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ANNOUNCEMENT:
Due to unexpected support, we are now able to extend the regular registration price through the week! Woooop! But don't wait til the last minute - we're on our way to selling out! Hay!
HAY QUA. A mini-fest of inspirational talks, works, and performances from the nation's most innovative Vietnamese Americans. A room full of up and coming fashion designers, chefs, architects, photographers, bloggers, and film directors, among others. What they have to say may change the way you look at life.
From Angry Asian Man:
"[HAY QUA] is
promising to be one of those
cool events you'll regret missing."
From Slant Eye for the Round Eye:
"Do these people ever sleep?! Cool!"
SPONSOR:
"HAY QUA!" SPEAKERS & PERFORMERS!
ADELE RAY, FILM
Ina
Adele Ray, a.k.a. Adele, is a half-Vietnamese and half-American
filmmaker and professional video editor residing in Brooklyn, New York.
She recently produced Parallel Adele, with director Adele Pham,
which has been frequently showing on the film festival circuit. Ms. Ray
is currently working on the post production of an hour long
documentary, Lost Pictures,
that is a personal exploration that spans three wars, three continents,
and her family's experience as a Vietnamese diaspora living in France
and the US. Website: www.adeleray.com
ALEX NGUYEN, JAZZ
14
years ago, Alex Nguyen picked up a trumpet and has yet to put it down.
Alex has since performed on famous stages from the likes of the Kennedy
Center for Performing Arts, to the Savannah Onstage International Arts
Festival, and across Europe and Asia. Nguyen was also the winner of the
International Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition and the Jamey Aebersold
Award for Artistry at the National Trumpet Competition. Alex Nguyen
just turned 24. Website: www.alexnguyenmusic.com
It's
not easy being an Asian American comedian... but Ali Wong has been
doing it and doing it well. Being half Vietnamese American, she shares
with the audience the little tidbits of her Vietnamese culture, such as
the power of mighty Nuoc Mam (fish sauce). Ali has recently graced the
cover of Hyphen magazine as a fake import car model, opened for Dave
Chapelle, and picked as "Best Comedian of 2009" by SF Weekly. She is
currently now living in NY, creating a heavy buzz in the stand-up
comedy scene. Website: www.aliwong.com
ALI WONG, COMEDY
AN NGUYEN XUAN, 'BEP'
An
Nguyen Xuan, born and raised in Paris, France, now finds his home in
NY. His restaurant 'BEP' ('kitchen' in Vietnamese) opens exclusively on
Mondays and shares its home w/ Simple Cafe, a cozy french eatery in
Brooklyn. Xuan prides BEP on using natural ingredients as he serves
Vietnamese staples like Pho, Hu Tieu, Cha Gio, and Banh Mi. Every week,
An posts the menu for the upcoming Monday. We can't wait to see what he
has next! Website: www.beprestaurant.blogspot.com
AUDREY TRAN, ENVIRONMENT/ART
At the start of this year, Audrey Tran became the author of
ArtfulGreenDot, a new weblog about environmentally conscious art. Since
then, her work has been picked up by bloggers from the New York Times
and the BBC. Currently, she lives and works in New York scouting out
and writing about the visual forces behind the Green Movement. After
recently earning her B.F.A. in studio art and journalism from New York
University, Audrey hopes to continue making and showing her own artwork
in the city while continuing the evolving dialogue on eco-art over the
blogosphere. Website: www.artfulgreendot.wordpress.com
BAO NGUYEN, PHOTOGRAPHY
Accomplished photographer Bao Nguyen's
most well-known subject ? President Obama. His beautiful photographs
have appeared in the New York Times, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and New York
Magazine, among others. Last summer, Bao left New York for a bit to
join the Obama campaign
in Virginia as AAPI State Field Director. When he wasn't taking photos
of the President, Bao could be found coordinating field operations and
working to advocate issues important to Asian American voters. He is
now working alongside fellow filmmaker Adele Pham on The Transition, a documentary following the lives of Obama campaign volunteers during the first year of the Obama administration. Website: www.baonguyenphoto.com
DOAN HOANG, FILM
Đoan
Hoàng is a producer, director, and writer of films, heading her own
production company, Nuoc Pictures. Her documentary, Oh, Saigon, about
her family divided in the Vietnam War, has had over 150 broadcasts on
PBS nationally and has played in 10 countries, including Vietnam,
Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom & Germany. Oh, Saigon is the
winner of numerous awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at the Los
Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Sundance Institute's Documentary
Fund Award, and Best Feature Documentary at the 42nd Brooklyn Arts
Council International Film Festival. She is currently writing a
semi-autobiographical script called Love London and directing a new
feature documentary called American Geisha. Website: www.ohsaigon.com
Luan
Nguyen is the guitarist and backup vocalist of the up and coming band
'Tim Be Told', which launched their debut album in 2007. Combining
elements of soul, pop, rock, gospel and blues, the band has gone on to
perform across the East Coast, from the Knitting Factory to the
Satellite Ballroom. With each show, the band gains new listeners with
their infectious guitar hooks, captivating melodies, and driving rhythm
parts; but most importantly, they hope that their music will cause
people to view life through a different lens, one of honesty, hope,
redemption, and change. Tim Be Told’s new album, “From the Inside,”
recently launched on June 4th. Website: www.timbetold.com Website: www.mindysrecipefordisaster.wordpress.com
KIM SPURLOCK, FILM
Kim Spurlock is a Vietnamese-West Virginian filmmaker. Her film "Buoi Chieu" (Afternoon),
which premiered at the Slamdance Film festival, went on to win numerous
awards including the Jury Prize at the Vietnamese International Film
Festival. Before earning her Master's Degree at NYU, Kim studied
Anthropology in Nashville, TN, worked as a bicycle courier in
Washington, DC and shot a documentary in Sofia, Bulgaria. Website: www.kimspurlock.com
LUAN NGUYEN, 'TIM BE TOLD'
MINH-DANG LVOFF, FOOD BLOGGER
Minh-Dang
(Mindy) Lvoff disappointed her father by abandoning her stressful,
high-paid Finance career at Goldman Sachs to join the stressful,
low-paid world of cooking. After graduating from The French Culinary
Institute, Mindy worked with the FCI's Director of Culinary Technology,
Dave Arnold, and most recently writes for and helped create Cooking
Issues - a blog dedicated to advancing and sharing food technology
application. Mindy also writes her own blog, "Mindy's Recipe for
Disaster," chronicling the many, many mishaps that are her culinary and
personal life.
PHI HA, INTERACTION DESIGN
Phi-Hong
Ha is an award-winning Interaction Design and Strategy Consultant for
products, services and digital interfaces. She has been working with TED over the last year, and last month helped them launch the Open Translation Project.
Since launch, more than 1000 new volunteers have signed up to translate
TED talks, including into Vietnamese, and there are over 1600 new
translations in progress. Outside of client work, Phi enjoys teaming up
with artists and non-profits to explore nontraditional design solutions
to the world’s economic and social challenges. Along with her sister
Yen Ha, Phi helped create the Viet Club Blog of
creative Vietnamese Americans in New York. Phi is currently excited
about designing for services and making Vietnamese breakfast "cakes."
Website: www.pdh3.com
PHONG BUI, ART/PUBLISHINGBorn in Hue, Vietnam, and now a popular Brooklynite, Phong Bui is the editor and publisher of the widely-read monthly journal Brooklyn Rail,
which offers critical perspectives on arts, politics, and culture in
New York City, and has helped launch dozens of young writers into the
Big League. "Having been brought up in a family where divided politics
was always a source of conflict, I recognized the Rail as a place where
these kinds of differences could be brought together onto the printed
page." Artist, writer and independent curator, it is clear that Phong
is passionate about everything he does. In one YouTube video interview,
one can see portraits he has done of artists line almost an entire wall
of his home. Phong has taught at the prestigious Columbia University
and School of Visual Arts. Website: www.brooklynrail.org
TAM NGO, FOOD/LAW
A contributor to Serious Eats, Tam Ngo
is an attorney who enjoys scotch, jerky, and a good fog. She has a slow
walk, slow talk, and fast metabolism. Exacting in her field studies,
her fetishes include hot bread and dry noodles. She is drawn to most
forms of carnage and all forms of strange. She is also a Board member
of Open House New York,
a non-profit organization dedicated to revealing the city's
extraordinary architecture through access and education. This year, she
hopes to combine her love for food, design, and urban history in
developing programs to feed the public's appetite for all.
THU TRAN, FOOD/MEDIA
Thu Tran
gets to do what we all were told not to do as a child: play with our
food. Born in Malaysia, raised in Ohio, now living in Brooklyn, Thu
continues to play her heart out. Host of Food Party TV, the greatest cooking show ever (think Food Network + Pee Wee's Playhouse on a sugar high), Thu's time has been in demand. From the New York Times to the Gothamist to Paper Mag's “New York’s Most Beautiful People” ... the world is starting to take notice. Oh, and love Girl Talk
? Thu went on the GT 35-city tour styling their props/visuals. Ain't
that neat (aka we're jealous). Thu currently refers to herself as a
'mixed media artist' but we refer to her as 'awesome' for short.
Website: www.thutranthutran.com
TUAN BUI, 'AN CHOI'
If
banh mi is the 'it' food right now, then Tuan Bui's "An Choi" is the
'it' place to be. Located on the corner of Manhattan's Lower East side,
An choi's is designed to make you feel like you're one of those great
hole in the wall joints in Vietnam. Tuan has been published in the NY
Times, NY Mag, Serious Eats NY, The Onion and is also active in the NY
community, having hosted a soft opening for the New York Fashion Week.
Website: www.anchoinyc.com
TUNG BACH LY, FILM/MUSIC
Tung is credited as the sound/concept for the "50 People 1 Question"
project. Filmed by Benjamin Reece, their crew asked the same question
again and again -- in fact, 50 times to 50 different people on the
streets of New York as well as various other cities. So far, they've
received fifteen hundred responses from seven hundred and ninety-nine
cities. As one viewer commented: "Everyone can make their day better by
watching this 8-minute video." Twitter: www.twitter.com/tungly
VINH HUA, SPOKEN WORD
Vinh
Hua is a Vietnamese American performance poet from Boston, currently
living in New York City. He’s a former trashboy, a former sous chef, a
former boyfriend and a former lot of things, but he’s currently trying
to connect the past with the present and find some less obscure path to
the future. Vinh has performed at venues as diverse as DC's Lincoln
Theatre to Madison Square Garden, from Harvard and Yale to the Bowery
Poetry Club, at prestigious conferences and street corner rap sessions.
He thinks you are as dope as a durian icicle on a hot summer day for
having read this. Website: www.vinh-hua.com
Dubbed as one half of "New York City's most dynamic Asian women-owned architectural partnerships," Yen Ha of FRONT STUDIO
has a thoughtful yet creative approach to design, often taking
inspiration from whimsical places. It is also not unusual for Yen and
her colleague to take photos of their lunch, often near their SoHo
office, to put on their wildly-popular food blog "LUNCH". Yen also worked on local favorite "Viet Club"
with her sister Phi-Hong, in search and celebration of creative
Vietnamese Americans in NY. From the New York Times to Page 6, Yen is
one to watch. When she's not thinking about how to incorporate space,
her French/Viet heritage, and humor in her designs, she's thinking
about other big questions like: "Where to go for lunch ?" Website:
YEN HA, ARCHITECTURE/FOOD
News & Updates
Early bird has closed, folks! And tickets are going faaaast. Get yours soon before we're sold out. Remember, we only have room for 150 people!
5/15: 42 days and counting... can't wait to see you all, my friends !
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