LITTLE MAO storms the largest Asian film fest in North America

Little Mao will screen at the largest Asian film festival in North America when it plays twice in March at CAAM Fest (formerly the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival). This marks the California premiere of the film.

Little Mao plays in the Wrench in the Works shorts program on Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 12:15 pm at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, then Monday, March 18, 2013 at 8:30 pm at the New People cinema.  Click here for the full schedule and ticketing information.

Look out, comrades, here comes Little Mao (photo: Maloney Aguirre)

Reached from spring training in Dunedin, Florida, where he's been following his beloved Toronto Blue Jays, Chairman Bobby was elated, but torn about attending the screenings: "I am honoured that the film continues to hit doubles, triples and home runs across North America. Unfortunately, though, the screenings coincide with spring training though I will be present at CAAM in spirit. May a hundred flowers bloom!"

Little Mao enjoyed its world premiere with three sold-out screenings last April at the TIFF Kids Film Festival, held at the world-renown TIFF Bell Lightbox.  Since then, the film has played across Canada and the U.S. including festivals in Chicago, Seattle and Cinefest Sudbury.  More screenings will be announced here.

Little Mao kicks off 2013 in Seattle

Little Mao will begin the new year with two screenings at the Children's Film Festival in Seattle.  It takes place on Sunday, January 27 at 7:00 pm and Friday, February 1 at 1:00 pm in the program, Hang On For The Ride.  For tickets, click here.

Seattle marks Little Mao's return to the U.S. after an appearance at the prestigious Chicago International Childrens Film Festival in October.  More screenings across North America will be announced here.  Stay tuned, comrades...

Today, Little Mao salutes Comrade Ariyena Sorani (aka Cindy) on reaching her 10th birthday:

Photo by Maloney Aguirre

Cinefest invites LITTLE MAO to Sudbury

Chairman Bobby (Kevin Wang) will take another swing at a film festival on September 18

 

Cinefest Sudbury International Film Festival has invited Little Mao to screen on 2:00 pm on September 18.  Chairman Bobby, Jan, Joe and all his comrades will appear onscreen at this prestigious festival in northern Ontario.

 

Little Mao premiered at Toronto's TIFF Kids Film Festival in April, playing to three sold-out audiences at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.  "We are honoured to appear in Sudbury, home to many of our proletarian brothers and sisters," announced Chairman Bobby.

Comrade Joe (Isaac Pilozo) ponders the workers' paradise from home plate

Chairman Bobby's Little Red Guards in a class struggle with the 1st Base Umpire (Sonya Morson)

Cinefest, as it's commonly called, is one of Canada's premiere film festivals.  Little Mao will appear in a short films program on September 18.  The full festival schedule is found here: http://cinefest.com/  

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/140297289445778/?context=create

TIFF Kids and Indie Spirit screenings today

The Opposing Team: Alexandra Clementi, Alexandra Wellman, Tia Ng, Charlotte Herie, Emily Nankoo, Kevin Nankoo, Josh Ling

Little Mao screens for the fourth and final time at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival today at 3:00 pm.  The program in which Mao appears, Canada For Kids, is sold-out. 

In the U.S. Mao makes its second appearance at Colorado Springs' Indie Spirit Film Festival at 8:00 pm local time. 

"We have conquered Toronto and America!" declared an exhausted, but spirited Chairman Bobby after three screenings in Toronto, one in Colorado, plus two media interviews. 

"Who shall be next?"

LITTLE MAO invades America

Little Mao invades imperialist America this weekend when it premieres at The Indie Spirit Film Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Little Mao will screen alongside the short, Choreography for Plastic Army Men, and the Canadian feature, I Declare War on Saturday, April 21 at 2:45 pm and Sunday, April 22 at 8:00 pm.  The two screenings will mark Little Mao's first appearance on Yankee soil.  The fourth and final screening at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival takes place at 3:00 also on Sunday.

"We will conquer the American imperialists!" declared Chairman Bobby as he watched his beloved Toronto Blue Jays cruise to a 7-3 victory against Tampa Bay.  "We will rally against the Yankee--wait...you mean we could win the Best Short award?  Praise the Indie Spirit Film Festival!"

Click here for tickets and full details.

Kevin Wang interviewed before LITTLE MAO screening

OMNI-TV's Jeffrey Lee interviews Little Mao star Kevin Wang today at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.  The interview with Kevin and director Allan Tong will appear on OMNI's Mandarin news.  (Date and time to be announced shortly.)

 Kevin and other actors from Little Mao will be on hand for the next screening at TIFF Kids at theLightbox tomorrow on Sunday, April 15, noon. Tickets still available: http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiffkids/2012/3700005764

Little Mao talks in Sing Tao Daily and The Korea Times

Little Mao star, Ariyena Sorani, talks to The Korean Times about her acting career and her role as Cindy.  (The story is in Korean only.)

Photo by Maloney Aguirre

Meanwhile, Little Mao director and writer, Allan Tong, appears in the Sing Tao Daily, Canada's biggest Chinese-language daily.  (Sorry, this story is in Chinese only.)

Little Mao has its world premiere at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, tomorrow, Wednesday, April 11 at 10:15 am.  This screening is sold out, but tickets are still available for others screenings on:

~ Sunday April 15, 12:00 noon


~ Monday April 16, 12:45 pm


~ Sunday April 22, 3:00 pm

Cast members and director Tong will be on-hand for all screenings.

Quotations from Chairman Bobby about the 2012 Toronto Blue Jays

With the Toronto Blue Jays kicking off their 2012 season in Cleveland tomorrow night and his own film, Little Mao, having its world premiere on April 11 at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival (formerly Sprockets), Chairman Bobby reflects on the imperalist Yankees, Fidel Castro's pitching and all things Jays:

 

Q: Chairman Bobby, how do you feel about the Jays in 2012?
Chairman Bobby:  Hopeful, comrade, hopeful!  We stand a great chance of earning one of those new wild card spots in the playoffs, even though the Jays are competing against those capitalist roaders, The New York Yankees, who boast an unfair advantage because the capitalist baseball system allows them to pay huge team salaries.  Unfair!




Q: Let's start on the mound.  What do you think of the Jays' starting rotation? 
Chairman Bobby:  A well-defended nation is a strong one.  Same goes with baseball. Comrade Ricky Romero should have a similar season to last year, but I expect Brandon Morrow to have an amazing year!  If the fifth starter is Kyle Drabek, I hope that his father talked some toughness into him so he launches a comeback just like our comrades did with The Great March of 1934.  Expect 90+ wins.

 
Q: Hitting? 
Chairman Bobby: Comrades Jose Bautista and Brett Lawrie will crush their enemies just like Fidel and Che.

Q: Fidel Castro and Che Guevara played baseball? 
Chairman Bobby: Sure, Comrade Fidel pitched.  Check out: http://archive.org/details/1959-07-27_Havana_Rally?start=49.5





Q: The bullpen lost 25 games for the Jays last year, third-worst in the American League.  How will they perform in 2012?
Chairman Bobby: The bullpen will mature under veterans Sergio Santos, Coco Cordero and Darren Oliver.

Comrade Cindy (Ariyena Sorani) spies a pop fly for the Motherland

Q: Oliver is 41-years-old.  Isn't he too old?
Chairman Bobby: Comrade Fidel is 85 and Comrade Lenin was 53.

Q: But they weren't throwing in a major league bullpen.
Chairman Bobby (long pause):  It appears our comrade needs some re-education.

Chairman Bobby (Kevin Wang, far left) oversees his Imperial Guards (Kyle Wong, left, and Joshua Holmes, right) as they escort Comrade Joe (Isaac Pilozo in catcher's uniform) to "re-training" camp

Q: Moving to the infield...
Chairman Bobby:  Comrade Lind's average should rise given off-season conditioning.  Brett Lawrie should excel in his first full season as a Jay.  Comrade Escobar will shine at shortstop and at the plate.

Q: Overall, where have the Jays improved the most in the off-season?
Chairman Bobby: Pitching.  The starting rotation is more reliable, but the key lies in a consistent bullpen.  Of course, this wouldn't be a concern had those imperialist running dogs, The Philadelphia Phillies, not stolen Roy Halladay from us in 2009.

Q: Is Halladay your favourite pitcher?
Chairman Bobby:  Second.

Q: Who's first?
Chairman Bobby:  Why, Fidel!

Chairman Bobby's Little Red Guards discuss dialectical materialism with the First Base Umpire (Sonya Morson)

Q: Forgive me, Chairman...Please complete this sentence: "If I ran the Blue Jays I would..."
Chairman Bobby: "...give away all tickets to the proletariat and reclaim Doc Halladay."

Q: But Hallyday plays for the Phillies.
Chairman Bobby: We would get him back.

Q: How?  He's locked into a long-term contract.
Chairman Bobby (removing his sunglasses):  We have our ways.

Chariman Bobby's Little Red Guards (from left to right): Third Basewoman (Alexis Thomas), Guard (Joshua Holmes), Rightfielder (Scott Richardson), Chairman Bobby (foreground, Kevin Wang), Comrade Jan/Centerfielder (Alysha Bauer), Comrade Cindy/ Leftfielder (Ariyena Sorani), Guard (Kyle Wong, back row), Second Basewoman (Erin Richardson), First Baseman (Joshua Budd), Shortstop (Ben Prystawski).  Missing: Comrade Joe (Isaac Pilozo) who was in "re-training" camp

All photos by Comrade Maloney Aguirre

LITTLE MAO world premiere at TIFF Kids in April

Workers of the world unite!
left to right, foreground: Ariyena Sorani (Cindy), Kevin Wang (Chairman Bobby) & Joshua Budd (Crying Kid), background: Erin Richardson (Second base)
photo by Johnny Vong

Little Mao will make its world premiere at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival taking place in Toronto from April 10-22.

All four screenings will take place at the plush TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto:

~ Wednesday April 11, 10:15 am

~ Sunday April 15, 12:00 noon

~ Monday April 16, 12:45 pm

~ Sunday April 22, 3:00 pm

Tickets will shortly be on sale here.



Writer-director Allan Tong is honoured to publicly unveil the film at this presitigious event and locale. "I personally thank my talented young cast and hard-working grown-up crew for making a fine film last year," says Allan. "I also thank Chairman Mao Tse-tung for his inspiration, and my parents for taking me to see China when I was child as old as my lead actor, Kevin Wang."

Little Mao was supported by Bravo!FACT, The Ontario Arts Council and The National Film Board of Canada. Special thanks go to the friends and families of Allan and producers Sonya Di Rienzo and Austin Wong.

Little Mao is one of 60 short films selected by TIFF Kids. Formerly known as Sprockets, TIFF Kids is celebrating its 15th year as one of the top children's film festivals in the world. Last year, 20,000 filmgoers enjoyed its program of features and short films.

Further screenings will be announced here. For instant updates, please subscribe to this blog or join or fan page on Facebook.

newsflash: LITTLE MAO world premiere this spring

Chairman Bobby (Kevin Wang) shall unleash Little Mao across the world this spring

Comrades, the world premiere of Little Mao has just been confirmed. Details will be announced later this month, including city and festival. Stay tuned for the revolutionary announcement!