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FILMMAKER BIOGRAPHIES
A - I
Jeff Adachi
THE SLANTED SCREEN
Jeff Adachi has used arts activism and legal work to advocate for the civil rights of all Americans. He instituted the Asian American Arts Foundation's Golden Ring Awards which recognized the artistic achievements of Asian Americans. He also served as the chair of the Asian American Theater Company. Adachi currently serves as the elected Public Defender for the City and County of San Francisco.
Konrad Aderer
RISING UP: THE ALAMS
Konrad Aderer has produced several short documentaries for grassroots campaigns on behalf of immigrants who were targeted after 9/11. These works have screened at festivals and venues such as the Museum of Modern Art's Documentary Fortnight and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Aderer works as a videographer and field producer of PSAs. He is currently finishing "A CORNER OF HER EYE", a documentary on Hurricane Katrina.
Narhee Ahn
PURITY
NaRhee Ahn is a Korean American female filmmaker who graduated from Columbia University's Graduate Film Division. Her short, UNDER: ELEGY, screened at several Asian American film festivals and was broadcast on AZN Network. Ms. Ahn is currently writing LIBERTY, PART TWO OF THE KIM/LEE/PARK TRILOGY, about Korean Americans in Los Angeles' Koreatown.
Francisco Aliwalas
Music Video: A BRIGHTER DAY - Kevin So
Francisco Aliwalas has shot films for MTV, The Travel Channel, Major League Baseball, Eminem, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, and Tommy Hilfiger. His screenplay RUBY'S PROMISE was chosen for the HBO/Montage Entertainment Diversity in Film Program. His works have aired on the AZN Television, Cinema AZN, Nickelodeon, London's Children's Channel, and Stir TV.
Todd Angkasuwan
Music Video: HOLLA HEY - Far-East Movement
A former TV news journalist, Todd Angkasuwan is a relative newcomer to the film world. He spent most of his career in front of the camera as a TV news reporter, working for various CBS, ABC and Fox affiliates throughout the country. He has produced and directed a handful of short films, documentaries, music videos and public service announcements. Some of those projects include videos for groups like Far-East Movement, Chan and Jin The Emcee. Angkasuwan is also currently developing several other film and video projects including a feature narrative.
Jerome Austria
BLUSH
Jerome Austria is a writer, art director, editor, and director of photography. He has directed online experiences, commercials, music videos, and short films. His awards range from the Best Director Jury Prize in the 72 Hour Shorts Program of the 2004 Asian American International Festival for his 6-minute short entitled "No Regrets" to more than forty international design and advertising awards.
Cathy Begien
RELATIVE DISTANCE
San Francisco's dilettante, Cathy Begien, was born in Singapore but raised in Saudi Arabia and Southern California. She attended UC Santa Cruz for writing and then moved to San Francisco. Apart from participating in several film festivals and group shows (including The Getty Center and Angela Hanley Gallery in Los Angeles), her work can be found at cbegien.com. When not busy hiding in her closet (her production studio is known as Closet Arts), she can be found face down on a blanket in Dolores Park.
Robert Byrd
MEET THE FUNDER: JEROME FOUNDATION
Robert Byrd is a Senior Program Officer at the Jerome Foundation, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based arts grant-maker serving organizations and individuals in Minnesota and New York City. Byrd is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker with many projects to his credit, including Short Stories (1997), Generation Q (1994), Invisible to the Eye (1995), Hoop Dreams Reunion (1995). His works have appeared on PBS, the Discovery Channel and public television stations various parts of Europe and Australia. He has won numerous awards for his work.
A.J.Calomay
Music Video: SWEET LUCY ASLEEP - Invid
A West Los Angeles native, Calomay started his carrer in film by producing videos for the Filipino club on campus. After working in several post production facilities for a couple of years, he started his own production company Xylophone Films. Xylophone has co-produced the feature-length movie "Lumpia", The Black Eyed Peas' "The Apl Song", "The Debut" DVD and several other music videos and DVDs for independent artists. AJ currently works full time as an editor at MTV News in Santa Monica, CA. Website: XylophoneFilms.com
Michelle Chai
RUSHING RIVER
Michelle grew up in Texas, attended Stanford University and navigated her way to Los Angeles through jobs in the indoor-tennis-club, infomercial, and internet-start-up industries. She worked in production for several years there before becoming a graduate film student at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. After finishing her most exciting PA job ever - working on a documentary aboard an aircraft carrier - she is now working on her thesis film.
J.P.Chan
DRY CLEAN ONLY
J.P. Chan is a filmmaker, playwright, and performer living in Brooklyn. His short films have screened at film festivals in the US and Canada. His plays have been produced and read in New York by Desipina, Ma-Yi, Peeling, and Raw Impressions. He is a member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab and the Dramatists Guild.
Simon Chan (a.k.a. Artificial Army)
Music Video: THE WIDOW - The Mars Volta
Simon Chan is proficient in twelve different unarmed fighting systems (i.e. Karate, Kung-Fu, Jujitsu, etc...) and is highly skilled in the use of edged weapons. Filmmaking is an art he took up during his fights against the evil forces of the E.F.S. (Elitist Film Snobs) and is now his primary weapon of choice. He formed the Artificial Army in the year 2003 A.D. with hopes to someday rule the universe and rid the solar system of whack filmmakers.
Karen Chau
NETWORKING RECEPTION SPECIAL GUEST
Karen Chau, the creator of DOWNWARD DOGHOUSE (now known as NI HAO, KAI - LAN!), is a 1st generation Chinese American born in New York. Karen majored in Studio Art at the University of CA, Irvine, and minored in Digital Art and worked as a graphic designer. NI HAO, KAI - LAN! was inspired by her childhood experiences, and her relationship with her grandfather.
Paras Chaudhari
VICTORY
Paras H. Chaudhari was born in Kalol, Gujurat in 1981. After moving to the US at the age of one, he spent the next 23 years in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Syracuse, finally landing in New York City. Paras is a co-founder of Crescent Street Films and Web Content Manager for www.isave.com.
Susan Chiu
ROCK BOTTOM
Susan Chiu received her M.F.A. in film directing from New York University in 2001. Her short film, Driving Lessons, received a Warner Brothers Post Production Award and screened at numerous festivals. Chiu has received a 2004 ABC New Talent Scholarship for her short script, Rock Bottom, is a 2005 participant in IFP/New York's Project: Involve and a 2005 New York Foundation of the Arts Fellow in Film.
Eunhee Cho
INNER CIRCLE LINE
Korean-born writer and director Eunhee Cho majored in Film at The Dongguk University in Seoul. She participated in various independent films and theatre projects as a producer, actress, lighting and sound designer, and worked in professional film field as a script supervisor. She moved to the United States to develop her career, earning an MFA degree in Film at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her first feature film, INNER CIRCLE LINE, was filmed with the help of a grant from The Korean Film Council.
Jimmy Chorng
ANIMATRONIC TITO PUENTE
Jimmy Chorng is a junior high school student at the Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, California. He is in his second year of film studies and produced this video for an experimental film class. Jimmy Chorng is sixteen and lives in La Habra Heights.
Christine Choy
AGENT YELLOW, NOT CHINAMAN'S CHANCE
Christine Choy teaches at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Her documentary, "Who killed Vincent Chin", was Oscar-nominated in the late 1990's. Her most recent films are Long Story Short, (2006) which is the story of a Chinese American family in show business, Sparrow Village (2003) about Chinese girls in Guei Zhou in southwest China and In the Name of the Emperor (1995) which examined the Nanking massacre in China.
Curtis Choy
WENDY...UH...WHAT'S HER NAME
Curtis Choy is an independent producer and production sound mixer who has worked on numerous independent and PBS documentaries, commercials and feature films. His films include "Dupont Guy: The Schiz of Grant Avenue", "The Fall of The I-Hotel" and "WWW Frank Chin". He has recorded sound for "The Joy Luck Club", "Better Luck Tomorrow", and the Academy Award winner, "Breathing Lessons".
David L. Chu
THE DISTRIBUTION MATRIX
As Senior Vice President of Programming and Production, David Chu devises the blueprint for ImaginAsian TV's pan-Asian programming. Prior to joining ImaginAsian TV, Mr. Chu worked in programming with Showtime Networks and Fine Line Features. Mr. Chu is a lawyer with experience at Codikow, Carroll, Guido & Groffman, LLP, an entertainment law firm. He has pursued acting at The Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting and The Gene Frankel Theater.
Rik Cordero
Music Video: I'VE BEEN LOST - +/-
Rik Cordero dabbled in motion graphics and interactive design and produced several shorts before directing his first independent feature "Mend". Cordero's promotional music video for "Mend" won the Best Music Video Audience Award at the 28th Asian International Film Festival in 2005. He is the founder of the renegade production company, Three/21 Media.
Sari Lluch Dalena
RIGODON
Sari Dalena is a Fulbright scholar and award-winning independent filmmaker from the Philippines, currently pursuing her graduate degree in film production at NYU. Her documentary about the Philippine-American War of 1899, "Memories of a Forgotten War" was the closing film at the Documentary Fortnight in New York City's Museum of Modern Art and has been well-received at festivals. Her short films have twice received the Philippines' Academy Awards.
Jason A. DaSilva
CALL IT A DAY
Jason DaSilva's films, Dreaming Havana, Olivia's Puzzle, Lest We Forget, Twins of Mankala and A Song for Daniel have screened at various festivals ranging from the Latin America Film Festival in Cuba to Sundance, and have been broadcast on HBO and PBS. DaSilva is a recipient of the Project: Involve Filmmaker Fellowship award from IFP/New York.
Chris Deaner
Music Video: STEAL THE BLUEPRINTS - +/-
Chris Deaner conceptualized, edited, and directed the video for "Steal the Blueprints", a single from his forthcoming album, Let's Build a Fire. A self-taught filmmaker and professional musician, Chris's videos have been included in several film festivals as well as on MTV Japan, Taiwanese television, and various American cable networks.
Deeyah
Music Video: WHAT WILL IT BE? (METAL VERSION)- Deeyah ft. Young Maylay
Deeyah was born and raised in Oslo by parents who were amongst the first generation of Muslim Asians to immigrate to Norway. She released two successful albums while still in her teens. She now calls London home, but has been dividing her time between the UK and the US where she recently completed her latest album.
Anne del Castillo
THE FUNDING MIX
Anne del Castillo has worked in the independent media arts and public television as a producer, programmer and fundraiser for over ten years. She was a production associate at American Masters in New York and then series coordinator for Frontline in Boston. Ms. del Castillo has served as Vice President of the board of Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers and as a panelist for numerous arts and media organizations. She currently serves as Associate Director of Development and Special Projects at American Documentary, producers of the award-winning PBS independent documentary showcase P.O.V.
Rafael Del Toro
6 FT IN 7 MIN
Rafael Del Toro received an M.F.A from the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU in 2005 and has made several short films that have been well-received at festivals. Currently he is developing two feature projects, Mullet, the story of a teenager in a small border-town in Texas and Junction, the story of a drunk who causes a fatal car accident, and falls in love.
Ravi Dhar
Music Video: DEKODER - Viva K
Ravi Dhar is a product of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts film program. He has worked on several projects as a director, editor, musician and actor and plays guitar in the Indian-influenced punk band called Viva K. Dhar is head editor for Fuel TV's show "American Misfits," and recently edited an animal rights documentary for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Duki Dror
THE JOURNEY OF VAAN NGUYEN
Born in Tel Aviv, educated at UCLA and Columbia College in Chicago, Dror has been examining Israeli society, disassembling it with powerful stories triggered by cultural, political and ethnic dilemmas. Among his recent award winning films: "Raging Dove" (2002), "Paradise Lost" (writer-producer) and "Mr. Cortisone, Happy Days" (2004) - all were distributed internationally and critically acclaimed.
Sean Elwood
THE FUNDING MIX
Sean Elwood is the Director of Grants & Services at Creative Capital Foundation Before joining Creative Capital in 2000, Sean Elwood's professional experience included serving as Curator & Collections Manager for the Seattle Arts Commission; Director for Special Projects at Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York; and managing the Visual Arts Residency Program for the Centrum Foundation in Washington. Sean serves on the boards of various art organizations.
Jay Esguerra
HONORABLE SON
Jay is a Filipino American who graduated from UCLA in Asian American Studies and Policy Studies. He has worked and volunteered with the Queer/LGBT, Asian Pacific Islander, and youth communities, especially in digital media arts, filmmaking and leadership development.
Brian Foo
ISLANDS
Brian Foo has been directing and editing films all during high school. His latest accomplishment was winning the national contest for best commercial for Winterfresh Gum last year. He currently works in Michael Moore's production company, Dog Eat Dog films and attends Columbia University, where he is the co-founder of Columbia University's very first National Undergraduate Film Festival.
Bucky Fukumoto (a.k.a. AV Club)
Music Video: IRISH BLOOD ENGLISH HEART - Morrissey
Bucky Fukumoto is the primary creative force behind AV Club. He pursues projects alone as well as with a rotating band of collaborators including Andy Bruntel, Arya Senboutaraj and others. Recently, Fukumoto directed two music videos and a full-length concert film for Morrissey's latest album release "You Are The Quarry" as a well as two Japanese commercials for Jinro.
Patricio Ginelsa
Patricio Ginelsa graduated with a BA in cinema production from the University of Southern California. Patricio became the Associate Producer of the award-winning film THE DEBUT, wrote and directed the feature-length cult movie LUMPIA and has been directing music videos for independent artists such as the PACIFICS, 6th Day, and InnerVoices. Patricio's production company, Kid Heroes Productions develops features and other projects in collaboration with Xylophone Films.
Sonali Gulati
NALINI BY DAY, NANCY BY NIGHT
Sonali Gulati is an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Photography & Film. Gulati has made several short films that have screened at over one hundred film festivals worldwide. She has won several grants and awards including the Director's Choice award from the Black Maria Film Festival for her film "Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night".
Emon Hassan
MICHELOB LIGHT COMPETITION: PARALLEL
Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Emon Hassan has written, produced, and directed several short radio, theatre, and film projects. Influenced by Altman, Spielberg, Bergman, Kieslowski, Kurosawa, and Satyajit Ray, to name a few, he hopes to tell stories that are meaningful and entertaining. Emon currently edits the US Screenwriters Network bulletin and is an Editorial Board member of Public Radio Exchange. And yes, they are real.
Kayo Hatta
FISHBOWL
Born in Honolulu, project director/writer Kayo Hatta is the director/co-writer of PICTURE BRIDE. PICTURE BRIDE was one of the first independent films to be made in Hawaii and won the Audience Award for Best Dramatic Film at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. It was also an Official Selection at the 1994 Cannes International Film Festival. Distributed domestically and internationally by Miramax Films, the film went onto to become a best-selling video in Hawaii and is now a regular part of the educational curriculum in many local schools and universities teaching ethnic studies, women's studies, labor history and the history and culture of Hawaii. Hatta passed away July 20, 2005, she was an important vision in Asian American film.
In Pyo Hong
PUBLIC BATH
Hong was born in Seoul, Korea. He took his BA in electrical engineering and MFA in Computer Art. He has been working as a 3D animator since 1999, creating the award-winning animation series, 'Storyteller Cafe' and 'The Firecrackers'. Currently he teaches at the School of Visual Arts.
Andrew van den Houten
LITTLE MARY
A graduate of Emerson College, Houten started as a child actor, later performing stand-up and then hosting a pilot for Nickelodeon. He wrote, directed, and produced Inherent Darkness and Enlightenment. Andrew has produced the films Surveillances, Falling in Rhythm, and The Wait. He made his feature directing debut with the supernatural thriller Headspace (winner of multiple awards at the New York City Horror Film Festival).
Shu-Ling Hsieh
LONG DISTANCE
Seline Hsieh received her Master's in Film from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Hsieh is currently an instructor at the UWM Film Department. Besides teaching, she is also working with filmmakers and talents from the Chicago area on her next film project.
Douglas Ing
EXPERIMENT
Ing earned his MFA in Media Arts Production from City College of New York.His films have screened across the US in festivals such as the Mill Valley Film Festival, Chicago Asian American Film Showcase and Cinequest Film Festival. His work combines documentary, animation and pixelvision video. Currently he is an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication at Hawai'I Pacific University.
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