69 seconds with ... filmmaker Aaron Chan

Spend 69 seconds with Vancouver filmmaker Aaron Chan whose movie Stay screens as part of The Coast is Queer on August 16th at the 2010 Vancouver Queer Film Festival.

01Your first job.
As an Entertainment Associate at Future Shop, since I'm pretty knowledgeable about music and movies -- games, not so much.

02The job you wanted as a child.
I wanted to be a paleontologist, among many things, but then I figured all the bones would be dug up by the time I was grown up and qualified, haha. Dinosaurs are awesome!

03Your favourite movie.
Ugh, do I have to choose just one? It changes every now and then but for a long time it was Amélie. Fellini's La Dolce Vita is pretty high up there as well.

04The three things you would want with you on a deserted island.
Hmm... a piano, so I could play and sing as loud as I could; someone to talk to and help me out with things (including not letting me use my left hand the rest of my days) but who also won't kill or eat me; and maybe enlightenment or true happiness so that I wouldn't need anything else than what I already have.

05Your pet peeve.
Again, only one? (Just kidding!) I'm annoyed at bad spelling and incorrect grammar, but that's the writer part of me. It also ticks me off when I see or read about sexual racism; for example, when people write in personal ads something like, "No Asians" and pass it off as a preference (or not) and apologize (or not). Really? Absolutely ridiculous.

06What's getting the most play on your iPod right now.
Pfft. Who needs an iPod when I have my trusty CD walkman? I believe the last CD I was listening to was Vanessa Carlton's Harmonium. Always in the mood for that great album.

07Your hero.
Philip J. Fry. Or if you're looking for a real person, Dan Savage.

08One thing no one knows about you (and you are willing to share).
Haha, I thought of something dirty there for a second. I'm not sure if there's anything, really. I share most, if not everything with my friends but... oh, when I'm in bed at night, my mind thinks of all sorts of random things, some which make me laugh out loud. I'm secretly scared that one of these days, when I laugh, some crazy ghost/spirit/monster will laugh back at me in the dark.

09 One word your best friend would use to describe you.
I just texted her and she said either artistic or pensive.

10 The one thing any visitor to Vancouver simply cannot miss … and the Queer Film Fest is not a proper answer.
It depends what they want to see. If they want to see the city, Davie Street is an obvious choice or going to a show at Bard on the Beach. There are lots of little spots around Vancouver as well that I like that doesn't particularly reflect the city but is just a quiet spot away from the noise.

MEET aaron chan

Born and raised in Vancouver, Aaron realized he was a true artist at heart when he began taking piano lessons at the age of 5-ish (his parents’ memories aren’t accurate).

He is a graduate of Vancouver Film School’s one-year screenwriting program, and his short film, On the Bus, has screened at several international festivals, including the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival in Grenoble, and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival.

Aaron has also made a number of documentary shorts with the “Playing It Safe” project, a series of films organized by YouthCO AIDS Society and the National Film Board of Canada promoting harm reduction amongst street youth.

His latest short film, Stay, is written by Aaron and also marks his directorial debut; it will be screening at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival in August 2010.