DINNER: Celebration of "Once Upon A Time In Cabramatta" SBS TV Series Success Date: Wed, 14 Feb, 2012 @Bach Dang Restaurant

After such as long and trying year with the SBS production, the show has finally wrapped up with a  friendly celebration as initiated by the Vietnamese Community of Australia (VCA) - NSW Chapter.

It was a project I was very much proud to have been a part of. I learnt some many new skills and developed a new found love for documentary making. It was fantastic to see John Godfrey (SBS Doco commissioner), Craig Graham (Fredbird Entertainment) & Sue Clothier (Northern Pictures) travel all way out here to the west to have dinner with  everyone.

Post dinner was a number of plaque tokens of appreciation as well as (my favorite) movie poster size memorabilia.

The overall picture is, everyone was very impressed with the outcome of this show. From rating number 2 trending on twitter and SBS top rated show of the year, "Once Upon A Time in Cabramatta" is beyond a series, it was the driving force for some community healing.

VCA, Sue Clothier (Northern Pictures) and Maria Tran

Craig Graham (Fredbird Entertainment), VCA, John Godfrey (SBS) and Sue Clothier (Northern Pictures)

POST EVENT: Once Upon A Time In Cabramatta - Ep. 3 Screening

Date: Sun 22nd Jan, 2012
Location: Fairfield School of Arts, 19 Harris St, Fairfield.

Last night was a full on event for "Once Upon A Time In Cabramatta" Episode 3 screening. Up to 100 people from  all walks of life gathered together despite the busy Lunar New Year celebrations that coincide it. Additional chairs were pulled out to accommodate for late comers who were keen to watch it in the communal space.

This was possibly the only get together of a large number of people to engage in a particular show. Anyone could watch it in the comforts of their own home or stream it off online. But to bring it to the big screens was another feel. It was somewhat cinematic and moreso important because everyone had the opportunity to see a cross section of reactions and post event met that they can also put forth their opinions.

It was also about bringing the stories back to the community and we were lucky enough to have the presence of Heather Oxfam and Katharine Anderson from SBS mingled with the community and heard them out.

Tony Hoang & Joe Le (interviewees) were also present and gave their honest opinions of what they show had done for them and where they are now.

Other people in the audience also chimed in to give their public comments which adds to the community spirit of contribution in voices.

In summary of the three part series, despite what bitter comments the Once Upon  A Time in Cabramatta Facebook endured, or its top 2 trending status on twitter, this is a project that has profound community and nation-wide value. People were empowered, provoked, stimulated to think and reflect. Some may have been enraged. Others have cried, smiled and reminscent. Overall, they talked. Amongst themselves, between their peers, watched their show with their families, shared links on facebook. It was never something that went under the radar. This is the power of "storytelling".

Just a quick note, I wanted to thank my team on the night who helped me pull it together; Thuy Ng (Initiator), Adrian Castro (Live broadcast techie), Wendy La (Video person), Quan Tran (Photographer), Danielle Antaki (Set up) and Andy Ko (Technie).

To watch all 3 parts, click below:
Episode I: As thousands of refugees pour into the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta the first Vietnamese community in Australia is born. But it’s not long before problems arise. 


The family structure so important in Vietnamese culture has been obliterated by the War. The security of this life gone, young refugees find a sense of belonging through criminal gangs. A lost generation is born onto the streets of Cabramatta.


Australia is simply not ready to cope with this huge influx of refugees and the problems that arrive with them. And as the cracks begin to show on the streets there is a fracturing of political support for multiculturalism at a national level. The future of Cabramatta and the Vietnamese community in Australia appears precarious.

Episode II: The first political assassination in the history of Australia leaves the Vietnamese people of Cabramatta demonised and vilified – the community and the ideals of multiculturalism itself are in tatters.


9.30pm Monday, September 4th, 1994, police are called to a house at 15 Woods Avenue, Cabramatta following reports of gunshots. They discover the body of John Newman, the state MP for Cabramatta, lying in the driveway of his home. He has been shot dead. The Vietnamese already vilified for propping up a criminal culture are now deemed guilty of committing Australia's first political assassination.


Newman’s killing plays into a wider concern that is brewing in Australia, particularly in conservative politics, that Asians are a threat to the social cohesion of a nation. The police hit back with highly orchestrated campaigns to rid Cabramatta’s streets of drugs and crime. There is limited success.


The only real hope is that the community, so vilified and fractured, will somehow find its own way to overcome its problems.

Episode III: As a new millennium beckons, the streets of Cabramatta remain in the dark ages, infested by drugs and crime but slowly the Vietnamese community, so quiet for so long, find their voice.


The 8.04 ‘junkie express’ pulls into Cabramatta train station. By lunchtime at least one thousand users will have arrived. It’s like this everyday. 100 dealers, many teenagers, buzz around the streets. Self made entrepreneurs in a local black market economy of drugs and gangland crime. The police struggle to keep control. It’s 1999 and Cabramatta’s never had it so bad.


Asians and crime are indelibly linked in the minds of many. Political support for multiculturalism is now a distant memory.


The only hope is that the community itself, so vilified and fractured, will somehow finds its own way to overcome its problems. Slowly but surely they do.


A Parliamentary Inquiry is finally forced and for the first time the problems and needs of Cabramatta are met head on.


The Vietnamese, so quite for so long, find their voice. Cabramatta becomes a community transformed. Australia, a continent changed forever.

UPDATES: Life...In the Fast Insomniac Lane

Chilling out at North Stradbroke Island

Date: Sat, 21 Jan, 2012
Location: Its been a pit-a-pat-a day. I'm home now.

Oh dear...My last blog has been over a month ago. December 2011 ended with an entanglement of intertwining projects, the biggest on my plate was the research and production work on "Once Upon A Time In Cabramatta", in between filling the role as workshop trainer for the "Twinning Project" with schools across Western Sydney and Griffith and connecting the dots in the "One Day in Cabramatta" engagement as managed by Information & Cultural Exchange (ICE) and SBS. The has been plenty of hard hitting challenges along the way, and a string of lovers and haters and come and go and sometimes even poke in to say "Congratulations" or wave the index finger at me saying "sell out".

A big lesson this year is, you can never please everybody, nor do you have to. I've learnt a very nifty trick that I've used time and time again, especially to the critics, "What have you done to address this problem/ opportunity/ situation?". It is so easy to point fingers to who's irresponsible, who's doing a bad job, the woulds, the coulds and the shoulds. People who are quick to judge need to beware. If you haven't done anything, sit down and shut up. What I've learnt is I can say that now. Instead of defending myself, shine the mirror of reflection outwards and gage the reaction.

Other highlights in 2011 was the numerous travels to Melbourne for the collaborative work with Youcake! Production on "Interpretations" and their assistance to make my "Quest for Jackie Chan! - Who Am I" Shoot a possibility.

The Asian Australian Film Forum, held in Melbourne late last year was another good moment for reflection on identity and a communal think tank opportunity for all of us to continue the good works we do. Check out the awesome video I compiled for them here.

I started joining the 9Lives Team and also Invincible Worldwide in December. Together they help me figure  out the stunning "Quest for Jackie Chan! Playground Shoot".

I made my film buddy Adrian Castro my co-producer for the "Quest for Jackie Chan!" and that was a good jump start move to getting the project finished. He has been helping me with the shoots, marketing and in general, film watching.

Finally, who could resist free trips around the world, courtesy of once a stranger and now a promising pal, Trung Ly - Head of Dong Tam Association, the most long standing martial arts lion dancing team in Sydney. In 10 crazy days we managed to go to Singapore, Malaysia and my favorite place - Japan. Travelling really opens your eyes to the world and all the little problems back home is meaningless when you step back and see the world in an interactive lens.

You might ask, so what's your day job? The 9-5 thing you do that gives you the bread and butter to you know, survive? Lol! All I have to say is, the life of a freelancer is a turbulent one. I haven't had a week's rest and often juggling 2-3 jobs in one go. The pay is still there, but a field like this requires more energy expenditure than the 9-5 one. I believe the rewards are much more higher, and those nagging little kiddish dreams are much more possible.

So what's 2012 in store for me? My birthday is coming up on the 30th and I'll be a good 27 this year. I'm heading to Hawaii and then Hong Kong pretty soon and I guess my focus this year is getting back into martial arts training if time permits, acting and filmmaking. But most importantly, finish on the "Quest for Jackie Chan!". I believe if you put your mind to it, anything is possible.

Peace out and lots of love,

Maria Tran

UPDATES: Work, life, film & fun!

Funny that. Everything in life is leading me down this “filmy” path, project after project, work after work, initiative after the next, all related to film. Interesting enough, everything comes in very good timing. The topic for the past few days were communication. Something I learnt from seeing other people deal with issues, in particular to paranoia and also what the repercussions can happen when one fails to speak up out of fear and uncertainty.

I learnt this: When you don't keep people informed, you can get one of three things: rumor, apathy, or revolution." - Thomas. Jefferson.

Life on the “Once Upon A Time in Cabramatta”: Its been a huge learning curve. Understanding how film and television in Australia operates, what protocols are in place and pushing my human nature ESP (intuition) a bit further to understand and detect dynamics that go beyond the tip of the iceberg. 

I’m assigned to it till October this year and this has open doors for me in connecting this the Vietnamese community on a different scale; with people whom I would naturally not meet and to cross paths with some fascinating insights to how my community has come to be.

Day in, day out, there’s lots of reading, emailing, researching, discussions, planning, and at times, bugging the execs and production team with fleeting info that somehow assists with something. 

Another thing, its not your average 9-5 kind of gig. Not the kind where you’re praying for the clock to tick faster; more like grappling with the time brakes just to do just one more task. I discovered a knack I have; researching. I seem to love connecting the dots, finding the synergies and looking for connections to fill the question void.

Life on the “Quest”: If I had any more steam, it would go into here and on the existing weekends. The whole project is trickling along and I’m taking my sweet as time in creating that ideal film environment that my film crew can be a part of. Its more than the product, it’s the experience and I’m enjoying the juggling process of matching new crew with the existing old members.

Life on Film Club/ Digital Series: What started out as another small idea has snowballed in weekly get togethers at the local youth space, watching and critiquing movies and now in full throttle to run a year long series of digital media and arts workshop training sessions.

I’m glad that it has gone down this path, one reason is that the skills learnt by the steering committee can be transferred onto newcomers and the cycle of inspired filmmakers, content makers and activists continues beyond me. Personally, I have an inkling feeling that in 12 months I’m heading to build bridges internationally and don’t want to leave an empty void. There’s got to a band of go getters, can-do thinkers who have a deep connection to their roots and their community. 

People who are empowered to charge on to be the future creative leaders of this country. With time, then they will join me by walking over the international gateway.

I leave on this note that Anna Chen commented on my facebook the other day: MADE MY DAY: Visionaries are important. They subvert the paradigm and prove alternative worlds can be possible, not only possible but GREAT! - Anna Chen

Life for fun: Still related to filmmaking or photography. Especially when describing my last FILM CLUB excursion (yes....cringe people....I make everything a "learning curve"). Myself and a bandwagon of Western Sydney Ethnic goons headed up to the 2011 Imaging and Entertainment Expo @ Sydney Convention Centre. In the midst of eyeballing camera gear that we can never afford and that are too heavy to steal, we entered the Nikon competition with our artistic deadpan "planking" photo. 

Its like something from a scary movie

Wise cracks: David Minh Tam Nguyen captures a moment of truth

Finally, a normal photo