SHOrts: Facing challenges
saturday october 20, 2018, 6pm
It’s often the challenges that we face that define who we are and what we stand for, whether those challenges come in the form of language barriers or gender inequality; fighting for better gun control or fighting to live out our dreams. This collection of short films feature stories of individuals as they navigate their own personal struggles.
Mother Tongue | The Musician Under New York | Phởmily Feud | Nothing on US: Pinays Rising | Milk | Dancing Shoes | Come & Take It
Followed by a Q&A with
Evelyn Obamos, Dir - Nothing on Us: Pinays Rising,
Benedict Chiu (Director/Producer/Writer) and Erich Reyes (Actor/Producer) - Dancing Shoes
Evelyn Obamos, Dir - Nothing on Us: Pinays Rising,
Benedict Chiu (Director/Producer/Writer) and Erich Reyes (Actor/Producer) - Dancing Shoes
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mother tongue2017 | USA | 6 mins | Short
Directed by Christina Wong A young Asian-American girl seeks to connect with her cultural identity through her mother and grandmother, but must find a way to speak the same language first. |
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the musician under new york2017 | USA | 9 mins | Documentary Short
Directed by Joy Le Li "The Musician Under New York" gives an intimate view of the story of a Chinese immigrant who came to New York city in his late fifties. Zongli Lu is formally authorized by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York to play music in the subways--a rare accomplishment for a recent immigrant. Even more unique, Lu had no formal musical training. In China, being a musician was considered a luxury, so many parents, including Lu's, discourage their children. After moving to the US, Lu quickly found that the skills that Chinese society encouraged were not useful to him anymore. So after spending all the money he brought from China, Lu had no choice but to use the lost passion he had when he was a child. To his family's surprise, Lu not only survived on the skills they had deemed useless, but he also rediscovered his love for music. Director's Bio: JOY LE LI currently lives in Brooklyn. Prior to that, she had lived in Beijing for a decade where she directed independent documentaries aired on NHK and CCTV. Additionally, she worked as a producer on documentaries for HBO, ESPN, the History Channel, PBS and NHK, among others, in New York, China and Japan. Joy holds a master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University. |
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Phởmily Feud2016 | USA | 3 mins | Short
Directed by Martin Tran Though well into adulthood, this sister and brother pair can't stop competing at childish games. Big sis is used to winning, but this time little bro is determined to take her throne. Bringing their ago old grudge into a Pho restaurant, what could go wrong? |
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Nothing on US: Pinays Rising2018 | USA | 25 mins | Documentary Short
Directed by Evelyn Obamos In NOTHING ON US: PINAYS RISING, Pinay Rapper Ruby Ibarra makes her directorial debut showing how she orchestrated an ambitious vision for her music video of “Us,” working through logistical nightmares and corralling a crowdsourced all-Pinay cast of 200 to create a multi-dimensional narrative. This documentary showcases the song’s global tropes of resistance and solidarity, serving as a Pinay anthem for women to continue rising. |
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Milk2017 | USA | 2 mins | Short
Directed by Winnifred Jong Vicki buys milk and finds telling her grandmother is the hardest part. Director's Bio: WINNIFRED JONG is a Toronto-based filmmaker and an alumna of the Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC) and Ryerson University. Named Playback’s 5-to-Watch 2018, her recent work can be seen on CBC’s Frankie Drake Mysteries: A Cold Case web series and upcoming on CBC’s one-hour drama, Coroner. Selected as a Wattpad Studios creator, she is currently producing/directing the short film Destin, with an eye to developing it into a longer format. In addition, Winnifred created the comedic web series, Tokens, which was shortlisted for the Sundance YouTube New Voices Lab and was selected as part of the Banff Media Festival Diversity of Voice Program. She is slated to shoot in Fall 2018 with Telefilm Talent-to-Watch and BellFund financing. The Offer, her debut short film, won the Deluxe Canada First Award at Lakeshorts International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Short Film in the 2016 DGC Awards. Her second award-winning short, Milk, which she also penned, is currently on the festival circuit. She is in pre-production for her third short, a passion project, Distant Cousins, which was a Finalist in the Reel Asian Film Festival “So You Think You Can Pitch?” competition. |
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dancing shoes2018 | USA | 10 mins | Drama
Directed by Benedict Chiu When his mom gives him a magical pair of shoes, a young street dancer’s life is changed forever. Q&A with Benedict Chiu (Director) and Erich Reyes (Actor/Producer) Director's Bio: BENEDICT CHIU is a Silicon Valley native who found his passion in entertainment while studying at the University of Southern California. He graduated with a joint degree in Business Administration and Cinematic Arts and recently completed the NBCUniversal Page Program in New York City. Benedict has worked for prominent entertainment networks like Amazon Studios, NBC Entertainment, USA Network, and SYFY. He also writes and direct short films and has partnered with companies like DJI and Jaunt VR to create experimental videos. |
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come and take it2018 | USA | 25 mins | Social Issue
Directed by Ellen Spiro This short documentary film captures the transformation of a young woman to leadership of America’s most irreverent anti-gun violence movement called #CocksNotGlocks. After concealed carry of handguns is legalized on the University of Texas campus, Jessica Jin posts clever humor on social media, and with the help of a tight-knit group of young female students, a movement is born: The Great Texas Dildo Revolt. Director's Bio: ELLEN SPIRO has pushed the boundaries of the documentary form by creating award-winning and imaginative films, including DIANA’S HAIR EGO, GREETINGS FROM OUT HERE, ROAM SWEET HOME, ATOMIC ED AND THE BLACK HOLE, ARE THE KIDS ALRIGHT? (with Karen Bernstein) and TROOP 1500. In 2007 she released BODY OF WAR (co-directed and co-produced with Phil Donahue), which was short-listed for an Academy Award in the Best Feature Documentary category and won Best Documentary of 2007 by the National Board of Review. It was also was nominated for a Producer's Guild Award and was broadcast nationally on the Sundance Channel. Spiro has been awarded The Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television's Gracie Award for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Documentary, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary. She is a two-time recipient of the Rockefeller fellowship, a Guggenheim fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Jerome Foundation Fellowship, and a commendation from the Texas State Legislature. Spiro's films have been shown in film festivals internationally, broadcast on television worldwide on PBS, HBO, BBC, CBC and NHK and are housed in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Peabody Collection of the Museum of Television and Radio and the New York Public Library. She is currently a visiting professor at UC Berkeley. Co-sponsored by:
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