MADISON (Sept.5, 2023) — Paula Tran, the state health officer and administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Division of Public Health, was selected by the de Beaumont Foundation as one of its Class of 2023 40 Under 40 in Public Health leaders, according to a September press release. Paula Tran, state health officer for the Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services. The de Beaumont Foundation, a national nonprofit that supports and invests in public health solutions and partnerships, announced its third class of public health leaders after reviewing nominations ..read more

by Diana Cheng AAP Film and Arts Writer “Under the turquoise sky” is the Centerpiece Film in this year’s Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Films taking place currently in New York, from July 26 to August 6. Directed by Kentaro, it is a road movie that offers spectacular visuals of the expansive Mongolian open country and a story that spans generations yet intimate in its storytelling. Yûya Yagira, the star of the feature, will be honored with the award for Outstanding Achievement in Film for his role. The youngest ever winner of Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival, Yagira rose to interna ..read more

by Diana Cheng AAP Film and Arts Writer It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman by the age of thirty, must be in want of a husband. Director Shinya Tamada’s “I am what I am” presents a different set of values to counter such a normative expectation in Japanese society. The 104 minute dramedy of manners is a selection in the upcoming Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film presented by Japan Society in New York to take place July 26 to August 6, 2023.  A film project from the (not) Heroine Movies of the Nagoya Broadcasting Network––a series of subversive takes on the ..read more

The New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) are co-presenting the 22nd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) from July 14 – 30. Screenings will take place at the FLC and the historic Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the birthplace of the motion picture industry in America.  The sixteen-day film festival will showcase eight world premieres, nine international premieres, thirty-two North American premieres, three U.S. premieres, and sixteen East Coast/New York premieres, encompassing new action, comedy, drama, thriller, romance, horro ..read more

by Diana Cheng AAP Film and Arts Writer “Past Lives” is a meticulously crafted feature that is autobiographical in nature, naturalistic in style, and far-reaching in its resonance. The directorial debut of Korean-Canadian playwright Celine Song who is now based in the US, it premiered at Sundance early this year and subsequently was nominated for a Golden Berlin Bear at the 73rd Berlinale. Most recently on July 2, its accolades continued at the Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Awards winning Best Indie Film, Best Actress for Greta Lee and Best Screenplay for Song. Nora (Greta Lee ..read more

A scene from “Under the Turquoise Sky”. Photo Source: Japan Society Japan Society’s 16th annual Japan Cuts is set for twelve days from July 26 to August 6. The largest Japanese film festival in North America, Japan Cuts 2023 will resume with the first in-person festival since 2019.  This year Japan Cuts will showcase twenty-four feature-length and five short films in various categories. Among the premiers are five International, ten North American, seven U.S., three East Coast and three New York. All screenings will take place at Japan Society in New York City. Acclaimed actor Y ..read more

Eating nutritious food is important at any life stage, as it’s never too early or too late to eat healthier. The U.S. Department of Agriculture now provides a website that addresses diet-related health disparities and food access inequities to help with achieving good health.   USDA’s free resource Start Simple with MyPlate provides the tools to help people incorporate healthy food and eating habits into their life at any age. Start Simple also meets people where they are and supports them through affordable, healthy eating choices USDA’s most recent edition of the Dietary Guidelines ..read more

by Diana Cheng AAP Film and Arts Writer In this the universe that we all know, a movie from the indie studio A24 called “Everything Everywhere All at Once” just won seven Academy Awards out of its eleven nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Editing. The date is March 12th, 2023, at the 95th Academy Awards held in the Dolby theatre in Los Angeles, California.  A historic night as this is the first Sci-Fi genre movie to win Best Picture, and Michelle Yeoh the first Asian to g ..read more

By Kim Hwang AAP Theater Review “Tina: The Tina Turner the Musical” is on stage now through March 12  at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Minneapolis.  Despite an unfortunate development of COVID-19 spreading among some of the cast, opening night was a success. Understudies who filled in for sick cast members rose to the occasion and made it feel like opening night. At 7:15 p.m. overwhelming energy filled the crammed lobby, while ticket goers packed into the main theater to see the highly anticipated production.  The production initially debuted in 2019, in London’s West End and ..read more

Pa Kou Vang ST. PAUL, Minn. (March 3, 2023) — The Hmong Cultural Center Museum has hired two new tour guides to help lead tours in its new storefront museum on University Avenue at Western Avenue in the Little Mekong District in St. Paul.  Pa Kou Vang is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor’s Degree in History. Pa Soua Vue is a graduate of Lawrence University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art.  Pa Kou and Pa Soua will lead field trips for schools and other groups visiting the museum. They will assist walk-in visitors learn about all the Hmong Cultural Center ..read more