1.26.2003

Act One Productions

Presents...

*fLiPsIdErS* (Play Two of The Playground Trilogy)


A special reading of a new play by Cliff Rivera

Featuring a cast that includes Art Acuna, Brian Buno, Liza DeOcampo, Joseph Pe and Basilio Valdehuesa with music selections by Stacy Santiago of electro-rock band Cookie Galore

Friday, February 7th, 2003

7pm - 9:30pm (Reception to follow Reading)

The Asian American Writers' Workshop

16 West 32nd Street (btwn 5th Avenue & Broadway), Suite 10A, NYC

Sponsored by Bamboo Girl/Pinay Power Productions and Arkipelago/MaARTe

Admission: $5

Proceeds go toward Sumisibol, a NJ-based non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Filipino/American youth

The bookstore will be open for purchases before the reading, as well as during the post-reception. Choose from over 2,000 titles of Asian American literature.

A special Valentine's Day raffle of prizes will follow Reading.

DESCRIPTION

Flipsiders are outsiders daydreaming invisible. Call Benjamin a Flip and he'll "stab you with exclamation points." His girlfriend, Angelica, is no angel. Tito, or Uncle, "is not a dishwasher no more." He is "a propessional shoper." Tom-Boy smokes and sells manna. Boss only dresses the part of a cop. Jojo lives in a Balikbayan Box. They are all American, thoroughly Filipino.

After a long respite in the Philippines, Jojo returns to America, only to find his childhood friends beat down, but far from beaten. During a Halloween weekend laden with debauchery and Vicks, we witness five Flipsiders reconcile the past with an uncertain future, culminating in holiday jeer: nevertheless hopeful.

Directions to the Asian American Writers' Workshop:

The Workshop is located one block South of the Empire State Building between 5th Avenue and Broadway.

Subway: N, R, Q, W, B, D, F, V trains to 34th St/Herald Sq
6 train to 33rd St | 1, 2, 3, 9 trains to 34th St
Bus: M4 to 5th Ave/Madison | M5 to Riverside Dr/5th Ave | M6 to Broadway/6th Ave | M7 to Columbus/Amsterdam | M16 to 34th St Crosstown | M34 to 34th St Crosstown | Q32 Jackson Heights

Contact: actoneproductions@yahoo.com

* *

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


CONTACT INFORMATION
Petunia Productions
Alex Branger: 212.973.1270
Zohra Saed: 917.225.1505
Email: ZohraSaed@aol.com


FIRST AFGHAN FILM CONSIDERED FOR OSCAR NOMINATION
"FireDancer" directed by Jawed Wassel


New York, New York -- "FireDancer" makes history as the first film representing Afghanistan in the recent Oscar's list of foreign films. A film by the late Jawed Wassel, "FireDancer" revives hope for Afghan cinema devastated after 23 years of war. The film was premiered in early September of 2002 at Kabul's Ghazi Stadium, infamous for the public executions staged by the Taliban. The screening of "FireDancer" hoped to wash away the trauma of the past with a message of peace and hope.

In 1985, Jawed Wassel fled Afghanistan as a refugee and settled in New York City. Wassel wrote and directed "FireDancer," which tells the story of a young boy who is sent away from Soviet-Occupied Afghanistan to New York City, where as an adult, he makes his life as an artist. The film took seven years to complete. To preserve the authenticity of the story, Jawed Wassel cast ordinary Afghan immigrants to play in his directorial debut.

Wassel was slain heinously by business associate and then producer, Nathan Chandler Powell on October 3rd, 2001 in New York City over a dispute over the profits of the film. The trial will be held in April 2002. In a 1998 interview for an Afghan magazine, Wassel said, "Love is all we [Afghans] have left and it is the only thing that will tear apart the boundaries between us."

After this devastating loss, the film was completed under the guidance of the Associate Director, Vida Zaher Khadem. Khadem described the film in a recent Variety article as, "A poetic and philosophical story, which strikes at the core of what it is to be an Afghan and a refugee."

Cast: Baktash Zaher (Haris), Yasmine Weiss (Laila), Sofia Cameron (Zohra), Yunis Azizi (Laila's Father), Omar Arzo (Laila's brother).

Production Team: Jawed Wassel (Writer/Director), Vida Zaher Khadem (Associate Director), Khaled Wassel (Producer), Kate Wood (Producer), and John G. Roche (Producer).

For additional information on the film and upcoming events, please contact Alex Branger or Zohra Saed.