Saturday, October 19
Part 4: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Featuring Bay Area Shorts, including Q&A with filmmakers RJ Siu, Mia J. Chong, Chad Panday, Shankey Srinvasan, Lisa Yadao or Michelle Sampior, Brady Anderson
BAY AREA SHORTS:
7 film shorts
We are excited to present to you these short films from our local Bay Area filmmakers, and some selected favorites.
THE FILMS
-
Seoul Switch
When an insecure, Korean American boy meets an International K-Pop Star who looks just like him, they decide to switch identities.
-
KOI
KOI follows the misadventures of four Asian American roommates (RJ, David, Jihoon, Will) in their mid-twenties learning to work hard and play harder. In this pilot, the gang gets into a predicament on the day of Will’s birthday bash, and through a series of twists, turns, spilt boba, and a near death experience, the boys’ lives are forever changed as they each learn something new about themselves and grow up… just a little.
-
Sonder
In a brilliant white void, “Sonder” explores the multifaceted lives of passersby through individual and collective expression. “Sonder” references the sensation of realizing every person you encounter is living a life as complex and vivid as your own. Through abstract swirls of interlocking gestures and fluid athleticism, the dancers explore moments of epiphany and exchange. Directed by RJ Muna, choreographed by Mia J. Chong, and produced by EIGHT/MOVES.
-
Sammy's Final Arrangement
After more than a decade with his own business and a firstborn child, Samuel Go must now come to terms with the stresses and the dwindling creative freedom that have resulted in his decision to end his practice and begin a new life. As Sammy directs his own cycle of self preservation, he must navigate the final stages of packing the remnants of his studio, a 2nd child with his wife, and the stresses of a final large scale wedding. Throughout his journey, Sammy reconciles his feelings of creative loss and reflects on memories of his grandmother and of his most important weddings. Like the flowers which he excises from nature, he must excise his love for his art in order to preserve the art that he loves. Ultimately Sammy realizes that much like the flowers that transform into something new, so too do his dreams.
-
Dos Mujeres (Two Women)
Through the lives of Raima, an Indian techie on a work visa, and Maria, a Mexican house cleaner, this film sheds light on the flaws of the immigration system, highlighting the diverse challenges faced by immigrants.
-
Roots & Wings Ep3
Roots & Wings profiles WOC chefs who use food as a conduit for cultural awareness and as a means of perpetuating their cultural traditions. Roots + Wings Ep 3. Iranian-American multi-disciplinary visual artist and culinary creative behind Savage Taste, Parisa Parnian hosted pop-up dinners in Los Angeles that not only illuminated Persian cuisine but also brought together the LGBTQ community.
-
Project 212: Engineering the Future
In the world of high school robotics, it is blindingly clear students are not competing on a level playing field. Project 212 hails from Ygnacio Valley and faces more challenges than most. Just over the hill from the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, four out of five students are economically disadvantaged. Experience is short and resources limited. Project 212 believes in itself though. But is grit, devoted mentors, and a teacher committed to building young leaders enough to compete against the best teams in the world?
Q&A GUESTS
-
RJ Siu - DIRECTOR, KOI
RJ Siu is a Los Angeles-based freelance Writer, Director, and Cinematographer. After graduating from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a major in Film Production (2019), he has worked on numerous projects ranging from narrative shorts/features and music videos to commercial and branded content. Alongside his sister, Jalin, he is also a content creator with videos garnering over 100M+ views, and 1M+ followers on across platforms. Above all, RJ is passionate about humanistic storytelling, especially projects that focus on the Asian American narrative.
-
Mia J. Chong – Choreographer, Sonder
MIA J. CHONG (she/they) is a choreographer and dancer from San Francisco, California, the Indigenous lands of the Ramaytush Ohlone and Muwekma people. Mia currently choreographs and performs throughout the Bay Area, and is the founding Artistic Director of contemporary dance company EIGHT/MOVES. Learn more at eightmoves.org.
-
Chad Panday Santo Tomas – DIRECTOR, Sammy's Final Arrangement
A photojournalist at heart, the transition to directing and filmmaking was a natural catalyst to bring a deeper cultural and human experience to the screen. Inspired by a cross-cultural Asian upbringing and time spent living in Asia, the films I create are inspired and motivated by the anthropological differences and cultural nuances among Asians and the translated migrant Asian experience. I've since used this mindset to translate this experience into my restaurant photography and short documentary work.
-
Shankey Srinivasan– DIRECTOR, Dos Mujeres (Two Women)
Shankey Srinivasan is an award winning Indian-American filmmaker based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. His films have played at prestigious events around the world and have won awards in competition. His debut feature film "The Last Smile" won best picture at Burbank Int'l Film Festival and Louisville's Int'l Festival of Film, Audience choice award at Philadephia Asian American Film Festival and Jury Award at Santa Cruz Film Festival.
-
Lisa Yadao and/or Michelle Sampior – DIRECTORs, Roots & Wings Ep3
Lisa Yadao is a Hawaiian-Filipina producer and screenwriter raised in SoCal and based in San Francisco. She earned a BA in English from San Diego State University, studied screenwriting at UC San Diego and video production at Bay Area Video Coalition. Her credits include short films, TV and web series, and videos for HBOMax, Bobbie Baby, FWD Stance, Square and Caviar.
Michelle Sampior is a Bay Area native of Filipino and Basque heritage. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Film & Digital Media, she studied Film Production & Editing in Spain and wrote her first short film. Michelle has credits in TV, film, and game cinematics.
-
Brady Anderson – DIRECTOR, Project 212: Engineering the Future
Brady Anderson is an empathic storyteller who is obsessed with crafting narratives that tug at the heartstrings of audiences. Diplomatic and with an eye for detail, he takes pride in his ability to build trust with his film participants in order capture the most intimate and authentic moments on camera.
Previous films include The Cook and Her Farmer; Food, Family and Fresno; Smoking Good Food and Goodwill; and Change the System: Building Black Wealth.
-
Ellina Yin - Moderator
ELLINA YIN is a first-gen Cambodian American multidisciplinary artist, civic participation activist, and entrepreneur. They work at the intersection of art, technology, and lawmaking to create and explore new forms of civic participation i.e. world building. As a producer and writer of various podcasts, Ellina threads together art and technology to reimagine the way we practice democracy at a local level. She co-authored and passed the Measure I Ballot in San José in 2022, elevating ethics and equity values. As an artist, Ellina creates in honor of their ancestors and the animate world they live in. Previously, they served as the Creative Director and Project/Research Manager for the Santa Clara County AAPI Oral Histories Project.