Trial By Fire Horse

Unlike the powerful but politically polarizing Jesus Camp, Julia Kwan's whimsical feature debut Eve and the Fire Horse explores religious tolerance through the eyes of two sisters, Eve and Karena Eng. In a memorable scene, Eve, intrigued by her mother's dual worship in Jesus and Buddha, dreams of the two deities dancing together in the family dining room. "I wanted to make a film dealing with religion through the eyes of a creative sensitive young girl," Kwan claims. But by no means did the Vancouver-born director make a "conversion film." Loosely based on her life, the script arose from Kwan's fascination with the purity of a child's gaze. "For example, when Eve sees the Ten Commandments where Moses parts the Red Sea, her fear was what happens to the horses, and why would God drown the horses?"

Aloha 'Aina (Love of the Land)

Films ranging from South Pacific to 50 First Dates have exoticized Hawai'i as a plush, romantic backdrop of hula dancers, cabana boys, and lazy palm trees against which their characters meet and fall in love, but very rarely does the Aloha State take centerstage as in Edgy Lee's new documentary The Hawaiians: Reflecting Spirit. The hour-long crash course on the history of Hawai'i and the intrinsic relationship between nature and man features interviews with U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka, artist Keal'l Reichel, celestial navigator Nainoa Thompson, as well as a moving segment with Kauaian saltmaker Wilma Holi, to name a few.

Here and Now

Korean adoptees Kim Dalros and Holly Coughlin are updating the faces of their home state, Minnesota, one picture at a time. By capturing the largest population of Korean adoptees in the world, the two graphic designers are asserting their "living history" in a completely original book, entitled Here.

"We want to represent the unique slice of life of the Korean adoptee, a very individualized photograph, yet have it be a part of a greater picture-- no pun intended," says Dalros.

To make a donation or learn more about Here: The First Portrait Book of Korean Adoptees Living in Minnesota, visit their website at http://www.dalrosdesign.com/about/intro.asp.