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If you’re into modern films, especially Viet films that don’t look like copies of Hong Kong or Korean soaps, check out this press release from VAALA and the Bowers Museum (2002 N. Main St, Santa Ana , CA 92706):

Viet Film Wave Series at Bowers Museum :

Symposium with Filmmakers Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vo,

Stephane Gauger and Lam Nguyen

Friday, May 9, 2008 from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

www.vaala.org & www.bowers.org

Santa Ana, Calif. – The Viet Film Wave series at the Bowers Museum will culminate in a symposium with Filmmakers Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vo (director of Buffalo Boy), Stephane Gauger (director of Owl and the Sparrow) and Lam Nguyen (producer of Journey from the Fall).  The event will take place on Friday May 6, 2008 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in the gorgeous Norma Kershaw Auditorium at Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St, Santa Ana , CA 92706, telephone: (714) 567-3695.  The museum will host a reception from 7:30-8:00 p.m.   Admission fee (including the reception): $5.  Tickets will be available at the door. 

The Bowers Museum in conjunction with the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) presents THE VIET FILM WAVE, a compelling three-film series and symposium with the filmmakers.  The films in the series were Owl and the Sparrow, Journey from the Fall, and Buffalo Boy on April 6, April 20, and May 4, respectively.  Today’s Vietnamese American filmmaking reflects the vibrant movement to go beyond the scope of the mainstream’s telling of Vietnam and toward illustrating the dynamic Vietnamese experience itself.  The three films selected transmit these stories through the lens of talented and devoted filmmakers, screenwriters and actors. 

Panelists’ Bios

Nghiem-Minh Nguyen-Vo
Writer/Director

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In a posting entitled “Why’s it so hard for Hoa Van Tran to report expenses?” on TheLiberalOC.com, Chris Prevatt exposed the vast extent of expenses by the Hoa Van Tran campaign that were incurred and paid during the period covered by the first disclosure, but were not reported by the campaign.

Expenses uncovered by Prevatt include some obvious items as well as some items revealed by insiders to Prevatt, in his self-styled “TheLiberalOC.com Bulldog Investigation.”

You can access the PDF of Hoa’s financial report here. The reporting period was for January 1, 2008 through March 17, 2008. That means any contribution, loan and expenditures incurred during that period (including unpaid bills) must be reported on that form.

Now go to page 11 of that report. That section is “Schedule E - Payments Made.” The report only shows 3 payments made through March 17: $308.16 to AT&T, $750 to BC Telecommunication, both for office expenses, and $808.13 to Le’s Printing for campaign literature.

There are some payments that we just know the campaign made before March 17 but were not reported. First and most obvious of all are the filing fees. The deadline for filing was March 7, and Hoa Van Tran did file, so obviously the campaign did pay the filing fees. Whether they were drawn on the campaign’s checking account or drawn on someone else’s account, they must be disclosed.

They weren’t. And Prevatt duly noted that: Candidate Filing Fee, $1,430.42; Candidate Statement Fee, $5,965.

Prevatt also uncovered other expenses paid from the campaign bank account at First Vietnamese American Bank, but were not reported: “salary payment to one campaign staffer, $500; reimbursement to a campaign staffer for purchase of office supplies, $51.70.” The number on these checks, minus the reported payments, indicate that there were ten other payments on the same checking account that were not reported.

Prevatt also related an account by a Hoa Van Tran campaign insider how Hoa went to Costco on or about March 12 (that is, during the reporting period) to buy $5,000 worth of computers, couldn’t pay by campaign check, so went back to arrange for another check, credit card, or money order to pay Costco.

And then there were staff wages and salaries, including those of campaign manager Edgardo Reynoso who began work on March 1. And gas reimbursement for the candidate and staff, paid in cash. And lots of other stuff uncovered by Prevatt.

Read full details here.

Red County/OC Blog’s Jubal has this entry: OC Supervisor Janet Nguyen has been sued in small claims court by one of her top men in the last election for failure to pay $2,500 out of a total of $12,500 for his services.

Jimmy Camp (pictured), a veteran GOP operative, was hired by Janet Nguyen to lead her recount efforts that reversed her 7-vote loss and gave her a 3-vote win and a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Camp claims that he was paid $2,500 up front and promised a $10,000 win bonus, but so far he’s been paid only $7,500 of the win bonus. He wants the rest of his money.

This year 2008 is not shaping up to be the Vietnamese-American community’s proudest moment.

First we have Hoa Van Tran with a rotating staff who also claim they were stiffed and who lets himself be ordered around by his campaign manager. Then we have Dina Nguyen who can’t fill out a form, can’t spell, and has secret campaign personnel.

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