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• School’s in Session: Meet the Seattle School Board Candidates
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• Unfortunates

It was 2006, the week before her 32nd birthday, when Lyly Thanh Koenig was diagnosed with breast cancer. “I was like, ‘Yeah right,’”said Koenig in an interview. “This doesn’t happen to someone like me. I work out 6 days a week,” she said.

Her diagnosis spurred a quick move from her grandiose lifestyle of weekends at the beach in San Diego, soiree’s with her friends, and cheering at football games, to the slower paced life of the Mid-West, according to Koenig.

“I left San Diego in a month’s time to be with my family,” she said. “I packed up my entire condo and put everything in storage, got on a plane and got ready for treatment,” she said.

Koenig was soon forced to have bilateral mastectomies because she had cancer in her left breast, and was found to carry the BrCa2 gene which leads to a high risk of cancer, requiring the removal of her right breast as a preventative procedure, according to Patricia A. McGuire, MD, a plastic surgeon with Parkcrest Plastic Surgery in St. Louis. McGuire performed breast reconstruction on Koenig as part of her cancer removal and treatment procedure.

“Lyly did very well throughout her treatment.,” said McGuire. “She was very young, had not had children, so the idea of losing both breasts was devastating for her,” she said.

McGuire said she remembered the morning of Lyly’s surgery clearly.

“As they rolled her into the operating room, she remained very calm, but had tears in her eyes,” she said.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time Koenig had to pack her things and leave in an instant. As an infant, Koeing was a part of the Humanitarian effort in 1975 to airlift Vietnamese orphans from the war-torn area prior to the Fall of Saigon. She became one of the children adopted by American families. “The first plane out crashed and killed a majority of the passengers,” said Koenig.

“I am so blessed and I want to give back for all the blessings I’ve had.”

Although younger than most women diagnosed with breast cancer, Koenig is now a part of the growing number of women diagnosed each year. October is breast cancer awareness month, and according to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation website, about 192,370 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in American women in 2009.

“Seeing women in the 20s and early 30s is uncommon, but not rare,” said McGuire. “We are seeing more women with significant family histories of breast cancer who are electing to undergo prophylactic mastectomy to lower their risk of developing cancer,” she said.

Despite facing nearly a year of treatments which beyond the double mastectomy, included chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and losing her signature long black tresses, Koenig still declares that having cancer was a blessing.

“I was floating through life before the diagnosis and not making any big moves,” she said,” Cancer jump-started my life and I reactivated what was important and began to take advantage of opportunities in a different way.”

Nicole Miles, a long time friend of Koenig’s from San Diego, said she was shocked and sad when she found out her friend had cancer.

“I was very frightened for her, “she said. “ but I thought she handled everything with great courage and strength.”

After receiving her last bout with radiation, Koenig moved to Miami. She has since decided to use her struggle to inspire people through creative fashion designs.

“Inspirations can come from anywhere,” said Koenig. She will be graduating from the Miami International University of Art and Design in December, and hopes to launch her first collection in late November.

Koenig encourages all her friends to conduct self-examinations.

“ Early diagnosis saves lives,” said Koenig. “I discovered it early, and now I’m a cancer survivor.”

Millie Leung and David Huang show blueprints of their new, innovative eco-home. Photo credit: Trysteen Tran.

Unfurling a large blueprint of their future home on the hood of their car, Millie Leung and David Huang wear contagious smiles on their faces while exhibiting their latest project: the Green Concept Home, a two-story 2,840 sq. ft. contemporary single-family home at the Greenwich Crest neighborhood in Bellevue, Wash.

They broke ground on Sept. 9 and embarked on building Bellevue’s first nationally registered LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) home, a rigorous program reserved for the top percentile of housing designs demonstrating environmental responsibility. Regionally, this project is recognized by Built Green and Northwest Energy Star, which supports programs that encourage the construction of homes that promote environmentally friendly practices.

Designed, built, and owned by David Huang from Modus V Studio Architects, the couple emphasizes sustainable living by articulating the importance of living in a house that is viable for a healthy lifestyle and has low impact on the environment without sacrificing functionality, style, comfort and cost. Huang and Leung hope their project will increase public awareness on alternative ways to build homes at affordable prices. They are mindful that the materials used to construct a home will affect air quality and aim to use considerably less energy and water than a regular home built without the green practices. It is an innovative demonstration project using cutting-edge ecological products and systems with inspiring and contemporary design elements.

What is most impressive is that Huang and Leung have essentially been self-sufficient in the entirety of materializing their dream home. The determined couple worked religiously to educate themselves by conducting extensive research regarding every aspect of their green design.

“We have binders and binders of research information everywhere,” the couple said. And although the permit process is tedious, they urge that this should not deter others from building their own eco-conscious dwelling. If building a green home is too ambitious of a proposition at the moment, the couple advocate for other ways to practice energy efficiency: improve insulation to prevent air leakage to save 20-30 percent on energy bills or switch to energy-saving light bulbs to conserve 25 percent in electricity bills. Every little effort in conservation helps.

The community is welcome to participate in educational presentations and public tours that will take place after the targeted project completion in the summer of 2010.

For further information about this project, please visit: The Green Concept Home Project: www.greenconcepthome.com or Modus V Studio Architects: http://www.modusvstudio.com.

The Green Features of their home include:

• Solar hot water heater: A 30-tube system that will provide 100 percent of the domestic hot water use during the summer and sustain the temperature for the radiant floor heating system during the winter.
• Structural insulated panels (SIPS): Panels used for exterior walls and roof structures that enhance insulation performance and air tightness.
• Rainwater collection system: A 1700-gallon underground water cistern collects the rain water run-off from the roof and foundation drains to be reused for toilet flushing, laundry, car washing and irrigation.
• Radiant heat flooring: Space heating is distributed by a high-efficiency hydronic radiant floor system to ensure a steady temperature.
• Renewable and environmentally friendly materials (e.g., bamboo flooring, recycled-content countertops, recycled-content metal roof, etc.);
• Solar photovoltaic panels pre-wiring;
• Heat recovery ventilator;
• Concrete floor (indoors);
• Pervious concrete (outdoors);
• Energy Star appliances and fixtures;
• Low flow water fixtures;
• Low maintenance landscaping

Green Concept Home at Greenwich Crest is looking to partner with companies and organizations that want to align themselves with providing green, sustainable, comfortable, water and energy-efficient homes. For more information and for details on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Millie Leung at millie@modusvstudio.com or call (206) 992-8765.

“A gang-related shooting outside a well-known Seattle establishment” or “Gang violence raises homicide rate by x-percent.”

We’ll get a dabble of statistics here, be reassured how the city is doing something there, and maybe the particulars of a certain crime that initially sparked the story: what time, what offense, and how much time that individual is now serving. But what receives less coverage are the causes of gangs, the social origins, and more often, the perspective of gang members themselves.

“There is definitely a rise in APIA gang activity,” says Ron Howell, a case manager at Safe Futures, a gang prevention center in West Seattle. “The majority of my cases are from broken households, and the gang is like an intermediate family. Some of them are hard-headed, but deep down, you get the sense that they just wish they had mentors.”

But the causes go well beyond the broken families in our impoverished Seattle neighborhoods.

Similar to the gangs of Central America, many APIA gangs are composed of the children from the refugees that fled the Communist wars of Southeast Asia. For my next interviewee, it was the Khmer Rouge that brought his family to the United States. With the prospects of possible genocide and coming with few resources to an unknown destination, the choice between life and death was clear, but the task of survival, is still not an easy one.

“Growing up in the neighborhood, even before I became active, I’ve seen a lot of people get hurt, seen my friends get shot,” recounted a former Oriential Fantasy Boy (OFB), a predominately Cambodian gang originating from the White Center neighborhood in Burien. “We used to count the bullet holes in the house after a drive-by. I thought it was normal.”

A redefinition of life’s “normalcy” is typical for people like him, as most displaced families are relocated into social ghettos that are filled with other communities of color struggling over similar circumstances. When you concentrate many distinct groups into an already resource-deprived area, conflict arises.

“When I was going to school, I was getting bullied. I got picked on by other races,” continued the White Center native. “When they realize I’m with a gang, they leave me alone. It made me feel normal.”

Howell says that “there is definitely a race war escalating in the area,” yet despite the racial conflict confirmed by our sources, both Howell and the former OFB told me that in terms of organization, patterns and character traits, most gangs, regardless of color, are roughly the same.

It is because behind all gang formations, there is always some larger social or economic driving point. For the Irish gangs of the 1840s, their mass migration was largely due to the potato famine, a result of religious and social persecution in Ireland. For the fragmented remnants of the Black Panthers, otherwise known as the CRIPS (Community Revolution In Progress), deindustrialization of the 1970s sent many unemployed black communities west to search for jobs in a nationally decrepit job market. What follows is the same story of APIA gangs: a struggle for livelihood in a foreign and largely xenophobic society. We should instead look at the forces creating the social environment that motivate those sociopathic actions.

Across all racial lines, gangs at their core are social organizations of the poor, a composition of confused kids that direct their aggression against individuals, rather than the larger forces that put them there. It is merely the human instinct of survival at work, and symbolic of the desire to mean something in this world.

It is never as simple as just a bunch of punk kids that were born bad.

Photo provided by Lan Pham.

Domestic violence victims should never feel like they’re alone. Survivor and advocate against domestic violence, Angela Flores, a pseudonym, spoke about her experience.

Flores has faced huge changes and challenges in her life ever since she and her ex-husband separated. Raising her two children has been difficult. She has to worry about finding a day-care for her children and how she will pick them up at the end of the day. Her finances have also become increasingly unstable.

“It’s been very hard, going from being totally dependent to being independent,” Flores said of her transition away from her ex-husband.

Flores arrived to the United States from the Philippines in 1992. Her immigration status was in limbo for a while, and she says her ex-husband had used that status to control her. She says she didn’t know what was going to happen to her and was stressed out all of the time.

“Dealing with the legal system is really scary,” Flores said.

She felt helpless and often lost hope due to her ex-husband’s controlling ways. She felt like a robot because she was told what to do and how to do it. He controlled the way she dressed, the way she put on her make-up and restricted her from having friends.

“I felt like I lost my identity,” Flores described her then life.

She sought refuge from the Asian & Pacific Islander Women & Family Safety Center which offers support services to women and families seeking to remove themselves from the abusive situations they’ve had to endure.

Flores says she now feels stronger and tougher. “I know the signs (of domestic violence) and can control my emotions better,” she said.

“Right now, I feel relieved and happier and I feel like I have a lot of hope and I can see the horizon,” she said.

Flores says she always thinks about her children. Their safety is her priority in life. “I have to live life to make it safe for my children,” she said.

But despite her traumatic experience, she admitted that she doesn’t blame victims who stay with their abusive spouses because they are financially dependent on them. She explains that it can be difficult for women to survive on their own in a foreign country.

The advice she gives to people is to not give up and get help wherever possible. “They should always think about the safety of their children,” she said.

The Safety Center provides an array of support services to domestic violence survivors. Resources are available for women and families to recover from their experiences. The majority of the center’s clients are Filipino but there are Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese clients as well, according to the Safety Center.

Executive Director of the API Women & Family Safety Center, Lan Pham, defined domestic violence as a “pervasive issue that affects all of us either directly or indirectly.”

Because October is “Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” the Safety Center holds their annual anniversary celebration to remind community members of the ongoing support that is needed to end violence in the communities, as well as to honor the people who have been at the forefront of the local ‘Violence Against Women’ work.

The Safety Center will have their Sweet Sixteen Anniversary Dinner and Auction on Oct. 17 at the Showbox in Sodo.

This year, the center is recognizing Velma Veloria as their first “Organizing with Passion” award recipient for her legislative work in instituting the first anti-trafficking law in the state of Washington.

Pham said, “Ending violence cannot be accomplished by survivors or domestic violence advocates alone.”

She encourages everyone to acknowledge Domestic Violence Awareness Month by looking at how each individual is able to work towards ending violence in our community.

Anti-Filipino efforts in Yakima, Wash.

Recently, the Filipino community was shaken by Typhoon Ondoy that left riverside communities in Metro Manila devastated by rain and mud. Over 300,000 families were displaced and in need of clean water, food and shelter. Homes were washed out in overflowing rivers from a one-day storm that spilled a month’s worth of rain. In a few days, members teamed up with AnakBayan, Philippine-US Solidarity Organization, the Arts Kollective and the Filipino Community of Seattle to raise over $2,000 to send to grassroots organizations in the Philippines.

Seattle’s Filipino Community Center.

Pinay sa Seattle is an all volunteer political collective and its membership reflects a rich diversity of Filipina identity. It celebrates women who are queer, straight and mixed race, who come from immigrant, military, medical, working class and professional family backgrounds. Some were born and raised in the U.S., some in the Philippines, and others who moved in their childhood from the Philippines to the U.S. When they are not volunteering their time, these women are also mothers, students, educators, working professionals and social service workers. The strength of this collective is in being able to bring their multi-faceted identities and passion into the political work that they do locally, nationally and internationally. For Pinay sa Seattle there’s no formula to being Filipina but what’s important is that you care and act to alleviate the struggles of our people.

“Uncle” Bob Santos, a long-time Filipino American activist.

Service for Pinay sa Seattle includes community engagement, political education and advocacy for the Filipino community. Lorena Barros, a Filipina heroine from the days of Martial Law said, “We need dreamers who act, not actors who dream.”

Political education is a key service that Pinay sa Seattle provides to its membership and the community. Through education, people are able to understand personal and family experiences in a larger context. Being able to see that context helps make the connections between issues that affect Filipinas locally, nationally and globally. Members are often eager to learn about the Philippine history because it’s not taught in U.S. schools. This October, for Filipino History Month, Pinay sa Seattle will be presenting workshops for community colleges and local organizations on militarized violence against women, the roots of women’s oppression as well as arts and cultural activism.

In learning about issues affecting Filipina women, Pinay sa Seattle’s membership has been fueled to launch campaigns for U.S. rape victims, against the U.S. troop presence in the Philippines, promote LGBTQ rights and universal health care for all. The organization has a human rights perspective and believes that every person is entitled to get their basic human needs met, including housing, food, education and health care.

Pinay sa Seattle is part of national alliance GABRIELA-USA, which is an overseas chapter of GABRIELA Philippines. GABRIELA Philippines is an umbrella organization for over 200 grassroots women’s organizations advocating for the rights of Filipinas. In partnership and collaboration with local, national and international partners, Pinay sa Seattle is able to do education, advocacy work and defend the rights of Filipinas globally. With over 3,000 Filipinos leaving our homeland daily, it provides an important connection back home, politically and culturally to its members.

From the United Way of Caring event in collaboration with the Filipino Community of Seattle.

Pinay sa Seattle will celebrate its 3 year anniversary on Oct. 23 with a performance “Sinilangan” which will feature local women artists addressing issues that affect Filipinas in the U.S. and abroad. This cultural show will celebrate the rich multi-faceted identities of our Filipinas in the Seattle community, who share the passion to act for change. For more information or tickets you can email pinayinfo@gmail.com or visit

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/80979

In south Seattle’s Martin Luther King Jr. Way, the once industrial area was lacking its neighborhood charm due primarily to crime. The chances of a thriving community seemed bleak when visitors and business patrons stayed away. But, the street has undergone major construction. With the renovations and developments of Holly Park and Rainier Vista along with waves of Asian business owners revitalizing the economic development scene, Martin Luther King Jr. Way has created a home for many new residents and become a popular residential and business street. As the neighborhood underwent a “facelift,” the community became receptive to the neighborhood; thus, eliminating the perception of fear and crime. But for the ID, undergoing aesthetic changes could jeopardize the efforts of historical preservation.

“I don’t think it’s good for the neighborhood if it’s going to destroy the historical character,” said Richard Huie, SCIPDA’s Neighborhood Safety Coordinator.

As a result, the ID is developing several projects to increase public safety awareness and propose solutions while honoring the historic neighborhood. One example is the block-watch method.

“A block-watch is basically organizing the neighborhood to watch out for each other,” said Huie. But he notes there is a language barrier for residents who need to be educated with public safety communication, such as the appropriate time to call the police.

Block-watch parties were held at three main sites because of increasing transients and suspicions of illegal activities: the Panama Hotel area near the Danny Woo Gardens, the Children’s Park and Hing Hay Park.

“Through these block-watch parties, at least our community can reclaim the park for a few hours in the evening,” said Huie. “In a way, it’s really about getting into people’s faces.”

Part of developing the block-watch is also implementing the neighborhood walk. The National Night Out Against Crime falls on the first Tuesday of every August. For the first time this year, SCIPDA conducted a Night Out walk.

“We definitely want to provide consistency and more frequent walks both day and night,” said Huie. “But it’s a challenge to get volunteers.”

Another agency aside from SCIPDA working to increase public safety is the Chinatown International District Business Improvement Area (BIA). As a non-profit organization funded through a self-imposed tax on business and property owners, its purpose is to support the neighborhood’s business development and improve the life of residents and visitors. In order to fulfill its mission, maintenance and public safety for the International District is essential to sustain its businesses and attract more tourism.

As a member of the sanitary crew for the BIA, Bill Lee has been working for the agency officially for the last three years. From 7:30 a.m. until the afternoon, Lee and another crew member are responsible for maintaining the streets by picking up garbage and eliminating offensive graffiti. When he receives a report for visible graffiti he determines the severity of the vandalism, and how quickly he can recover the area.

“Sometimes, I just have to do paint out depending on the material they put graffiti on,” said Lee.

Lee’s responsibilities also expand to being on the look-out for suspicious activities such as overseeing drug, trafficking and alcohol abuse in the ID.

“I look around and see if people are hanging out in the corner of the street,” said Lee. “Any signals that tell me something might be wrong, I’m on the look-out.”

He adds, “I believe we are improving the International District because we help manage property and business owners,” said Huie. In the end, it’s really the community deciding to work together to steadily improve the area.”

Both Huie and Lee suggest transients as being a main concern for the International District.

“It really varies in terms of the biggest safety issue,” said Huie. “But overall, it is the transient population that is reaching to a sizable number.” But Huie offers reasons behind the increase of transients and believes the International District has historically been a central area for convenient transportation and is known to house social service agencies.

As a result, many long-term residents and new visitors alike are concerned with the area’s approachableness. But Lee who overlooks the streets on a daily basis says we need to address the root of the problem.

“Transients can be the symptom. But it’s not the problem,” said Lee. “We have to understand other issues that have caused the transients to reside in the streets, like drug dealing.”

Huie suggests effective communication can create better awareness of the issue.

“It’s the language barrier. Residents don’t know how to respond in a way to be effective,” said Huie. “They don’t know how to address them. They don’t know how to communicate effectively with agencies and the police.”

Both SCIPDA and the BIA work closely with the Seattle Police Department. For the developing night walk and block-watch programs, SCIPDA hopes to have at least one Seattle police officer with their volunteer and staff team.

“I believe we are creating an impact for the area but we just need to show more frequency with our public safety programs. The Seattle Police Department will also be our primary partner to stop crime in the neighborhood,” said Huie.

Another sought-out method of improvement is called the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)—a multi-disciplinary approach that tries to deter criminal behavior through a built-in environmentally-friendly area. SCIPDA’s new Dumpster-Free-Alleys program parallels with this idea.

“Part of including public safety is cleaning up the neighborhood,” said Huie. “When dumpsters are in the alley, it allows people to do illegal activities because it becomes a hide-out place. The CPTED is a basic principle for areas to have clear lines of sites.”

Ballard Avenue and Columbia City are historical preservation spots in Seattle. The International District is no different. Maybe it’s the language barrier causing ineffective communication between residents and the police department. But visiting Martin Luther King Jr. Way, just a ten minute drive south of the ID, an influx of Asian and Pacific Islanders are observed residing and contributing to the economic development. With historical and cultural sensitivity to preserve the ID, adopting new safety methods can attract old residents and newer waves of immigrants and younger generations as well.

1428 (DU Haibin) North American Premiere

Tue, Oct 6th 6:00pm Empire Granville 7 Th 5

Wed, Oct 7th 12:40pm Empire Granville 7 Th 5

The Great Sichuan Earthquake of 2008 and its aftermath traumatized and inspired China in equal measure. Du Haibin’s documentary captures everyday heroism as victims rebuild their lives among the rubble. An astonishingly insightful film, whose palpable humanity comes seasoned with compassionate skepticism.

THE COW (Guan HU) North American Premiere

Fri, Oct 2nd 1:50pm Empire Granville 7 Th 2

Thu, Oct 8th 6:45pm Empire Granville 7 Th 2

Wed, Oct 14th 4:30pm Empire Granville 7 Th 2

The sole survivor of a Japanese attack in WWII, shock-haired Chinese farmer Nie Er becomes an unlikely resistance hero, along with his companion, an indomitably loyal milk cow. Guan Hu’s picaresque black comedy packs a delightfully absurd punch, with stunning images illustrating a touching magic-realist fable.

KUN 1: ACTION (WU Haohao) World Premiere

Mon, Oct 5th 7:00pm Vancity Theatre

Tue, Oct 6th 12:45pm Vancity Theatre

Young and endearingly headstrong, Wu Haohao could be China’s answer to Vincent Gallo. His film is a Godardian assault on the political and social apathy of his generation, attacking false values and promoting renewed commitment–and free love. Dragons & Tigers Award nominee. With shorts.

OXHIDE II (Liu JIAYIN) North American Premiere

Wed, Oct 7th 9:00pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Thu, Oct 8th 3:30pm Pacific Cinémathéque

One of Chinese cinema’s boldest experiments in narrative fiction is also the funniest Chinese film of the year. Liu Jiayin’s story of making dumplings with her parents structures this formally daring, wryly amusing look at family dynamics, economic burdens and the ethics and aesthetics of cooking from scratch.

PETITION (Zhao LIANG) North American Premiere

Fri, Oct 2nd 2:45pm Empire Granville 7 Th 5

Fri, Oct 9th 12:20pm Empire Granville 7 Th 1

Mon, Oct 12th 9:15pm Empire Granville 7 Th 1

Zhao Liang’s staggering epic account captures 12 years in the lives of a community of petitioners in Beijing who struggle to survive in the capital while attempting to lodge official complaints with contemptuous officials. This documentary combines compassionate intimacy with an absolutely courageous, sweeping vision of resistance to injustice.

QUEER CHINA, ‘COMRADE CHINA (Cui ZI’EN) International Premiere

Wed, Oct 7th 4:00pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Fri, Oct 9th 9:15pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Chinese gay activist and radical filmmaker Cui Zi’en has made an authoritative documentary – both history and celebration – on queer culture in China. Testimony from theorists, activists and artists outlines the modern origins of Chinese homosexuality through its attempted suppression to its breakthroughs in the last decade.

ROUGH POETRY (Zhao DAYONG) World Premiere

Mon, Oct 5th 3:20pm Empire Granville 7 Th 5

Thu, Oct 8th 6:00pm Empire Granville 7 Th 5

This stunning medium length film brings together political theatre and faces in closeup. Chinese documentary-maker Zhao Dayong puts eight characters in a cage, playing themselves, including a cop, a prostitute, a poet. Afterwards, facing the camera, there is only silence, faces, confrontation, tears.

THE SEARCH (Pema TSEDEN)

Mon, Oct 5th 2:50pm Empire Granville 7 Th 1

Tue, Oct 6th 9:15pm Empire Granville 7 Th 2

An extraordinary Tibetan road movie, Pema Tseden’s film is only the second feature made by Tibetans inside China. As a director seeks to cast his film of a traditional musical drama, he unearths an ex-monk’s broken heart, and a veiled singer’s quest for her own lost love.

SUN SPOTS (Yang HENG) World Premiere

Thu, Oct 1st 1:30pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Sun, Oct 4th 6:45pm Pacific Cinémathéque

A tale of love, betrayal and revenge, shot with maximum restraint in a verdant mountain paradise in central China. Yang Heng captures the anguish and passion of a youthful lost generation with a camera whose eloquence turns each of his exquisitely long takes into a veritable poem.

HONG KONG

McDULL KUNG FU KINDERGARTEN (Brian TSE) International Premiere

Fri, Oct 9th 6:40pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Sun, Oct 11th 1:00pm Ridge Theatre

Thu, Oct 15th 11:00am Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Little cartoon piglet McDull, a none-too-smart HK kindergarten student, has become supremely popular as the incarnation of HK’s indomitable, absurd and independent spirit. This animated adventure in mainland China by Brian Tse combines spectacular visuals with a madcap humour that’s both kid-silly and grown-up sophisticated.

NIGHT AND FOG (Ann HUI) North American Premiere

Sun, Oct 4th Noon Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Mon, Oct 5th 6:20pm Empire Granville 7 Th 4

Mon, Oct 12th 4:00pm Ridge Theatre

Based on a true incident, Ann Hui’s harrowing drama captures domestic violence in all its dramatic complexity. When a pregnant mainland woman marries a violently jealous unemployed Hong Konger, economic and cultural differences prove explosive.

WRITTEN BY (WAI Ka-fai) Canadian Premiere

Sat, Oct 3rd 7:00pm Ridge Theatre

Tue, Oct 6th 11:00am Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Mon, Oct 12th 2:30pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

In Wai Ka-fai’s brilliant puzzle, a dead father is haunted by his bereaved daughter. Characters write stories within stories, spawning alternative, criss-crossing levels of fiction and reality. Both a spoof of fantasy films and a meditation on mourning and rebirth, this meta-fictional fantasy provokes and delights.

INDONESIA

FORBIDDEN DOOR (Joko ANWAR)

Sat, Oct 3rd 9:00pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Tue, Oct 6th 3:30pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Sat, Oct 10th 9:30pm Ridge Theatre

Joko Anwar confirms his growing rep as a world-class talent with this stunning psycho-thriller in which an impotent artist (Fachri Albar) tries to find and rescue an abused child while bloodily settling some bitter personal scores with his wife, mother and friends. The retro-hip visual style is dazzling and the plot keeps you guessing right up to the double-twist ending.

JERMAL (Ravi L. BHARWANI, Rayya MAKARIM) English-Canadian Premiere

Thu, Oct 1st 6:45pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Sat, Oct 10th 11:40am Empire Granville 7 Th 4

Émigré Dutch filmmaker Orlow Seunke (working under his Indonesian name Utawa Tresno) teamed up with his students Ravi Bharwani and Rayya Makarim to make this unusual father/son story. After the sudden death of his mother, 12-year-old Jaya is sent to the jermal (a fishing platform out at sea) run by Johar, the father who has never acknowledged his existence…

JAPAN

AIR DOLL (KORE-EDA Kazuhiro)

Sat, Oct 3rd 9:45pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Sun, Oct 4th 4:00pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Kore-eda Hirokazu’s very surprising new film gives a whole new meaning to “kiss of life.” An inflatable sex-doll (played by wonderful Korean star Bae Doo-Na) suddenly acquires a soul and ventures out into the real world of video stores, relationships, learning curves… and puncturing blades. With Odagiri Jo and Arata.

BARE ESSENCE OF LIFE (YOKOHAMA Satoko)

Sun, Oct 4th 8:45pm Empire Granville 7 Th 4

Tue, Oct 6th Noon Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Sun, Oct 11th 11:40am Empire Granville 7 Th 4

Yokohama Satoko (director of German + Rain) turns her hyper-charged attention to the male body. Differently wired Yojin (hot new star Matsuyama Kenichi) is a trainee farmer in Aoyama who falls for the new primary-school teacher – and starts dosing himself with insecticide to enhance his appeal. The year’s wildest, craziest love story.

EATRIP (NOMURA Yuri)

Fri, Oct 2nd 6:45pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Sat, Oct 3rd 1:30pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Tue, Oct 13th 4:00pm Ridge Theatre

Yuri Nomura’s studiedly gorgeous examination of the role food plays in human experience includes interviews with a number of different foodies including Japanese pop singer UA, actor Tadanobu Asano, as well as Sen Souoko, a master of the Japanese tea ceremony

ISLAND OF DREAMS (TSUTA Tetsuichiro) International Premiere

Sun, Oct 4th 12:40pm Empire Granville 7 Th 5

Mon, Oct 5th 9:00pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Working on an artificial garbage island, Alan becomes an eco-terrorist, planting bombs to attack a noxious chemical factory–but a cop named Terayama is closing in on him. Tsuta Tetsuichiro’s proudly home-made film would be impressive in any context, but the fact that it’s a brilliant pastiche of Nikkatsu thrillers of the 1960s makes it phenomenal.

KAMUI (SAI Yoichi)

Mon, Oct 5th 6:45pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Thu, Oct 8th 10:45am Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Sat, Oct 10th 2:30pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Probably the best ninja movie ever made, Sai Yoichi’s adaptation of a story from the epic manga is an exhilarating parable of the struggle for personal freedoms. Featuring shark hunters, a woman ninja in deep cover and terrifically snazzy action choreography–including the lethal Izuna Drop. Matsuyama Kenichi heads the all-star cast.

LEFT OUT (SASAKI Omoi) International Premiere

Wed, Oct 7th 9:30pm Vancity Theatre

Thu, Oct 8th 3:45pm Vancity Theatre

The main characters in Sasaki Omoi’s excellent indie feature work in a scrapyard: young Tanaka develops a crush on his woman colleague Yoshiko, but she seems trapped in a violent relationship with a small-time gangster. Filled with empathy for the marginalized and eccentric humour. Dragons & Tigers Award nominee. Plus shorts.

TOAD’S OIL (YAKUSHO Koji)

Thu, Oct 8th 6:30pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Fri, Oct 9th 3:30pm Empire Granville 7 Th 2

Renowned for his roles in films by Imamura, Ichikawa and many others, Yakusho Koji now directs himself in a sprawling and magical fantasia about immature fathers, old-fashioned sons and truth/lies in relationships. “Toad’s oil” was a universal panacea sold by travelling salesmen in days gone by; here it greases the rusty wheels of a family that’s in danger of cracking. Featuring popular new star Eita. Dragons & Tigers Award Gala.

USB (Oku Shutaro) International Premiere

Fri, Oct 2nd 9:30pm Vancity Theatre

Mon, Oct 5th 10:45am Pacific Cinémathéque

Yuichiro (played by Visitor Q himself, Watanabe Kazushi) wants to be an artist but his widowed mother wants him to become a doctor. As radiation leaks permeate the city, he tries to clear his debts by signing up for a dangerous medical experiment… Oku Shutaro’s bracing sci-fi drama is all about loving the alien.

WHERE ARE YOU (KOBAYASHI Masahiro) North American Premiere

Tue, Oct 6th 6:40pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Tue, Oct 13th 2:10pm Empire Granville 7 Th 4

Dedicated to Truffaut’s Antoine Doinel, Kobayashi Masahiro’s wrenching movie centres on Ryo, a kid with no money and a mother dying in hospital who survives by stealing from convenience stores. Desperation finally forces him to run away to Tokyo to live rough while searching for his long-absent father.

YELLOW KID (MARIKO Tetsuya) International Premiere

Tue, Oct 6th 9:30pm Vancity Theatre

Wed, Oct 7th 4:00pm Vancity Theatre

Rookie boxer Tamura finds that reality starts to blur when he’s invited by a famous (but volatile) artist to become the model for a new manga hero. Mariko Tetsuya’s debut feature is a smart, sometimes violent reflection on life’s hopes, ambitions and U-turns. Dragons & Tigers Award nominee.

MALAYSIA

AT THE END OF DAYBREAK (HO Yuhang)

Sat, Oct 3rd 2:15pm Empire Granville 7 Th 6

Wed, Oct 7th Noon Empire Granville 7 Th 3

An elegant, tough, unconventional film noir from Malaysia. Probing beneath unquiet surfaces, Ho Yuhang’s luminous images and stunning montages catch quiet passions erupting into unpredictable, shocking action: between two young lovers, between husband and wife and between mother and son.

KARAOKE (Chris Chong Chan FUI)

Sun, Oct 4th 7:00pm Vancity Theatre

Mon, Oct 5th 1:00pm Vancity Theatre

Returning to his home village in Sarawak to find it transformed (destroyed?) by massive new plantations of palm trees, Betik edges into a relationship and a new job working on slushy karaoke videos and imagines that he’s going to take over his mother’s bar. But Chris Chong’s energizingly original debut feature centres on Betik’s discovery that he’s wrong about everything.

MY DAUGHTER (Charlotte Lim) World Premiere

Fri, Oct 9th 6:00pm Empire Granville 7 Th 5

Mon, Oct 12th 1:00pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Melaka, Malaysia, is the setting for Charlotte Lim’s powerful drama about a teenage daughter who struggles to care for her abused mother. A brilliant debut film that uses striking images to render palpable emotionally charged memories of time and place.

PHILIPPINES

BAKAL BOYS (Ralston G. Jover) International Premiere

Sun, Oct 4th 9:30pm Vancity Theatre

Mon, Oct 5th 3:45pm Vancity Theatre

So realistic that it’s a virtual docu-drama, Ralston Jover’s debut feature tells the stories of the young kids from the Baseco squatter area near Manila Bay who earn pin-money diving in the sea for scrap metal. Across Utoy’s search for his slightly older friend and protector Bungal, gone missing, the film explores the plight of kids forced to think and behave like adults before their time.

INDEPENDENCIA (Raya Martin)

Combined with DON’T STEP OUT OF THE HOUSE (JO Sung-Hee)

Wed, Oct 7th 6:15pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Thu, Oct 8th 1:00pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Exquisitely stylized, Raya Martin’s studio-shot film allegorizes Filipino history of the early 20th century. As the Americans “liberate” the islands from Spanish colonial oppression, a mother flees into the jungle with her son; he later meets a wounded woman and has a child with her. But more storm clouds are gathering… With Jo Seong-Hee’s Don’t Step Out of the House (South Korea, 43 min.), the most original KAFA graduation film this year.

SOUTH KOREA

BREATHLESS (YANG Ik-June) English-Canadian Premiere

Mon, Oct 5th 9:30pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Fri, Oct 9th 1:15pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

In the year’s most spectacular (and prize-laden) debut, actor Yang Ik-June writes and directs a movie in which he stars as one of the meanest and most foul-mouthed scumbags in film history: a strong-arm man for loan-sharks who finally meets his match in a high-school girl.

CASTAWAY ON THE MOON (LEE Hey-Jun)

Thu, Oct 1st 9:30pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Sat, Oct 3rd 4:15pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

In Lee Hey-Jun’s delightfully out-of-whack comedy-drama, a casualty of the recession fails in his suicide attempt and finds himself washed up on a deserted island in the middle of the Han River in Seoul. Part Robinson Crusoe, part JG Ballard hero, he eventually comes to realize that he has a distant admirer with a very good telescope…

CATS (KIM Ji-Hyun) Canadian Premiere

Wed, Oct 7th 7:00pm Vancity Theatre

Thu, Oct 8th 1:15pm Vancity Theatre

The most refreshingly frank and uncomplicated account of the complications of lesbian lives since Go Fish, Kim Ji-Hyun’s breezy movie is another left-field delight from the indie sector of Korean film culture. Dragons & Tigers Award nominee. With a full supporting program of shorts.

DON’T STEP OUT OF THE HOUSE (JO Sung-Hee)

Combined with INDEPENDENCIA (Philippines)

Wed, Oct 7th 6:15pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Thu, Oct 8th 1:00pm Pacific Cinémathéque

The young boy Chul-Soo and his five-year-old sister Soon-Yee have not left their basement home since a call from their father told them to stay in and admit no one. Something extraordinary has happened in the world outside, perhaps now under the dominion of Beelzebub. Then they have three sinister and probably dangerous visitors… Jo Sung-Hee’s remarkable film was made as a KAFA graduation project last year.

EIGHTEEN (JANG Kun-Jae) World Premiere

Tue, Oct 6th 6:45pm Vancity Theatre

Wed, Oct 7th 1:15pm Vancity Theatre

When Tae-Hoon takes an illicit winter vacation with his high-school girlfriend Mi-Jeong, her father goes through the roof and forbids them to meet again. But Tae-Hoon is rebellious by nature … Jang Kun-Jae’s (autobiographical?) debut feature is fresh, emotionally true, superbly acted and startlingly beautiful. Dragons & Tigers Award nominee With short.

LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL (HONG Sang-Soo)

Fri, Oct 2nd 9:15pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Sun, Oct 4th 1:00pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Hong Sang-Soo’s latest wry tragi-comedy about the gaps between men and women walks another garden of forking paths. The unmarried “hero” tangles with two married women, one a stranger, the other an old flame, but can he make sense of two polar-opposite experiences?

MOTHER (BONG Joon-Ho)

Fri, Oct 2nd 3:45pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Tue, Oct 6th 9:30pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Mon, Oct 12th 1:20pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

A whole new take on the (sometimes scary) intensity of maternal love in Bong Joon-Ho’s triumphant new film. A quack herbalist (Kim Hye-Ja) defies the lazy cops and a corrupt lawyer to solve a murder mystery–and thereby exonerate her imprisoned son (Won Bin). Darkly comic and strangely moving.

TAIWAN

FACE (TSAI Ming-liang)

Fri, Oct 2nd 3:00pm Empire Granville 7 Th 4

Sun, Oct 4th 9:15pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Tsai Ming-liang’s hallucinatory, spectacular, intriguing, sexy, musical masterpiece is set almost entirely inside (and underneath) the Louvre Museum in Paris. A Taiwanese director comes to Paris to film a surreal version of Salome with supermodel Laetitia Casta, but becomes enmeshed in a web of spectacularly photographed fantasy.

TEARS (CHENG Wen-Tang)

Tue, Oct 13th 9:15pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Wed, Oct 14th 11:40am Empire Granville 7 Th 4

A powerful, gripping drama from Taiwan, about a policeman with a troubled past, where guilt and revenge coexist with the possibility of redemption. Cheng Wen-tang’s passionate commitment to unearthing Taiwan’s repressive history sears this tale with an unmistakable moral authority.

YANG YANG (CHENG Yu-chieh) North American Premiere

Fri, Oct 2nd 6:15pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

Tue, Oct 6th 1:30pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

This vibrantly alive coming-of-age story of a young Eurasian woman in Taipei follows glamorous Yang Yang from high-school athlete to aspiring actress. Director Cheng Yu-chieh’s intimate camera captures the precise articulation, via sex, scandal and heartbreak, between adolescence and adulthood.

THAILAND

AGRARIAN UTOPIA (Uruphong RAKSASAD) North American Premiere

Wed, Oct 7th 1:15pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Mon, Oct 12th 6:30pm Pacific Cinémathéque

The director of Stories from the North, Uruphong Raksasad, returns with a documentary-style drama about tenant farmers in a northern Thai village grappling with the stresses of changing times and mores. Fantastically beautiful visuals, clear-sighted politics and a deeply humane vision.

NYMPH (Pen-Ek RATANARUANG)

Fri, Oct 2nd 6:20pm Empire Granville 7 Th 4

Sat, Oct 3rd 2:30pm Empire Granville 7 Th 3

A photographer and his adulterous wife head for the Thai jungle on a photo-shoot, but he falls under the spell of a mysterious, ancient tree and comes back a changed man–or is that a ghost? Pen-ek Ratanaruang follows Ploy with another deliciously offbeat account of the trials of married life.

VIETNAM

ADRIFT (BUI Thac Chuyen)

Mon, Oct 5th 9:30pm Vancity Theatre

Tue, Oct 6th 3:30pm Vancity Theatre

Bui Thac Chuyen’s remarkable movie is like a Vietnamese take on Les liaisons dangereuses: baffled by her husband’s low libido, newlywed bride Duyen is pushed by a cruel woman friend into an affair with a macho heartbreaker. Elegantly poised between social realism and moral chaos. Dragons & Tigers Award nominee.

MOON AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL (NGUYEN Vinh Son) North American Premiere

Fri, Oct 2nd 11:40am Empire Granville 7 Th 4

Sun, Oct 4th 7:15pm Empire Granville 7 Th 6

Sun, Oct 11th 9:00pm Empire Granville 7 Th 4

A young high-school teacher, played by glorious Vietnamese actress Hong Anh, learns to rebel against the exquisitely refined prison of her traditional marriage. Magic, bigamy, ghostly mediums and madness intertwine in Nguyen Vinh Son’s elegant poem of female empowerment in present day Vietnam.

OTHER ASIAN INTEREST FILMS

BEETLE QUEEN CONQUERS TOKYO (ORECK, Jessica)

Sat, Oct 3rd 6:30pm Empire Granville 7 Th 2

Sun, Oct 4th 4:00pm Pacific Cinémathéque

Sat, Oct 10th 10:45am Pacific Cinémathéque

Entomologist Jessica Oreck brings a scientist’s eye to the Japanese mania for insects in her documentary debut Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo. Rather than kill to dissect, Beetle Queen turns dreary documentary style on its head, and creates a phantasmagoric, occasionally hilarious, and obscenely gorgeous ode to the insect in us all.

JOHN RABE (Florian GALLENBERGER)

Wed, Oct 14th 6:45pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Thu, Oct 15th 3:30pm Visa Screening Room @ Empire Granville Th7

Courageous German businessman John Rabe, who was partly responsible for saving an estimated 200,000 people during the Japanese Rape of Nanjing, is given a worthy, stirring, old-style widescreen memorial.–Screen. Winner of four German Film Awards, including Best Film and Best Actor (Ulrich Tukur).

KIMJONGILIA (N. C. HEIKIN)

Sat, Oct 10th 12:30pm Empire Granville 7 Th 5

Tue, Oct 13th 6:00pm Empire Granville 7 Th 5

Created in honour of Kim Jong Il’s 46th birthday, the kimjongilia flower has become a potent symbol of the Orwellian horror that is North Korea. The reality behind the State’s propaganda juggernaut is famine, torture and cannibalism. The stories of survivors reveal the unbelievable truth in N. C. Heikin’s documentary.

He told me the idea for the book was partially triggered by an event he read about in the papers about a woman at the Panama Hotel who discovered the basement where Japanese Americans had left their belongings in haste as they were ushered into the internment camps when WW II broke out. That incident suggested a story and so he begin to weave a tale of a romance between a young Chinese American boy and Japanese American girl set against the turbulent backdrop of a changing Seattle, set in the Chinatown/International District amidst a swirling

nightlife of jazz clubs and speakeasies.

Recently Doug Chin, fervent local Chinatown/ID historian and former IE Board President brought Ford’s book back to my attention. He said he tried to get a copy of the book from the Seattle Public Library downtown and found that there were over 350 people on the waiting list. I checked it out and discovered that this little book about a teenage romance in our neighborhood had become a bestseller of sorts, topping out on the list at the New York Times, translated in over 8 countries and currently a bestseller in Taiwan. I figured it was about time to sit down and catch up with the author and go over what had transpired in the year since the book’s been out. I caught up with Jamie Ford on the road on yet another leg of his endless book tour and here’s what he had to say.

Author Jamie Ford.

Q: How do you explain the surging popularity of your book? Is it the story itself that fascinates people and the fact it’s a cross/cultural story that hasn’t really been told before?

A: Is it surging? Cool!! This is a shoot-from-the-hip analogy (but a true story): I have a friend that is a karaoke maniac. He has a killer voice, he can dance, he looks great, and he enters all these local karaoke contests and always comes in second—to the same person. This other guy walks in, doesn’t dance, and he just sings the same song every time, Faithfully, by Journey, and the crowd eats it up. I think a little of that is going on, in that HOTEL is a fairly traditional love story, something that most people can relate to. But it’s told through atypical characters. Also, for a lot of readers, I think the historical and cultural aspects make the book feel somewhat educational, and less of a guilty pleasure, which also helps its appeal to book groups—so I’m told.

Q: What experiences have you had touring the country and reading from the book? Have different audiences reacted in different ways?

A: It’s been interesting in that everyone seems to have a related story to share. Either directly as a sansei or yonsei son or daughter of someone directly affected by the Japanese Internment, or by people that had friends and neighbors affected. Even if their story is just, “I taught history in high school for 30 years and the internment was never in our text books,” those kind of stories. Everyone has an interesting angle or entry point into the events in the book, which I think is really cool. Audiences on the West Coast tend to have more people in attendance with direct experience, but everyone that understands the basic fundamentals of civil rights seems to be able to appreciate the book.

Q: Do they understand the whole concept of Asian Americans in other parts of America?

A: Well, there’s still a much older generation that lumps all Asian Americans under the banner of “Orientals”—but there’s no malice to the term, it’s just a generational thing (I think). Beyond that, I’ve been touring in fairly urban areas where there’s a healthy mix of ethnicities, so people seem fairly acclimated to at least the basics of Japanese and Chinese American cultures.

Q: What about the whole friction between Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans during World War II? Or the whole history of internment for Japanese Americans?

A: The old enmity between Japanese and Chinese communities does come as a surprise to most. The Internment, not so much, though the depth of that knowledge varies from “well-read”, to “I heard about it but had no clue.”

Q: Any plans to turn your book into a movie?

A: There have been a couple of offers on the film option, from some wonderful people, but we’re sitting tight for a while. We’re hoping that the wider circulation of the book through its trade paperback release will open a few more doors. Stay tuned.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: It’s a story about a failed kamikaze pilot, now in his 70s, who is still searching for a noble death, one that he believes will allow his spirit to be reunited with that of his late wife. It touches on some cultural flash points, like Japan’s eta (burakumin) communities, comfort women, and Yasukuni Shrine. The main characters are Japanese and Taiwanese. It’s another historical, multi-cultural love story.

Jamie Ford will return to Seattle on Oct. 20 to read from the book at the Panama Hotel in an event hosted by Kinokuniya Books. The reading is at 7 p.m. at 605 1/2 South Main. (206) 223-9242. Another reading on Oct. 21 is at Third Place Books at 17171 Bothell Way NW in Lake Forest Park. (206)223-9242.

Photo credit: Sex in Seattle.

The most recent installment of Sex In Seattle starts with a video vignette where the “Heavenly Spirit,” like a Grecian god, looks down and laments the passivity and tacit dishonesty of humans living below, sending an apprentice to guide three ingénues—Tess, Elizabeth, and Jenna—to express and follow their hearts, to “come clean.” This opening scene not only establishes the quick-moving plotline that will govern the fates of the women at hand, but also establishes outright the overarching vision that creator, writer, and lead actress Kathy Hsieh has for the Sex in Seattle series: after all, when’s the last time you saw a Heavenly Spirit manifest as an Asian American woman?

“Coming Clean,” the seventeenth episode of the long-running theatrical romantic comedy in residency at the Hugo House, offers audiences a sassy and lighthearted approach to an often marginalized and stigmatized conversation: Asian American sexuality. While Sex in Seattle is significantly milder than the HBO series that inspired it, its placement of Asian American women at the forefront, navigating issues of love, lust, and uncertainty, is a refreshing and welcome shift of focus. Too often Asian American women are fetishized, silenced, or relegated to a static, supporting role in storylines about romance and sex; by offering a series with witty protagonists and engaging theatrical elements—particularly the effective use of video segments and even choreographed dream sequence dances—Sex In Seattle places agency directly into the hands of women, giving voice to often observed but rarely heard perspectives.

One such scene is when the boisterous and proudly single Tess, juggling the affection of two men, is counterbalanced with the virginal, commitment-loving Elizabeth, as they both reflect on where they stand on interracial relationships. “I’ve just never been attracted to Asian men,” says Tess to her (Asian) admirer Colin, while Elizabeth opens up to the doting, white George about how she has never imagined herself with anyone outside of her ethnicity. While the conversations, mimicking television patter, are light instead of probing, the juxtaposition illuminates the tricky dynamics and range of experiences that reflect the reality of Asian American women living and loving in the Pacific Northwest. In one entertaining section, Tess and Elizabeth suggest and discuss the sexual tension between the both of them; it’s no grand revelation or statement about queer Asian American relationships, but it’s an important moment that further embraces and examines the diversity and decisions of female sexuality.

Sex in Seattle is appropriate for anyone who wants a good laugh and wants to support a vital community of Asian-American theater artists, but I would further recommend “Coming Clean” as a great experience for mothers to share with their daughters. The content is juicy and explicit enough to speak to real issues—unlike the highfaluting, high-heeled Sex in the City, so detached from the experiences of everyday women—without being too uncomfortable or edgy for a multigenerational audience. The women of Sex In Seattle may be caught in dramatic love lives, but they also have sleepovers and call psychic hotlines for advice; in other words, they’re just like the rest of us.

Sex In Seattle runs through October 17, 2009, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. $14 for 8pm shows, $10 for 10pm shows; student/senior/actor admission is $10 for 8pm shows, $6 for 10pm shows. Tickets are available at 206-323-9443 or tickets@sis-productions.org. Reservations are recommended and group discounts are available.