Take a few minutes to check out this year’s VAFF – Vancouver Asian Film Festival! The event starts tomorrow and runs until this Sunday. All films show at Tinseltown Cinemas (just steps away from the Stadium-Chinatown skytrain station!) With over 30 films neatly packaged into 16 ‘Programs’ – each program with evocative and intriguing titles like ‘Lost and Foundations’ and ‘Love Wins Out’ – you are sure to find something that catches your eye at VAFF 2010!

VAFF”s Mission Statement:

The Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society (VAFF) is a not-for-profit organization that provides a forum for independent North American Asian filmmakers to showcase their work to both Asian and non-Asian audiences. The aim of VAFF is to foster an understanding and appreciation of today’s independent North American Asian filmmakers, while providing a springboard to larger film festivals. The society endeavours to represent the often ignored North American Asians caught between two cultures. The Vancouver Asian Film Festival Society will provide a cultural bridge between the Asian and non-Asian communities as well as the Asian communities themselves.

As October slowly draws to a close, ACCO wants to let you know about an exciting event called DIWALI DOWNTOWN, brought to you by the folks of the Vancouver Celebrates Diwali Festival. This main event, conveniently accessible by the Canada Line skytrain (depart at the Roundhouse stop), will feature even bigger and better activities from last year – dance, music, multimedia and theatre for the entire family! Interested in volunteering? Check out their website: www.vandiwali.ca for details. Already in its seventh year, DIWALI DOWNTOWN promises to be another successful and well attended event once again. 

DIWALI DOWNTOWN

A Roundhouse Partnership

Part of the Vancouver Celebrates Diwali Festival

Sun Nov 7, 12:00pm – 6:00pm

Roundhouse Community Centre

Free Event (certain activities may cost)

Info: www.vandiwali.ca

Diwali is a time to celebrate the universal light

that exists in everyone, so come “Light Your Sprit!”

at the 7^th Annual Vancouver Celebrates Diwali Festival.

Our main event, Diwali Downtown showcases the best

of classical and contemporary South Asian arts & culture.

Bigger than ever this year as we take over the entire

Roundhouse, this day-long event brings dance, music,

food, crafts, comedy, film, visual arts and more all under

one roof, with plenty of new and exciting interactive

events for young and old. So come sing, create, laugh,

eat and dance with all your many friends and neighbors.

Presented by the UBC Centre for Culture, Identity and Education (CCIE) and the Chinese Canadian Historical Society of British Columbia (CCHS) with co-sponsor The Indigenous Education Society of Canada, CEDAR AND BAMBOO will be shown at the UBC First Nations Longhouse on October 14th, 2010 at 12pm NOON. Light refreshments will be provided. Hope you guys can all check it out!

This is a free screening, but RSVP is required via:
http://bit.ly/b2eBeD



HIGHLIGHTS…

* Musqueam Welcome
* Background to Cedar & Bamboo by Jean Barman
* Panel Discussion

Set throughout BC, Cedar & Bamboo explores the intercommunity histories and shared experiences of Chinese Canadians and First Nations. Directed by filmmakers Diana Leung and Kamala Todd, its central focus is on the lives of four people of mixed Indigenous and Chinese ancestry and their formation of strong and meaningful identities in spite of the difficulty of reconciling divergent identities, racist laws, the complexities of familial and ethnic acceptance and/or rejection and personal identification with and alienation from Canada and Canadianness, Chinese First Nations and Indigenous identity.

As a bonus – 1788: A History of Chinese and First Nations Relations in British Columbia, 10 minutes of academic commentary from Professors Henry Yu and Jean Barman of the University of British Columbia and Harley Wylie of Nuu-chah-nulth ancestry on the intersecting histories of First Nations and Chinese people in British Columbia.

As well, there will be a panel discussion, Separate Identities and Commingled Lives, by scholars and community activists of Aboriginals and Chinese ancestry. Moderator: Jo-ann Archibald. Panelists: Linc Kesler, Diana Leung, Hayne Wai, and Charles Menzies.

Bibliography on Chinese Canadian and First Nations: 150 years of Shared Experience: http://www.chinese-firstnations-relations.ca/

UBC Vancouver Campus
First Nations Longhouse
Sty Wet Tan (Big Hall)
1985 West Mall
Map: http://bit.ly/aiSPhB



We have made the following changes to the event:

1. The date has been changed — from March 5th, to Friday March 26th 2010

2. We have decided to change the venue to Thea’s Lounge in Koerner Grad Student’s House

3. Tickets will be$11 before the show and at the door, and appetizers and snacks will be provided!

THIS IS A 19+ EVENT! please bring your IDs. Alcohol can be purchased at the bar.

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Once again, we have brought back the Asian Canadian Indie Music Festival!

Come out and discover the amazing young, talented and local Asian Canadian performers of UBC and beyond! In its second year, ACCO’s Indie Music Fest is set to exceed last year’s expectations and open your eyes to the incredible diversity of up-and-coming Asian Canadian talent, featuring live performances by rock bands, singer-songwriters, acoustics crooners, traditional instrumentalists and much more. Refreshments will be served. This is ACCO’s biggest performing arts event of the year and is NOT to be missed!!!

Tickets only $11 in advance and at the door
All proceeds support Downtown Eastside Womens’ Centre

Date: Friday, March 26, 2010
Time: 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Location: Thea’s Lounge, UBC Koerner Graduate Student building
Doors open @ 6:30pm, Show starts @ 7pm

You can get your in-advance tickets by:

1. Directly contacting any ACCO exec member (Crystal, Kristina, Anais, Jung Ah, Bard, Teresa, Lola, Brian, Jason), or
2. Emailing us at info@ubcacco.com, or
3. Dropping by our info booth on the SUB Concourse after March 5!!!

See you all there!

CLICK HERE for photos from last year’s music fest awsomeness!

Add us on Facebook to get updates

This year ACCO and VAFF are co-presenting ’2008 MAMM Winners Screening’ (Mighty Asian Movie-Making Marathon)!! It will take place from 5-6:30pm in the Victoria Learning Theatre in the UBC Irving K. Barber Learning Centre on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009. The screening will feature the top three winners in the Asian Canadian filmmaking contest. VAFF and ACCO executives will be in attendance, as well as up and coming directors, producers, screenwriters and actors. A panel will follow. Join us for an evening of Asian Canadian film, discussion and fun!!

On Saturday, August 15th, the Korean Heritage Festival will take place at Blue Mountain Park (975 King Albert Anenue, Coquitlam B.C.) from 10:30 am – 6:00 pm.

There will be performances all day ranging from the Vancouver Korean Dance Society to a martial arts demonstration by Sunhang-Do Demonstration Team. There will also be lots of food and music as well!

For more information, please visit: Korean Heritage Festival

The 10th Annual Chinatown Festival chimes in on August 8th and 9th in Vancouver’s Chinatown. It’s FREE admission to Vancouver’s largest multicultural summer celebration. With an attendance of over 48,000 locals and tourists last year, it has a little for everyone like Youth Talent Showdown, Dance Edition, Chinatown Heritage and Food Tasting Walking Tour, Chinese Folk Art demonstrations, BMX Stunt Show, multicultural stage performers, open air market and children’s activities.

While you’re in the neighbourhood, don’t forget to visit all the landmarks and attractions in Chinatown. Check out the community info displays, open-air market, food booths, and enter the on-site lucky draws to win great prizes!

It’s organized by the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association (VCBIA).

For more information, visit www.vancouver-chinatown.com or call 604.632.3808

This annual festival has plenty of things for the family to do. At night time, you can stroll around the night market.

Sunday, August 9th is the DANCE EDITION of the Youth Talent Showdown.

The Powell Street Festival is an annual celebration of Japanese Canadian arts, culture and heritage that features something for everyone: dance, music, film and video, visual arts, martial arts demos, amateur sumo tournament, craft vendors, traditional displays, and of course, tons of scrumptious Japanese food.

PSF is the largest event of its kind in Canada and the longest running community arts festival in the Lower Mainland. They provide a much-needed venue for emerging and established, professional and amateur, and traditional and contemporary artists in the Japanese Canadian and Asian Canadian communities.

So, go check it out this weekend! It’s sure to be a blast.

For more information, please visit: The 33rd Annual Powell Street Festival

There will be over a dozen performers not to mention a dozen vendors. The weather should be wonderful on Saturday too, so grab some friends and family and head to False Creek! It should be a lively event!

For more information, please go to RBC Desifest 2009

New Works in partnership with South Asian Arts and the Pacific National Exhibition will present Bollywood Wedding, an outdoor, interactive opportunity for the audience to experience traditional Indian wedding customs, in the form of a wild and hilarious event, bringing the whole dysfunctional family together for an evening of fun and melodrama.

The event begins at 8pm on all nights and extra 2pm shows on Satruday and Sunday. The best part is that this is completely FREE!
For more information, please visit: New Works presents Bollywood Wedding