2008 DC APA Film Trailer Contest

javascript:void(0) Publish Post The 9th Annual DC Asian Pacific American (APA) Film Festival is coming up this September and they neeed your help. DC APA Film and Scion Motors have partnered up again this year to bring you the 2008 DC APA Film Festival Trailer Contest, now in its third year. It's all pretty simple. You make a 30-second trailer promoting their festival. Your trailer may be highlighted on their site and included as part of their promotional efforts for the festival. The Grand Prize winning trailer will also be screened before most -- if not all -- screenings throughout the festival. And if that's not incentive enough for you, they're awarding cash prizes to the top two finalists, $600 to the grand prize winner and $200 to the first runner up. For details and rules, go here.

Here's last year's winner for the 2007 DC APA Film Trailer Contest

Miss Washington Elyse Umemoto Photo Scandal

TMZ posted some unflattering photos of Miss Washington 2007 - Elyse Umemoto. Among the photos posted include the pageant winner flipping off the camera while wearing her crown, drinking and playing what appears to be beer pong, and making obscene sexual gestures. Running on a platform to promote diversity and women's empowerment, Elyse Umemoto was also the second runner-up in this year's Miss America pageant.

While her scandal is not as big as Miss Nevada's, the Miss Washington Scholarship Organization is embarrassed by the pictures. Quick reaction also by Elyse Umemoto. She held a press conference in Tacoma, Washington the same day the scandal broke. In her apology, she says that someone she trusted stole the photos from her, she's not proud of how she was depicted, and that being a public figure and role model is a full-time job. (We think Elyse Umemoto has learned her lesson.)

Elyse Umemoto's press conference apology

Bhutan:Land of the Thunder Dragon

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Presents Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon
June 25-June 29 and July 2-6, 2008
Location: outdoors on the National Mall of the United States in Washington, D.C., by the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

This summer, visitors to the 42nd annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival will have the rare opportunity to learn about the rich culture of the virtually unknown Kingdom of Bhutan. “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon” will examine the fascinating culture, customs and history of this isolated mountain kingdom whose king initiated a unique government policy of “Gross National Happiness.” The country is situated in the eastern Himalayas and is bordered by China and India. In a mere few hundred miles, its geography changes from low-lying, steamy jungles to some of the world’s highest peaks.

Through live demonstrations, dance and musical performances, narrative sessions and a variety of hands-on activities, the program will explore Bhutan’s rich culture, which has been preserved, in part, through its relative isolation from outside influences. The program, which will feature approximately 140 Bhutanese artists, dancers, cooks, craftspeople, carpenters, farmers and representatives of monastic life, is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of Bhutanese life and culture ever presented outside of the kingdom. The Bhutanese delegation will be led by His Royal Highness Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck.

The Festival will be held Wednesday, June 25 through Sunday, June 29 and Wednesday, July 2 through Sunday, July 6 outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. Admission is free. Festival hours are from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, with such special evening events as concerts and dance parties beginning at 6 p.m.

Watch the trailer for Bhutan:Land of the Thunder Dragon

Wing Luke Asian Museum Grand Opening

It was five years in the making, but it's now ready. The Wing Luke Asian Museum’s opens its doors to a new expanded home at 719 South King St. in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District. From its new 60,000-square-foot home, the Wing Luke Asian Museum will expand its role as an economic and community resource for a distinctly diverse neighborhood, as one of Seattle’s historic and creative treasures, and as a cultural institution of national significance. Featuring: Honoring Our Journey, Community Portrait Galleries, Special Exhibition Gallery, George Tsutakawa Art Gallery, East and West Lightwells, Historic Immersion Exhibits, Tateuchi Story Theatre, Governor Gary Locke Library and Community Heritage Center, KidPLACE, Frank Fujii Youth Space, Learning Studios, The Marketplace, Community Hall, and much more. The event is free and open to the public. Timed tickets will be issued the day of celebration.

A national model for community-based exhibition process, upcoming special exhibits include the Native Hawaiian Community in the Pacific Northwest (Special Exhibition Gallery, October 2008); Voter Registration (New Dialogue Initiative, August 2008); Dance (KidPLACE, August 2008), and Mixed Race/Ethnicity (Community Portrait Gallery, September 2008). The “George Tsutakawa: The Making of a Fountain,” an exhibition featuring the fountains, paintings, models, and sculptures of the pioneer artist, will be on display in the art gallery bearing his name when the museum opens.

Community Grand Opening
Saturday, May 31, 2008 — 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Ribbon cutting and multicultural drumming performance at 10 a.m.

Sunday, June 1, 2008 — 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Cultural ceremony and lion and dragon dances at 11:30 a.m.

Watch the Wing Luke Asian Museum campaign video

Fiesta Asia 2008

Fiesta Asia is the annual Asian American Heritage Festival in the District of Columbia presented by Asia Heritage Foundation. Fiesta Asia street festival will take place on May 17th, 2008 and is free and open to the public. This kick-off event will feature an exciting array of attractions including an open market filled with an assortment of Asian merchandise, live performances, Pan-Asian cuisine, interactive displays, Manga design competition, and much more. The May 17th event follows a month-long series of activities in venues located in DC metro area.

Fiesta Asia Street Fair - May 17th
11am - 7pm
Pennsylvania Ave NW
Between 3rd and 6th Streets
Washington, DC

Watch the trailer for Fiesta Asia 2008:

CelebrAsian 2008

PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi will chair the 23rd Anniversary CelebrAsian Business Opportunity Conference '08, the flagship event of the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC-EF), on May 27-29, at the Hilton Washington Hotel in Washington, DC.

The latest Census figures show that there are over 1.1 million Asian American-owned companies, with over $326 billion in business revenues, and employ more than 2.2 million people. This year's theme, "Business Beyond Boundaries, Here & Abroad," will address the challenges faced by small and minority businesses impacted by onshore and offshore outsourcing activities, among other issues essential to compete effectively in today's global marketplace.

CelebrAsian Business Opportunity Conference--the largest of its kind in the United States--connects hundreds of top-caliber Asian American suppliers and small business owners annually with buyers from Fortune 500 corporations, the Federal government, and the small/minority business community, through pre-scheduled one-on-one matchmaking meetings, informative summits, workshops, and networking sessions--in three days and under one roof.

Here's Indra K. Nooyi earlier this year at the Davos Annual Meeting 2008. This panel is for New Drivers of Development: