VAFF Executives

Vancouver Asian Film Festival’s entire Executive Team is volunteer-based.

Grace Chin is a marketing communications consultant, event coordinator, content strategist and writer/ editor, currently with Boilingpoint Group. A produced playwright, short film producer, anthologized short fiction writer, and performer, she is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada, the Playwrights Theatre Centre (PTC), and the Union of British Columbia Performers. She has been a board member of Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, and coproduces the panAsian script reading series, Scripting Aloud.

Programming Team

My favorite movie is Edward Scissorhands. My guilty pleasure is something too R rated for this bio. My favorite city in BC is Revelstoke because its soooo surreal. My favorite top 3 foods are: Smoked Black cod, Cheesecake and Potato Chips. My fashion statements is to dress in whatever you want because I don’t believe in fashion trends.

Jennifer has been watching films with Asian content ever since she discovered her interest in them in high school, and since then, she makes a point of seeking them out, especially films about kick ass Asian Canadians. Last found taking Asian Culinary Arts and working as part of the Chinese Canadian Stories team at UBC making books, project planning, and creating films, Jennifer also loves traveling, trying new things, and talking about history. And rock climbing.

Akiko is thrilled to join the VAFF executive committee this year. She enjoys working with a variety of people and is very excited to help programming films for VAFF and deliver great ones to audiences. She has a background in film studies, loves watching films and believes in the power of film. Her strong passion of film has motivated her to volunteer with over 10 film organizations in Vancouver since last year, including VAFF 2014. She also likes the outdoors, traveling around the world and meeting new people, culture and food!

Alejandro Yoshizawa – Rogers Teaching Fellow is a filmmaker from Vancouver, British Columbia. He was the lead filmmaker and director for the Chinese Canadian Stories web series which was nominated for a Leo Award for Best Web Series in 2013. His films have been shown across Canada at various exhibitions and film festivals including Ethnographic Terminalia (Montreal) and the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. Academically, Yoshizawa is interested in oral history, digital storytelling and the use of film as a pedagogical tool. He received the Edgar Wickberg Prize in Chinese Canadian History in 2010.

Programmer | Doug Cheng

Operations Team

Born and raised in the beautiful city of Castlegar, B.C. in the West Kootenay, he has always enjoyed Chinese Canadian history and culture. In his spare time, he likes to listen to music; watch TV, film and documentaries and he is an avid local history buff.  He has worked in the local media and broadcast industry for over fifteen years.

Volunteer Coordinator | Hannah L.

Mark is an independent film enthusiast. Born in Seoul, Mark moved to Vancouver with his family when he was fifteen. His passion for cinema is perhaps influenced by an artistic family (his older brother is an artist and his younger brother is a guitarist). Though he went on to pursue his field in accounting, his infatuation towards the art of filmmaking grows stronger. Mark would like to thank all the filmmakers for fostering cultural diversity in North America, and also VAFF for providing such a wonderful scene.

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.

Robin has been producing content for film and television for over a decade. In this time, he has produced short films, music videos, promotional videos and feature films “Lucky Stars” (2002) and “The Hollow Ones” (2015). His short film “Joanna Makes a Friend” (2011) won the Audience Choice Awards at the Victoria Film Festival and at the TIFF.kid Toronto International Film Festival. Robin is the Principle Producer of Like Minded Media based in Vancouver.

Caitlin is excited to be part of the executive team of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival and to have the opportunity to be part of a community of people who share her love for arts and culture. She enjoys films of all types as well as most other forms of entertainment. She will accept any excuse to party (especially if there are costumes involved) and spends most of her spare time planning the next outing with friends. She is looking forward to meeting many more great people at VAFF this year.

Creative Team

Justin is active in the art and design community, plays dodgeball, and loves to cook and watch movies. He is always looking for a new challenge, whether it’s planking for 100 days or learning Korean, and has never lost a game of Jenga. He is excited to be part of the VAFF team this year.

Alisha Weng is a Taiwanese digital media artist based in Vancouver. She graduated from Alberta College of Art & Design with a Bachelor of Media Art and Digital Technologies.

Born in Peru, Briana grew up in northern BC, but moving to Vancouver three years ago felt like coming home. Passionate about film, photography, design, food, music, and travel Briana can be found at anything from Karaoke to concerts and hosting potlucks for her friends or learning another language. Briana has Diplomas in New Media Design and Communications, and Digital Film and Video. She is very excited to be joining the VAFF team this year

Graphics Coordinator | Jennifer Yip

Marketing / Communication Team

Vincent counts his past five years with VAFF – both in the box office and part of the Marketing and Communications Group – as some of his favourite memories. This year he will focus on increasing VAFF’s visibility to new audiences through strategic partnerships and events. Vincent has worked in the non-profit sector for 14 years, and in the special events field for 7 years. By day, he manages public special event programs and coordinates volunteers at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, and also runs events in his off time such as a monthly dance social called The Blues Cafe. Among Vincent’s favourite things about Vancouver are its love of festivals, vibrant social communities, and its cultural diversity, aspects of the city that Vincent works hard to promote both in and out of VAFF.

Passionate about all things media and technology-related, Clement’s interests include photography, graphic design and of course, film. Through his work and studies, he is an experienced writer, editor, event planner and designer. Drawing inspiration from the world around him, Clement is always looking to discover new things, whether it be music, restaurants or travel destinations, to add to his growing bucket list. Feel free to say hello via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

Social Media Superhero

A creative at heart, Winson is excited to be joining VAFF this year as the creator and producer of the RedPacketChallenge – a film competition geared towards micro-content. He is a lover of films, good storytelling and talent and is excited to see this merge & evolve with technology and the Internet. Winson has worked as a Director, Writer, Producer and Actor. Representation: KirkTalent.com Candace Fulton

A modern-day Renaissance woman, Vienna is excited to be a part of the VAFF family. Born and raised in Vancouver, and herself of the Asian persuasion, she is passionate about both film, and promoting Asian culture and awareness in the arts. After graduating from the New York Film Academy, Vienna spent the last few years honing and fine-tuning her skill set; a little bit of graphic design, a teeny bit of architecture, a metric-ton of arts/science, and an immeasurable sum of marketing and communications. She is also an accomplished musician who loves reading, eating steaks, parkour, and martial arts.

Melissa, born and raised in Austria, is passionate about travelling, exploring cultures and always seeking for new challenges. You could meet her at least once a week discovering a new restaurant. She is enthusiastic about sports,cooking and there is barely a day without watching an exciting TV-Show or a thoughtful movie. She is very thrilled to be part of the VAFF team this year and is looking forward to contribute to VAFF 2015.

With over 15 years of experience in the software industry, she is skilled in digital branding, client development, project management, product analysis and the development of service solutions. She is an operating partner of HyBird Media Group, and responsible for corporate development, investment strategies for start-up and enterprise technology companies and the implementation of digital marketing strategies targeting North America and Asia. She is thrilled to be part of the VAFF family.