Hidden Figures at BMFI

The Bryn Mawr College Computer Science and Physics Departments sponsored tickets to see the film Hidden Figures at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute on Wednesday, February 8. The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe as real life NASA mathematicians Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson who were involved in calculating the US’s first trajectories into space in the 1960s. Continue reading

Ms. Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton

Legendary singer and 2-time Grammy winner Lisa Fischer graced Bryn Mawr College two times this week. First was on the movie screen in the documentary “20 Feet From Stardom” showing hosted by the Provost’s Office and the Sociology Department on Thursday December 1. Second was on the Goodhart McPherson mainstage with her band Grand Baton playing as part of the Bryn Mawr Performing Arts Series on Saturday December 3.CyylrDyVIAAD2HC Continue reading

“How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)” Film Screening with ASA

Last week on April 25, the Asian Students Association hosted a screening of the film “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time).” The 2015 film by Korean American director Josh Kim is based on Thai American writer Rattawut Lapcharoensap’s acclaimed 2004 short story collection “Sightseeing,” a story about growing up in Thailand as told through the lens of a lower class boy (Oat) observing his older brother (Ek) go through the military draft and work to support the family.

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Strength In Numbers: Sights and Sounds of the Asian American Hip Hop Generation at PAAFF

Last night was the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival‘s centerpiece event at International House Philadelphia— Strength In Numbers: Sights and Sounds of the Asian American Hip Hop Generation. The event consisted of a screening of select music videos, a panel discussion on Asian Americans in Hip Hop, and live performances by artists included in the Strength in Numbers project.The panelists included the Mountain Brothers (Scott CHOPS Jung, Chris PERIL-L Wang, Steve STYLES INFINITE Wei), Catzie Vilayphonh of Yellow Rage, rappers Rekstizzy and Joanlee, and singers JL Jupiter and Ann One. The panel was moderated by Dr. James Peterson (Director of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of English at Lehigh University, Founder of Hip Hop Scholars, Inc and a frequent Guest Commentator on MSNBC and CNN).

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Lin + Lam Experimental Film Artists Talk “Citizens of Tomorrow”

On Monday, the Bryn Mawr Film Studies department welcomed mixed media experimental film artists duo Lin + Lam. Lana Lin (Associate Professor in the School of Media Studies, The New School) and Lan Thao Lam (Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at Parsons) have been working together for over 15 years making arts that examine culture, history, colonialism, globalization, and citizenship. Professor Hoang Tan Nguyen, who teaches Asian American Film, invited Lin + Lam to Bryn Mawr to discuss their projects and working methodologies.

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48 Hour Film Marathon

I have absolutely no formal filmmaking experience, but that didn’t stop me from entering the 48 Hour Film Marathon hosted by Haverford Instructional Technology this weekend. This was the first time they were hosting such an event, and about 14 students from the Bi-Co showed up. In the end, only 3 Haverford teams stayed. I was the lone Bryn Mawr team of one. (Correction: apparently 1 Haverford team and 2 Bryn Mawr teams (including myself entered.)

In 48 hours, each team had to complete a film incorporating a certain prop and script line within a randomly assigned genre. The prop was a bowl of cereal and the line was, “I am not a fan of the cactus.” My genre was comedy.

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