On July 31st, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) held a sneak preview screening of “Fred Ho’s Last Year” as part of the 2014 Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF). Several AABANY members attended the screening, including Hon. Gilbert Hong and Executive Director Yang Chen. Steve De Castro, former AABANY Vice President, made the film initially to tell the story of people fighting cancer but soon realized that Fred Ho, the iconoclastic Asian American jazz musician, author, artist and activist should be the focal point of the documentary.

Following the screening, Steve De Castro moderated a discussion that included Fred Ho’s collaborators, Ruth Margraff and Ann T. Greene on the panel. They talked about the process of working as writers with Fred Ho on his operatic and theatrical pieces. The audience included individuals who also knew and worked with Fred, and they shared remembrances of his extraordinary talents and achievements.

Congratulations to Steve on his documentary. We wish him every success with it and recommend that everyone go see it. It stands as a tribute to a uniquely gifted individual, Fred Ho, who touched many lives and communities with his boundless energy.