Meet the People Behind OzAsia Festival

We sat down with the team behind the scenes - Festival Director Joon-Yee Kwok, Senior Producer Sonal Patel, and Producer of Outdoor Programs Diane Fang - to hear about their journeys with the festival, what a day in their roles looks like, and the shows they can’t wait to share with you in 2025.

Joon-Yee Kwok

OzAsia Festival Director

How and when did you become involved with OzAsia Festival?

My first encounter with OzAsia was in 2012 when I travelled from Brisbane to check it out. I was initiating a new Asian Australian arts festival for Brisbane and wanted to make sure it was going to be different from OzAsia. One of my all-time favourite experiences at the 2012 festival was seeing Indian superstar Kailash Kher at Festival Theatre. The show was in Hindi, and I didn’t understand a word, but I had the best time. I loved seeing so many members of the Indian community at Adelaide Festival Centre. It’s become my benchmark for community engagement and audience development.

Next time, I was a little more hands-on. In 2017, back again from Brisbane, Adelaide Festival Centre brought me on to engage the community for cultural performances and workshops at the inaugural Lucky Dumpling Market, and to coordinate the many community members needed to carry the giant lanterns for Moon Lantern Parade. I just love seeing communities sharing culture at OzAsia; it really gives the festival its heart.

Now here we are! I packed my bags and moved my family to Adelaide in 2022 to work with former Artistic Director Annette Shun Wah as OzAsia’s Executive Producer. Together, we brought her vision of making space for Asian Australian artists within the festival’s curatorial framework. In 2024, I became the Festival Director and have continued to build on Annette’s legacy, creating opportunities for Asian Australian artists and communities while showcasing exciting international artists and Asia-Australia collaborations.

What does a typical day of work look like for you?

I start the day with a cup of tea and toast, my calendar, and my to-do list to make a plan for tackling the day’s top priorities. As Festival Director, my day is full of consultation, collaboration, conversation, and communication; it takes many of us to bring OzAsia to life!

You might find me collaborating with other Adelaide Festival Centre departments like Production or Marketing, brainstorming new names for spaces, programs, or events, or putting out fires with the OzAsia programming team. I could be on Zoom with Australian High Commissions in Asia, meeting with local arts organisations, or talking with presenters and artists from interstate about future festivals. I spend time between spreadsheets and strategic thinking, particularly around increasing engagement with Asian Australian artists, communities, and audiences.

Throughout the day, I find myself asking: how does what we’re doing contribute to a vision of OzAsia Festival as a place where everyone feels at home, feels a sense of belonging, with togetherness at its heart? For me, every day at OzAsia Festival is an act of cultural stewardship, where every detail contributes to something greater than any one of us.

What are your top picks for the 2025 OzAsia Festival program?

• Milestone: At 80 years young, William Yang is a national treasure. When I was a young drama student in the 1990s, I was roaming the halls of the QUT Drama Department and one day happened upon a poster for a show by William Yang. I remember staring at that poster for a very long time, excited to see an Asian face. With aspirations of becoming an actor, I felt like I could count the number of Asian performers on one hand. So to me, seeing William Yang was a very big deal. Thirty years later, I’m so excited to be presenting Milestone at OzAsia Festival. Come for the epic slideshow night where William not only shares stories and photographs from his extraordinary life, he reflects on five decades of social change and the making of Australia’s bohemian artistic community.

• The Special Comedy Comedy Special: I just love this topic - that the new Australian dream is never moving out. It’s so timely and relevant, and something I’m sure many of us have considered, whether it’s moving back home with parents or moving your parents in. I know I have - it’s an ongoing conversation in my head! As a person who grew up in a multi-generational household, I’m looking forward to having a laugh at what some of Australia’s funniest Asian Australian comedians have to say on the matter.

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• V-Pop Vibe: Chi Xê and Changg: I got a lesson in the rise of Vietnamese pop music and what it means to diasporic Vietnamese young people from a programmer I worked with in Brisbane. She then connected me with artists from Vietnam that she’s been working with. Because of her, up-and-coming V-Pop stars Changg and Chi Xê will be gracing the stage at Lucky Dumpling Market as part of OzAsia Festival’s Sunset Sounds free music program.

• Unity: If you love our hero artwork by Victoria Garcia this year, then why not check out some of her works being exhibited in UNITY at Nexus Arts Gallery? Victoria is an artist, illustrator, and textile designer who has been commissioned by such iconic brands as Sass & Bide, Anthropologie, and Marvel Studios (you can see her work in the movie Shang-Chi). Love that we’re taking our place alongside these major brands! At the gallery, interact with her installation, a surreal landscape inspired by her childhood in the Australian bush. Put on a coat with the same pattern and become camouflaged in the art. Make sure you get a pic for your Insta.

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Sonal Patel

OzAsia Festival Senior Producer

How and when did you become involved with OzAsia Festival?

I joined the team in 2023, stepping in while working on DreamBIG Children’s Festival to help out when the previous producer left for a new opportunity. It was a wild ride as I had to learn the nuts and bolts of the festival on the job while delivering a different festival at the same time. Lots learned and many sleepless nights later, I somehow got through it!

What does a typical day of work look like for you?

One of the joys of my job is that there is no typical day for me. It can range as widely as reaching out to Australian publishers to find new books by Asian Australian writers, figuring out if a show being pitched to OzAsia is going to suit our program, finding exciting works to bring to Adelaide, making connections with other festivals around Australia and Asia, working with the artists and our amazing production team to deliver their vision within budget, and doing a lot of administration to make it all happen. At its essence, my job is about turning an artistic vision into reality…and spending time doing spreadsheets. If you ever want to do this job, a love of spreadsheets is a must.

What are your top picks for the 2025 OzAsia Festival program?

• Opera for the Dead: OMG OPERA FOR THE DEAD - was the text I sent Joon (Festival Director, OzAsia Festival) immediately when I saw it at AsiaTOPA. The stranger next to me said, “You only get one of these every ten years, and it makes everything worth it.” One of the most incredible and spectacular shows I’ve seen, where you are surrounded by projection, light, and music. Do not wait, friends - run and get a ticket. Trust me.

• Searching Blue: Our friends T.H.E. (Infinitely Closer, OzAsia Festival 2023) are back with a wonderful lo-fi work where dancers will guide you through movement across Festival Plaza. Aside from being a total delight to work with, Searching Blue is all about being present both in your body and in the environment around you. Disconnect and engage - this one is a balm for your soul.

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• Elsewhere in India: When Joon and I first met, we talked about this DJ duo we’d seen and how frustrating it was to not be able to dance and be immersed in the Indo-Futurist world Murtho and Avinash created. Cut to two years later - a club night created especially for OzAsia Festival and built for The Lab. It’s Blade Runner meets Bangalore 2049. Come in costume, get your 3D glasses at the door, and join us on the dance floor.

• The Female Pope: This one I am going to run away from work for - profound and powerful. Join me at AGSA to commune with The Female Pope in this durational performance artwork. You can watch her process through the gallery and then take her place on a dais, ready for a one-on-one interaction.

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• Weekend of Words: Asian Australian literature is having a moment (OzAsia Festival returning favourite, Siang Lu, just won the Miles Franklin Award!).

• Lucky Dumpling Market: Spend your balmy spring evenings enjoying delicious Asian cuisine from the Philippines, China, Thailand, India, Japan, Nepal, Korea, Vietnam, and more. From bubble tea and baos to noodles and mouth-watering dumplings, plus free entertainment featuring live music, DJs, and cultural performances, Lucky Dumpling Market is the perfect place to grab a bite with family and friends.

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Diane Fang

OzAsia Festival Producer, Outdoor Programs

How and when did you become involved with OzAsia Festival?

I joined OzAsia Festival as Program Coordinator for Outdoor Events in 2019. That was my first time in a programming role, and I loved it! I was tasked with programming community performances and workshops at Lucky Dumpling Market and Moon Lantern Trail. This gave me the opportunity to engage with the local communities who generously gave their time to showcase their interests, art, and culture. Being bilingual in Mandarin was beneficial in this role, and it gives me great pleasure to effectively communicate with the older generation in various groups.

This year took an unexpected turn in mid-July when I was given the opportunity to step into a Producer role - it’s been a thrilling rollercoaster ride with a very steep learning curve, and I’m loving it! I’m incredibly grateful to be supported by the brilliant team of professionals at Adelaide Festival Centre.

What does a typical day of work look like for you?

A warm drink and planning the day’s to-dos. Then it’s a mishmash of going through emails, exploring opportunities, fulfilling requests, lunch, meetings, discussions, and planning.

What are your top picks for the 2025 OzAsia Festival program?

• Hiromi – The Piano Quintet: She’s that amazing jazz pianist you saw online, and she is coming to Adelaide! Can’t miss it.

• Moon Lantern Trail: Come explore our newly curated spaces - like the Moon Garden - and get hands-on in our expanded Little Lanterns Workshops program.

• Searching Blue: I love contemporary dance, and this is from my hometown!

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• Badieh: If you liked Qais Essar in 2024, you will love this.

• Two Blood: I had a sneak peek of Two Blood during its creative development, and I’ve been looking forward to seeing the full production.

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