Official Selections: 2nd-8th LA Asian Film Festivals
Congratulations to our accepted filmmakers!
Films are listed in alphabetical order, index to the left.
Scroll Down to learn more about each film
Reconnect
Los Angeles Premiere
Short
The sudden death of the son forces an unexpressive and isolated Chinese immigrant father to reflect on his relationship with the deceased son and to rediscover the meaning of family.
Director: Taige Shi
Producer: Xinqi Huang, Jingruo Wang
Writer: Taige Shi
Cast: Zhan Wang
Cinematographer (if applicable): Yuxin Cha
Editor: Guanqin Lin
Instagram: @reconnect_short_film
Resettled Roots: Legacies of Japanese Americans in Chicago
Los Angeles Premiere
Resettled Roots is a historical documentary that examines the vast migration of Japanese Americans to Chicago following their forced incarceration during World War II. Produced by Anna Takada at the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC) in Chicago, Illinois, Resettled Roots draws from the oral history collection developed by the Japanese American Service Committee and the Chicago Japanese American Historical Society to share personal stories from this period. In doing so, this documentary challenges common narratives of "internment" to consider the discrimination and privation faced by Japanese Americans as they worked to rebuild their lives in the resettlement period. Even beyond this, the documentary explores the lasting intergenerational trauma of this history, and the ways in which a new generation of Japanese Americans is working to connect these historical issues to today's urgent concerns.
Director: Anna Takada and Maria Pimentel
Producer: Anna Takada
Cinematographer: Maria Pimentel and Anna Takada
Editor: Maria Pimentel
Website: resettledroots.com/
Instagram: @resettledrootsdoc
She Leaves
Los Angeles Premiere
A young woman’s retired parents want to leave Hong Kong, but their daughter is hesitant to join them because she is in a secret relationship with a married man, who has trouble imagining his own future—with or without her.
Director: Chu Hoi Ying
Producer: Chu Hoi Ying, Fanny Chong
Writer: Chu Hoi Ying
Cinematographer: Cheung Yu Hon
Editor: Chu Hoi Ying
15th Fresh Wave International Film Festival (Opening Film, Hong Kong)
29th Raindance Film Festival(Official Selection, UK)
22nd San Diego Asian Film Festival(Official Selection, US)
Instagram: @nicolejochu
Spell Me Out
USA Premiere
A woman with Harvard and Stanford education background and a triumphant career in the highly competitive investment industry suddenly fell down to an unbearable condition. Without the ability to talk and move, she miraculously manages her family and job against all odds. However, she needs to grow into a new self to deal with all the pain and frustration beyond imagination.
Director:Liam Yan
Producers: Victor Cheng, Gerry Liu, Grace Hwang, Liam Yan
Writer: Liam Yan
Cast: Laure Wang, Kabir Misra, Madyn Misra(Caillou), Marat Misra(Ton Ton), Paul Wang, Alya Lei, Sally Russ, Susan Carol Leathers, Shally Shanker, Grace Lay, Larry Chow, Tiffany Machida, Florhelyn Dasalla, Marveann McPherson, Claudia Wagner, Nayeli Torres
Cinematographer: Richard Sue
Editors: Qian Zhuang, Liam Yan.
Reel Wāhine of Hawaiʻi: Ann Marie Kirk
Los Angeles Premiere
Short (part of the Reel Wāhine of Hawaiʻi Season 4)
Ann Marie Nālani Kirk is an award-winning filmmaker from Maunalua, Oʻahu. Her recent films include: Kai Piha: Nā Loko Iʻa about traditional Hawaiian fishponds, Kai Piha: Kaʻahele Ma Waikiki about the history of traditional Hawaiian surfing in Waikiki and other films include The Hawaiian Room about the legendary Hawaiian dancers and entertainers who Hawaiian Room in the Lexington Hotel, Homealani about her grandfather Oliver H. Kupau, and Happy Birthday, Tūtū Ruth about kupuna Ruth Kaholoaʻa from Waipiʻo, Hawaiʻi. Ann Marie is also the creator of maunalua.net, a cultural website sharing the moʻolelo of Maunalua, Oʻahu.
Director: Amber McClure
Producers: Vera Zambonelli and Shirley Thompson
Writer: Amber McClure
Cast: Ann Marie Kirk
Cinematographer: Shaneika Aguilar
Editor: Amber McClure
Website: reelwahineofhawaii.org
Instagram: @hiwomeninfilmmaking
Facebook: fb.com/HIWomenInFilmmaking
Sandals of Gold
Los Angeles Premiere
Short
When an old, lonely, and seemingly humble man witnesses his gold-plated sandals being stolen outside a temple by a young thief, he resorts to extreme measures to reclaim them.
Director: Raj Kapadia
Producer: Bhrugesh Amin
Writer: Raj Kapadia
Cast: Jitendra Sumra, Vivaan Surati, Anamika Surti, Shreejeet Dhoot, Dharmik Gajjar
Cinematographer: Amar Jadav
Editor: Raj Kapadia
Sandals of Gold has been selected to screen at a total of 23 film festivals globally, and the count is still growing. These include prestigious festivals like the Boston Asian American Film Festival, the International Film Festival of South Asia Toronto [IFFSA Toronto], and the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival, which is the only Oscar-Qualifying film festival from India.
Instagram: @raj_kapadiaa
Twitter: @RajKapadiaFilms
SHU
USA Premiere
Shu, a young Chinese girl, struggles to adapt to her new life after her mother passes away. [In Chinese with English subtitles].
It is the story of post-loss adaptation; the loss of a mother causes both the daughter and grandmother to live together under this newly forced and unwanted family dynamic.
*A Miami and Shanghai Production* This is an international collaboration between film students from the University of Miami (Florida, USA) and Fudan University (Shanghai, China). We are proud to say that production solely took place in China, with Miami crew members providing live direction virtually on a Chinese set via Zoom, for the first time ever!
Director: Cinthya Franco
Producer: Sarah Topf
Field Producer and Casting Director: 罗胡湘苏 (Huxiangsu Luo)
Writers: Sarah Topf, Cinthya Franco, Amanda Carballo
Cast: 吴家钰 (Wu Jiayu) as "Shu", 蒋萍萍 (Jiang Ping) as "Hua", 胡飞燕 (Hu Feiyan) as "Mother"
Director of Photography: 张可凡 (Kefan Zhang)
Art Director: Maria Calderon
Editor: Amanda Carballo
Sound Designer and Music Composer: Jenna Getty
Spotlight
Los Angeles Premiere
Director: Peter CS Lee
Producer: Bianca Rose Cheung
Writer: Peter CS Lee
Cast: Stanley Jung, Ian H.W. Kim, Patrick Li, Jungyeul Park, Hostion Ho, Jaeger Yee, Tyrone Pak, Andrew Wang, Matias Wong, Artemis Cheung
Cinematographer: Peter CS Lee
Editor: Peter CS Lee
Website: petercslee.com
Instagram: the.plee
Swept Under
After receiving a housewarming rug from his sister, a Cambodian adoptee discovers a dark history hidden underneath its surface.
Director: Ethan Soo
Producer: Ruhi Mansey
Writer: Ethan Soo
Cast: Alvin Heng, Lisa Dobbyn, Brandon Lessard
Cinematographer: Graham Wilder Byers
Editor: Samuel Gill, Ethan Soo
Website: ethansoo.com/film/sweptunder
Instagram: @sweptunderfilm
Reel Wāhine of Hawaiʻi: Jana K. Park
Los Angeles Premiere
Short (part of the Reel Wāhine of Hawaiʻi Season 4)
Jana is a multi-talented artist from Hawaiʻi, with experience in acting, writing, producing, and directing. She has produced award-winning short films and worked on feature films, including Molokaʻi Bound. Jana is also a SAG_AFTRA actress and has performed in plays and TV commercials. She has worked on productions for clients such as Disney and Louis Vuitton. Jana is currently the Executive Director of Hawaiʻi Filmmakers Collective, a non-profit supporting independent filmmakers in Hawaiʻi.
Director: Fé María Vásquez
Producers: Vera Zambonelli and Shirley Thompson
Writer: Fé María Vásquez
Cast: Jana K. Park
Cinematographer: Taylor Gruver
Editor: Taylor Gruver
Website: reelwahineofhawaii.org
Instagram: @hiwomeninfilmmaking
Facebook: fb.com/HIWomenInFilmmaking
Robie
Animated Short
A robot student starts his school life in the robot school to learn the skills of a robot assistant. He feels inferior to his classmates at the beginning because he looks different from them and fails to do well in class. He tries to blend in and learn to do better but finally realizes that his talents are not those repetitive movements but the comprehension of knowledge and emotions.
Director: Pei-Lun Hsieh
Producer: Pei-Lun Hsieh
Writer: Pei-Lun Hsieh
Editor: Pei-Lun Hsieh
Instagram: @project.mooler
Facebook: fb.com/Project.Mooler
ROOT
Root is a magical journey about Hana, exploring the world and struggling to expand her boundaries. Hana and the characters all face difficulties accepting each other over their differences. However, they all come to accept one another after realizing what they all have in common.
Director: Seyoung Jang
Producer: Brittani Singleton
Writer: Seyoung Jang
Cast: Seyoung Jang, Delaney Suzanne Yurco, Alwyn Tay, Robert Burton, Courtney Baucom
Cinematographer: Seyoung Jang
Editor: Seyoung Jang
Finalist for Florida Animation Festival,
Semi- Finalist for Flicker's Rhode Island International Film Festival.
2022 Rookie awards draft Selection.
Instagram: @root.anim/
Sideways Smile
An official grantee of the inaugural 2019 “Made In NY” Women’s Fund , Sideways Smile is a comedic series about a young Asian-American woman beginning a journey of sexual discovery after reluctantly enrolling in a class to learn how to have an orgasm.
Director: Hang Nguyen
Producer: Hang Nguyen, Iya Megre, Diane Chen, Jackie Schwartz
Writer: Hang Nguyen
Cast: Diane Chen, Kathy Huynh-Phan
Cinematographer: Katherine Castro
Editor: Harry Aspinwal
Sideways Smile has won multiple awards and screened around the country at prestigious Academy Award qualifying festivals like Outfest, Newfest, and Austin Film Festival.
Instagram: @sidewaysmileseries
Website: sidewayssmileseries.com
Story Game
Los Angeles Premiere
Feature Film
On a camping trip in Hawaii, three fine art students make a bet: who can tell the best supernatural story? But not just any ghost story. According to the rules of the STORY GAME, each tale must have three items: a metaphysical piece, a character with green eyes, and a Japan location. Around the campfire, these three young campers try to outwit each other with peculiar tales. However, things take an eerie turn as each plays to win the STORY GAME.
Director: Jason K. Lau
Producers: Deborah Y. Lau and Nicole M. Lau
Writer: Jason K. Lau
Cast: Lyrica Okano, Greer Grammer, Ned Van Zandt, Alberto Rosende, Ayaka Wilson, Mariko Tohmi, Jason Quinn, Mari Yamamoto, Hyunri, Ken Yamamura, Go Jibiki, Taka Higuchi, and Ayumi Ito
Cinematographer: Anne Misawa
Editor: Erich Nemcek
- Hawaii International Film Festival Official Selection
- Cinedigm – North American Distributor
- Giggly Box – Japan Distributor
- Sublimity Entertainment – Official Sales Agent
Website: talkstory.film/movie-details-1.html
Instagram: @storygamemovie
Twitter: @storygamemovie
Facebook: fb.com/storygamemovie