ImaginAsian Film Festival
Winner of 4 film awards and 7 nominations. Starring Joan Chen, Chi Cao, Kyle MacLachlan, Bruce Greenwood, and Amanda Schull, this is a drama based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao’s cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he fell in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet. Directed by the international renowned Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford (DRIVING MISS DAISY, BLACK ROBE, BREAKER MORANT, TENDER MERCIES, CRIMES OF THE HEART). In English and Mandarin, with English subtitles, 117 minutes, 2010, Australia. Rated General Audience
One Crazy Ride
May 8
4:30pm at Plaza Theater
Rating 14-A. Suitable for viewing by persons 14 years of age or older. Persons under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
General audience - $10.00 Children 8 and under - free admission, and must be accompanied by an adult
Co-Presented by Dirt Track Productions (India) and Asian Heritage Foundation (Southern Alberta)
Winner of 3 film awards and attended over 12 international film festivals, ONE CRAZY RIDE humorously documents a motorcycle expedition on uncharted roads across the Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh, situated in North-east India. But more than an expedition, it’s a film on friendship, camaraderie and the “never say die” attitude of four men and one female motorcyclists in the face of unforgiving terrain. Shot in the same format as their earlier efforts”Riding Solo To The Top Of The World” with no back-up vehicle or film crew, in parts of India hardly seen, filmed or explored, the documentary captures the interactions and experiences of the riders who are trying to chart a route, which according to everyone does not exist. In English and Hindi with English subtitles, 87 minutes, 2009, India
All About Dad
May 14
7pm at Plaza Theater
Rating: PG - Parental guidance is advised. Theme or content may not be suitable for all children.
Admission - $10.00, Children 8 and under - free admission in company of an adult
Co-Presented by Big Ben Travels and Asian Heritage Foundation (Southern Alberta)
Winner of the Audience Favorite Choice Award and Emerging Filmmaker Award at the 2009 Cinequest San Jose Film Festival, as well as the Jury Prize Award for outstanding first film at the 2009 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, ALL ABOUT DAD is the hilarious yet tender comedy that addresses the familiar theme of old world father vs. new world kids with deftness and originality. It’s a masterful family portrait that’s sure to resonate with any family. Mr. Do (Chi Pham) has raised his kids to be good Catholics and to live up to his unrealistic expectations. His son Ty (David Huynh) is abandoning pre-med to chase a less practical dream, while Linh (Yvonne Truong) is keeping her fiancé’s Buddhist background a secret. However, they aren’t the only kids with secrets in the Do family. It’s time Dad faces the truth that his kids have grown up and doing quite well in mainstream North America! In English and Vietnamese, with English subtitles, 80 minutes