.S., China and Chinese-language markets in Asia.

"You may not immediately see the conneciton between me and Volvo, but both of us are striving to be better and smarter at what we do, and to do it our own way," Lin said at a news conference today.

"I hope that my efforts will inspire more young people to follow their ambitions in sports and education, just like Volvo Car Corp. is designing cars around epople's ambitions in life."

For the full story click here.

Related:

Jeremy Lin signs endorsement deal with Volvo

"In the locker room with Jeremy Lin" by Suzanne Joe Kai

"How Linsanity hits home" by author, journalist, broadcaster and former senior editor of Rolling Stone Magazine Ben Fong-Torres. 

Author, former Wall Street Journal writer, and historian William Wong writes about Linsanity in this five-part series:

Linsanity 5: Confirming stereotypes? by William Wong  Linsanity 4 Can't escape race no matter what by William Wong Linsanity 3: Will fame (‘friend’ of Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, et. al.) ruin Jeremy Lin? by William Wong Linsanity 2: Redefining American by William Wong Linsanity 1: Am I Linsane? You Betcha! by William Wong

Guidelines on reporting on Jeremy Lin issued by the Asian American Journalists Association

Jeremy...

The second annual LUCKYRICE Festival, presented by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE and Conde Nast Traveler, kicks off tonight with Dinner with Anita Lo presented by HSBC at Anissa from 7pm-10pm. ($200)

The inaugural 2010 Festival was 100% sold-out; this year’s festival expands to one week from May 2-8, 2011 at various locations throughout New York City. Participants of the LUCKYRICE Festival include members of the LUCKYRICE Culinary Council – Daniel Boulud, Susur Lee, Anito Lo, Masaharu Morimoto, amongst others, to include some of the world’s top restaurants, chefs, and mixologists. Tickets can be purchased at www.luckyrice.com. Proceeds from the festival will again benefit City Harvest.

“We are thrilled to be joined by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE and again by Conde Nast Traveler for the LUCKYRICE Festival this year,” said Danielle Chang, Founder of LUCKYRICE. “I am excited to share Asia’s rich culinary culture with so many New Yorkers and honored to be supported by our esteemed Culinary Council.”

ABOUT LUCKYRICE
LUCKYRICE is an integrated experiential marketing and media company that was launched in the spring of 2010. LUCKYRICE has quickly become the definitive guide to the Asian culinary world, which represents sixty percent of the world’s population. LUCKYRICE understands these cultures and creates a common denominator through the lens of food.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS*
May 2 – 8, 2011 | New...

By Stephen Rakower

Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethaku wins the Palm D'or for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives a mystical reincarnation tale of a man with acute kidney failure who chooses to spend his final days with his loved ones in the countryside.

Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave - the birthplace of his first life.

The film is the sixth for the 39 year old director who likes to be called by his nickname, Joe, and the first Palm d'Or for Thailand.

Joe is outspoken about the current political troubles in Thailand, and the recent deadly clashes in the streets of Bangkok.

He says the clashes are due to the wide divide between the rich and the poor.

He is lobbying for more Thai government funding of films. This year he said, Thailand announced a new government film fund of $6.2 million, with half going to one film directed by a Thai prince to do a historical film. Just before flying to France to the Cannes Film Festival, he said he was lobbying Thailand's Ministry of Culture for more transparency in film funding.

Joe is the son of two doctors who moved from Bangkok to the northeast part of Thailand and built a hospital there. His film is set in the same northeast location as his childhood.

From 1994 to 1997, Joe attended the Chicago Art Institute where he was exposed to many kinds of films, especially experimental films. He initially had alot of challenges adapting...