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SHORTS PROGRAM
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The Rogers
Directed by Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson 16 mins | Documentary | USA/Samoa | English/Samoan | New England Premiere An intimate glimpse of the first visible group of transgender men in the Pacific - the Rogers of Samoa. From the loneliness of family rejection and homelessness to the camaraderie of cooking, church and dance, their stories reveal the challenges and possibilities of life in an island society rooted in tradition. Director's Bio: Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson are Emmy and GLAAD Media-Award winning filmmakers and Sundance Fellows whose work explores oppression and empowerment among society's most vulnerable communities. Frustrated by the limitations of traditional organizing and advocacy, they picked up cameras with hopes of reaching broader audiences with stories that would inform and compel people to act. Their documentaries have screened and won awards at the Berlin, Toronto, Los Angeles, Human Rights Watch and many other film festivals around the world, and have been viewed by millions of people on PBS, Independent Lens, ARTE and international broadcast networks. |
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About a Short Film
Directed by Kevin Yee 7 mins | Comedy | USA | English Comedian Kevin Yee makes a short film about making a short film. Director's Bio: Comedian Kevin Yee and his original comedy songs have been featured on the hit podcast 2 DOPE QUEENS (WNYC) and on THE GONG SHOW (ABC)! He recently filmed his first comedy special and has appeared at festivals across the U.S. including SF SKETCHFEST, BLUE WHALE, and CAPE FEAR. He is a recovering Broadway chorus boy who was in the original Broadway cast of MARY POPPINS, as well as tours of WICKED and MAMMA MIA. www.kevinyee.com |
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U for Usha
Directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade 22 mins | Drama | India | Marathi Usha, an illiterate single mother who works as a farm labourer in rural India, finds herself drawn to a female teacher of local primary school, in ways she never knew possible. This attraction plays an important part, in firing her passion to read and write as she hopes to be as good as the teacher, one day. ‘U Ushacha’ is a subtle portrayal of sexual awakening, as well as how a naïve attraction can empower a woman to take control of her life, and make each day, something to look forward to. Director's Bio: After completing a diploma in Interior Designing, Rohan Kanawade spent as much time as possible honing his storytelling craft despite having no formal training in filmmaking. In 2010 he left his full-time job and began working as freelance interior designer to give time to film writing and direction. Film after film the quality and technique of his storytelling improved, and in 2017 his short 'Khidkee' got selected in Indian Panorama section of 48th International Film Festival of India, 2017. Impressed by his work, mythology writer Devdutt Pattanaik extended his financial support to Rohan’s next short 'U Ushacha' which he completed in mid-January 2019. |
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Soba-chan’s Morning
Directed by Vlasov Sergey 5 mins | Drama/Comedy | Japan | Japanese It was supposed to be a usual morning of a Tokyo married couple… Director's Bio: Sergey Vlasov was born in Moscow in 1984. Moved to Israel in 1999. BFA in Filmmaking Department of Tel Aviv University. He finished his first short film named "Jam" in 2011. His second film is a graduation project called “Typist”, filmed in 2013, was screened at 45 international film festivals and won 5 prizes. Now living and studying in Japan. "Soba-chan no asa" is Sergey’s first Japanese project. |
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Safe Among Stars
Directed by Jess Snow 10 mins | Drama/Sci-fi | USA | English/Chinese A queer Chinese-American woman struggles to tell her immigrant mother and her partner the reason why she left school. Using her powers, she teleports into her own galaxy where no violence can touch her. Director's Bio: Jess X. Snow is a queer immigrant Chinese-Canadian artist and filmmaker, based in Brooklyn, (Lenape Land) who makes work in both North America and China. They are currently an MFA thesis student at NYU Tisch School of The Arts. Through film, large-scale murals, children's books and community art education, they are working to build a future where LGBTQ+ and migrant people of color may discover in their own stories; a sanctuary for healing and collective liberation. Their art and illustrations has been featured on PBS Newshour, The LA Times, published by Penguin Randomhouse, and collected by the Ford Foundation and Library of Congress. Their films have been supported with grants and fellowships from the Tribeca Film Institute, Canada Council of the Arts, The Smithsonian Asian Pacific Center and Inside Out. Their short films have screened internationally at over 25 festivals across the Americas, and Asia. Their next short, "Little Sky", a queer coming-of-age musical drama, is in post-production. They are currently working on writing their first feature. |
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Gentleman Spa
Directed by Jay Lin 18 mins Hao, a chubby gay man, works as a janitor at a gay spa. For him, romantic relationships are an unreachable dream. One day, an attractive customer, Kai, walks into the place, and Hao has the opportunity to massage him. As they talk and get to know each other, they bond. However, things do not go as smoothly as Hao expected… Director's Bio: Taiwanese director, born in 1984. Nominated by Taipei Film Festival and Golden Harvest Awards to Outstanding Short Film, and also selected by the Golden Horse Film Academy. After his short film ‘Gentleman Spa’, he is currently developing a feature screenplay. |
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Dancing On My Own
Directed by Alexandra N Cuerdo 14 mins | Documentary | USA | English Dancing On My Own is a love letter to the queer Asian experience, inspired by New York's radical dance party Bubble_T. Director's Bio: Alexandra Cuerdo is a writer and director, recently named one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women In the World by the Filipina Women's Network. Her feature directorial debut ULAM: Main Dish is the first Filipino food documentary to achieve worldwide distribution, and premiered on Hulu this year. She is the recipient of the 2019 VSCO Voices Artist Grant. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, Vogue, TimeOut, Filmmaker Magazine, Eater and more. The Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold called Alexandra's film a "love letter" to Filipino food, and Stark Insider has crowned ULAM with "Four Stars — Smashing." Recently, she co-wrote the memoir and cookbook AMBOY: Recipes From the Filipino-American Dream with Eggslut chef Alvin Cailan for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. She is based in Los Angeles and New York. |
