We’ve been working hard behind the scenes so here we are taking a break from the grind. Had quite the relaxing weekend ending with a bit of adventure in the mix… and yeah… a Subaru Legacy tows a Nissan Xtera out of a ditch. =)

Shot test footage on Red Scarlet-X and Canon 60D.

Music by Kevin Macleod “Windswept”.

Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.

Are you the man that would pay less than $100 to rape a child for one night?  Or are you the man that would offer at least a $100 to help free that same child from being raped everyday.  Who’s the monster, the man that paid to have sex or the man who didn’t do anything to help?
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)
Raise Her Ransom

FAMILY FIRST from Jennifer Liao on Vimeo.

Fellow film producer/director Jennifer Liao, has finally made her short film – “Family First” (2010) available online after a very successful film festival run and taking home a number of awards. If you love dark humor as much as I do, you’ll surely laugh out loud watching this one.

FAMILY FIRST
Rob and Ashley have a big announcement, but when their news brings a family dinner to a screeching halt, they’re forced to question their choice. FAMILY FIRST is a dark comedy about family approval and the blindness of love.

directed by Chris Hanratty
produced by Jennifer Liao and Jennifer Mesich
written by Mike McPhaden, story by Chris Hanratty and Mike McPhaden
starring Shira Leuchter, Peter Mooney, Michael Healey, Diane Flacks, and Dylan Everett

For more information on Family First or productions from Jennifer Liao, please visit: JenniferLiao.com

First of all, a big thank you goes out to everyone who has supported us in the past year. We couldn’t have done it without you all.

2012 will be a big year for Dragonfish Films. We’ve got a number of projects under development so keep those peepers peeled

2012, here we come!

We know most of our goods are made in China, but what to we REALLY know about the hands that make them?

“Sometimes we have no choice, we work till dawn. When you work all night you become dizzy and your eyes hurt because you can’t take any breaks.”

SANTA’S WORKSHOP, directed by Lotta Ekelund and Kristina Bjurling, takes you to the real world of China’s toy factories. Workers tell us about long working hours, low wages, and dangerous work places. Those who protest or try to organize trade unions risk imprisonment. Low labor costs attract more and more companies to China. Today more than 75% of our toys are made in China. But this industry takes its toll on the workers and on the environment.

The European (and American) buyers blame bad conditions on the Chinese suppliers. But they say that increasingly hard competition gives them no option. Who should we believe? And what can you do to bring about a fairer and more humane toy trade?

A few of us had the opportunity to see this wonderful documentary at the DCAPA Film Festival this year. Right now, the director of Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words, Yunah Hong needs your help to bring Anna May’s story to a nationwide audience.

The following message is from the director, Yunah Hong.

My one-hour documentary, Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words, shows how Anna May Wong (1905-1961) became an artist, a world figure and an activist in spite of the prejudices of her time. It had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival and has been in four American and Canadian festivals.

Right from the beginning I wanted this documentary to reach a wider audience, especially young Asian Americans and other minorities, to inspire them to have a dream and to follow it the way Anna did. One of the film’s funders, the Center for Asian American Media, will distribute it to public television stations. But first I have to buy the broadcast rights to footage I use from Anna May Wong’s films. Paying for rights, and for the insurance PBS requires, will cost me $20,000. If I can’t raise that money the film won’t reach a national audience.

Anna May Wong grew up in Los Angeles, where her parents ran a laundry. She first starred, at age 17, in Toll of the Sea, a silent version of Madame Butterfly. She went on to make dozens of films in Hollywood, London and Berlin, co-starring with Marlene Dietrich, Anthony Quinn, Douglas Fairbanks and Philip Ahn. She was glamorous; photographers loved her. She was a charming and interesting person whose friends included Carl van Vechten, Evelyn Waugh and Paul Robeson. Yet she spent most of her career playing painted dolls and dragon ladies.

Many older Asian Americans look down on Anna for playing stock Asian characters. But a younger generation sees her as a pioneering artist who beat the odds in a tough industry. Besides her strength as a woman, I admire her for pushing herself as an actress. When her film roles were limited, she traveled around Europe performing in cabarets, polishing her talents as a singer, dancer and monologuist. When MGM didn’t cast her in The Good Earth, a film set in China, she went to China anyway and filmed her trip. Long before anyone was called a “community activist,” she devoted herself to the Chinese American community’s war effort during World War II. She was way ahead of her time. Her courage to be herself against all odds is truly inspiring, the kind of story I want my ten-year-old daughter to know.

The Center for Asian American Media, a consortium of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, exists to bring Asian American programs to public TV. Don Young, Program Director at CAAM, says this about the project:

“I feel that ‘Anna May Wong’ is a very strong prospect for broadcast during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May). Yunah has done an exceptional job with her material – she has put a tremendous amount of energy and intelligence into the film. She has one more hurdle to pass before we can send the film to PBS. She has secured partial copyright licenses for her film clips of Anna May Wong — for festival screenings, but not for national broadcast. Until she does that, she cannot obtain the Errors and Omissions Insurance PBS requires. Both of these steps cost money. I strongly urge anyone who cares about Asian Americans in the media to help Yunah tie up these loose ends.”

Halloween is a couple of days passed now, but weird things are still happening!

Scare Foundation is a non-profit charity organization that draws its support from the diverse and talented filmmakers, actors and musicians who work in the suspense and horror genres. Additionally, much of our organization is run and supported by the vast legion of the genre’s fan base. Scare Foundation offers a vehicle for the fans and creators of scary material to show their care and generosity in helping those who need it most. It has chosen to focus its efforts on the needs of at-risk youth and teens. The organization aims to make giving fun and exciting, like the films it is inspired by, relying of the giving and generous contributions of celebrities and fans alike. By aligning its efforts with several well-established charities with similar vision, Scare Foundation will be able to have the greatest impact.

The people involved in making, as well as appreciating, scary media, are some of the biggest hearted and most generous anywhere – something that is rarely acknowledged. Scare Foundation provides them with a charitable cause to give back to young people in need.

History: Scare Foundation was founded in late 2010 by producer and director, Malek Akkad. Having produced several popular horror films, including number one films such as “Halloween”, and “Halloween: H20”, Akkad was impressed by the kindness and generosity he experienced in dealing with co-workers and fans of the genre.

“Horror sometimes gets a bad rap. And I wanted to do something to show that we, the horror community, care as much about the hardships of others as anyone else. I meet a lot of the fans, and am always impressed with their kindness and generosity. These fans are amazing, and they love to have fun with these stories. I felt that this would be a great way for us all to show that, beyond loving our scary movies, we also care about others in need.”

“My goal is that Scare Foundation becomes a vehicle for the whole genre and all of its fans. I hope that everyone will get involved in any way they can, and give of their time and resources, to help benefit others. And of course, I am expecting the stars and creative talents to get just as involved.”

“Because teenagers have always supported these films, it is only fitting that we pick them for whom to focus our efforts. Teenage homelessness and poverty are huge problems that we must all participate in tackling.”

“And, of course, we will also have a lot of fun doing it. Every year, we will have an annual Scare Foundation Charity Halloween Party. I hope that we will soon become the preeminent event on Halloween, raising awareness and funds for those in need.” – Malek Akkad

Please visit scarefoundation.org for more information on how you can help.

I’m late to the party on Indonesian horror apparently! I was recently turned onto such films through this excellent aggregation of Asian horror films. Through it, I was caught onto Darah (kinda Hostel-like), Kuntilanak (girl channeling a slightly different vengeful spirit), and a new favorite of mine, Pintu Terlarang aka The Forbidden Door (a very cool thriller/horror/drama). Check ‘em out if you can!

Darah

Kuntilanak

Pintu Terlarang aka The Forbidden Door