First Global Buddhist Film Festival Opens in S.F.
SAN FRANCISCO — The International Buddhist Film Festival’s first San Francisco Bay Area festival runs from Jan. 28, 2005, to Feb. 13, 2005.
With more than 50 events, including film screenings, concerts and lectures presented throughout the Bay Area, the 2005 IBFF features five Korean dramatic features selected with the collaboration of the Korean Film Commission:
• Beyond The Mountain, director Chung Ji-young, 1991; U.S. premiere
• Festival, director Im Kwon-taek, 1996
• Hi! Dharma, director Kwan Park, 2001
• Hometown of The Heart, director Yoon Yong-kyu, 1949; S.F. premiere, new print
• Passage to Buddha (Hwa Om Kyuong), director Jang Sun-woo, 1993; U.S. premiere
For complete program and ticket information, visit www.ibff.org.
Foo Named ‘Unsung Heroine’
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) helped present the national 2004 Unsung Heroines award to Mary Anne Foo for her work as the executive director and founder of the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, which aims to “enhance the well-being of Asians and Pacific Islanders by building strategic partnerships in the areas of service, education, organizing and research.”
“I am truly grateful for this acknowledgment,” Foo said. “However, this is really a recognition of many citizens in our area who give generously of their time, talents and dedication to [improve] the communities of Asian and Pacific Islanders.”
Foo was one of six recipients of the award — sponsored by The Mitsubishi Motors USA Foundation and the PBS-TV public affairs show To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe.
Each year, members of Congress are invited by Mitsubishi Motors to present the award to a woman who has “given her time and energy toward improving the lives of others.”
Pasadena Inouye Leadership Awards Announced
The Pasadena Cherry Blossom Festival Committee has announced its 2005 Senator Daniel Inouye Cherry Blossom Leadership awardees. Winners will be feted at a private ceremony on March 31 and a special public ceremony on the main stage at the Rose Bowl on April 2. The honorees are:
•Pacific Asia Museum, a California historic landmark since 1971 and the only institution in Southern California dedicated to presenting the arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
•Pasadena Nikkei Seniors, offering seniors many weekly activities since 1969 under president Kiyoshi Takeda.
•Hitoshi Sameshima, who served for 38 years as the supervising deputy purchasing agent for the county of Los Angeles and on many community boards.
•Paul Tanaka, Los Angeles County’s first Asian American assistant sheriff. Tanaka has been a member of the Gardena City Council since 1999.
•Japan Language Scholarship/Aurora Foundation, providing non-native Japanese-language teachers (U.S. citizens) with the opportunity to experience day-to-day living in Japan and participate in various programs.