The 12th annual Vancouver Asian Film Festival finished its four-day run on November 9.

Two sold-out screenings of Ping Pong Playa, the festival’s opening film, have led to the film garnering a theatrical run at Cinemark Tinseltown, the VAFF venue, starting on Friday (November 14).

At the sold-out closing-gala screening of the slick Korean American gangster feature West 32nd on November 9, Vancouver actor Grace Park, who stars in the film alongside John Cho (Harold & Kumar), was introduced by fellow Vancouver actor Olivia Cheng (Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking).

Although Park is currently appearing in three TV series—Battlestar Galactica, The Border, and The Cleaner—she told the Straight that West 32nd is special to her because it’s her first feature film, and because of its Korean American content. “I think it’s”¦a part of this experience of living here, and because a lot of the film is in Korean, and because of the different sense of humour. And because also you get to see both sides—you see some characters who are very uncomfortable in one part of the culture and yet completely at ease in another.”

At an industry luncheon at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden on November 9, National Film Board producer Selwyn Jacob presented the NFB Best Canadian Short Film Award at VAFF statuette to Julia Kwan (Eve and the Fire Horse) for “Smile”. Runners-up included Randall Okita (“Machine With Wishbone”) and Jason Karman (“State of Yo”).