In 1997, Justin Lin and I premiered Shopping for Fangs in Vancouver at the first Vancouver Asian Film Festival as the closing film. It was ultimately a worthwhile yet sacrificial decision as after being accepted to the Toronto International Film Festival, Fangs was invited to both the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and Vancouver International Film Festival. Vancouver International is a much bigger player in the festival world. But because I promised festival director Barbara Lee that I would play their festival before Vancouver International’s acceptance, I stuck to my words.

In the blink of an eye, here I am 15 years later and I am just about to go up to Vancouver for the festival and see my dad.

Yes, I’m Canadian, mind you!

Besides loyalty and family, I’m up in Vancouver to support the only film festival in North America that focuses on North American Asian filmmakers and their works. YES, they don’t show Asian films but only films made by Asians in North America.

I am for sure attending my friend Desiree Lim’s world premiere of her feature House made for under USD$20,000. It’s described as a “different kind” of a ghost story and I am very excited to see it.

Secondly, I am also going to the world premiere of my dear filmmaker friend Jason Karman’s short “Square Dance Story.” I don’t know much about the film but Jason is an interesting and quirky filmmaker. He is also starting his crowd funding campaign for his latest short, “Yung Men.”

Last but not least, I am world-premiering my short “Today Has Been Weird” tonight @ 9:15PM in Vancouver and worldwide on Youtube. “Weird” is a commissioned short by VAFF for “Love Letters to Vancouver” but Barbara, the festival director, was a bit surprised by how dark the short was after I made it. For awhile, I did not know its destiny. But at last, it’s showing…

So please… check out my short even if you’re not in Canada.