Sunday, April 15, 2012

Little Mao cast attend sell-out second screening at TIFF Kids

Nine cast members and their families, including star Kevin Wang in full Mao costume, attended Sunday's second sold-out screening of Little Mao at the TIFF Kids Film Festival taking place at the TIFF Lightbox in downtown Toronto.  The cast cheered Little Mao as he entered the sold-out cinema 3 before the noon screening.  An interview with Toronto TV followed.

Left to right: Ben Prystawski, Alexandra Clementi, Kyle Wong, Kevin Wang (as Little Mao), Alexis Thomas (back), Ariyena Sorani (in green), Joshua BuddBrian Obonna (back), Charlotte Herie &  Allan Tong (photo by Mira Budd)

Tickets are still available for the 12:45 pm screening on Monday, April 16.

Photos by Mira Budd, mother of Joshua Budd who plays the Crying Kid in Little Mao, can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.335992219794148.75870.155625584497480&type=1

Saturday, April 14, 2012

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

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

LITTLE MAO world premiere at TIFF Kids

A packed audience watched the world premiere of Little Mao at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival this morning.  Stars Ariyena Sorani (Cindy) and Alysha Bauer (Jan) walked the red carpet and answered questions at the post-screening Q&A onstage with director/writer, Allan Tong.  On-hand to support them were co-producer Austin Wong, and the proud families of Ariyena, Alysha and Allan.

Left to right: Ariyena Sorani (Cindy), Alysha Bauer (Jan) and director/writer Allan Tong 
during the post-screening Q&A

The film ran as part of the 10:15 am screening of the Canada Creates program of shorts at TIFF Kids (formerly Sprockets) taking place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto.  This morning's screening was the first of four screenings at this festival.

Alysha Bauer (Jan) & Ariyena Sorani (Cindy)

Ariyena Sorani (Cindy) and director/writer Allan Tong

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

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.









Monday, April 9, 2012

Chairman Bobby hails Blue Jays opener & LITTLE MAO premiere


From the desk of Chairman Bobby (aka Little Mao):

Dear Comrades,

I salute the Toronto Blue Jays for their season-opening triumph over the Cleveland Indians this Easter/Passover weekend, and cheer their home opener tonight against those imperialist dogs, the Boston Red Sox.  I predict victory!

I also invite you to view the world premiere of my life story in film, Little Mao, which has its world premiere at the TIFF Kids Film Festival on Wednesday, April 11, 10:15 am at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto.  Three more screenings will follow.  Tickets are still available!

May a hundred victories bloom!

Chairman Bobby




Wednesday, April 4, 2012

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




Wednesday, March 7, 2012

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.