San Diego Asian Film Festival 2009

While action films have become a billion dollar industry, the stunt and fight coordinators, whose expertise has made films such as Kill Bill and The Matrix possible, have toiled away in relative obscurity. Learn more about the world of these men of action in a fun, informative panel discussion. Topics will include the influence of Asian films on Hollywood, the effects of technology, and the influence of mixed martial arts promotions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on audience expectations. Moderator: Dr. Craig Reid Dr. Reid became an actor/stuntman in Taiwan TV & film in 1979. Besides learning fight choreography from Tsui Hark and Jackie Chan, he was a fight coordinator on ABC's Spy Game and a fight directing apprentice on CBS's Martial Law . His book Ultimate Guide to the Martial Arts Film Vol. One: 1970s comes out Dec. 09. Scheduled Panelists: Ron Yuan Ron Yuan has a wide range of Hollywood experience in front of the camera in The Fast and Furious , The Art of War , and a recurring role on Fox TV's Prison Break . As a stunt and fight coordinator, he has worked on films such as Blade , Rush Hour 2 and the recent film Black Dynamite . Ilram Choi A well rounded martial artist with the foundation of Tae Kwon Do, Ilram Choi has worked as an actor, stuntman and stunt coordinator in Hollywood. His body of work includes films such as Pirates of the Caribbean , Transformers , and Star Trek . Lin Oeding A former professional mixed martial arts competitor and University of Texas film school graduate Lin Oeding has worked as a stuntman on TV series such as Alias , 24 , and Heroes . As an actor, Mr. Oeding has worked on Pearl Harbor and Spy Kids . Zoe Bell A native of New Zealand, Ms. Bell first broke through as a stunt woman on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess . She was then discovered by legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and went on to perform all of Uma Thurman's stunts on Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 . After impressing as a stunt double in those two movies and as one of the subjects of the feature documentary, Double Dare , Ms. Bell was cast as the lead actress in the film Death Proof , Tarantino's half of the cult classic double feature Grindhouse . For more of Zoe: - A mini-documentary on Zoe Bell - A Kill Bill fight scene with Zoe Bell

A heartbreaking and damning indictment of North Korea's despotic leader, KIMJONGILIA (The Flower of Kim Jong-il) provides the personal accounts of a handful of the hundreds of thousands who have fled the troubled nation over the past decade. Imprisoned (and sometimes born) in forced labor camps, faced with malnutrition, starvation, torture and execution, they describe the hardships and unbearable losses they overcame to escape, usually to China or South Korea. A pianist recalls undergoing strenuous torture and his attempts to safeguard his hands. A former army colonel tells of how under-nourished troops died of disease while others plundered supplies or deserted. South Korean activists attempt to aid refugees, with varying degrees of success. And a singer is told her voice is too similar to a South Korean pop star's, deeming it "capitalist" and unacceptable. Told through very matter-of-fact interviews surrounded by stylistic flourishes that include interpretive dance, child-like sketches of atrocities and clips from propaganda films, KIMJONGILIA is an emotionally powerful look at a nation in chaos. – Steve Norwood, Asian Film Festival Dallas Director N.C. Heikin is scheduled to attend and will also appear in the free panel “North Korea in Focus” on Oct 25. Co-presented by: Epsilon LiNK (Liberty in North Korea)

North Korea is one of the world’s most isolated nations. For almost 60 years, North Koreans have been governed by a totalitarian regime that controls almost all information entering and leaving the country. The world was recently reminded of this during the recent detention and release of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. However, the human rights crisis in North Korea is often shrouded by the country’s nuclear weapons programs. Amidst the region’s geo-politics are the overlooked issues of refugees in China and Southeast Asia and the separation of countless families in the north and south for over fifty years. With so much secrecy and mystery surrounding North Korea, hear from experts on these issues and survival stories of North Korean defectors. Panelists: Stephan Haggard is the Krause Professor of Korea-Pacific Studies at the Graduate School of International Relations, UCSD. He is the author of Famine in North Korea and has recently done research involving North Korean refugees. N.C. Heikin is the director of KIMJONGILIA, a documentary that exposes stories of survivors of North Korea’s vast and largely hidden prison camps Hannah Song is the executive director Liberty in North Korea (LiNK), an international NGO dedicated to human rights in North Korea and the protection of North Korean refugees around the world. Co-presented by: Epsilon Systems Solutions LINK

Korea is a divided nation. Millions of families were split apart in the 1950s when war broke out between the Soviet-occupied North and the American-controlled South. For more than a generation, families have not been able to visit, speak to, or even write one another. Tragically, the last survivors to remember a unified Korea are dying without ever having seen their grandchildren–nobody knew their good-byes would be forever. Korean-Canadian director Min Sook Lee’s search for both the real and symbolic “Tiger Spirit” of Korea leads her on an amazing journey along the Koreas’ border where she encounters a wild-eyed tiger hunter, a courageous woman who defected from the North years ago, a young bus guide whose job it is to shuttle workers across the DMZ border everyday, and many hopeful families dreaming of the day they can once again see their lost loved ones. With unprecedented access and never before seen footage of North Korea’s industrial zone and state-sanctioned reunification centers, Lee brings us an emotion-charged journey into Korea’s broken heart, exploring the rhetoric and realism of reunification through the extraordinary stories of ordinary families. Don’t miss the free panel “North Korea in Focus” on Oct 25. Co-presented by: Epsilon LiNK (Liberty in North Korea) Korean American Bar Association of San Diego (KABA SD)

The numbers speak for themselves. With an estimated billion people watching videos on Youtube, 250 million active users on Facebook, and six million Tweeters, social media continues to change the way we communicate, entertain, and connect with the world. Youtube in particular has become a truly democratized broadcasting platform, allowing virtually unknown people with hidden talents to find massive audiences. In this panel, we bring together some of the highest rated Youtube celebrities for a dynamic and intimate discussion. Speakers include Kev Jumba, David Choi, Paul Dateh, Jennifer Chung, and Eddie Kim from Projekt NewSpeak who share insight on how to build a following, and how viral notoriety changed their lives. Co-Moderated by Phil Yu ( Angry Asian Man ) Co-presented by: Southwest Airlines Magec Future Rockstars of America