Ato Bautista, BLACKOUT
Ato Bautista's first full-length independent film entitled AWAKEN (Sa Aking Pagkakagising Mula Sa Kamulatan) earned great reviews among local critics. BLACKOUT is his second feature. He has produced and co-directed with his team, Bloody Table, another fully independent film CURE FOR BOREDOM (Gamot Sa Pagkabagot). Presently, Bautista is finishing post production of his third independent feature, CARNIVORE, which he also produced and directed.
Jae-Ho Chang, THE LAST VACATION
Jae-Ho Chang was born in Seoul and attended the Rhode Island School of Design where he studied film/video/animation. He is currently in the graduate film program at NYU, where he was nominated for the IDA/David L. Wolper Student Documentary Achievement Award in 2005. Chang is also one of the Wasserman Finalists in 2007, and a recipient of the Martin Scorsese Young Filmmakers Scholarship and the Ang Lee Scholarship Award.
Cheng Yu-Chieh, DO OVER
Cheng Yu-Chieh directed two short films, BABYFACE and SUMMER DREAM, while he was still a student at the National Taiwan University majoring in economics. SUMMER DREAM screened at Vancouver, Pusan and Tokyo Film Festivals and went on to win the Best Short Film at the Golden Horse Awards in 2002. Cheng was also awarded the Grand Prize/Audience's Choice Award at the 8th Taipei International Film Festival. DO OVER is his first feature film.
Chen Daming, ONE FOOT OFF THE GROUND (Ji Quan Bu Ning)
His passion for acting dates back to his childhood, when he started learning Chinese opera in Henan, his native province. At seventeen, he left opera school and went on tour with a theater company, during which he decided to study acting at the prestigious Beijing Film Academy. He later moved to Los Angeles, worked as a professional actor for a decade and was the assistant director to Quentin Tarantino on KILL BILL (2003). ONE FOOT OFF THE GROUND is his second movie.
Leste Chen, ETERNAL SUMMER
Born in 1981, Leste Chen has directed more than a dozen music videos for artists including Jolin Tsai, Rainy Yang, Mayday, Joey Yung, and Eason Chan. His short films have been nominated consistently at the Taipei Film Festival for several years. His first feature film THE HEIRLOOM held the record fo largest opening box office of a local film since DOUBLE VISION, and was the second highest-grossing film in Taiwan. He has also directed DISTANCE, FADE AWAY, and UNINHIBITED.
Chen Shi-Zheng, DARK MATTER
Chen Shi-Zheng is a Chinese-born, New York-based director, choreographer, singer, and actor. As a child in Changsha, Hunan during the Cultural Revolution, he was taken under the wing of traditional funeral singers and became a leading young opera actor. He emigrated to the United States in 1987, and was soon tapped by Meredith Monk for a principal role in Atlas for the Houston Grand Opera. In 1999, his landmark 19-hour production of The Peony Pavilion premiered as the centerpiece of Lincoln Center Festival in New York and at Festival d'Automne in Paris, and toured to prestigious places such as Piccolo Teatro in Milan, Perth International Arts Festival, Aarhus Festival in Denmark, and Berlin Festival. In 2000, he was awarded the title "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" by the French Ministry of Culture.
Michael Choi, SCREENPLAY READING: Cranes
Michael Choi works as a director, editor, and motion graphics artist. His recent clients include HBO, ESPN, and "The Sopranos." He is currently developing his documentary VANISHING MERMAIDS, a film about the Haeyno divers of Cheju Island. Choi's fiction has been published in The Michigan Daily Literary Arts Review and The Tri-Quarterly Review.
Tze Chun, WINDOWBREAKER
Tze Chun graduated from Columbia University in 2002. He has since directed twelve short films and written six feature screenplays. In 2005, he co-founded the commercial production company, Mass Republic. He is also a member of theatre and film production company Collective Act, which has produced multiple off-Broadway shows in New York City as well as four of his short films. In addition to his film work, Tze works as a painter and visual artist and is represented by CVZContemporary gallery in Soho.
Eurie Chung, METRO ES PARA TODOS
Eurie Chung is a native New Englander living in Los Angeles. She currently works as an editor at a small post-production house.
Youngsung Chung, ONE COMPETITION
Youngsung Chung was born in South Korea and graduated from the department of film, video, & new media at The Art Institute of Chicago. He is currently professor of film production at Hoseo University in South Korea.
Rik Cordero, CLOSER-Blakkout
Rik Cordero dabbled in motion graphics and interactive design and produced several shorts before directing his first independent feature, MEND. Cordero's promotional music video for MEND won the Best Music Video Audience Award at the 2005 AAIFF. He won the award again at the 2006 AAIFF for his video, I'VE BEEN LOST by +/-. Rik is the founder of the renegade production company, Three/21 Media,
Patrick Daughters, 101-Albert Hammond Jr.
Born in Berkeley, CA, Patrick Daughters gained international attention while studying in New York City with three award-winning short films, IN LIFE WE SOAR, ANY CREATURE, and UNLOVED. Since 2003, he has helmed a number of notable videos for an eclectic roster of musicians including Beck, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kings of Leon, and Feist. His videos have garnered awards and nominations from MTV, Much Music, the Music Video Production Association (MVPA), and Creative and Design Awards (CAD). Currently, Daughters continues to work on short format projects and is set to write and direct a feature film.
Joy Dietrich, TIE A YELLOW RIBBON
Korean-born American filmmaker Joy Dietrich started out in publishing, working as an editor and reporter for various magazines and news services in the U.S. and abroad. Her first film, SURPLUS, has shown at over 40 film festivals and events including the San Francisco International Asian-American Film Festival and London's Raindance Film Festival. Dietrich was awarded a New York State Council of the Arts grant in 2004 and a residency from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in 2006.
Song E. Kim, DINNER TABLE
Song E. Kim was born in Seoul, Korea and immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager to study at the Idyllwild Arts Academy. She received her BFA in experimental animation from the California Institute of the Arts, and is currently pursuing her MFA in experimental animation. Presently, she is a 2D animator for Remaverick Productions and National Television as well as a logo and web designer and painter.
Steve E. Mallorca, MASH IT UP-KXL
Steve Mallorca's debut feature film, Slow Jam King, won Asian CineVision's Emerging Director Award, and was picked up for distribution by Unitel Pictures International, garnering acclaim across its limited theatrical release and film festival run. The New York Times hailed Slow Jam King as "Do it yourself filmmaking at its purest... with spirited characters and high levels of comic energy." Mallorca is a director and editor at Woo Art International, where he directs commercials, music videos, and industrials.
Lisette Kaualena Flanary, NÄ KAMALEI: THE MEN OF HULA
As a filmmaker and a hula dancer, Lisette Kaualena Flanary creates documentary films about the hula dance that celebrate a renaissance of Hawaiian culture. Her first feature, AMERICAN ALOHA: HULA BEYOND HAWAI'I, broadcast nationally on the showcase P.O.V, and was the highest rated program of the 2003 series. Her second feature, NÄ KAMALEI: THE MEN OF HULA, premiered at the Hawai'i International Film Festival in 2006.
Debbie Formoso, PRETEND (Nagpapanggap)
Debbie Formoso's short films have screened at several international film festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival and Hawaii International Film Festival. She earned her BA in English from Loyola Marymount University in 2000, and then returned to obtain her MFA in film production in 2006. In 2005, she was chosen by Film Independent to be a Project: Involve Fellow.
Bucky Fukumoto (a.k.a. AV Club), WORRY ABOUT IT LATER-The Futureheads
Bucky Fukumoto is the primary creative force behind AV Club. His projects are pursued alone as well as with a rotating band of collaborators including Andy Bruntel, Arya Senboutaraj and others. Fukumoto recently directed two music videos and a full-length concert film for Morrissey's latest album release YOU ARE THE QUARRY, in addition to two Japanese commercials for Jinro.
Shang Gao, PLAN FOR AUTUMN'S BIRTHDAY
Shang Gao is currently a junior at Duke University pursuing a film/video/digital certificate and plans to enter production after graduation.
Patricio Ginelsa, CHAMPION-Native Guns
Patricio Ginelsa received his BA in cinema production from the University of Southern California. After graduation, Patricio served as the Associate Producer for the award-winning film THE DEBUT, wrote and directed the feature-length cult movie LUMPIA, and directed music videos for independent artists such as the PACIFICS, 6th Day, and InnerVoices. Ginelsa's production company, Kid Heroes Productions, develops features and other projects in collaboration with Xylophone Films.
Madeleine Grant, THE INVISIBLE DOG
'THE INVISIBLE DOG was a product of collaboration between time, schooling, and friends. Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Grant went through the University of British Columbia film production program. Time spent on independent and union shows in Vancouver gave her invaluable experience for directing her first film.
Pravesh Gurung, A SILENT MONSOON
A Nepali filmmaker, Pravesh Gurung received his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. His films have been screened at the Film Directing Program Showcase in 2005 at the REDCAT, Disney Hall in Los Angeles. Before going to film school, he worked for the Association of District Development Committees of Nepal, supported by Decentralization Advisory Support Unit (DASU)/Danida.
Tadashi H. Nakamura, PILGRIMAGE
Tadashi H. Nakamura is a fourth-generation Japanese American and second-generation filmmaker from Los Angeles. At UCLA he began work on YELLOW BROTHERHOOD, his first documentary, which won Best Documentary Short at the San Diego Asian Film Festival and has been featured in sixteen film festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada.
MiQi Huang, A WATERMELON SEED (Gua Zi)
MiQi Huang was born and raised in Guangzhou, China. After completing her BA at UCLA, she worked in international film sales and distribution. Currently, she is working on a documentary series entitled "Ocean Away" for China Central Television (CCTV).
Kathy Huang, MISS CHINATOWN, U.S.A.
Kathy Huang is the director of four short documentaries. NIGHT VISIONS screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and SILVERDOCS, and was the recipient of the War and Peace Award from the Media That Matters Film Festival. JAYWALKING, her co-directing venture with Leigh Lacobucci, won Best Documentary at the PlanetOut Awards. Kathy holds a BA in history from Harvard University and a MA in documentary film and video from Stanford University.
Li-Anne Huang, RED SHOES
Li-Anne Huang grew up in Singapore and England and has directed three short films. For SINGAPORE GIRL, she was awarded Singapore Tatler's Most Promising Young Filmmaker of the Year Award in 2004. Huang was awarded the Dean's Fellowship and the Directing Fellowship for her MFA in Film at Columbia University. Prior to making films, she worked as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, and has an MBA from Stanford Business School.
Michelle Hung, CHINESE DUMPLINGS
The American-born daughter of immigrants from Taiwan, Michelle Hung grew up in Santa Monica, CA. She has received numerous honors, including an Edie & Lew Wasserman Fellowship in Filmmaking and The Caucus Foundation Golden Circle Award for Outstanding Student Film. She earned her B.S. at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and graduated from the MFA Program in Film Directing at UCLA in 2006. Her thesis film, CHINESE DUMPLINGS, was selected for UCLA Directors' Spotlight at the DGA and won the UCLA Best Cinematography Award.
Katrina Irawati Graham, WHITE SONG
Based in Brisbane, Katrina Irawati Graham wrote and directed her first film, IN GOD'S NAME. The film went on to receive a silver ACS award and three nominations at the Queensland New Filmmakers Awards including a nomination for Best New Female Filmmaker. She has also worked as production designer on a number of short films and recently worked as co-director and writer on THE LAST HOUR, which was shown at the WIFT Women in Film Festival and won the Daffodil Day Arts Award.
Joseph Kahn, KNIGHTS OF CYDONIA-Muse
Director Joseph Kahn has worked with diverse artists such as U2, The Chemical Brothers, Blink 182, Eminem, DMX, and Britney Spears. He has directed commercials for Acura, Ford, Vodafone, Budweiser, Miller, Target, Coors Light, Nascar, and Playstation. In 2003, Kahn made his feature film debut with the Warner Brothers tongue in-cheek action film, TORQUE.
Kensaku Kakinomoto, BAUMKUCHEN
Born in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, Kensaku Kakimoto was noticed early on as a student at Vantan Movie Academy. As the youngest member of the video-unit, Peace Brothers, which produces peace-themed works lead by director Hiroyuki Nakano, Kakinomoto co-directed SPOKEN WORD and OPINIONS. Kakinomoto currently works as a video-artist in a wide range of media. His short film, TOKYO BANDITS!!!! was selected for the 2006 Bicycle Film Festival and screened in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, London, Sidney, Melbourne, and Tokyo.
Michael Kam, LITTLE BROTHER
Michael Kam is a graduate of the advanced diploma in film production at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He is currently a lecturer in film production at the Polytechnic. Kam's films include LITTLE BROTHER, TAU GAY NOT ENOUGH, and TWILIGHT ROSE.
David Kaplan, YEAR OF THE FISH
David Kaplan has made several short films, including LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD starring Christina Ricci and Quentin Crisp, which premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. His other films include LITTLE SUCK-A-THUMB, THE FROG KING, the documentary WHAT IS THE CITY, and the computer-animated LOVEDEATH, commissioned for Lincoln Center's 2003 New York Video Festival. Kaplan was a fellow at the Sundance Institute's 1995 and 2000 feature film programs for emerging independent screenwriters and directors.
Kaori Kasai, DUET-Mimi's Ami
Artist-in-motion, Kaori Kasai, graduated from art school in Tokyo before travelling to live and work in San Francisco, Hong Kong, Vancouver, and, most recently, Numazu. Her works have been exhibited at various art galleries around the world, and in March 2007, Kao's new animated short DUET screened at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Kasai is now creating a short video for her website about her characters' journeys around the world.
Betty Lee Kim, YASIN
Betty Lee Kim was born in Chico, CA, of Korean immigrant parents and grew up in New York City and New Jersey. She received a BFA in painting and an MFA in fiction from Cornell. As a graduate student at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, Betty Lee was awarded the 2006 James Bridges Scholarship for her work directing YASIN. After graduation, she hopes to make her way as a writer, director, and producer for film and television.
James Kim, PINPOINT
James Kim was born in Glendale, CA. He attended the California Institute of the Arts in the fall of 2003 and is currently awaiting graduation with a BFA degree in character animation.
Eubin Kim, WITHIN LIMITS
Eubin Kim graduated from The Cooper Union with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and has worked as a designer and brand consultant for clients ranging from Elektra Records to Hypnotic Films to Korean pop singer Seo Taiji. He co-founded The Center for Design Control, a strategic brand identity development creative agency, and is founder of Underscore Media, a New York event planning and marketing company that specializes in brand development and marketing consultation within the Korean American community.
Gina Kim, NEVER FOREVER
Gina Kim's feature-length films, GINA KIM'S VIDEO DIARY and INVISIBLE LIGHT, have been screened at many international film festivals, including Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam, Vancouver, IFP Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Pusan, and Torino among others. Her works have also screened at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Smithsonian Museum, and Lincoln Center. A recipient of two grants from the Korean Film Commission (KOFIC), INVISIBLE LIGHT has also been awarded a special jury's prize at the Seoul Women's Film Festival 2004 and was listed as one of the most daring films of the year by critics. Kim teaches film production and film studies at Harvard University in the Visual and Environmental Studies (VES) Department.
Kim Tai-Sik, DRIVING WITH MY WIFE'S LOVER
While a student in film studies at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, Kim went to study in Japan in 1980. After studies at the Japan Academy of Moving Images, he worked as a director for TV and for commercials in Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong. He was invited to the 53rd Berlin International Film Festival for his short film 32ND DEC.: WHERE IS MR. PRESIDENT. Kim's feature film debut, DRIVING WITH MY WIFE'S LOVER, received the Korean Film Council's (KOFIC) production support for art films as well as its marketing support for cultural diversity.
Dai Sil Kim-Gibson, MOTHERLAND KOREA CUBA USA
Dai Sil Kim-Gibson was born in northern Korea when it was under Japanese colonial rule. She received her Ph.D. in religion from Boston University, taught at Mount Holyoke College, and directed programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New York State Council on the Arts before pursuing a film career. All of her documentaries, including WET SAND: VOICES FROM LA and AMERICA BECOMING were nationally broadcast on PBS. Her recent awards include a Rockefeller Fellowship, an Asian American Media Award, and the Kodak Filmmaker's Award for SILENCE BROKEN. MOTHERLAND premiered at the Pusan International Film Festival.
Namit Kumar, CHOICES
Namit Kumar was born in India and started his career as a software engineer in Europe before moving to Silicon Valley. As an independent filmmaker currently pursuing AA in Film at DeAnza College in Cupertino, California, Kumar produced and assisted on a number of short films. CHOICES was inspired by what he experienced and observed in Indian society during his childhood and youth.
Chris Chan Lee, UNDOING
A graduate of the USC School of Cinema in Los Angeles, Chris Chan Lee wrote/directed YELLOW, an independently financed feature film that was invited to several festivals including the Slamdance Dramatic Competition 1998, the Singapore International 1998, and the Los Angeles Film Festival 1997. In 2002 Chris completed a one-year stint in Singapore directing television at MEDIACORP STUDIOS for English language primetime television series. A one-hour drama in which he was a principal director was subsequently nominated for Best Television Drama at the Asian Television Awards (Asia's Emmys).
Elaine L. Lu, THE PROJECTIONIST
Elaine L. Liu was born in Yunnan, China and grew up in suburban Ohio. A 2004 NYU graduate, her thesis film, THE PROJECTIONIST, won the Chris Columbus Film Production Award and the Clive Davis Award for Excellence in Music in Film. In 2005, Elaine was the assistant to director of photography, Christopher Doyle in M. Night Shyamalan's LADY IN THE WATER. She co-founded Illusionwave Films with producer Jason Brown.
Burn Lee, SPORTS & DIVERSIONS
Bum Lee is an animation artist and illustrator. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Art in May 2006, where he earned his BFA with a concentration in electronic time-based media. He was awarded a Fulbright grant to South Korea in 2006. Lee was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1984 and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1990.
Lee Jun-Ik, KING AND THE CLOWN
Since his directing debut of KID COP, Lee Jun-Ik has been involved with a variety of film-related work such as film marketing, production, importing, and distribution. With KING AND THE CLOWN, Lee is challenging a new frontier of film genre with another history film. KING AND THE CLOWN doesn't fail to meet our expectations in that Lee's wit, sense of humor and deep historic view are combined within a plotted screenplay.
You-Jin Lee, IN A DISTANCE
You-Jin Lee recently graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and is currently working in Boston, MA as a freelance animator/illustrator.
Melina Leon, GIRL WITH A WALKMAN
Melina Leon was born in Perú in 1977. She started in theater at age eight and began making films when she was fourteen. Her work has won various prizes and has screened at international festivals. Leon is currently finishing her MFA at Columbia University and will soon begin shooting her first feature, CHILDREN'S SONG.
Leonardo Kim Liao, Young Boys-Leo Youngboy
Liao always had an interest for creating and expressing his feelings through art, poetry, or any media he could get his hands on. He studied business management at NYU, but the entertainment field was always in the back of his mind. Currently, he is now looking forward to taking his music video to the next level and making it into a feature.
Benjamin Lim, GAS
Benjamin Lim grew up near Seattle and moved to New York in 2002 to attend film school. His first film, GAS, was made during his junior year at NYU. He currently resides in Brooklyn, and works in web development and production.
Susie Lim, UNRAVEL
Susie Lim is a Korean American filmmaker/artist who began working as a dramaturge with the avant-garde visionary theater director/artist Robert Wilson. She attended Oberlin College and NYU where she studied English and comparative literature. She also studied abroad in Paris and Korea, before returning to New York and to make UNRAVEL, her first film. Recently she has been working on the development of a video project in Warsaw, Poland.
Karen Lin, BYSTANDING
Award-winning director of the short, PERFECTION starring Ming-Na Wen ("ER"), Karen Lin has spent the last decade in Hollywood, starting as an assistant to Nicholas Cage. She currently produces music videos for artists such as Keith Urban and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Lin is also in active development of feature film projects.
Jennifer Lin, THE ESSAY ASSIGNMENT
Jennifer Lin is a graduate of MIT where she earned her bachelors of arts and design and masters of architecture. Born in Taiwan and raised in Ohio, she is well known for her appearances on TV, radio, print media, and interviews as the Asian Poster Bride for Marriage Equality. A political activist with a strong interest in filmmaking, her first project, THE ESSAY ASSIGNMENT, combines these two passions.
Justin Lin, FINISHING THE GAME
Justin Lin's solo directorial debut, BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival; Paramount/MTV Films picked up the film and released it in April 2003. Subsequent films include ANNAPOLIS and the third installment of the FAST AND THE FURIOUS franchise-THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT. In 2003, Lin established his own production company, Trailing Johnson Productions, which has completed a documentary about a long-running Las Vegas lounge act.
Ling Liu, OFFICER TSUKAMOTO
Ling Liu directed OFFICER TSUKAMOTO while studying at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She has worked as a reporter for the Associated Press, StirTV, and China Central Television. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Ling currently resides in Hong Kong, where she is a reporter for TIME Asia.
Barnaby Lo, MD-RN
Barnaby Lo comes from the Philippines, where he worked as an associate producer/researcher for a Peabody award-winning documentary program called "I-Witness." He recently graduated from NYU with a master's in broadcast journalism, and his documentary, MD-RN, will soon be on Frontline World's online series, "Rough Cut." He is currently with ABC News' award-winning Longform Unit.
Shilpa Mankikar, GET OVER-Koba
Shilpa Mankikar is a graduate student at Columbia University's MFA film program. She recently produced AIR-PLANES, directed by Jen Heck and winner of the Planet Out Short Film 1st Prize at Sundance 2007, and SECURITY, directed by Matt Linnell and written by European Academy Award winner, Israel Horovitz. SECURITY won the 2007 National Board of Review Award. Her upcoming directorial projects include GET OVER, a music video for UK artist State of Bengal, and LIKE A VIRGIN, a short film about Jersey girls.
Rehana Mirza, HIDING DIVYA
Rehana Mirza is the artistic director for Desipina & Company, a South Asian and Asian American arts company promoting cross-pollinations in theatre and film. Her full-length play, BARRIERS, premiered at HERE Arts Center (NYC) before going on to be co-produced by the Asian American Theatre Company in SF/LA. She directed FILLUM STAR: THE PETER PATEL STORY. Screenwriting credits include FAR FROM HOME and THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARRIAGE. Her script, QUARTER LIFE CRISIS, is currently in post-production and features Bollywood talents such as cinematographer Kiran Deohans and actress Lisa Ray.
Gregory Mitnick, LAWRENCE
Gregory Mitnick is currently pursuing his MFA at NYU's Graduate Film Program with a focus in cinematography and directing. He has a background in anthropology and has worked as an assistant to several fashion photographers. As a director of photography, he has photographed over 25 films.
Monkmus, WE THROW PARTIES, YOU THROW KNIVES-Los Campesinos
Monkmus majored in illustration and filmmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design. Since then, he has lived and worked in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Montreal, and Toronto, while producing his independent projects. He has collaborated with Kid Koala, and completed many short films and commercial projects.
Alexandre Moors, CHERRY BLOOM
Originally from Paris, France, Alexandre Moors has been living and working in New York City for the past ten years. Currently the creative director for UVPhactory, Moors regularly directs campaigns for Nike, Levi's, and MTV. In 2000, Moors directed THE LADY LOVELACE DECEPTION SYSTEM, a sci-fi thriller set in the near future. He is currently working on his most ambitious project to date: a feature-length film-noir.
Yorico Murakami, TALKING ABOUT AMY
Yorico Murakami majored in arts and crafts at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and worked as an art director for the Tokyo advertising company Dentsu Tec, Inc. In 2006, Murakami received her MFA from the USC School of Cinema-Television, Division of Animation and Digital Arts.
Jennie Na, THIS SOLACE ETERNAL
Jennie Na earned a BA in Music at UCLA in saxophone performance, before training as an actor at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She completed her studies in cinema production at Los Angeles City College and was awarded a grant from Panavision's New Filmmaker Program and Eastman Kodak for THIS SOLACE ETERNAL. Her feature screenplay was selected to participate in the 2005 Film Independent Screenwriters Lab. She is a Film Independent Fellow and a member of the WGA Independent Writers Caucus.
Desmond Nakano, AMERICAN PASTIME
Desmond Nakano's roots in the entertainment industry began with his singer/actor father, Lane Nakano, star of the MGM film GO FOR BROKE. Nakano is a two-time recipient of awards from the Writer's Guild of America, having received the Writer's Guild Open Door Award and recognition as an "Asian-American Pioneer" as well as winning the Samuel Goldwyn Award. His writing experience includes BOULEVARD NIGHTS, LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN, AMERICAN ME, and BLACK MOON RISING. He wrote and made his directorial debut with WHITE MAN'S BURDEN starring John Travolta and Harry Belafonte.
Duc Nguyen, BOLINAO 52
Duc Nguyen has more than ten years of experience in the entertainment and television industries. In 2001, he produced MEDIATED REALITY, a documentary capturing the tug-of-war between U.S. and Cuba over Elian Gonzalez. In 2003, he served as an assistant editor for "The New Americans" and "My Journey Home," a multi-part series on family and identity. In 2005, he worked as an assistant editor on Independent Lens's SENTENCED HOME, a documentary on Cambodian deportation. BOLINAO 52 is Duc's feature documentary directorial debut.
Ace Norton, THINKING ABOUT YOU-Norah Jones
Ace Norton was born in Santa Monica California. He started directing at the age of ten when he got his first 8mm camera and has since made over 200 short films. At seventeen, Norton won the highest award at the Los Angeles Film Festival for a short entitled CHERRY COKE RAGE. In 2002, Ace's short KING DONUT was accepted into the Palm Springs Film Festival. RIFLENTIKE, his next film, was accepted to Telluride. His latest videos include two by Norah Jones and Death Cab For Cutie's CROOKED TEETH and SOMEDAY YOU WILL BE LOVED for their Directions DVD project.
Hyunju Kwon Oh, QUARTER
Hyunju Kwon Oh worked in South Korea as a cable television director and has received a certificate in an NYU filmmaking course.
Socheata Poeuv, NEW YEAR BABY
Socheata Poeuv makes her filmmaking debut with NEW YEAR BABY. She is currently developing an archival project to document the testimonies of Cambodian Khmer Rouge survivors. Previously, Socheata worked at NBC News Dateline, ABC News World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and NBC New Today.
In-Soo Radstake, MADE IN KOREA
In-Soo Radistake was born in Seoul in 1979 and adopted to the Netherlands in 1980. After receiving his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Zwolle, he directed and produced several television programs for Dutch television (commercial and public stations). In 2006 he co-directed the documentary A JOURNEY IN FINDING MYSELF for the Korean national television station KBS. He started his own company In-Soo Productions in 2006, which focuses on production and direct content for film, TV, documentary, and internet. MADE IN KOREA is Radstake's first feature-length documentary.
Craig Rosenthal, THE TRAINEE
Originally from Australia, Craig Rosenthal has lived in Singapore for eight years. His commercial writing for various enterprises including Marriott Hotel's All You Can Eat Buffet: "Fat people are hard to kidnap" and XBox: "It's safer on the sofa" have garnered him various awards. THE TRAINEE is his first short film.
Azharr Rudin, MAJIDEE
Azharr Rudin was born and bred in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and presently lives in Kuala Lumpur. MAJIDEE is his third short film. He is currently prepping for his debut feature film, PUNGGOK RINDUKAN BULAN set in Johor Bahru, with Amir Muhammad as producer.
Ty Sanga, FOLLOW THE LEADER
Ty Sanga was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai'I, and attended the University of Hawai'i as an ethnic studies major while pursuing film through the Academy for Creative Media (ACM). After graduating from Chapman University with a master's degree in film production, Sanga made his first couple of short films at the ACM.
Naveen Singh, 27,000 DAYS
Naveen Singh was born in Canada. While at the University of Southern California, he was awarded the prestigious Broccoli Scholarship for academic achievement. He has edited several projects that have screened at diverse venues such as the DGA, the Television Academy, Country Music Television, and Yahoo Music online. He is also an Honoree of Film Independent's Project: Involve, a workshop for emerging filmmakers.
Kazuhiro Soda, CAMPAIGN
Born and raised in Japan, Kazuhiro Soda has directed numerous fiction films and TV documentaries, but CAMPAIGN (Senkyo) is his first feature documentary. While he was still a student, his short fiction film THE FLICKER competed for a Silver Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival in Italy. FREEZING SUNLIGHT was nominated for a New Filmmaker's Award at the Sao Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil. He holds a BFA in filmmaking from the School of Visual Arts and BA in religious studies from Tokyo University.
Chrysovalantis Stamelos, ARIS AND THE ART OF PARKOUR BHANGRA-FU
Valantis Stamelos is a filmmaker whose inspirations have grown from being exposed to international cinema and world music. As a director, producer, and writer, he combines his love for classic cinema with gritty New York City filmmaking. Stamelos is a graduate from S.I. Newhouse School, Syracuse University, and co-founder of Crescent Street Films.
Calvin Sun, ASIAN AMERICAN BEAUTY: A DISCOURSE ON FEMALE BODY IMAGE
A New York City native, Calvin Sun has been making films since he was thirteen. He has worked as a film production assistant and is now a regular panelist on MTV U's "The Freshmen." Sun currently studies biochemistry at Columbia University, where he is vice president of the senior class, chair of the Asian American Alliance, and co-founder and co-director of Columbia's National Undergraduate Film Festival.
Yohei Suzuki, OUR PRIDE: THE SPIRITS OF BLACK JAPANESE IN GEORGIA
Yohei Suzuki is a documentary filmmaker who focuses on social issues, especially those relating to the African American experience. In 2006, he produced and directed OUR PRIDE: THE SPIRITS OF BLACK JAPANESE IN GEORGIA. Originally from Japan, he received a master's degree in visual and media arts from Emerson College and is now based in New York.
Alaric Tay, WHEN WE WERE BENGS
Singaporean actor-director Alaric Tay has performed in numerous sitcoms, dramadies, and children's programs since the age of seventeen. An active member of the entertainment community, he also serves as an Associate of Breaking Into Hollywood, and holds a degree in film and television.
Tonny Vijzelman, DREAMTRACE
After studying social studies in the early 80s, Tonny Vijzelman took classes in directing and acting. After graduating from the Amsterdam Art Academy, Vijzelman continued his education with master classes at the Media Academy. Over the years, Vijzelman has worked as a drama coach for television and has directed several theater plays and television series.
Peter Wang, BLIND DATE
Peter Wang was born in Taiwan and moved to the U.S. when he was nine years old. He received a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and worked at the investment bank Goldman, Sachs & Co. for five years. Peter's only formal training in filmmaking was a 12-week evening course at the New York Film Academy. His short films have been screened at various film festivals across the U.S.
Zao Wang, MAX ART
Zao Wang was born and raised in Beijing, China until he was fourteen, and moved to Mississippi. Wang had worked in various fields before embarking on filmmaking. He is currently finishing his MFA at NYU film school and will be shooting his thesis film in Beijing this fall.
Lai Weijie, LAST STRANGER UNDER THE HEAVENS
Lai Weijie is a student of philosophy at the National University of Singapore. He is currently completing his research project on Gus Van Sant's LAST DAYS. Previously, he specialized in painting and sculpture for his international baccalaureate. LAST STRANGER UNDER THE HEAVENS is his first short film.
Elizabeth Wijaya, LAST STRANGER UNDER THE HEAVENS
Elizabeth Wijaya is studying English literature at the National University of Singapore on an ASEAN undergraduate scholarship. Previously, she had worked in set design. LAST STRANGER UNDER THE HEAVENS is her first short film.
Wong Fu Production, DRIFT AWAY-Magnetic North
Wesley Chan, Ted Fu, and Philip Wang met in 2004 while studying visual arts: media at UC San Diego. Sharing the same creative goals and eye for film, the trio began to work on projects together. Since then, the group has established a name for themselves through Wong Fu Productions. After graduation, Wesley, Ted and Philip hope to continue making films and eventually establish a professional company, Sketchbook Media.
Woo Ming Jin, THE ELEPHANT AND THE SEA
Born in 1976 in the Malaysian town of Ipoh, Woo Ming Jin studied film and television production at San Diego State University. He has made several short films and music videos that have screened at international festivals and won numerous awards including a student Emmy award. Since returning to Malaysia, he has directed television shows, commercials, and worked on other independent films, including serving as director of photography for Amir Muhammad's THE BIG DURIAN. Woo's debut feature film, MONDAY MORNING GLORY, premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Dr. Woo Yen Yen & Colin Goh, SINGAPORE DREAMING
The husband-and-wife filmmaking team of Dr. Woo Yen Yen and Colin Goh won the Special Achievement Award at the 2001 Singapore International Film Festival with their debut short film, AHLONG.COM. Woo and Goh went on to write, produce and direct TALKINGCOCK THE MOVIE, which premiered at the Singapore International Film Festival in 2002, and 3 MEALS, a short film funded by the Singapore Film Commission. They have completed three more feature-length scripts that are now moving into development; all are about people whose lives are affected by globalization.
Ruby Yang, THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU
Ruby Yang is a noted Chinese American filmmaker whose work in documentary and dramatic film has earned her an Academy Award and numerous international awards. She lives and works in Beijing, directing documentaries and public service announcements for the China AIDS.
Tami Yeager, A DREAM IN DOUBT
Tami Yeager is a documentary filmmaker based in New York. She has produced for national television networks, public broadcasting, and non-profits. She has co-produced a few documentaries such as one on infertility for MSNBC, two about education for ABC News and PBS, and a comprehensive video-based middle school curriculum package about Sikh children and their community. A DREAM IN DOUBT is Yeager's first independent feature documentary.
Connie Yen, AMERICAN GRANNY
Connie Yen is a senior studying Film and Media Arts at Temple University in Philadelphia. Her areas of interest include stories of Chinese Americans and other minority groups. She is currently in the beginning phases of producing her thesis short film about the role of Chinese women.
Christopher Makoto Yogi, MAPS
Christopher Makoto Yogi was born and raised in Hawai'i. His films have screened in both Hawai'i and Los Angeles. In 2002, Yogi won a Hawai'i short screenplay contest; in 2005, he completed a novel in fulfillment of his English degree. He is currently enrolled in the MFA Production program at USC.
