Other Related Sites: OPEN CALL 2014

Winner Announced for Short Waves 

Congratulations to our 2014 Short Waves Winner, Jose Soto for his short film "Who I Really Am..." with over 50% of the votes. His film is a short documentary about reclaiming his suppressed identity. He grew up immersed in the Cambodian community but as his family moved further away from that community, he drifted away from my Khmer identity. Eventually, he grew up very white washed as his parents were always working and he was essentially raised by television. Since last spring he was reintroduced to an Asian community through the programs he found in UMass Boston. By being more involved in the Asian American community he have found that piece of himself that has been missing throughout most of his life.

The screening featured all of the submissions from Short Waves, followed by a Q&A and reception with the filmmakers in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! The number of votes has doubled this year with a total of 845 votes online! Thank you all who have voted and participated the event. 
Comments from the Winner: 
"I wanted to tell the story from the perspective of a mixed child of two minority backgrounds. There are not really many people like me in my age group or at least I have never meet them. I feel with the story of my family and the fading ties to the community I grew up in. I feel that I can give a voice to the next generation of mixed Asian Latino Americans and let them know that the history of their people mean something. A history that they should not let go of, as it should be cherished and passed on for generations to come." --- Jose Soto, 2014 Short Waves Winner 

Comments from the Judges:
"This film was beautifully done, weaving family history with the present, a constant struggle in the Asian American experience. I enjoyed the nonlinear approach." --- Carolyn Chou, Director of Programs, AARW

"While this started out as another autobiographical walk down memory lane it turned into something a lot more substantive. Many children of immigrant parents have similar stories but the connection that was made as to why one would want to reconnect to their roots after drifting from them is a very real reminder of why it is that people of ethnic backgrounds have an instinct to gather." --- Tak Toyoshima, Creative Director, Weekly Dig

2014 Top 4 Finalists 

The judges have voted for their top 4 favorites; now it's your turn to vote! The winner will be announced at our screening on May 29th! Go RSVP!
*2014 WINNER* Who I Really am… » Jose Gabriel Soto
speak_easy » Allister Quilon

In a Blink » Chu Huang and Alan Kwan
Yuuki » Jacqueline Chang, John Tancredi, Samantha Lerman, Xia Rondeau

2014 Short Waves Submissions (Ordered Alphabetically)                                                      *Finalists

Angel&Annie » Xiaoyuan Liu
This video shows two Chinese girls' friendship. I want to express Asian style and culture. Cute and funny, the best friends don't mind acting in clownism in front of each other.

By Myself » Nam Pham
My story dates back to when I was in middle school. I lived in a small, white dominate town. Because I did not have and friends at school and no support back at home I became lonely and faced depression. My story focuses on the ways that I managed to cope with the loneliness by myself but how i will never forget the past.

Dear Diary » Eva Loh
Based on true stories of Asian students in America. Please don't always assume what you see is all because that is not everything, you won't know until you try to understand the details. Dear Diary, please listen to the confession of a Asian-American girl who wishes her voice would be heard. A video of my and my friend's experience as Asian American in a white-dominated high school.

Ellen Rose » Matthew Hashiguchi
Ellen Rose, a 25-year-old half-Japanese/half-Italian multiracial American from Cleveland, Ohio, discusses her multiracial identity and Japanese traditions, which she preserves and carries on.

* In a Blink » Chu Huang and Alan Kwan
Sometimes we often take for granted the simple little things in our everyday life--the things that we never thought that would go away--the places we go to, a home-cooked meal, or just the feeling of home. Life can pass before our eyes pretty quickly and before we know it, things can all change with just a moment's notice and all we have left are our childhood memories. What are we going to do about it then?

Jumping On the Rubber Band » Ziying Lin
This video is describing how I was changed by immigrating to America. I regard it like jumping on the rubber band, I was on the side with my family and love before I moved here, and the first year here, I had no supports, but challenges and difficulties of communication. But after all of that, I finally fitted in the community, open my heart to everyone, and began to cherish what I have, and the experience of moving to another country.

Reclaiming our voices and our stories » Catalina Tang
Reclaiming our voices and stories is a digital story about my life journey learning about my Asian Latin@ American identity, history, and the power of community building and storytelling.
smashing » L. Falvey
In this experimental documentary short, a Chinese-American adoptee explores the concepts of race and identity in an empowering way. By pitting the construction of racist phrases against their demolition, we explore how identity is formed and challenged on both individual and cultural levels.

* speak_easy » Allister Quilon
Explores intergenerational silence that occurs as a result of shifts in cultural values.

Through Her Lense » Thary Sun Lim
Through Her Lens is a digital story about a young woman's childhood and her desire to confront her past by addressing the wounds of her inner child. The story addresses the little girl's past and offers a glimpse into secondary trauma that many Cambodian families struggle to make sense of. The digital story weaves aspects of how this has impacted her into adulthood. Despite a painful past, it is possible to move through the lens of pain into healing and acceptance.

Where I am from » Xiu Lin
I made this video basically on my poem "Where I am from", in this video I had talk about my background, culture, experience and the challenge, thus this these things made who I am today.

* Who I Really am... » Jose Gabriel Soto
My digital story is about reclaiming my suppressed identity. I grew up immersed in the Cambodian community but as my family moved further away from that community, I drifted away from my Khmer identity. Eventually, I grew up very white washed as my parents were always working and I was essentially raised by television. Since last spring I was reintroduced to an Asian community through the programs I found here in UMass Boston. By being more involved in the Asian American community I have found that piece of myself that has been missing throughout most of my life.

* Yuuki » Jacqueline Chang, John Tancredi, Samantha Lerman, and Xia Rondeau
This short film titled "Yuuki" is a collaboration between Jackie Chang, John Tancredi, Samantha Lerman, Xia Rondeau. It is a commentary on how racism is still prevalent even in our "progressive" society today. Our goal as a group is to open up the conversation and to raise awareness of the modern day racial issues that gravely affects the people of color and the people surrounding them. 

2014 Short Waves Judges 

Carolyn Chou 
is the director of programs of Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW). The mission of the Asian American Resource Workshop is to work for the empowerment of the Asian Pacific American community to achieve its full participation in U.S. society. She graduated cum laude from Harvard College in the spring of 2013 with a degree in sociology. 
Chris Hastings 
is the executive producer/editorial manager of WORLD Channel and WORLDChannel.org in charge of content development, acquisition, and production for both. At WGBH, Chris is best known for inventing and creating high quality media at low cost, earning him three regional Emmys for the WGBH LAB Open Call program. He received his Bachelors degree from Kutztown State University of Pennsylvania and his Masters from American University.
Tak Toyoshima 
is an Asian American art director with the Weekly Dig and the author of the comic strip Secret Asian Man. According to an interview with AArisings, Toyoshima is a second-generation Japanese American born in New York City. He received a degree in advertising from Boston University, and currently resides in Boston.
Yuriko Gamo Romer currently lives in San Francisco balancing life as a documentary film maker, mother and wife. Prior to attending Stanford she spent fourteen years on "Madison Avenue" creating ads and commercials. In June of 1999 she started Flying Carp Productions where she continues her documentary film/video work. She holds a master’s degree in documentary filmmaking from Stan- ford University, a BFA from UCLA, and a brown belt from World Oyama Karate.

FREE SCREENING: SHORT WAVES

Join us for a free screening of Short Waves! 
Thursday, May 29th, 6:30pm 
Tufts Medical Center | Wolff Auditorium 
800 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111  |   T: Orange Line to Tufts Medical Center 

What is Short Waves?

Short Waves: Stories Shaping Our Community is BAAFF's screening of short videos in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May. The screening featured shorts collected from the Open Call. The top four submissions were selected by a panel of distinguished judges at the event. The winner was determined by public vote of the four finalists. The winner of the Short Waves Competition received automatic acceptance into the upcoming Boston Asian American Film Festival.

Asian Pacific Americans have long been making waves in all aspects of American life, but their stories have often been lost in general U.S. discourse. “Short Waves: Stories Shaping Our Community,” hopes to bring light to these stories through locally made, community driven short films about the Asian American experience and community.

Vote for your favorite video



Voting is closed. Thank you for voting!
Voting ended on 5/28, 11:59PM
Winner will be announced at Short Waves screening, 5/29 at the Tufts Medical Center, Wolff Auditorium.
RSVP NOW.

Open Call for Submissions (Submissions now closed)

Here are some sample topics: 
- What Asian American issue are you most passionate about?
- Tell us about someone who has helped shaped your identity as an Asian American. (role model)
- What is a pressing issue that affects your Asian American community and how that affects you?
- How do you personally define your Asian American identity?
- How do you celebrate your Asian American identity? (family gatherings and rituals, etc.)
SUBMISSION MUST BE: 
Up to 5-minute video to share your story about your Asian American life or community based on a personal experience. 
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Short Waves in the Press: 

Sampan Newspaper: http://sampan.org/2013/06/short-waves-showcases-asian-american-short-films
Archived Short Waves: 2011 | 2012 | 2013
Boston Asian American Film Festival