2012 in review

In 2012, I woke up to a snowstorm at Sundance and rose to a thunderstorm in Sierra Leone.

My short film, Little Mao, premiered at the TIFF Lightbox and screened at the Facets cinema in Chicago.

I worked on The Beatles Live! Project and helped cover the final Canadian Auto Workers' conference.

I met Irvine Welsh, Danny Glover, Ken Burns and David Chase.

I spoke at TIFF and the CMPA Conference.

I pitched Leone Stars at the Hot Docs Forum.

I visited Chess Records in Chicago and a week later stood before Abbey Road in London.

I saw the sun rise over the Atlantic.

That was 2012.

January: Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.  With Leone Stars co-director Ngardy Conteh.  We were both invited to Sundance as Sundance Documentary Fellows to attend workshops and networking meetings.

March: Above: In Ottawa to speak about crowdfunding for Leone Stars on a panel at the Canadian Media Producers Association Conference, Prime Time.  Right: The Bloor Cinema re-opens.

April:  My short film, Little Mao, receives its world premiere at TIFF Kids at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.  Three of the four screenings sell-out, and at one nine cast members appear with their families. Actors take part in post-screening Q&As with audiences. (Group photo by Mira Dimovski Budd)

May: With co-director Ngardy Conteh pitching Leone Stars before international broadcasters at the Hot Docs Forum, only one of four Canadian teams chosen to present.  (Photo by Joseph Michael)

May:  Top: Attending Mark Dillon's (right) launch of his book, 50 Sides of The Beach Boys at the Gladstone Hotel.  Contributor Randy Bachman (center) is recalling touring with the Beach Boys back in the day.  Bottom: The world premiere of Ecstacy at NXNE, The Royal Cinema, with author Irvine Welsh and director Rob Heydon.

July:  Canadians remember the Chinese railroad workers of a century ago on Canada Day.  Wreaths were laid at a memorial just outside the SkyDome.

Summer: I was a researcher on the multiplatform project, The Beatles Live! Project which is compiling fans' homemade movies of The Fab Four's concert tours of 1963-66.  Produced in cooperation with The Beatles' Apple Corp.

August: Part of a crew streaming the Canadian Auto Workers' conference where delegates voted to create a new super union, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union (CEP). That is former CAW chief Buzz Hargrove on the monitors at the conference at the Sheraton Centre.  Streaming crew was headed by Lisa Santonato.

August:  Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band blow away Toronto at the SkyDome.

September:  Little Mao plays Cinefest Subury.  (Thanks to Marsha Cummings' family for hosting me up there.)

 

October:  I programmed the Industry Series of panels and networking events for the Planet In Focus Environmental Film Festival.  Ticket sales rose this year across the board.  The fest took place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.  Below is the sold-out Networking Lounge which paired filmmakers with funders.

 

October:  Little Mao plays the Chicago International Children's Film Festival at the renown Facets cinema.  Allan meets fellow filmmakers Julio and Leslie Cabrera (two photos above) and Caru Alves de Souza (immediately above).  The bottom was taken at The Bean by Julio. (Great image.)

October: At 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chess Records. home of the Chicago Blues...

....a week later, standing outside Abbey Road Studios in London, where The Beatles recorded their music.

 November:  Days after screening Little Mao in Chicago I joined Ngardy in Sierra Leone to finish filming our documentary, Leone Stars.  Cinematographer Colin Akoon and our fixer Hash Magona.

 

Top photo: Bornor Kabo running through the streets of Freetown as Colin films him from the back of a moving vehicle.  Second: Practicing on Aberdeen Beach at sunset.  Third: Colin panning across Freetown just seconds before a cloudburst drenches us.  Bottom: My view of the Atlantic Ocean every morning.

November: Grey Cup champions, The Toronto Argonauts, give Torontonians something to cheer about during a hockey strike.

 

NXNE 2012 Film Round-up

My picks & pans at NXNE's June 11-16 film series (for AUX TV):

I WANT TO BE A DESI online at Bravo!

I Want To Be A Desi is now available online.  The complete film can be viewed at Bravo!

Interviews at CBC Sports & Mississauga Indie Film Fest

I Want To Be A Desi director and co-writer, Allan Tong, and co-writer Dinesh Sachdev chat with TTN-HD Reporter Katie Uhlmann on the red carpet at the gala reception for the Mississauga Independent Film Festival on July 20. The reception took place at the Art Gallery of Mississauga to kick off MIFF where Desi earned an Honourable Mention from the judges. Thanks to Joanne Uhlmann who shot and edited this clip.

Leone Stars directors Allan Tong & Ngardy Conteh spoke to CBC-TV's Scott Morrison on July 9

LITTLE MAO casting Asian actor, age 10-13

Dear Comrades,

I'm seeking an Asian male actor who looks 12 for my short film, LITTLE MAO, about the life of Chairman Mao as told through a child's baseball team.

No experience necessary, though preferred. Non-union. The star will be paid for two days of work in August in the Toronto area.

Please contact me with any suggestions (photos and short bio/resume, please).

Thank you,
Allan Tong
tong.allan@gmail.com

LEONE STARS appears on CBC Soccer Day

Leone Stars documentarians Ngardy Conteh and Allan Tong will appear sometime between 11:00 am and 11:30 am (EST) on Saturday, July 9 to show an excerpt of our footage and discuss the film with CBC host Scott Morrison. Tune in!

For CBC's Soccer Day in Canada schedule, click

Visit the Leone Stars website to view our trailer and learn more about this groundbreaking documentary.

Bono during a Saturday morning practice on the beaches of Freetown

National amputee team coach Moses during an interview in Freetown

The Bo provincial team practices. Players from the regional teams are selected for the national amputee team that competes internationally. Leone Stars is a "process documentary" that follows various players through the selection process.

All photos by Johnny Vong who served as a Production Assistant on the March 2011 shoot in Sierra Leone. For more of Johnny's wonderful images, please visit his site.

LEONE STARS launches Kickstarter.com campaign

The LEONE STARS documentary team has launched a fundraising campaign at Kickstarter.com to raise $20,000 to shoot a film about the amputee soccer team of Sierra Leone. Donate anywhere from $5 and $5,000 and receive books, t-shirts, photos and CDs in return.

This project has attracted some of the top film, music and photography talents in Canada and the United States: K'NAAN who has contributed his song, "Fire in Freetown," to this trailer you see; Hot Docs board member WALTER FORSYTH who produced the viral hit How to Be Alone and the feature doc CUBERS; New York photographer FIONA ABOUD, and journalist/filmmaker ALLAN TONG.

For full details, please visit www.kickstarter.com.