VAFF EXECUTIVE
Susan Hanson
Festival Director
As a former Business Ed teacher Susan became a Freelance Korean/English Interpreter in 2004. In 2005, Susan pursued her passion for acting which included Stage, Commercial, TV & Film. Susan’s stage debut was in 2018 as “Umma” in the award winning stage performance of “Kim’s Convenience” at Chemainus Theater. As an active member of the entertainment industry, Susan has appeared on TV shows such as, “The Man in The High Castles” and “Woke” and also a reoccurring role in “A Million Little Things”.
Regina Leung
VAFF Industry (VI²) Director / Producer
With over 18 years of experience in the software industry, she is an operating partner of HyBird Media Group, and responsible for corporate development, investment strategies for start-up and enterprise technology companies, the implementation of digital branding strategies targeting North America and Asia and has been producing multicultural digital content for various media platforms. She believes in showcasing Asian Canadian Content and the value of VAFF’s community.
Lynne Lee
MAMM Director / Producer
Lynne Lee is a Chinese Canadian marcom-turned-film executive focusing on promoting underrepresented voices in the film industry in Vancouver, BC. Born in Hong Kong and educated in Vancouver, she spent over 15 years in HK and China creating successful award-winning marketing campaigns for fortune 500 conglomerates such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and L’Oreal. She returned in 2015 to work in film production, specializing in Chinese co-productions, and dialect coaching for films and TV such as MEDITATION PARK, SKYSCRAPER, WU ASSASSINS, KUNG FU amongst others. She has been VAFF since 2018, and currently the Director & Producer of Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon.
Audrey Wong
Elimin8hate Executive Director
Audrey is a senior leader and entrepreneur with deep expertise in building, growing and leading teams. She was previously an executive at the BC Liquor Distribution Branch and Aurora Cannabis responsible for strategic direction and business transformations. Audrey is also an entrepreneur with experience in business development and fundraising. Her passion for social justice has led her to volunteer her time with a variety of non-profit associations that provide services to BIPOC communities.
PROGRAMMING TEAM COMMITTEE
Sidartha Murjani
Programming Director (Feature)
Storytelling is one of human beings most unsung addictions, we are always telling stories regardless of whether we are conscious of it or not. Starting out in acting, Sidartha eventually begin writing, directing and producing his own films because of the power of films to shape our emotions, consciousness and way of thinking. I am excited to be part of the VAFF community because i get to contribute and learn from the vibrant film community thriving here in Vancouver.
William Lau
Programming Director (Short)
William Lau was born and raised in Vancouver British Columbia. He began his extensive animation career on the groundbreaking Reboot, the world’s first CG animated television series back in 1994 and went on to direct over 18 feature-length animated movies and countless hours of television for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sony, Mattel, Hasbro and Spinmaster. Will’s latest directing work on The Last Kids on Earth for Netflix which won a Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program in 2020.
Anthony Lee
Programming Coordinator
Anthony Kit Lee (He/Him) is a Vancouver-based filmmaker and theatre artist from Hong Kong. He has been primarily working with film and theatre companies to execute their visions with video design and cinematography. Recent projects include We LIVE HERE with Radix Theatre, and Voice Is Over at MAMM 15. Graduated from Simon Fraser University, his passion lies in creating interdisciplinary video works and advocating for the constantly fading Hong Kong Identity through his films.
Colin Hong
Print Traffic Manager
Colin comes from a very artistic family with his mother being an actress in films, TV, and theatre worldwide. His sister acts in theatre, and Colin acted in TV in the past. Colin”s dream job was to be an Air Traffic Controller but after failing, he never quit until finally he became VAFF’s Print Traffic Controller.
Colin’s real profession is an International Businessman specializing in the world of finance. Colin’s dreams of one day RVing in his future Camper van all over the world…and telling stories and adventures he’s experienced with VAFF.
Colin’s real profession is an International Businessman specializing in the world of finance. Colin’s dreams of one day RVing in his future Camper van all over the world…and telling stories and adventures he’s experienced with VAFF.
Al Yoshizawa
Programming Advisor
Alejandro Yoshizawa is a filmmaker from Vancouver, Canada, specializing in documentaries and community stories. He worked on the Chinese Canadian Stories project, the UBC Japanese Canadian student tribute project, and the Power of a Name series, among others. His last feature film, the award-winning documentary All Our Father’s Relations premiered in 2016 and was broadcast on CBC and Knowledge Network. Alejandro is an Adjunct Professor at UBC and teaches courses in Film Production and Asian Canadian and Asian Migration studies.
Debbie Lin
Programming Advisor
Born in Taipei and raised in Vancouver, Debbie Y.J. Lin is an interdisciplinary artist interested in site-specific work focused on the architecture of human sound and languages. Her works address the many faces of reconciliation and have been exhibited in Barcelona, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, New York, S. Korea. She graduated cum laude from UCLA and holds a Masters in Media Studies from The New School for Public Engagement and a Masters from Berklee College of Music. She is the founder/co-curator of Video Sound Archive, a member of SAG-AFTRA and an advocate for equitable creative expressions.
Helen Liu
Programmer
Helen is a writer/director born and raised in China, she came to Vancouver for Film study. Her stories are inspired by everyday life, celebrating the ordinary. She values intimate human interactions between people, observing the different dynamic in social groups, relating it back to life around us. In her stories she tries to bring every Character to life, giving them a sense of reality in a dramatic piece.
John Thimothy
Programming Advisor
John Thimothy is an Indo – Canadian filmmaker that has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Regina International Film Festival and Awards Foundation (RIFFA) since its inception. John’s tenure at RIFFA has provided him with the opportunity to work very closely with numerous Oscar, Emmy, BAFTA, Indian National Film Awards and Canadian Academy/Screen Award winners. His directorial work has received international recognition with official selections at more than 30 film and media festivals around the world; recently nominated for the Golden Sheaf Award at the 72nd Yorkton Film Festival, was a semi-finalist at the 67th Columbus International Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the 41st Big Muddy Film Festival. John is also a member of the San-Diego International Film Festival programming panel. In 2016 John was a recipient of the Future 40 -People’s Choice Award by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Kevin Feng
Programmer
Kevin, artist and writer, is a recent OCAD University grad, studied animation and creative writing. Born in Taiwan, Kevin inspired to tell stories of his culture, family and the traditions passed down from thousands of years of history. His work deals with grief, loss, and death, finding the multifaceted nature of mourning beautiful and magical. His first film was shown around the world. Kevin continues to write stories and make short film, and plans to make them into a feature length movie.
Natalie Murao
Programming Advisor
Natalie is a yonsei (fourth generation Japanese Canadian) filmmaker and educator from “Vancouver”. She received a BFA in Film Production from Simon Fraser University and is a proud VAFF alum! Her latest film, No More Parties (2020), was made with the help of the National Film Board of Canada and was selected for Telefilm Canada’s Not Short on Talent at Clermont-Ferrand. Natalie currently works as a Learning and Outreach Coordinator at The Cinematheque, facilitating filmmaking and media literacy workshops for youth.
Rjay STA Teresa
Programmer
RJ hails from the Philippines and is a staunch supporter of independent filmmaking. A filmmaker himself, he helped in the establishment of one of the longest running film festival in the Philippines and is a board member of a film & TV foundation back home. RJ loves diversity and exploring new things. His solace is music. He believes the best storyteller is his 6 year old daughter.
Tarun Keram
Programmer
Tarun Keram was born and raised in Surrey, British Columbia where he grew up watching movies every weekend since he can remember. This led to graduating from Vancouver Film School in 2011 and pursuing acting full time. Since then he’s starred along side some heavy hitters on “Startrek: Beyond”, “Supernatural” and most recently a Stephen King classic ” The Stand”. When he’s not on set he’s running things behind the scenes producing, directing & writing. HIs solo directorial debut project “Tadwim” is currently hitting festivals around the world.”
Tarun Keram
Viktoriia Tian
Programmer
As an ethnic Korean born and raised in Kyrgyzstan, who lived in China for over 7 years, Viktoriia is strongly interested in Asian Cinema. She wants to tell more stories about Central Asia on screen and is passionate in celebrating cultural diversity through film. As a Psychology student, she believes film can raise mental health awareness. Viktoriia is currently learning more about short film production and is making baby steps towards her goals.
David Avelino
Programmer
Lucy Moon
Programmer
Rosie Hsueh
Programmer
OPERATIONS TEAM COMMITTEE
Amy Tsai
Director of Event Management
Raised in Canada, Amy is a real estate project specialist bringing her experience in project marketing, management, and coordination. She has had the privilege to work on several successful development projects in the past. She reconnected with her Asian roots after spending several years studying in Asia. Passionate about film and cultural representation, she is thrilled to join this incredible community here at VAFF.
Emma Coffin
Event Operations Director
Emma is half-Chinese and developed her love of Asian cinema at an early age while watching Cantonese kung fu movies with her cousins. She holds both a Law degree and an English Honours degree in Literature with a History minor from UBC. She has been an enthusiastic volunteer for pro bono legal clinics. Born and raised in North Vancouver, Emma enjoys all the classic Vancouverite hobbies – hiking, rock climbing, running, and tasting craft beer.
Maria Pollock
Volunteer Director
Maria is a lover of event planning & being a resource of others. With a degree in Honours Psychology and a minor in Health & Society from UBC, she enjoys learning about people and making meaningful connections. In her free time, you can find her behind her DSLR, watching a movie, or eating fried chicken! She’s passionate about Asian representation in media & honored to be a part of the VAFF team.
Daniel Pearson
Event Operations Manager
Dan is a business-minded insurance professional originally from Saskatoon with a long history of farming in his blood. He uprooted and moved to Vancouver in 2017 in search of fertile breeding ground for his passion in music to grow. Besides planting seeds and crunching numbers, Dan is interested in self-improvement, cooking, hiking, biking, music and film. Dan hopes to retire young and explore the world, experiencing unique scenery and cultural diversity.
Vincent Gan
Box Office Manager
Vincent Gan has many life passions and the film industry is one of the biggest draws for him. He also has a strong passion to see cultural and various other events happen in the City of Vancouver. Working in the fields of design engineering and education, Vincent seeks to balance an often hectic life by immersing himself in the arts scene. Get to meet him during film screening events, for he would be as enthusiastic about the films as the movie-goers.
MARKETING / COMMUNICATIONS / MEDIA TEAM COMMITTEE
Rachel Lee
Marketing Director
Rachel is an avid film and tv show enjoyer, ramen enthusiast and content creator. She is currently positioned as a Marketing and Events Specialist at a university, and is passionate about fostering communities built on inclusivity and celebrating diversity. Excited to amplify VAFF’s voice, Rachel is honoured to be a part of the team!
Lana Yip
Web Site Director
Lana comes with 18+ years experience in managing digital projects for financial industries. Lana enjoys traveling, stories, films and photography that she could experience the interwoven space between time, people, culture & history. Being born and raised in Hong Kong, had worked in multinational companies and lived in Tucson & Tokyo besides Hong Kong, now in Vancouver, Lana likes to promote culture, language, creativity and digitalisation through her role with VAFF.
Vincent Chou
Media Director
Vincent is a proud Chinese Canadian who grew up with a strong passion for television, movies and comedy. He is a communication major at Simon Fraser University and he recommends co-op for all students.
He brings to Vancouver Asian Film Festival strong political acumen and a wide network of government and media contacts in BC thanks to more than 15 years of industry experience, including ten years in government and stakeholder relations.
Vincent grew up on a steady diet of 80s and 90s HK films and to him, Stephen Chow will always be the king of comedy, Jet Li IS Wong Fei Hung and Johnnie To’s Milkyway Image films are the epitome of cool, with Election and Election 2 being one of his favorite films of all time.
He also loves improv and tries to live life by Upright Citizen’s Brigade’s school motto which is “Don’t Think”. It’s not very practical professionally.
He sees the importance of proper representation in Hollywood and wanted to make a difference and this led him to VAFF.
He brings to Vancouver Asian Film Festival strong political acumen and a wide network of government and media contacts in BC thanks to more than 15 years of industry experience, including ten years in government and stakeholder relations.
Vincent grew up on a steady diet of 80s and 90s HK films and to him, Stephen Chow will always be the king of comedy, Jet Li IS Wong Fei Hung and Johnnie To’s Milkyway Image films are the epitome of cool, with Election and Election 2 being one of his favorite films of all time.
He also loves improv and tries to live life by Upright Citizen’s Brigade’s school motto which is “Don’t Think”. It’s not very practical professionally.
He sees the importance of proper representation in Hollywood and wanted to make a difference and this led him to VAFF.
Angela Leung
Content & Copywriter
Angela is an avid consumer of media and an occasional creator of media. She is a graduate of UBC’s Media Studies program, and unnecessarily flaunts her pride of being part of the first graduating year. Her love for digital media is most prevalent in film. She loves going to the movies and sitting in the theatre with everyone in anticipation for a collective movie experience! Find her sitting at a movie near you!
Aarav Kataria
Video editor
Ever since he saw Spielberg’s Jurassic Park almost 20 years ago, Aarav has been incredibly passionate about cinema and everything that it stands for. As an adult, Aarav moved to Vancouver from his childhood home in India to pursue a career in filmmaking. He graduated from the TV & Video Production program at BCIT and aims to work as a Finishing Colorist in future. In addition to consuming and creating films, Aarav enjoys aquascaping and photography. He is extremely excited to join VAFF and looks forward to building new relationships.
Chen Sing Yap
Video editor
Chen Sing grew up in Singapore, where he worked as a picture editor for 4 years. While working long hours in the cutting room, he gained a crippling addiction to hugging stuffed turtles. He has since moved to Oakville where he is studying for a film degree at Sheridan College.
Brian Evancic
Content Copywriter
Dylan St. Aubin
Video Editor
Graduating with a B.A. of English Literature from UBC, Dylan quickly pivoted from his job at a liquor store to an entry-level role at an animation studio. Five years later, he’s accumulated a healthy number of credits in film and television production, and has no regrets about leaving that liquor store. This year, he balanced his day job with his directorial debut – the award-winning short film Hand Standman – and discovered a passion for independent filmmaking along the way. He considers it a great privilege to contribute to VAFF and its creative community, and is eager to learn all he can from this experience.
Gurleen Bajwa
Content & Copywriter
Jared Yu
Content Editor & Copywriter
Jared is a proud Chinese Canadian born in Vancouver, BC and raised in Seattle, WA. As a BSc graduate from UBC’s Biology program, he found solace in writing and creating visual arts during his free time. He enjoys learning new things and values the ability to use photography as a platform for bringing visions to life. He is honored and excited to be a part of the VAFF team.
Karen Leung
Web Design / Admin
She is a freelance creative designer and brand strategist with over 15 years of experience working as a marketing executive for brands like Gateway Theatre, UBC Botanical Garden, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and Canadian Red Cross. She has crafted successful multi-faceted campaigns for organizations in tourism, arts and culture, education, and more. Karen loves helping businesses grow through visual communication with a strategic marketing eye. Karen is always up for a good design challenge.
Roisin Abbott
Social Media Manager
Roisín is a Content Editor and Freelance Translator from Derry, Ireland. After graduating with a degree in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of Manchester, she spent time living and teaching in the UK, Spain and Brazil. She has now settled in Vancouver, BC. She is an avid traveller and loves to cook (especially the eating part!). She is excited to be a part of VAFF and help tell the stories of creative and talented filmmakers.
Vanessa Borowicz
Social Media Specialist
Vanessa is a Filipina-Polish Canadian originally from Warsaw and currently based in Vancouver, where she works in marketing within the tech industry. She is a marketing graduate from UBC with a minor degree in history. In her spare time, she loves singing, writing songs, and curating her 350+ Spotify playlists.
Vika Zheung
Senior Graphic Designer
Vika was born and raised in Guangzhou, China. She is a graphic designer who is passionate about interiors, architecture, cities, and different cultures. When she is not on her laptop, she loves building scale models, playing board games, and searching for good foods in Vancouver.
William Hu
Web Design / Admin
Will is a budding IT professional residing in Vancouver. Will’s work includes maintenance of healthcare applications, website building, and process automation through scripting languages. When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, Will spends time hiking, learning photography and finding the next hip coffee spot to loiter.
Jocelyn Wong
Content Specialist - VI² team
Jocelyn is a 3rd year SFU student studying English. In recent years, she has become intensely passionate about voicing the experiences of marginalized and minority groups. As a future journalist, her work focuses on the eclectic people and cultures that shape her surroundings. Though she’s mostly a Jane of all Trades and a Master of None, Jocelyn ultimately hopes to hone in on her content creation skills during this time. Diversity in media is paramount and she hopes to be a part of the shift.
Tricia Santo
Senior Graphic Designer
SPONSORSHIP TEAM COMMITTEE
Cristina Low
Co-Sponsorship Director
Cristina is a Chinese Venezuelan who can speak fluent Spanish, Cantonese and Conversational Mandarin. She received a Bachelor’s of Business from SFU and her background is in financial sales and marketing. She’s currently working part time with the Faculty of Medicine at UBC – a job she totally loves! Growing up singing karaoke and watching Hong Kong dramas have helped her develop her Chinese reading and writing skills. In her spare time, she can be seen practicing yoga, meditating or binge-watching Netflix.
Ben Yim
Business Development Manager
With experience in business banking and online marketing Benjamin has helped numerous entrepreneurs launch their online businesses. Passionate about health and wellness he connects with individuals on a very personal level. As an Asian raised in Vancouver he wishes to give back to the community; to cultivate and bring more awareness to Asian culture and talent.
Olivier Leroux
Community Outreach Manager
Olivier Leroux is a producer, cinematographer and instructor. Born in Quebec, Olivier spent most of his twenties living and working in China, Hong Kong and Japan before moving to Vancouver in 2012. He loves Asian cinema. An alumni filmmaker of VAFF 25, he has worked on projects that were shown at Sundance and Cannes. He is currently working on his next film and on a dome installation.
Amy Venhuizen
Co-Sponsorship Director
ELIMIN8HATE PROJECT TEAM COMMITTEE
Alina Wong
Alina is a proud third-generation Chinese-Canadian. With a background in arts administration, she is passionate about social justice, diversity, and mental health, and is working towards a career where each of these areas intersect. She joined Elimin8Hate after volunteering with VAFF’s Programming team for five years, and was the Programming Director for Features during VAFF’s 25th anniversary. Alina holds a B.A. in Psychology from UBC and recently completed a Graduate Diploma in Psychosocial Rehabilitation.
Angela Leung
Angela is an avid consumer of media and an occasional creator of media. Aftering working in content creation for a few years, she’s now working on becoming an elementary school teacher. Besides working on becoming a better teacher, she loves going to the movies and sitting in the theatre with everyone in anticipation for a collective movie experience. Find her sitting at a movie near you!
Amy Yu
Amy is a freelance designer at amywu.ca. With a background in marketing and sociology, she believes that design is a nexus between meaningful messages and social change. Amy enjoys working with non-profit and do-good organizations. Volunteering with Elimin8Hate has allowed her to do what she loves while making connections and creating impact in her community. In her spare time, you’ll catch her working on greeting cards, doing pottery, going to concerts and stalking dogs.
Asmin Chen
With years of experience collaborating with diverse teams to turn ideas into reality, Asmin brings a wide range of experience in multiple disciplines that equips her with insights into various perspectives. Her nuanced understanding of different ways of being, knowing, and doing is also informed by lived experience and embodied awareness for equity, diversity, and inclusion. She continues to incorporate more equitable practices into her expertise in operations and project management.
Nina Ng
Nina is a communications professional with over 20 years of experience. Nina is currently the Global Communications Manager at Methanex Corporation and previously held roles at Ford Motor Company and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Outside of work, Nina is a board director of PeaceGeeks, and an active volunteer at the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, the Union Gospel Mission and Canada Rugby Sevens. Nina is passionate about bridging communities to foster peace, unity and understanding through communications. Nina holds an MBA in Leadership and Public Relations and in her spare time, enjoys running, yoga, fitness, golf, travel, wine and spending time with her family.
Joanne Tang
Raised in Vancouver, Joanne’s you-can-do-anything attitude has led her to opportunities in various industries, from Marketing, Sales, to Visual Merchandising, and Weddings. Currently, she is an Admission Advisor at a Social-justice focused nonprofit university. In her spare time, she runs Merry Me Wedding, a side hustle she owns to stay in touch with her love for beautiful things and design. Recently, she also has completed a Project Management Certification at UBC and is in the process of getting her PMP designation. She also loves bubble tea, snowboarding, and tobogganing with her son and her husband.
Linda Mim
Lead of Programming and Grants
Linda is passionate about addressing inequities and discrimination against marganalized groups at a systemic level. She has previously advocated for the right to education for Indigenous students in BC, worked on global health issues in Switzerland, and supported students in a township school in South Africa. She is excited to bring her skills and experience to advocate for the Asian-Canadian community. Some hobbies include cooking, exercise, and participating in community events.
Sijia Cheng
Eleanor Wong
Han Bin Park
Nicholas Yu
Serena An
Charmaine Lee
PROJECT CREATIVE PRODUCER
Joshua Lam
MAMM Lead Creative Producer
Joshua focuses on Producing, Directing & Writing stories that blend themes of cultural tradition and identity with a zest of humour. After graduating from University of British Columbia in Film Production and Creative Writing in 2019, Josh aims to foster connections in the Greater Vancouver Arts & Entertainment community. Josh works with the VANCOUVER ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL in their VAFF Industry (VI²) PANELS & annual MIGHTY ASIAN MOVIEMAKING MARATHON streams as a Creative Producer, and is currently under the 2021 – 2022 Canadian Media Producers Association Mentorship Program with BRIGHTLIGHT PICTURES.
Moheb Jindran
MAMM Creative Co-Producer
Moheb Jindran is a Filipino-Indian-Canadian writer, producer, and actor. His notable work includes producing the Crazy8s 2021 Top 6 Finalist “Cuello”, producing and acting in “Switch City”, which went on to win Best Film at MAMM16 in 2021 and, most recently, starring in the Crazy8s 2022 Top 6 Finalist “Imran and Alykhan”. He has always had a love for bringing people together, and strives to create platforms for others to share their messages across all mediums.
Having competed in MAMM for the past 4 years, I have nothing but gratitude for this competition and the people behind it. Joining the MAMM Producing Team this year allows me to give back to this community that has given me so much – I’m thrilled to get it all going!
Having competed in MAMM for the past 4 years, I have nothing but gratitude for this competition and the people behind it. Joining the MAMM Producing Team this year allows me to give back to this community that has given me so much – I’m thrilled to get it all going!
Panta Mosleh
MAMM Creative Co-Producer
Panta Mosleh is a (West Asian-Middle Eastern)Persian-Canadian LGBTQ2SiA+ Producer-Director-Actor-Writer. She is a CMPA Producer, a WIDC alumni Director and the recipient of the SNL Scholarship for school of comedy. She has also been selected for Reelworld Waner Media/Bell Media producing program, the NSI EAVE development program and the Banff/Netflix Diversity of voices. She is the recipient of Best Film at MAMM16 in 2021 for SWITCH CITY with Moheb Jindran and the Crazy8s Producer in 2021 the film BABA with Jay Kamal and Javier Badillo. Her series PASS THE SALT is in Pre-Development through and LOI from CBC and a pre-development fund from CMF. Her goal is to have equality and inclusivity both behind and in front of the camera.
In 2021 experiencing MAMM with Moheb and seeing the diversity in this competition and how much was given to us throughout the experience made me feel like I want to give back and support through MAMM/VAFF to the next generation of filmmakers and help foster new talent in our film community as well.
In 2021 experiencing MAMM with Moheb and seeing the diversity in this competition and how much was given to us throughout the experience made me feel like I want to give back and support through MAMM/VAFF to the next generation of filmmakers and help foster new talent in our film community as well.
VAFF Digital Media Committee
Alisha Weng – Photographer
Alesandria Mentari – Photographyer
Alesandria Mentari – Photographyer