This week audiences got a first-look at The Chinatown Diner, the dramatic feature film debut from Lawrence Le Lam which was shot in Vancouver’s Chinatown and Richmond, and is set for a festival run in 2025.
The Chinatown Diner First-Look Trailer
From Foreshadow Films and Cheerful Pictures in association with Crazy8s Film Society
In 2020, Lam received $150,000 for the project through the Telefilm program dedicated to supporting emerging filmmakers. “At a time when art spaces are disappearing from our cultural landscape due to rent hikes and renovictions, The Chinatown Diner is a much-needed cinematic call to arms for community activism.” [source: Emily Carr University]
In the film, Rikki Meng, played by Aileen Wu (Alien: Romulus), is a beatmaker who falls in love with The Chinatown Diner; a soon-to-be-demolished diner by day and underground hip-hop club by night. She sets out to save this beloved community stable her real estate tycoon father is trying to destroy. Meanwhile The Immortals, a hip hop group from the near future, narrate the story in their divine podcast.
The Chinatown Diner – Still
Other talent in the film includes Curtis Lum (The Night Agent, Siren, Supergirl), Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience, Float), Olivia Cheng (Warrior, Deadly Class) and Tzi Ma (Mulan, Arrival).
The Chinatown Diner is a coming-of-age drama, with sprinkles of crime drama, hip-hopera, and horror, that explores the social fabrics of Vancouver’s historic Chinatown. Both in front of and behind the camera, Canadian filmmaker Lam’s first feature promises to be a stylish, fresh, and edgy celebration of Asian culture, Asian hip-hop / lofi music, and delicious food.
The BC Lions will pay respect to National Day for Truth and Reconciliation during their Orange Shirt Day game at BC Place on September 27th. There will be a t-shirt giveaway for the first 10,000 fans, a warmup with DJ O Show, halftime performance from The Halluci Nation, an Indigenous Marketplace, and more.
BC Lions Orange Shirt Day Game in Honour of Truth And Reconciliation
Date: Friday, September 27, 2024 kickoff at 7:30pm
Location: Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place, Vancouver
The first 10,000 fans through the gates will receive free Orange t-shirts. This year’s shirt features a refreshed design including the artwork of Tanner Timothy from the Sliammon and We Wai Kai First Nations.
The Port Day festival at Canada Place on Saturday, September 21st includes family activities, a maritime career zone, and free performances on the waterfront including this year’s headliners: Delhi 2 Dublin. This Canadian world music group from Vancouver who play a fusion of Bhangra, electronic, funk, dub, reggae, hip hop, Celtic music and a mashup of other genres.
On Friday, September 20th, thousands of families, students, teachers, elders, youth, advocates and activists will participate in the Global Climate Strike in Vancouver.
Global Climate Strike Vancouver
12:00pm Sign-making at City Hall
1:00pm Host nation welcome by Manny Strain, 2-Spirit artist from the lands and waters of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Simpcw and Syilx peoples; and speech from a passionate local high school student
1:30pm March from City Hall to the Art Gallery, across Cambie Bridge
2:45pm Welcome by Sun Dance Chief Rueben George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation; a speech by environmental organizer Ashley Zarbatany, live entertainment and a children’s activity booth
At Robson Square, English singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg will also take to the stage ahead of his concert later that night at the Commodore.
In 2019, the strike was attended by nearly 100,000 people, and thousands also turned up last year (read CBC coverage here).
The event is organized by the Vancouver Strike Coalition, which includes For Our Kids Vancouver, Youth Climate Corps BC, Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance, Fridays for Future Vancouver, St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Climate Action Team, Teachers for Future Turtle Island, and more. Supporters include Climate Emergency Unit, David Suzuki Foundation, Dogwood, and West Coast Environmental Law.
Metro Vancouver schools will be closed for a Pro-D Day, and the event is expected to have traffic impacts from the time the march leaves (1:30pm) around Cambie and 12th, into Downtown turning on Smithe, Hornby, and around Robson Square and the Vancouver Art Gallery.
lnvictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 announced today that GRAMMY-Award Nominated, Multi-Platinum Artist Noah Kahan and (BC’s own) International Superstar Nelly Furtado will headline the opening ceremony which will take place on February 8, 2025 at BC Place.
Update January 31, 2025: Chris Martin, lead vocalist of Coldplay, has officially joined the star-studded lineup for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 Opening Ceremony. Notably, Martin composed the Invictus Anthem in 2014, inspired by William Ernest Henley’s poem, Invictus. His music has soundtracked the medal ceremonies of every Invictus Games since.He joins Katy Perry, Noah Kahan, Nelly Furtado, and Quebec alt-pop star Roxane Bruneau for an unforgettable kickoff event on February 8th at BC Place.
Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler Opening Ceremony
Date: February 8, 2025 at 1:00pm
Location: BC Place
Tickets: Opening Ceremony tickets start at $40 (plus fees of $27.07) for a total ticket cost of $67.07. Sign up for early access to purchase is available until 5:00pm September 22. Ticket pre-sale for Opening and Closing Ceremonies and sport events through Ticketmaster starts September 23, with public ticket sale starting September 26, 2024.
The lnvictus Games is a life-changing opportunity to celebrate courage and the unconquered human spirit. The seventh edition of this unique sporting competition for international wounded, injured, and sick military service members and Veterans takes place February 8 to 16,2025.
The Closing Ceremony will take place at Rogers Arena on Sunday, February 16, 2025 and details of that event will be announced soon.
Photo submitted
#ShareYourIAM
Another I AM sign has appeared in Vancouver, this time at the Inukshuk in English Bay, building a buzz in the city over the coming months.
To date, four of the ten I AM signs are located as follows: at the Vancouver Convention Center near Jack Poole Plaza, BC Place near Terry Fox Plaza, Devonian Gardens Park along Georgia Street just before the entrance to Stanley Park and at Hillcrest Recreation Center, home to the Wheelchair Curling competition for the 2025 Games.
All ten I AM signs were manufactured in Canada, the first (and only) illuminated I AM sign being the largest at 10’w x 8’h x 6’d, weighing 976lbs. The subsequent nine signs will each measure 10’w x 8’h x 3’d and weigh just over 400lbs.
About Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025
The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025, presented by ATCO and Boeing, is an international sporting competition for wounded, injured, and sick service members and Veterans. From February 8th – 16th 2025, the seventh Invictus Games will bring together up to 550 competitors from up to 25 nations in 11 adaptive sports in the natural beauty of British Columbia, Canada.
The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 will be held on the traditional territories of the Lil̓wat7úl (Líl̓wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. True Patriot Love Foundation, the Government of Canada, and the Province of British Columbia are the valued Founding Partners of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025.
Follow the Games on Instagram for the latest information.
