Asian CineVision in association with Asia Society
presents the 26th Asian American International Film Festival
June 20-29!

Celebrate the life of former Asian CineVision executive director Bill Gee at a memorial service on Sunday, June 22 at 1:30 at the Asia Society (725 Park Avenue).

In association with ACV, the Asian American Journalists Association-NY Chapter has established the BILL J. GEE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MEDIA ARTS JOURNALISM.

The $500 prize, to be awarded annually, will recognize excellence in writing by a professional journalist or critic that advances and illuminates the work of Asian Americans in the media arts. An independent panel of distinguished writers, journalists, scholars and artists will review recommendations from other professionals for nominees. The award honors the memory of Bill Gee, journalist and former Executive Director of Asian CineVision, who passed away in March 2003. Gee was the founding editor of CineVue, the critical media arts journal published by ACV, and a founding member of the Asian American Journalists Association-New York Chapter.

The Bill J. Gee Award for Excellence in Media Arts Journalism will be presented at the 27th Asian American International Film Festival in 2004.

To make a tax-deductible donation to the fund or for more information, contact Risa Morimoto, Executive Director of Asian CineVision, at 212.989.1422 or email

Wayne Chiang achieved his first 15 minutes of fame by winning the StarCraft Brood War World Championship in 1999. He parlayed his new-found fame to eventually meet his idol Eugene of S.E.S. that same year, appearing off-camera in the music video "Love." Wayne is currently a student at UCSD and spends his free time on FOB Squad , his comic strip on the lives and misadventures of two Asian dudes, Wes and Joey.

Wes and Joey dole out some education by visiting an aquarium.

Charlotte Sometimes director Eric Byler Reviews Robot Stories

Winner of over 23 film festival awards, Robot Stories is science fiction from the heart, four stories in which utterly human characters struggle to connect in a world of robot babies and android office workers.

The stories include: My Robot Baby , in which a couple (Tamlyn Tomita and James Saito) must care for a robot baby before adopting a human child; The Robot Fixer , in which a mother (Wai Ching Ho, Best Actress, St. Louis Int'l Film Festival and Puchon Int'l Fantastic Film Festival ) tries to connect with her dying son by completing his toy robot collection; Machine Love , in which an office worker android (Greg Pak) learns that he, too, needs love; and Clay , in which an old sculptor (Sab Shimono) must choose between natural death and digital immortality.

Awards include the Special Jury Award for Emotional Truth from the Florida Film Festival ; Best Feature Film