Browsing Category Film Fests & Awards

Film festivals we’ve been invited to as well as awards we’ve received

Over-the-Valley-Winner-Pink Martini- Music Video

Over the Valley – Pink Martini

We just want to say many thanks to Pink Martini for selecting our animated short film as one of the top five music videos selected for the Pink Martini Music Video Contest. It was truly a dream of mine to put an MV together for one of my favorite bands who I have admired, respected, and seen grow from their early beginnings. Our MV for their beautiful ballad "Over the Valley" took a fifth place award and we are very humbled to be chosen.

The film is dedicated to my "Auntie Lina" Marcelina Doma who came to the Philippines in the late 60s and was a telephone operator for White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles. Her home was the touch point for many of my family who came to the U.S. and we would affectionately call her small apartment in East Los Angeles "Auntie Lina's Place". She helped raise me and did not have any children of her own. Her children were all her family who she helped take care of so that they could all have better lives and her many stuffed animals that she collected over the years.

She was also a fanatic documentarian and had her super 8 camera around with her documenting all our family gatherings and daily events. In a small way, that has rubbed off on me and the work I do documenting everyday stories and peoples lives comes from seeing her filming all of us.

When I first heard "Over the Valley" for the first time I thought of Auntie Lina and the animated story for this MV is a metaphor for her life and dedicated to her memory. Both Rocky Kev and I who collaborated to create the piece wanted to create something simple and touching that brings elements of childhood memories and reflections of our loved ones past. Today August 12, 2010 marks the anniversary of her passing and I know that she would have loved this animated film.

Her spirit will always be with us.

We are truly honored to have been selected from the many fine pieces that were submitted to this contest. Again for both of us, the beauty is in the simple fact that we created it and are able to share it to others who I hope will also be touched by its message. I'd like to give a special shout out and thank you to my sister Jenny San Angel (pictured above with me and my Auntie Lina). She introduced me to Pink Martini and their amazing music and sent me the link to participate in this contest.

Please enjoy "Over the Valley" by Pink Martini

Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) premieres at PAAFF Philadelphia

Chinatown Mural “Colors of Light” by Josh Sarantitis 12th and Vine Street

About a year ago this time I had finished shooting a community arts film project working with the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia using New York based artist Taiyo Na's heartfelt song "Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother)" which honors immigrant mothers and all our moms. The music video continues to impact and touch people from all over the globe on youtube and has been an official selection at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, DisOrient Asian American Film Festival, and San Diego Asian Film Foundation.

Based on the recent success of the music video, I created a documentary version which would fuse both music video and documentary elements into one form as I had originally intended in the initial stages of the creation of this project. I am very proud and honored to have completed the documentary version of "Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother)" and to have its premiere as an official selection of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival and presented at the Asian Arts Initiative where the project first began. To celebrate all the moms who were a very special part of this film as well as the neighboring Philadelphia Chinatown Community and to premiere the work at the Initiative for PAAFF was always a dream of mine.

It has been a wonderful journey sharing this beautiful piece at various film festivals across the country and I am so proud to bring it home to Philly.

I know that both Taiyo and I hope that you can continue to share both the music video and documentary to all your family and loved ones.

Please celebrate the upcoming holidays with all those that you love and pass this warm message along.

Warm Wishes,

Gary San Angel

Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) premieres in Los Angeles

TUESDAY, MAY 4 | TOYOTA PRESENTS: CINEMA MUSICA! | 9:15 PM | DWNTN

TOYOTA PRESENTS: CINEMA MUSICA! TRT: 76 min.
CINEMA MÚSICA returns with a fresh new lineup of music videos! Despite the ability to view music videos in HD or HQ quality on YouTube, isn’t it just so much better (and more fun) to watch them on a big screen where we can truly appreciate the quality of work?

LOVELY TO ME (IMMIGRANT MOTHER) [Taiyo Na]
(United States, 2009) Dir.: Gary San Angel
Celebrating immigrant mothers, this documentary style music video is a community arts film project with the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia involving real stories and images from Chinatown, South Philly, the Northeast, and Love Park.
Video, 5 min., color, music video

DOWNTOWN INDEPENDENT (DWNTN)
251 South Main St (Between 2nd and 3rd Streets), Little Tokyo, Downtown L.A.
PARKING: 24 hour lot parking behind the theater. (Enter on Spring or Harlem Lane).

We are very proud to bring the Philly love back to my home town of the City of the Angels with the debut of Taiyo Na's Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) at Cinema Musica!

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is one of my favorite film festivals because of its rich diversity in programming and connection to the community as well as the industry. Visual Communications spearheads this event and every year does an amazing job and this festival is only a small part of the extraordinary work they do.

Many thanks to Grace Su for highlighting our little music video:

GRACE SU Recommends…

LOVELY TO ME (IMMIGRANT MOTHER) by Gary San Angel
Full of rich imagery, Gary San Angel compiles a touching piece that will make you want to go hug your mom.

GRACE SU, aka “Peachies” wears many hats. She is known as a blogger (www.peachies.net), producer, actress, video editor, and avid APA arts supporter. She has been involved with VC since 2005 (beginning with Armed With a Camera) and has curated the music video program for four years in a row.

Unfortunately, I'm stuck in Philly and can not attend but my mom will be in the audience during the screening.

In honor of Mother's Day, I say, "Thanks Mom! I love you."

Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) West Coast Premiere

We are honored to have the music video of Taiyo Na's Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother) opening and closing the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival. The festival is quite unique not only to Eugene, Oregon but around the country. DisOrient is a social justice film festival focusing on films that transform and redefine the meaning of Asians in America by bringing to the screen films that create change in our communities. We are very proud to be sharing the festival with many filmmakers that I admire and know including Masahiro Sugano with his film Second Moon.

I will also highly recommend two brilliant documentaries A Village Called Versailles and Operation Baby Lift.

Whether your Asian or not these films are universally inspiring and I know Taiyo and the Asian Arts Initiative community are thrilled and humbled to be part of the opening and closing of this festival. We hope those local to the Eugene, Oregon area can catch our film on the big screen. To catch the final showing of "Lovely to Me (Immigrant Mother)" go to the DisOrient Film Schedule.

Flying Away to the Movies

OMG!!!! Our trailer called "Flying Away to the Movies" won as the winner of the 2009 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.

We were not expecting to win at all seeing some of the other 3-D Animations which were really quite impressive and visually compelling. We thought for sure the judges would go for the other submissions because they had much more of the industry look and commercial appeal.

We really saw ourselves as the Philly underdogs and are really very surprised and honored to be chosen among some very fine trailers submissions. A lot of Philly love was put into this trailer so we are just ecstatic to represent Philly, pay homage to Philly's Chinatown, and create something that we hope will bring a smile to your face and make you think of the first time you went to the movies.

Here's a little more info:

Animator Rocky Kev, music recording artist Wayne Hsu and, filmmaker and director Gary San Angel create a 30 second trailer for the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival called "Flying Away to the Movies." A young boy leaves his static television world and follows a flying film reel, taking a journey to find inspiration in movies at Philadelphia's very own Chinatown Arch where the opening night film of the festival is about to begin. Rocky Kev's vibrant digitally hand drawn animations and Wayne Hsu's catchy high soaring music inspire us to remember why we are drawn to going to the movies in the first place. The animation includes a cast of hundreds and is meant to be seen again and again allowing the viewer to find and hear things that they never saw each time they see it. We’re glad to represent Philly and PAAFF and hope that our trailer will be something that people will look forward to seeing, something that they will remember and associate with PAAFF even after this year’s festival.

On behalf of myself, Rocky, and Wayne, we humbly thank the judges for the award and are extremely excited and honored to be chosen as the winner of the 2009 Philadelphia Asian American Film festival Trailer Contest!