Taiwanese American Women’s Convention & Filmmaker Panel



The purpose of North America Taiwanese Women’s Association 2nd Generation Chapter is three-fold:
(1) to establish a network consisted of 1.5- and 2nd-generation Taiwanese American and Canadian women
(2) to cultivate and promote talents among young Taiwanese American and Canadian women
(3) to preserve Taiwanese culture and promote Taiwanese American and Canadian identity.


The 2018 national convention will be hosted in Los Angeles at the LAX Renaissance Hotel during the weekend of April 20-22. For both the 1st and 2nd generation weekend programs, the programming and discussions will revolve around the theme: “Face Challenges, Live Better.” This annual conference is an excellent way to network with many accomplished and community-oriented Taiwanese American women leaders from across the country.

The spotlight panel on Sunday will feature several of the Taiwanese and Taiwanese American filmmakers whose films were selected for the inaugural Taiwanese American Film Festival last year. It will be an interesting focus on stories of the parent-daughter relationship. For more info on the speakers, see below.

IN ORDER TO ATTEND ANY OF THE EVENTS AT THE CONVENTION, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Please also email the organizers of NATWA II at natwa2@gmail.com to inform them of your attendance. Deadline: March 17, 2018 or earlier: $15 // March 18 or later: $20

DOWNLOAD Registration form: CLICK HERE

FOLLOW NATWA II on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2253744067/

STUDENTS: There is a scholarship program to help defray costs of attending. Application deadline is March 17.

CONVENTION SCHEDULE

Friday, April 20, 2018
7:30 pm: Ice-Breakers
9:00 pm: Night Out on the Town

Saturday, April 21, 2018
10:00 am: Sightseeing/Lunch in Los Angeles
3:00 pm: “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” Workshop (Syd Yang)
5:00 pm: NATWA II Planning Session
7:00 pm: Dinner Out on the Town

Sunday, April 22, 2018
9:00 am: Taiwanese & Taiwanese-American Filmmakers: Sharing Stories of Parent-Daughter Relationships (Jessie Lee, Mian Mian Lu, Remii Huang)
10:30 am: Closing Ceremony

ACCOMMODATIONS

Renaissance L.A. Airport Hotel
9620 Airport Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
310-337-2800 or 800-468-3571

Hotel Reservation:
Last day to book: March 30th, 2018
NATWA Group Rate: $129.00/per night Code: NAT
Free Shuttle Service

WORKSHOP & PANEL

4/21/2018 Saturday Workshop: “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind”

Health is so much more than just numbers or a diagnosis. It is often rooted in our feelings and experiences as we move through the world. To be healthy is to access wellness on a regular basis. How can we cultivate more health, wellness and joy in our bodies, individually and collectively? This workshop will be an interactive and creative space to learn, share and engage our wellness in new ways.

Stephanie Syd Yang is a mixed race, 2nd gen Taiwanese American queer writer, energy healer and spiritual coach who supports individuals and small groups through her practice, Blue Jaguar Healing Arts. She facilitates spaces for folks to access health and wellness that is culturally and spiritually rooted. Her work locates its resonance at the intersections of memory, body, sexuality and mental health. One of her short stories can be found in the upcoming Taiwanese-American anthology, Chrysanthemum. More at bluejaguarlove.com.

4/22/2018 Sunday Panel: Taiwanese & Taiwanese-American Filmmakers: Sharing Stories of Parent-Daughter Relationships

This panel will present three short films by Taiwanese and Taiwanese-American women filmmakers who were featured at last year’s inaugural Taiwanese American Film Festival. The films share stories of young women and their parents in three very different styles. After the video presentations, Jessie Lee, director of audience-award winner “Never Let You Go,” will join us in person. Remii Huang, director of “Color Positive,” will join via Skype video call. Mian Mian Lu, director of audience-award winner “My Mom’s Wedding,” is based in Taiwan so she will tell her own story via a short video.

Ms. Remii Huang is a Taiwanese American director who has been involved in over a dozen music videos and commercials., “Never Let You Go,” a short film she directed was featured during the first Taiwanese American Film Festival in 2017. She is looking forward to sharing her thoughts regarding this project by virtually joining the Sunday morning NATWA panel via Skype. Please feel free to browse her website to see more of her work: https://www.remiihuang.com/

Jessie Lee was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and on the other side of the world in Taiwan. She majored in film studies an literary journalism at the University of California, Irvine, before freelancing as an assistant camera on set as well as working as an assistant editor at a trailer house in Los Angeles. Jessie is currently a MFA film directing student at UCLA. Her work resolves around themes of displacement. She tells stories of characters that have been uprooted or struggle to find a sense of cultural belonging in their environment.

Mian Mian Lu was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1976. She began living on her own at as a teenager, and became involved in Taipei’s avant-garde theater scene. She wrote, directed and starred in plays. She was a member of Critical Point Theater in Taiwan, and in 1996 founded The Door Theater. From 2008 until 2012, she lived in Brooklyn, New York, where she made short films and directed a small-theater piece for the Brick Theater. She moved back to Taipei in 2012. Her short film MIDNIGHT DANCE was screened at Asian American International Film Festival and Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Her latest short film MY MOM’S WEDDING received a special award from Women Make Waves Film Festival Taiwan. She is preparing her first feature film “Mickey on the Road”.

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