A scene from director Violet Feng’s HIDDEN LETTERS, premiering in Documentary feature competition at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival (Photo: Tribeca Enterprises)
The list is undoubtedly shorter that those from Park City, UT and Austin, TX, but what the list of honored Asian American and Pacific Islander artists at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival lacks in volume, it more than makes up in sheer quality. Veteran filmmakers as Ravi Kapoor, Derek Nguyen, and Christine Turner are accompanied this time out by “new breed” cinema artists as So Yun Um and Violet Feng. And let’s not forget about those directors of video game projects! All in all, a succinct yet stellar offering of new works by artists of AAPI descent. We encourage you all to welcome their works, and be sure to check them all out throughout Tribeca 2022.
As always, all honorees are DIRECTORS except where indicated. And please feel free to share this list with all your real and online friends and associates.
Narrative Competition: Devin DAS (Producer; Screenwriter) – WES SCHLAGENHAUF IS DYING Ravi KAPOOR – FOUR SAMOSAS
Documentary Competition: Nausheen DADABHOY – AN ACT OF WORSHIP Violet FENG – HIDDEN LETTERS
International Narrative Competition: Shlok SHARMA – TWO SISTERS AND A HUSBAND
Online Premieres: Naman GUPTA – COMING OUT WITH THE HELP OF A TIME MACHINE
Spotlight (Documentary): Geeta GHANBHIR (Co-Director) – LOWNDES COUNTY AND THE ROAD TO BLACK POWER
Movies Plus/Shorts: Frank CHI – 38 AT THE GARDEN Ernesto FORONDA (Producer) – THE RESEMBLANCE Josh LEONG – CHICKEN Marin LEONG (Co-Director) – HOT & HEAVY Wei LI – TEHURA Catherine NGUYEN (Producer) – CHICKEN Derek NGUYEN – THE RESEMBLANCE Abbas RATANNI – ALHAMDU | MUSLIM FUTURISM Mohammed SAFFOURI – TOUCHLINE Kiran SIDHU (Screenwriter) – HEART VALLEY Christine TURNER – PAINT & PITCHFORK
Viewpoints: SHIN Su-won – HOMMAGE So Yun UM – LIQUOR STORE DREAMS
Tribeca Online Premieres: Arian MOAYED (Screenwriter) – COURTROOM, THE
And That’s A WRAP From Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars! The entire organizing team and volunteers of the “Sweet 16” edition of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience in Park City can finally exhale. (Photo: Andrew Ge)
Three days. Five events. Two parties. And a whopping eight filmmaker panels, comprising over thirty speakers for a total audiences of nearly 800 cinematic and media artists, activists, and casual movie-goers. The “Sweet 16” edition of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience in Park City certainly did not lack for participants. Indeed, since 2002, the Experience — a coalition-style collaborative effort among APA media arts and artist organizations that included Visual Communications, David Magdael & Associates, Kollaboration, the Center for Asian American Media, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, Asia Society/Southern California, Gold House, the Asian American Documentary Network, and Asians in Hollywood — has sought to create a space whereby filmmakers with works premiering at the Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals are foregrounded and celebrated by the ever-increasing APA communities that annually make the trek to Park City, Utah for the first and arguably the most-anticipated celebration of independent cinema on the film festival calendar.
The plethora of speaker panels was no accident: with the increasing profile of works by filmmakers of color in recent years, the need to expand the range of activities that #APAParkCity organizers create for Sundance and Slamdance filmmakers has morphed from an annual dinner buffet and mixer, to a series that affords a critical opportunity for Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Asian international creatives to celebrate their achievements while addressing the systemic obstacles that continue to inhibit the APA cinematic communities’ enfranchisement in the entertainment industry.
“To have a space where our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) filmmakers, storytellers, creatives, and industry supporters are celebrated and recognized at Sundance and Slamdance is essential,” said Laarni Rosca Dacanay, an #APAParkCity organizing member and chairperson of the PBS SoCal Asian Pacific Islander Community Council. “By highlighting their work, we add another layer of focus to the stories representing all people of color and other underrepresented communities.
“The AAPI lens is an integral part of the human experience,” added Dacanay. “With events like the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience, we are able to support telling all our diverse stories and showing the world how vibrant our AAPI community is.”
The background monitor telegraphs for arriving audience members what they’re in for at Firewood on Main Street. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
The scene at Firewood on Main Street as the crowd streaming in for the panel “Unfolding Narratives: Our Stories to Tell” get settled in. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
And We’re Off! Home Box Office, Inc.’s Jackie Gagne welcomes the capacity audience to Firewood on Main Street as the panel “Unfolding Narratives: Our Stories to Tell” gets underway. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam welcomes the audience to Firewood on Main Street and calls for the panelists to assemble. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam welcomes the panelists for “Unfolding Narratives: Our Stories to Tell” (from left): Geraldine Viswnanathan, Karan Soni, Suzy Nakamura, Alexander Hodge, and Minji Chang. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Actor Karan Soni shares a humorous but knowing retelling of his start in the motion picture industry (hint: it wasn’t exactly a bed of roses). (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As actors Geraldine Viswanathan, Karan Soni, and Alexander Hodge look on in mutual identification, Suzy Nakamura talks about the ongoing challenges to seeking and demanding more meaningful acting roles in a #MeToo and #TimesUp environment. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Actor Alexander Hodge shares his experiences working on HBO’s INSECURE. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Minji Chang talks about the task of raising the profile of the larger Asian Pacific American acting community through initiatives such as Kollaboration, of which she is a board member. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Actress Geraldine Viswanathan sounds off on TBS’s efforts at inclusion policies as well as her ever-changing role(s) in the ongoing series MIRACLE WORKERS. The latest iteration of this series, DARK AGES, started airing shortly after the conclusion of Sundance. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Minji Chang gets the proverbial “last word” as the HBO/TBS panel “Unfolding Narratives: Our Stories to Tell” wraps up. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
The actors whose perspectives lit up the HBO/TBS panel in partnership with #APAParkCity, “Unfolding Narrative: Our Stories to Tell” at Firewood on Main Street (clockwise from top left): Geraldine Viswanathan, Karan Soni, Alexander Hodge, Minji Chang, and Suzy Nakamura. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Anchored by a pair of filmmaker panels that punctuated the #APAParkCity “Main Event” programs on Park City Sunday at the Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars along Main Street, the stellar line-up of panel events and speakers throughout this year’s edition spoke not only to the broad range of artistic expressions showcased at both Park City festivals, but offered a chance to offer strategies on how to be competitive and successful in this entertainment “new normal.”
That ongoing struggle for enfranchisement provided the underpinnings for the gaggle of boisterous actors who shared their thoughts with NBC News reporter Kimmy Yam in “Unfolding Narratives: Our Stories to Tell,” the HBO/TBS panel in partnership with #APAParkCity that kicked things off on Friday, Jan. 24. Karan Soni, a co-star with fellow panelist Geraldine Viswanathan of the TBS anthology comedy MIRACLE WORKERS, recounted his struggles as an actor of color out of USC before gaining a crucial foothold through independent streaming series and commercials (a mainstay of the raunchy DEADPOOL blockbuster films, Soni is also known as a Diet Coke pitchman). Geraldine, a comedic actor in her native Australia, along with fellow actors Suzy Nakamura (DR. KEN) and Alexander Hodge (INSECURE) likewise amplified the improved climate for Asian American and Asian actors to land more nuanced roles in Hollywood, though they cautioned that the path to a rewarding, sustained career remains fraught with challenges as being offered stereotypical parts and a lack of imagination on the part of producers and writers to create more significant characters for them and their peers. #APAParkCity organizer Minji Chang, who can be seen in the upcoming feature LISA MANIA, foregrounded her role in the long-running talent incubator Kollaboration as one way through which Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can access and even create meaningful onscreen roles in the mainstream.
At the Kimball Arts Center, Asia Society’s Magaret Conley, Janet Yang, and Gold House’s Bing Chen pause to take a snapshot with a colleague while finalizing preparations for their trio of filmmaker panels. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
The participants of the first Asia Society panels at the Kimball Arts Center, “Producers: Women Hold Up Half the Sky at Sundance” (from left): Naja Lockwood, Nina Yang Bongiovi, and Mynette Louie. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
This image of Derek Nguyen, Naja Lockwood, and Bao Nguyen was actually staged. All three are looking pre-occupied, but in reality, all three are firming up Lunar Year Year party plans in Park City. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
NBC Diversity executive Grace Borrero Moss (second from right) hangs out at the Kimball Arts Center in anticipation of the trio of Asia Society filmmaker panels alongside (from left): Ed Lew, John Wirfs, and Panney Wei. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
And…the lead-off Asia Society panel, “Producers: Women Hold Up Half the Sky at Sundance” gets underway from the Kimball Arts Center (from left): moderator Janet Yang, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Mynette Louie, and Naja Lockwood. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Producer Nina Yang Bongiovi offered her thoughts on the state of Asian American cinema and the prospects of taking creative control of storytelling as fellow panelists Janet Yang, Mynette Louie, and Naja Lockwood listen in. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
In the center of things, as always, was Donald Young of the Center for Asian American Media. CAAMsters would return to the Kimball Arts Center the following morning to mount the panel, “Shouldering the Future.” (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Producer Mynette Louie recounts her past experiences at Sundance as fellow panelists Janet Yang, Nina Yang Bongiovi, and Naja Lockwood listen in. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Producer and Sundance Film Festival veteran Nina Yang Bongiovi recounts the hits (and misses) that has spanned nearly twenty years and over twenty producing credits, some in collaboration with her longtime producing partner, actor Forest Whitaker. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Producer Mynette Louie, whose latest producing effort I CARRY YOU WITH ME proved to be a breakout hit at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Producer and Sundance Film festival veteran Naja Lockwood reacts to a question from the audience. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Musician Goh Nakamura, whose sublime compositions informed director Bao Nguyen’s Sundance competition documentary BE WATER, reminds one and all of what creature we are celebrating this Lunar New Year. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Noted author and Asian American Studies professor Jeff Chang (WE ‘GONE BE ALRIGHT) was just one of many audience members held in rapt attention to the panelists throughout Asia Society’s trio of filmmaker panels at the Kimball Arts Center. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
In the Guys’ Holding Area at Kimball Arts Center, panelists (and their friends) wait their turn on stage (from left): Bao Nguyen, Derek Nguyen, Benedict Wong, Edson Oda, and Daniel Dae Kim. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
The panelists quickly turn over, and in the blink of an eye, “Directors: Telling Original Stories” with Bao Nguyen (BE WATER) and Edson Oda (NINE DAYS) gets underway at the Kimball Arts Center. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As fellow panelist Bao Nguyen looks on, director Edson Oda (NINE DAYS) talks about the importance of sticking by one’s artistic vision, with no compromises. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Entertainment attorney Chuong Bui and independent film directors Lee Ngo and Bao Tran were just three of a large contingent of Viet Kieu filmmakers and cultural workers who trekked to Park City to support the World Premiere screening of Bao Nguyen’s Sundance Documentary feature BE WATER. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Back Into the Fire: The three panelists of the Asia Society’s wrap-up filmmaker panel, “Actors: Cutting it On the Big Screen” at the Kimball Arts Center was composed of Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, and Chris Pang. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Actor Benedict Wong draws some knowing laughter from his fellow panelists as well as from the capacity audience at the Kimball Arts Center. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Just a small section of the ever-growing crowd at the Kimball Arts Center gather as the Asia Society panels begin to wind down. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
An audience member poses a question to the actors panel at the Asia Society’s actors panel at the Kimball Arts Center. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Moderator Janet Yang and actor/producer Daniel Dae Kim looks out at that massive audience at the Kimball Arts Center… (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
…and that massive audience stares right back! (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Asia Society organizers take a bow along with some of the panelists who spoke at the Kimball Arts Center (from left): Rexille Uy, Bao Nguyen, Daniel Dae Kim, Janet Yang, Benedict Wong, Edson Oda, Chris Pang, Naja Lockwood, and Margaret Conley. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Day Two, January 25, saw a dizzyingly rapid-fire trio of panels at the Kimball Arts Center organized by the Asia Society’s Northern and Southern California chapters and Harbour, and hosted by longtime producer Janet Yang. While the cumulative effects of sitting in on a whopping three panels in the space of a mere two hours barely afforded any of the panelists to really cut loose and fully express themselves, the overflow crowd were nevertheless presented with a broad range of issues and challenges addressed by the panelists. In the lead-off panel “Producers: Women Hold Up Half the Sky at Sundance”, festival perenniels Nina Yang Bongiovi (FRUITVALE STATION; ROXANNE, ROXANNE; SORRY TO BOTHER YOU), Mynette Louie (I CARRY YOU WITH ME), and Naja Lockwood (co-founder, Game Changer Films; executive producer, GOOK; LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM) shared how each of them got their start as producers as well as the setbacks each of them experienced as they worked to gain a foothold in the independent producing sphere.
In the equally succinct ensuing panel entitled “Directors: Telling Original Stories”, Los Angeles-based director Edson Oda and documentary director/producer Bao Nguyen ranged over the myriad choices each of them made in creating a narrative feature that works more like a piece of personal cinema (Oda’s NINE DAYS, a Sundance Narrative Competition selection), and a documentary that relied heavily upon historical and home-movie footage (Nguyen’s BE WATER, which screened in Documentary Competition). In the end, it seemed that it was the actors that everyone came to see, and in the final panel “Actors: Cutting It On The Big Screen”, the audience pretty much got what they wanted — that is, if an exclusively all-male panel sans women was what they wanted to see. Moderator Yang played host to Chris Pang (PALMS SPRINGS), Benedict Wong (NINE DAYS), and Daniel Dae Kim (BLAST BEAT) in a conversation that inevitably circled back around to re-hashing past exploits — for Pang, entreaties to comment on the lingering after-effects of starring in Jon M. Chu’s 2018 CRAZY RICH ASIANS; and for Wong, recounting the long-term benefits of his association with the Marvel Comic Universe. For his part, Kim glossed over his departure from the television series HAWAII 5-0 over pay equity issues, though it seemed clear that he would rather have wanted to talk about his multiple roles as executive producer and co-star of the highly-lauded period piece BLAST BEAT, which was generating some “buzz” during the Sundance opening weekend.
Yup! UCLA Center for Ethnocommunications’ Janet Chen goes for what she knows. Chen was one of a huge contingent of filmmakers representing the Asian American Documentary Network in Park City this year. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
At the Kimball Arts Center, longtime master editor and APA mentoring maven Jean Tsien visits with Chris Hastings of the World Channel. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Sundance Institute’s Karim Ahmad chills with CAAMster Sapana Sakya. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
While awaiting the start of the panel “Shopuldering the Future,” veteran documentary filmmaker S. Leo Chiang raises a (non-alcoholic) glass with WGBH & World Channel General Manager Liz A. Cheng. Chiang, a co-founding member of the Asian American Documentary Network, led a charge of over 50 A-DOC members into Park City this year. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Asian Pacific Filmmaker Experience organizing team member Laarni Rosca Dacanay (near right) greets A-DOC co-founder S. Leo Chiang, CAAM board member Paula Madison, and WGBH & World Channel General manager Liz A. Cheng. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
In the makeshift Kimball Arts Center greenroom, Comcast’s Susan Jin David holds court with several audience members awaiting the start of the panel “Shouldering the Future.” (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Musicians Paul Dateh and Goh Nakamura (BE WATER) meet up with (from left): Kollaboration’s Marvin Yueh, #APAParkCity organizing team member Michelle Sugihara of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, and CAPE Programs Manager Jess Ju. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Andrew Lee (second from right) was a center of attention as a large contingent from the Austin Asian American Film Festival Society descended upon Park City to represent for the Lone Star State. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
CAAMster Masashi Niwano seemingly thinks that red wine, or something like it, will be helpful in putting his pictures into focus. Still waiting to see how that strategy went… (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
And We’re Off: CAAM’s Donald Young greets the capacity crowd at the Kimball Arts Center that turned out for the panel event “Shouldering the Future.” (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
David Magdael sets the tone for the CAAM panel “Shouldering the Future” at the Kimball Arts Center. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
#APAParkCity co-founding member David Magdael offers a background of the panel “Shouldering the Future” as Effie T. Brown, Jean Tsien, and Sheroum Kim await their own introductions. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
In the front row of the packed Kimball Arts Center, CAAM board member Naja Lockwood and filmmaker Ramona Diaz (A THOUSAND CUTS) sit in rapt attention of the panelists for “Shouldering the Future.” (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Psst! Let Me Tell You a Secret: Having Effie T. Brown tell audiences what a total dick that Matt “Diversity Begins With Casting” Damon was on PROJECT: GREENLIGHT absolutely NEVER gets tired. Especially to the audience at the Kimball Arts Center awaiting some “dirt” about that trying time in Brown’s career. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Editor and filmmaking mentor Jean Tsien, in full 1080p. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Sheroum Kim, who oversees the creation of Original Independent Film at Netflix, discusses her challenges in insuring that the “best” productions selected to premiere on the streaming giant doesn’t exclude stories by creatives of color. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Jean Tsien recounts her experiences working with up-and-coming film editors as moderator David Magdael, Effie T. Brown, and Sheroum Kim listen in. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As CAAM’s Sapana Sakya live-tweets the panel blow-by-blow at the Kimball Arts Center, A-DOC members including S. Leo Chiang, Robert Winn, and Meena Nanji listen in…and tweet as well. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
At the Firelight Media House away from the hustle and bustle of Main Street, Senior Programs VP Loira Limbal welcomes the audience for what turned out to be a full weekend of vital and necessary talks and discussions on non-fiction film and social responsibility. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
The Firelight Media panel in partnership with the Asian American Documentary Network, “Power to the POC” welcomed media activists (from left): Cynthia López, Carrie Lozano, Laura Kim, Gina Duncan, and Grace Lee. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Carrie Lozano of the International Documentary Association shared her thoughts on two filmmaker support initiatives that she currently oversees — the IDA Enterprise Fund, and the Pare Lorentz Fund. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Participant Media’s Laura Kim (left) and Gina Duncan of the Brooklyn Academy of Music listen in on fellow panelist Carrie Lozano. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker Grace Lee moderated the panel “Power to the POC” at Firelight Media House. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As fellow panelists Cynthia López, Carrie Lozano, Laura Kim, and moderator Grace Lee listen, Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Gina Duncan expounds on the importance of giving young artists an opportunity to develop their “voice” for a capacity audience at the Firelight Media House. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
The jamb-packed Day Three activities on Sunday, January 26 saw the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience return to the Kimball Arts Center for the CAAM-sponsored panel “Shouldering the Future.” #APAParkCity co-founder David Magdael moderated a panel composed of women film professionals whose influence on independent media has been, in a word, profound. Effie Brown, CEO of the recently-formed Gamechanger Films, regaled the capacity audience with her experiences facing institutional racism throughout the mainstream entertainment industry, and how those struggles informed her sense of determination in being an agent of change on behalf of cinematic artists of color (see: Matt Damon, PROJECT GREENLIGHT — that sordid chapter of her career was referenced, to the collective disgust of the audience). Noted film/television editor and producer Jean Tsien recounted her rise as the “go-to” editor and mentor of many independent productions over a nearly twenty year career to observe the emergence of a new generation of APA cinema artist, while relative newcomer Sheroum Kim recounted her journey from a staffer at a Hollywood talent agency to her current position as Director of Original Independent Film at Netflix. The trio encouraged media makers in the audience to always lend a helping hand to the next generation of artists who will follow them, and cautioned that not only their skills, but their sense of value and self-worth will always be challenged.
From Kimball Arts Center, it was a quick dash up to the Firelight House and the panel “Power To The POC”, which was organized by the Asian American Documentary Network. Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker Grace Lee led a talk spotlighting the burgeoning role of people of color in production, distribution, and policy-making on behalf of minority filmmakers. Grace was joined by Gina Duncan, Associate Vice President of Film and Strategic Programming at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; Laura Kim, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Participant Media; Carrie Lozano, Director of the International Documentary Association’s Enterprise Fund and Pare Lorentz Fund; and Cynthia López, Executive Director of New York Women in Film & Television.
Crowds begin to line up in front of Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars in anticipation of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience’s “Main Event” in the heart of Park City’s historic Main Street. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Another, larger crowd quickly fills up Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars in anticipation of #APAParkCity’s “Main Event.” (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
And So, It Begins: In front of a packed room at Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars, Minji Chang, David Magdael, and Laarni Rosca Dacanay welcomes one and all to the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience in Park City “Main Event” on historic Main Street. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As the #APAParkCity “Main Event” gets underway at Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars, the tweeters and live-bloggers come out in full force. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
#APAParkCity organizing team member Laarni Rosca Dacanay welcomes the large audience and provides an overview of what is on tap for the afternoon. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Nina Yang Bongiovi receives the Irene Cho Pioneer Award from David Magdael, Laarni Rosca Dacanay, and Minji Chang. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Moderator David Magdael (right) highlights the achievements of “Changemakers” panelists Tilane Jones, Christina Chou, and Mahin Ibrahim. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As fellow “Changemakers” panelist Michelle Sugihara listens in, filmmaker/producer Derek Nguyen describes the factors involved in his forming the new film financing company The Population with fellow #APAParkCity artist/producer Mynette Louie. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As her fellow panelists listen in, Mahin Ibrahim describes her current role as a talent incubator at The Walt Disney Company through various initiatives to enable filmmakers of color to realize their artistic vision. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
An audience member poses a question regarding talent incubation to the “Changemakers” panelists. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
In describing the formation of The Population with fellow independent producer Mynette Louie, panelist Derek Nguyen (far left) emphasizes the importance of filmmakers and producers to create a space for filmmakers to realize the kinds of stories that are near and dear to them. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Backstage at Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars, David Magdael (right) congratulates the “Changemakers” panelists (from left): Derek Nguyen, Christina Chou, Michelle Sugihara, Tilane Jones, and Mahin Ibrahim. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As the #APAParkCity “Changemakers” panel wound down, the participants of the “Truthtellers” panel position themselves for a fast start at Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars — some of them had premiere screenings just as their panel was scheduled to end! (From left): moderator Andrew Ahn, Shalini Kantayya (CODED BIAS), Bao Nguyen (BE WATER), and Ramona Diaz (A THOUSAND CUTS). (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As Mahin Ibrahim looks on, her Walt Disney Company colleague Jessica Virtue, VP and CE, introduced a short clip highlighting some of the Mouse House’s upcoming programs showcasing Asian Pacific American on-screen talents. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Michelle Sugihara and Jess Ju remind one and all just who’s one of the partner organizations of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience in Park City. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Moderator Andrew Ahn, a maker of exlusively narrative fiction films, proved an adept and insightful moderator of documentary film subjects for “Truthtellers” panelists Bao Nguyen, Shalini Kantayya, and Ramona Diaz. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As the #APAParkCity panel “Truthtellers” gets underway, Ramona Diaz runs through her Sundance career (three feature-length documentaries since 2004), setting the stage for her latest production A THOUSAND CUTS. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Seasoned documentary filmmaker Shalini Kantayya talks about her motivations to investigate gender discrimination within the male-centric world of artificial intelligence development in her latest documentary, CODED BIAS. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Veteran documentary director/producer/cinematographer Bao Nguyen recounts how he came to land the story of martial arts legend Bruce Lee in America for his latest project, BE WATER. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Hands UP: With the filmmaker panels now complete, the mic is taken over by Bay Area hip-hop sensation Ruby Ibarra, whose songs punctuate the searing documentary feature A THOUSAND CUTS. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Ruby Ibarra, in a decidedly revolutionary mood. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Award-winning documentary filmmaker PJ Raval and documentary consultant Claire Aguilar (both standing, center) were among the many audience members at Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars to get caught up in Ruby Ibarra’s strident parade of rhymes. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Legendary Utah JACLer Floyd Mori get his unique brand of “groove” on in appreciation of hip-hop star Ruby Ibarra. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Before diving into the reception food, the #APAParkCity audience was treated to an inspiring closing keynote by noted Deadline.com reporter Dino-Ray Ramos. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Precious Pinayz, Revisited (Yes, All FOUR of Them, Yo): As #APAParkCity activities slowly wind down, Eseel Borlasa, Dino-Ray Ramos, Ruby Ibarra, and Rachelle Samson hold down the step-and-repeat in the back reception area at Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars on Park City’s historic Main Street. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Musicians Goh Nakamura and Paul Dateh (BE WATER) and pals/fans strike a pose in the middle of Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars on Park City’s historic Main Street. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As #APAParkCity festivities wind down and artists and organizers go their separate ways, selfies become an important way of capturing the moment, as seen through this exchange between cinematographer/director PJ Raval and Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival chief Deanna Wong. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
As #APAParkCity festivities finally come to an end at Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars, CAPE’s Jess Ju completes her live-tweet reports in the best way she knows how. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
#APAParkCity attendee Kiyoko McCrae is greeted by Sundance Institute Outreach and Inclusion Director Karim Ahmad and his partner, filmmaker and new media developer Michella Rivera-Gravage. (Photo: Abraham Ferrer/Visual Communications Photographic Archive)
Finally, the action shifted back up to Main Street Park City, where #APAParkCity’s “Main Event” activities kicked off a pair of panels assessing the need for APA filmmakers and entertainment professionals to “up” their game in this nascent decade. As part of the first panel, “Changemakers,” Magdael sprinted back from Kimball Arts Center to the overflow Wellhaus/Old Town Cellars to host a gathering of media professionals and, in some cases, old friends in a frank discussion of the ways in which APAs are creating space for artists of color to succeed in the independent and mainstream arena. The panel, including Mahin Ibrahim of The Walt Disney Company, Christina Chou of Creative Artists Agency, ARRAY President Tilane Jones, filmmaker and producer Derek Nguyen, and Michelle Sugihara – executive director of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment touched on a number of issues that centered around strategies for comprehensive support and talent incubation from within the APA creative communities. Jones, no stranger to past #APAParkCity panels, referenced the intentionality of establishing multi-award-winning director/producer Ava DuVernay’s distribution/production company ARRAY within Los Angeles’ Historic Filipinotown as a means of centering their company within an ethnic creative hub; while Chou elicited “oohs” and “ahas” in mentioning that as part of her efforts to make an impact on behalf of the APA cinematic community, she shepherded the creation of Lee Isaac Chung’s Sundance Grand Jury Award-winning narrative MINARI. Ibrahim, director of The Walt Disney Company’s Multicultural Audience Engagement initiative, described her efforts to establish Launchpad, a Disney incubator program for filmmakers from underserved communities, while Nguyen shared news of his role in launching The Population, a film production company in collaboration with fellow #APAParkCity alum Mynette Louie and Mollye Asher. Sugihara, who in five years transformed CAPE from a movie professionals group largely satisfied with organizing networking opportunities into a vibrant talent incubator and advocate on behalf of Asian American and Pacific Islander cinematic talents, amplified her fellow panelists efforts to catalyze their collective resources and experiences for the benefit of our creative communities.
Of course, the longtime backbone of Asian Pacific American cinema lay in non-fiction cinema, and in the final #APAParkcity panel “Truthtellers,” organizers honored that enduring tradition through the collective power of longtime documentarians Bao Nguyen (BE WATER), Ramona Diaz (A THOUSAND CUTS), and Shalini Kantayya (CODED BIAS). While Sundance Film Festival darling and 2020 Momentum Fellow Andrew Ahn (SPA NIGHT) was seemingly the odd one out — an exclusively narrative storyteller, his latest long-form narrative DRIVEWAYS is slated for a Springtime theatrical release — he proved adept at eliciting nuanced and valued insights from the threesome as they shared their perspectives on the urgency of their stories, and the reactions they were preparing to receive from Park City audiences that weekend. And, a pair of absolutely fierce Pinoiz — Bay Area hip-hop artist Ruby Ibarra, who lent serious rhymes to Diaz’ A THOUSAND CUTS; and journalist Dino-Ray Ramos, who implored the audience to support and help sustain the storytelling instincts of APA filmmakers —underscored the themes coursing throughout the weekend-long series of events. In assessing the overall impact of #APAParkCity 2020, co-organizer Minji Chang noted the commitment of the combined Sundance/Slamdance communities. “It’s further proof that diversity in film is not a passing trend, but a much needed reflection and expression of our true experiences and authentic realities,” said Chang. “By creating spaces for underrepresented voices to be heard, we are opening up minds and opportunities for progress to happen swiftly and effectively.”
In the end, the events of the “Sweet 16” edition of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience are inspired by our creative communities’ storytelling and ability to foreground our experiences and perspectives, and that we cannot count on others to tells those stories accurately and honestly. Perhaps that was why the celebratory tone of the weekend events took a suddenly solemn and contemplative turn when, in the midst of the “Shouldering the Future” panel, cellphones throughout the Kimball Arts Center blew up with the shocking news that NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other colleagues perished early Sunday morning in a helicopter crash against a Calabasas hillside. The loss of a famed, though complicated, sports hero who was on the verge of transitioning into the entertainment field elicited a passionate, nuanced response from Nina Yang Bongiovi, the recipient of #APAParkCity’s second Irene Cho Pioneer Award. Bongiovi, a Sundance-hardened producer starting with her 2013 FRUITVALE directed by Ryan Coogler, acknowledged Bryant’s passing in the midst of recounting the many hits and misses of a nearly 20-year-long career while admonishing the rapt audience that “tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone,” and that not waiting for anyone to confer “permission” to realizing one’s vision is what matters most of all. More prescient sentiments could not have been expressed for an otherwise celebratory weekend.
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The “Sweet 16” edition of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience in Park City was generously co-hosted by The Walt Disney Company, Home Box Office, Inc., Comcast/NBCUniversal, the Center for Asian American Media, and SAG/AFTRA.
And finally, a Special Thanks to the #APAParkCity Organizing team, panelists, and volunteers: Linda Mabalot, Founding #APAParkCity member (Posthumous); Irene Cho, Sustaining #APAParkCity member (Posthumous); Andrew Ahn; Nina Yang Bongiovi; Effie Brown; Minji Chang; Janet Chen; S. Leo Chiang; Christina Chou; Roshini Chuganey; Margaret Conley; Tricia Coonrad; Francis Cullado; Laarni Rosca Dacanay; Susan Jin Davis; Gina Duncan; Henry Eshelman; Abraham Ferrer; Ellen Huang; Ruby Ibarra; Mahin Ibrahim; Tilane Jones; Jess; Shalini Kantayya; Chris Kim; Daniel Dae Kim; Laura Kim; Sheroum Kim; Ileana Lagares; Megan Lau; Grace Lee; Ed Lew; Kyra Lewis; Naja Lockwood; Cynthia López; Mynette Louie; Carrie Lozano|; David Magdael; Verna Myers; Masashi Niwano; Bao Nguyen; Derek Nguyen; Edson Oda; Chris Pang; Tyng Pan; Raymond Perkins; Deborah Renteria; JoSaen Ronquillo; Sapana Sakya; Rachelle Samson; Stephanie Shih; Michelle Sugihara; Jean Tsien; Nicole Tsien; Rexille; Janna Wang; Panney Wei; John Wirfs; Benedict Wong; Jo-Ann Wong; Dorothy Xiao; Janet Yang; Donald Young; and Marvin Yueh
A still from Bao Nguyen’s Sundance Documentary Competition film BE WATER, about iconic martial arts pioneer Bruce Lee. (Photo courtesy Dorothy St. Pictures)
Whew, this list is kinda long (a whopping 76 artists — an unoffical record!), but for those attending the Sundance and Slamdance Film Festival’s in Park City, Utah, the #APAParkCity team wants to let you all know who we’re celebrating, centering, and spotlighting this year. A mix of past #APAParkCity honorees and bright-eyed newcomers portends much excitement and promise for the coming year. Be sure to catch these filmmakers’ films and new media productions. We think this group is very special. And we think you’ll agree with us wholeheartedly!
Sundance (Directors unless otherwise indicated; * are #APAParkCity returnees)
Slamdance (Directors unless otherwise indicated; * are #APAParkCity returnees) All links go to the Slamdance Program page; click on the respective categories under “Narrative” and “Short” to access info on the following films: