Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival celebrates AAPI stories

Proving the power of storytelling has been part of the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival since its inception and this year it is taking the time to celebrate all the voices that share their stories.

“Our theme this year is ‘Celebrating Our Stories,’ which follows last year’s theme of `Celebrating Resilience,’” explained Sara Moore, Colorado Dragon Boat executive director. “ e stories we’re sharing may not usually be heard or seen, which means projecting them on the big screen provides awesome potential for connection.” e 8th annual Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival, hosted by Colorado Dragon Boat and Denver Film, opens ursday, March 9 and runs through Sunday, the 12th at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave., and the FreyerNewman Center at Denver Botanic Gardens, 1085 York St. in Denver. e festival includes 11 lms, all of which honor the experiences of Asian Americans and Paci c Islanders (AAPI) communities. Highlights include the opening night lm, “Arnold is a Model Student,” which is described in provided information as “a satirical comingof-age story examining contemporary ai culture through the lens of the country’s youth.”

Another important lm screening is “Reclaiming Denver’s Chinatown,” a documentary about the racism Chinese residents faced in the Mile High City. And, for the rst time, the festival will wrap up at the Denver Botanic Gardens, with a screening of “I Am What I Am,” an animated lm about a teenage boy who wants to learn the art of traditional Chinese lion dancing.

As is so often the case with lm festivals, some of the most exciting events are the extracurricular activities that

Letter To The Editor

In response to Feb. 16 letter on homelessness in Olde Town

I have too have encountered uncomfortable experience at the Olde Town Light Rail Station. However, the majority of my use has been mostly pleasant and certainly very utile. I never drive to the airport for my own travel anymore. I go to downtown Denver for the restaurants the Performing Arts Center the Denver Civic Center and other services that are available via the light rail and the free 16th Street Mall Shuttle. e covered lighted parking garage in Olde Town has proven safe

ST. JOANOF ARC CATHOLICCHURCH

Proclaiming Christ from the Mountains to the Plains www.StJoanArvada.org

12735 W 58th Ave · 80002 · 303-420-1232

Daily Masses: 8:30am, Mon-Sat Confessions: 8am Tue-Fri; 7:30am & 4:00pm Sat

Masses: 7:30, 9:00, 11:30am, 5:30pm

Coming Attractions

enhance the movies. Of note are two community conversations the festival is hosting: at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 11, “Celebrating the Stories of Our LGBTQ+ Asian American Paci c Islander Community,” will be held and at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 12, audiences can participate in “Celebrating the Stories of our Multiracial AAPI Community.”

“ ese topics come from listening to the community, which provides us with so many options,” Moore said. “Over the last three years we’ve seen huge increases in hate, racism and intolerance and we’re trying to ght this in many ways. Community conversations are great ways to help, because they give people the opportunity to hear stories and make these issues less unknown.”

In addition to live Q&As with lmmakers following some screenings, there will also be an Asian marketplace and culinary experience available to those who attend with an appetite. No matter how audiences want to engage with the festival, Moore hopes they’ll come with questions and a willingness to learn.

“ e beauty of the event is bringing people together every year to show that the stories we all share have so many similarities,” she said. “People can come together and feel a real sense of warmth and acceptance, and that’s really my goal for the festival.”

For information, individual tickets and passes, visit www.cd lm.org.

Find space for Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson at and secure.

If Mr. Albertsen was expecting Nirvana from any public transportation, then his sights were set too high. Our society is made up of a broad spectrum of humans and we will not avoid them all regardless of our attempts to do so. If he is so o ended by some of our community so unlike him, he should go to the two other stations in Arvada at Kipling and at Ward. Doing away with the system as it stands would be throwing out the baby with the bath water. Hooray for Olde Town and the Light Rail.

Bill Starks, Arvada

the Paramount

Even those who don’t really nd space all that interesting (I’m told that’s a thing) can nd something fascinating about exploration of the unknown when Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson speaks about it.

Tyson will be stopping by the Paramount eatre, 1621 Glenarm Place in Denver, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8. e topic for the evening’s discussion will be Cosmic Collisions, which has all kinds of potential to be properly mind blowing.

Purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster. com.

Watch the Oscars with fellow film lovers at Sie FilmCenter e Oscars are back to honor some of the year’s best lms (though I am personally outraged that “Babylon” didn’t receive a best picture nomination). As has become tradition, Denver Film is celebrating the year in movies with a big party (just like the one in “Babylon”). e Brightest Night in Hollywood begins at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 12 at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver. Attendees are encouraged to either get fully decked out or come in their com est pajamas and enjoy a live screening on all three of the center’s screens, with drink specials at the bar and food specials also available. e event is free, so visit https:// denver lm.eventive.org/ lms to RSVP for a spot.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Nathaniel Rateli plays Nilsson with the Colorado Symphony at Boettcher Concert Hall Singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson is one of those musicians who doesn’t receive the recognition they so rightly deserve. His music has been the inspiration for so many legendary artists, including Denver’s Nathaniel Rateli . To mark the 50th anniversary of “A Little Touch of Schmilsson,” Nilsson’s tribute to the Great American Songbook, Rateli is teaming up with the Colorado Symphony to tackle the seminal album. Nathaniel Rateli plays Nilsson with the Colorado Symphony will be held at the Boettcher Concert Hall, 1000 14th St., No. 15, in Denver, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4. Visit https://coloradosymphony.org/ for tickets and information.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail. com.

COLLIER

Roberta “Bobbie” Collier October 31, 1929 - November 26, 2022

Roberta “Bobbie” Collier passed from this earth on Saturday, November 26, 2022.

She was born on October 31, 1929. Bobbie is preceded in death by her parents; her brother Bob and sister Jeanette; her husbands, Walter, and Charles; and her son-in-law, Dee. She is survived by her children: Amy and Todd; her grandchildren: Tonya, Samuel, Tara, Cory, Alex, Jodee, Andrea, Kendra, and Karysa; and 14 great-grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held for Bobbie on March 4, 2023, at 1:00 pm at Horan & McConaty 7577 W. 80th Ave. Arvada, CO.

To advertise your place of worship in this section, call Erin at 303-566-4074 or email eaddenbrooke@ ColoradoCommunityMedia.com