Tag Archives: AAFL TV

‘Hide and Seek’ Starring Lia Chang and Garth Kravits to Screen at The Women’s Film Festival in Philadelphia on Mar. 13th

February 24, 2016 Lia Chang Leave a comment

Bev’s Girl Films’ Hide and Seek starring Lia Chang and Garth Kravits, will screen as an official selection in The Women’s Film Festival at the University of the Arts, Caplan Recital Hall, 17th Floor, 211 South Broad Street (between Locust and Walnut Street on Broad Street) in Philadelphia, PA 19107, in the Artistic Shorts Program on Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 1:00PM.

The Women’s Film Festival will be held from March 11th-13th, 2016. Click here for more information on the festival.

All-Access Badges: $40
Regular Admission: $8
Student/Senior/Children under 18: $6

The producing team of Bev's Girl Films - Best Actress nominee Lia Chang and Garth Kravits for their debut short film, Hide and Seek (Top Ten Film for 72 Hour Shootout) — The producing team of Bev’s Girl Films – Best Actress nominee Lia Chang and Garth Kravits for their debut short film, Hide and Seek (Top Ten Film for 72 Hour Shootout)

Kravits also directed, edited and scored the film, in addition to sharing camera operator duties with Evan Daves. Daves and Alicia Manns also appear in the film.

Hide and Seek speaks to the societal challenge that women, and especially women of color, endure every day. To look in the mirror and to hope to see a face other than your own. One that is closer to what magazines, television and movies define as beautiful or even normal. What face do you see when you look in the mirror?

Hide and Seek is a very personal film to me as I got my start in front of the camera as a model at the age of 15, before honing my craft in film, television and theater.

Garth Kravits is an actor, singer, musician and composer and award winning filmmaker. On television, Kravits has guest starred on 30 Rock, The Blacklist, Nurse Jackie, Hostages, Tin Man and The Carrie Diaries and played opposite Keanu Reeves in the feature film Sweet November.

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and a freelance Arts and Entertainment reporter. Chang recently received a Best Actress nomination at the 2015 Asian American Film Lab 72 Hour Shootout. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, a Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media and a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age. She is the recipient of the AAJA 2001 National Award for New Media and the OCA 2000 Chinese American Journalist Award. Avenue Magazine named her one of the “One Hundred Most Influential Asian Americans”. She is featured in Joann Faung Jean Lee’s book Asian American actors: oral histories from stage, screen, and television. She is profiled in Examiner.com, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.

Entertainment, Film, Film Festivals

2016 Asians on Film Festival Complete Lineup, Mar. 10 -13

February 24, 2016 Lia Chang Leave a comment

UPDATED: 3/10/16

The 2016 Asians on Film Festival runs from Thursday March 10th- Sunday, March 13th at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, 100 North Central Avenue, LA.

Full Lineup

Thursday, March 10th

Japanese American National Museum

100 N Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012

tickets

5:00PM

Opening night red carpet

7:00PM

Rain Lotus (Joe Chang) (7 min)

Family Gathering (David Au) (21 min)

More Than One (Takahisa Shiraishi) (20 min)

The Smiling Man (AJ Briones) (7 min)

Visiting Mum (Cassandra Nguyen) (21 min)

Eternity (James Boss) (24 min)

9:00PM

Waiting (Will Kim) (2 min)

The Breakdown on Highway 7 (Jaswant Shrestha) (16 min)

Power Play (Hillary Hamilton) (4 min)

Do Date (Marc Lee & Marcial Chavez) (11 min)

Off the Record (Lijie Feng) (16 min)

The Controller (Bryce Marrero) (18 min)

Jackie Boy (Musashi Alexander) (22 min)

Friday, March 11th

4:00PM

One Minute To Leave (Brian Sounalath) (4 min)

Maple’s Tree (Rachel Leyco) (20 min)

Alice’s Mirror (Benoit Lelieve) (18 min)

The Spring in My Life (Yeon Yun Cho) (20 min)

My Best Friend, Ben (Henry Alberto) (33 min)

6:00PM

The Roar – Monish Gangwani (Monish Gangwani) (15 min)

The Dead Planet (Michael Morris) (13 min)

Vigilance (Brenton Fosner) (10 min)

The Flip (Chung Fan Lam) (22 min)

In Search of American Inshallah (Danish Renzu) (25 min)

8:00PM

Spaceship – Dan aka Dan featuring Sam Kang (Rommel Andaya) (7 min)

Virtual Hitman (Kristina Esposito) (14 min)

Hopeless Romantic (Oleksil Babenko) (10 min)

Kin (Deborah Kim & Jacobi Hollingshed) (20 min)

The Girl Who Couldn’t Get High (Andrew Olsen) (3 min)

Rattlefly (Min Ding) (20 min)

You Can’t Hear Me. You Can’t See Me. (Andrew Suleiman) (14 min)

10:00PM

R I S E (Steve Nguyen & Choz Belen) (3 min)

Tortoise (Noviandra Santosa) (6 min)

Eyes of Fate (Andrew Yi) (12 min)

Lover and the Fighter (Joseph Le) (5 min)

Passage (Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe) (16 min)

American Hikikomori (Landis Stokes) (20 min)

When Mom Visits (Chiung-wen Chang) (18 min)

Saturday, March 12th

4:00PM

Where’d You Go (Invisible People) – Model Minority (Angela Yu) (6 min)

Sapphire Strange (Justin Caien Chenn) (8 min)

Meet Me at a Funeral (Kerry Mondragon) (11 min)

Apart (Xin Huang) (13 min)

The Destined King (Kiyun Sung) (12 min)

Sweet Sixteen (Yung-Jen Yang) (8 min)

Playdate (Andrea Bang) (14 min)

A Children’s Song (Shayna Cohen) (27 min)

6:00PM

Up In the Clouds (Ed Moy) (3 min)

Ed Moy’s Animated Short UP IN THE CLOUDS, starring Katherine Park and Raymond Ma, has East Coast premiere screening at PAAFF15

Anastasia (Sam Li) (13 min)

Split End (Edward Shieh) (6 min)

Time Capsule (Trinity Shi) (4 min)

The Meat (Roy Kim) (6 min)

BRITNEY-holics Anonymous: A SPEAR-itual Awakening (Jerell Rosales) (10 min)

Metamorphosis (Elaine Xia) (15 min)

Karma (Sixing Su & Majun Chen) (18 min)

100 Rupees (Prashanth Raj) (20 min)

8:00PM

Aurora – Kenson Lee (Kenson Lee) (6 min)

Straight Up (Steven Yee & Gerry Maravilla) (9 min)

Hada (Tony Morales) (9 min)

Finding You (Grant Chang) (7 min)

Against Blood (Cassidy Lackos) (13 min)

Rope (Yeney Amaro) (9 min)

Anne Darling (Norman Yeung) (16 min)

Mom For Sale. Mint Condition (Rajesh Naroth) (6 min)

East of Hollywood (Chris Caccioppoli) (28 min)

10:00PM

I Can’t Be Your Superman – Skylar Spence (Maegan Houang) (4 min)

Cash Back (Yifan Xiao) (12 min)

The Pride (Qiucgen Cao) (18 min)

Dirty Sock (Rommel Andaya) (6 min)

Anna (Spiros Charalambous) (22 min)

Longing (Nadav Mishall) (20 min)

Sunday, March 13th

2:30PM

Xuong Duoi (Down Under) (Matthew Victor Pastor) (7 min)

Dream of Emerald Hill (Daniel York) (10 min)

Jinju (Crystal Jin Kim) (10 min)

Planet X (Rohit Gill) (7 min)

Good Boy (Blake Hodges) (6 min)

Twin Lotus (Bruce Sze Han Chen) (15 min)

Method (Steven Yee) (9 min)

Pawnshop Symphony (Kvon Chen) (7 min)

The Loyalist (Minji Kang) (19 min)

4:30PM

Bayanihan: The Spirit of Community (Ricky Fosheim) (27 min)

Black (Nadia Burgess) (6 min)

The Glass Man (We Ra) (21 min)

Dirty War (Linpu Gao) (11 min)

Finding Cleveland (Larissa Lam) (13 min)

Father (Tresa Ponnor) (10 min)

6:30PM

Turn It Up – CHOPS, Tiger JK & Yoon Mi-rae (Steve Nguyen) (4 min)

My Life as a Sock (Julie Ow) (10 min)

A Decision (Xu Zhang) (6 min)

The Dragon’s Blade (Viet Huynh) (7 min)

Behind the Scenes with Chad and Sam (Sam Li & Chad Maxwell) (23 min)

Mt. Molehill (Jesse Stewart) (17 min)

Mooncake (Francois Yang) (19 min)

8:30PM

Run Crab Run (Wei Lu) (6 min)

Battle of Wills (David No) (9 Min)

Crimson Defenders vs. the Slightly Racist Family (Simu Liu) (8 min)

Coming Home (Steven Liang) (14 min)

To Die or to Dream (Peilin Kuo) (3 min)

Touch (Lulu Wang) (15 min)

D.Asian (Sarah Smith) (10 min)

Locksmiths (James Kwon Lee) (16 min)

Mango Sticky Rice (Mallorie Ortega) (15 min)

10:30PM

AWARDS CEREMONY

11:00PM

Close Night After Party @ Far Bar Little Tokyo (Free Event)

Asians on Film is a 501 (C)3 non-profit devoted to arts & entertainment with a primary focus in providing recognition to the talent of Asian/Pacific Islanders who are minorities in the film industry either as talent, filmmakers and/or those who work in other aspects of filmmaking.

Entertainment, Film, Film Festivals

Hide and Seek starring Lia Chang and Garth Kravits screens at the 2015 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF15) in Women’s Shorts Program at Asian Arts Initiative on Nov. 21

October 23, 2015 Lia Chang Leave a comment

Bev’s Girl Films’ Hide and Seek starring Lia Chang and Garth Kravits, will have its Philadelphia premiere as an Official Selection at The 2015 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF15) on Saturday, November 21, 2015 in the Women’s Shorts Program at Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 at 2:15pm.

Each of the films in this FREE program of shorts was either produced by women, star women in central roles, or deal with women’s issues. Garth and I will be in attendance for the Q & A.

Click here to RSVP.
Click here for more information.
Click here for a map to the Asian Arts Initiative.

Kravits also directed, edited and scored the film, in addition to sharing camera operator duties with Evan Daves. Daves and Alicia Manns also appear in the film.

Hide and Seek is a very personal film to me as I got my start in front of the camera as a model at the age of 15, before honing my craft in film, television and theater.

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and the Arts and Entertainment reporter for AsAmNews.com. Chang recently received a Best Actress nomination at the 2015 Asian American Film Lab 72 Hour Shootout. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is a Scripps Howard New Media Fellow at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, a Visual Journalism Fellow at the Poynter Institute for New Media and a Western Knight Fellow at USC’s Annenberg College of Communications for Specialized Journalism on Entertainment Journalism in the Digital Age. She is the recipient of the AAJA 2001 National Award for New Media and the OCA 2000 Chinese American Journalist Award. Avenue Magazine named her one of the “One Hundred Most Influential Asian Americans”. She is featured in Joann Faung Jean Lee’s book Asian American actors: oral histories from stage, screen, and television. She is profiled in FebOne1960.com Blog, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) is the first and only event of its kind in Philadelphia, bringing in audience members from all over the region and Asian American filmmakers, actors, and leaders, from around the world. The festival also hosts numerous screenings year-round independently and in partnership with regional arts and community organizations.

PAAFF’s parent organization, Philadelphia Asian American Film & Filmmakers, is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 to showcase films by and about Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans for the city of Philadelphia and Greater Philadelphia region. They aim to present captivating programs that engage, inspire, and connect our community both to one another and the non-Asian mainstream.

Other Articles:
Hide and Seek starring Lia Chang and Garth Kravits screens at the 2015 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF15) in Women’s Shorts Program at Asian Arts Initiative on Nov. 21
World Premiere of PALI ROAD at 2015 Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) on Nov. 16 & 21st
AsAmNews.com: Actor Tzi Ma Rides ‘Hell On Wheels’ to New Heights
Q and A with Jason Tobin, star of Dax Phelan’s JASMINE
Q & A with Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Ruby Yang; New Film MY VOICE, MY LIFE screens at #PAAFF15 on Nov. 22 at Asian Arts Initiative
Ed Moy’s Animated Short UP IN THE CLOUDS has East Coast premiere screening at PAAFF15 on Nov. 20
Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival Announces 8th Annual Festival Lineup
Gotta Dance Star André De Shields receives 2015 Award for Excellence in the Arts from The Theatre School at DePaul University
AsAmNews.com: Partying with George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung, Michael K. Lee and the cast of ‘Allegiance’ on opening night
George Takei, Lea Salonga, Telly Leung, Michael K. Lee and more at the first preview of Broadway’s Allegiance; opens Nov. 8
GOTTA DANCE stars André De Shields, Stefanie Powers, Lori Tan Chinn, Lillias White step out for ON YOUR FEET!
Tiger Morse by Mark Shaw: Jet Set Style Quest, 1962, on view at The Liz O’Brien Gallery through Dec. 18
Joel de la Fuente, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Alexa Davalos, Luke Kleintank, Rufus Sewell, DJ Qualls and More at ‘The Man in The High Castle’ New York Series Premiere
Darren Criss, Jenna Ushkowitz, Ann Harada, Kristin Chenoweth, Karen Ziemba, Jon Cryer and More celebrate Great Writers at Dramatists Guild Fund’s 2015 Gala
Greg Watanabe makes Broadway Debut as Mike Masaoka in ‘Allegiance’
AsAmNews.com: Q & A with Arthur Dong, Award-winning Filmmaker and Author, Gay Icon, Distinguished Professor of Film
Film Lab Screening of ‪#‎72HrSO‬ Films at Time Warner Theater & Panel Discussion of Mass Media Constructions of Beauty
AsAmNews.com: Creating an Asian American presence on Wikipedia, one WikiAPA Edit-a-thon at a time
AsAmNews.com: The King and I’s Special Performance Benefits The Actors Fund
Playbill.com: Hugs, Laughs and Photobombs By Tony Winners! Go Backstage at the Special Actors Fund Performance of The King and I
Broadwayworld.com: Photo Flash: Phylicia Rashad, Andre De Shields & More Original Cast Members from THE WIZ Reunite in Central Park!
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA Cast Reunion featured in BLACK BELT MAGAZINE August/September 2015
Drumhead Magazine: Living Colour Drummer Will Calhoun, Photos by Lia Chang
AsAmNews.com: AAPI Heritage Month: My Grandmother’s Detention on Angel Island
Crafting a Career

Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2015 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachangphotography.com

Entertainment, Film, Film Festivals, Press

Sinovision Journal Video: Asian American Film Lab puts “Beauty” to the Test

Video October 20, 2015 Lia Chang Leave a comment

This year, the Asian American Film Lab’s 72 Hour Shootout competition challenged filmmakers to explore the topic of beauty.

Lani Nelson, Sinovision Journal reporter.

SinoVision Journal reporter Lani Nelson went to a screening for the top ten films followed by a panel discussion with innovators in the industry and brings you the story.

The Film Lab, Time Warner and the APEX group hosted a special screening of films from the 2015 72 Hour Shootout that focus on mainstream constructions of beauty and their consequences at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015.

Lia Chang in Hide and Seek, A Bev's Girl Film production. Photo: Bev's Girl Films — Lia Chang in Hide and Seek, A Bev’s Girl Film production. Photo: Bev’s Girl Films

Look Deeper: Beauty, Funny Faces, Bare, The Other Woman, Finding You, Put It On, Beautifully Something, Girl’s Knight, and our Bev’s Girl Films’ Hide and Seek were among the films screened.

Lia Chang and Garth Kravits in a scene from Hide and Seek. Photo: Bev's Girl Films — Lia Chang and Garth Kravits in a scene from Hide and Seek. Photo: Bev’s Girl Films

Panelists Blue Michael, Becky Curran, Lia Chang, Rick Guidotti and moderator Jennifer Betit Yen at a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo: Sinovision

I participated in the panel discussion that followed the screening about the societal implications of mainstream beauty images with Rick Guidotti, award winning fashion photographer and advocate for those with genetic differences; Becky Curran, SAG-AFTRA Coordinator for Equal Employment and Diversity; and Blue Michael, Model and Founder of Blue Michael Cosmetics, moderated by Jennifer Betit Yen, Actor and President of the Asian American Film Lab.

Panelists Becky Curran and Lia Chang at a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015.

Award-winning filmmaker Lia Chang being interviewed after a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo: Sinovision

Award-winning filmmakers Garth Kravits and Lia Chang being interviewed after a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo: Sinovision

AsAmNews.com: 72 Hour Shootout Films Tackle Mass Media & Beauty

Entertainment, Film

Film Lab Screening of 72 Hour Shootout Films at Time Warner Theater & Panel Discussion of Mass Media Constructions of Beauty

October 14, 2015 Lia Chang Leave a comment

Rick Guidotti, Becky Curran, Jennifer Betit Yen, Blue Michael, Daryl King and Lia Chang attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lil Rhee

The Film Lab, Time Warner and the APEX group hosted a special screening of films from the 2015 72 Hour Shootout that focus on mainstream constructions of beauty and their consequences, which was followed by a panel discussion and a networking reception at the swank Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015.

Lia Chang and Garth Kravits in a scene from Hide and Seek. Photo by Lia Chang

Blue Michael, Becky Curran, Lia Chang, Rick Guidotti and Jennifer Betit Yen attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by GK

Time Warner Building. Photo by Lia Chang

Photo by Lia Chang

Jennifer Betit Yen, Roger Chu, Director, Corporate Human Resources at Time Warner, Inc., and Lia Chang at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Sandy Lee

Roger Chu, Director, Corporate Human Resources at Time Warner, Inc. at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Jennifer Betit Yen, Film Lab President and actor, at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

The Film Lab, Time Warner and the APEX group networking reception at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

72 Hour Shootout winners Toy Lei (BOXER), Grant Chang (FINDING YOU) and Lia Chang (HIDE AND SEEK) attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by GK

It was such a treat for me and my filmmaking partner Garth Kravits to have the opportunity to see our film, Hide and Seek on the big screen at the Time Warner Theater. We caught up with other 72 Hour Shootout filmmakers including Toy Lei (BOXER- Top Ten Film; Grand Prize Winner; Best Actress; and Best Action Film) and her team, Edmund Kwan and Diana Yanez, and Grant Chang (FINDING YOU- Top Ten Film; Best Actor, Best Director) and his team, Aimee Ng, Jake Manabat and Kerri Davidson at the reception.

#AAIFF2015: Top Ten Winning Films of the Film Lab’s 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition- Awards and Wrap Party

Film Lab’s Ronan Cray and Youn Jung Kim (2015 72 Hour Shootout Coordinator) attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Film Lab’s Jennifer Betit Yen and Shirley N. Lew at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Hettie Barnhill, Lia Chang and Nyseli Vega attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Nick Sakai

Marisa Marquez and Jennifer Betit Yen attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

BOXER’S Diana Yanez, Edmund Kwan and Toy Lei attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Boxer by “The MFA’s” (Top Ten Film; Grand Prize Winner; Best Actress; and Best Action Film, Toy Lei) Photo by Lia Chang

Roger Chu, Sandy Lee, a guest, Peyton Worley Jennifer Betit Yen and Rick Guidotti attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

FINDING YOU’S Jake Manabat, Grant Chang, Aimee Ng and Kerri Davidson attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Finding You by “The Perfect Asian Pear” (Top Ten Film; Best Actor, Grant Chang; Best Director, Grant Chang) Photo by Lia Chang

Film Lab’s Huseina Sulaimanee, Chloe Jenkins, Nick Sakai and Ronan Cray attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Garth Kravits, Ashley Inguito and Jamie James attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Daniel Cho, Eugena Oh, Sandy Lee, Architect, Systems Development at Time Warner, Inc., Roger Chu, Director, Corporate Human Resources at Time Warner, Inc., Lia Chang, Marissa Martin and a guest attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015.

About the Asian American Film Lab
The Film Lab is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that promotes ethnic and gender diversity through outreach, education and production. The Film Lab provides free or low cost programming ranging from screenwriting workshops to panels to seminars to screenings. The Film Lab produces the television series “Film Lab Presents” and a wide variety of online content on AAFL TV. The Film Lab management team consists of Jennifer Betit Yen (President and Board Member, founder of AAFL TV Production Arm), Huseina Sulaimanee (Treasurer and Volunteer), Daryl King (Secretary and Board Member), Cecilia Mejia (Unfinished Works), Youn Jung Kim (2015 72 Hour Shootout Coordinator), Nick Sakai (Industry Spotlight), along with a dedicated Board, interns and event volunteers. Board members include James Kyson, Ed Wong and Aaron Woolfolk, among others.
www.asianamericanfilmlab.com

Peyton Worley, Christopher Bourne, Jennifer Betit Yen, Roger Chu, Director, Corporate Human Resources at Time Warner, Inc., Lia Chang, Sandy Lee, Architect, Systems Development at Time Warner and Rick Guidotti attend a special screening of 72 Hour Shootout films and panel discussion at the Time Warner Theater in New York on October 7, 2015. Photo by Diana Yanez

AsAmNews.com: 72 Hour Shootout Films Tackle Mass Media & Beauty

Awards, Entertainment, Film, Film Festivals

Lia Chang and Garth Kravits’ HIDE AND SEEK is an Official Selection of The 2015 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival; screens 11/21

Gallery October 2, 2015 Lia Chang Leave a comment

HIDE AND SEEK, my award-winning short film that I co-produced, co-wrote and star in with my Bev’s Girl Films’ producing partner Garth Kravits, will have its Philadelphia premiere as an Official Selection at The 2015 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF15).

The 2015 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival will be held from November 12-22, 2015. HIDE AND SEEK will screen as part of the Women’s Shorts program on Saturday, November 21, 2015. Click here for scheduling updates.

Kravits also directed, edited and scored the film, in addition to sharing camera operator duties with Evan Daves. Daves and Alicia Manns also appear in the film.

Lia Chang and Garth Kravits in Hide and Seek. Photo by Evan Daves

Hide and Seek is a very personal film to me as I got my start in front of the camera as a model at the age of 15, before honing my craft in film, television and theater.

Entertainment, Film

Hide and Seek, Look Deeper: Beauty, Funny Faces, Bare, The Other Woman, Finding You, Put It On, and Beautifully Something will been screened at Film Lab & Time Warner Screening on October 7; Panel on Media Constructions of BEAUTY featuring Rick Guidotti, Becky Curran, Blue Michael, Jennifer Betit Yen and Lia Chang to follow

Image October 2, 2015 Lia Chang Leave a comment

Mass Media Constructions of Beauty: The Consequences of Allowing Judgment Based On What We Look Like Rather Than Who We Are
A Special Film Lab/Time Warner/Turner/HBO Event

Hide and Seek, a short film that I star in and co-produced with Garth Kravits, will be screened at Mass Media Constructions of Beauty, presented by Film Lab, Time Warner and the APEX group, during a special screening of films from the 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking competition, on Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at the Time Warner Theater in New York. The films that are being shown have themes that focus on mainstream constructions of beauty and their consequences. Some of the other films that will be shown include Look Deeper: Beauty, Funny Faces, Bare, The Other Woman, Finding You, Put It On, and Beautifully Something.

The Time Warner Theater is located at One Time Warner Center, 10th fl. Screening Room (58th St. between 8th & 9th Ave. Columbus Circle) in New York. The event is from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Click here to RSVP.

I will also be on a panel moderated by Jennifer Betit Yen, Actor and President of the Asian American Film Lab, that features Rick Guidotti, award winning fashion photographer and advocate for those with genetic differences; Becky Curran, SAG-AFTRA Coordinator for Equal Employment and Diversity; and Blue Michael, Model and Founder of Blue Michael Cosmetics. We’ll address the societal implications of mainstream beauty images. A networking reception follows the discussion.

Rick Guidotti, an award-winning former fashion photographer, has spent the past fifteen years working internationally with advocacy organizations/NGOs, medical schools, universities and other educational institutions to effect a sea-change in societal attitudes towards individuals living with genetic difference; his work has been published in newspapers, magazines and journals as diverse as Elle, GQ, People, the American Journal of Medical Genetics, The Lancet, Spirituality and Health, the Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly and Life Magazine. He founded Positive Exposure, an innovative arts, education and advocacy organization, working with individuals living with genetic, physical, cognitive and behavioral differences. His photographic exhibition, Positive Exposure; The Spirit of Difference, premiered at the People’s Genome Celebration, June 2001, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in DC. and continues to exhibit in galleries, museums and public arenas internationally.

Blue Michael was born a raised in NYC from Puerto Rican parents. As a performer in Lower Eastside of Manhattan, he picked up the natural talent of Makeup Artistry. After many years of working with other brands he decided to start Blue Michael Cosmetics. A brand that mirrors his true belief in #BYourBeautiful “Let us celebrate You”.

Jennifer Betit Yen is an award winning actress, writer, producer, and a “recovering” attorney. She is the President of the Asian American Film Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to the promotion and support of gender and ethnic diversity in media, the CEO of MyJennyBook, a company providing multimedia stories for children, and is currently in production on a film entitled “The Opposite of a Fairy Tale,” designed to draw light to the issue of elder abuse, funded by a grant from the Ms. Foundation. As an actor, Betit Yen has appeared in productions at East West Players and Lodestone in Los Angeles and at the Manhattan Theatre Source and Snapple Theatre in New York. Her television credits include Royal Pains, Dirt, Film Lab Presents, The Beacon Street Girls, Reading Rainbow, and America’s Most Wanted, among others.

Becky Curran is coordinator of EEO & diversity for SAG-AFTRA. Since joining SAG-AFTRA in April 2014, she has assisted with several diversity and inclusion efforts within the entertainment and news media industries. Curran graduated with a bachelor’s of science in marketing degree from Providence College in 2006, then moved to Los Angeles where she worked for one of Hollywood’s top talent agencies, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). After CAA, she worked at CBS Television Studios in casting. Curran also served as the marketing director and co-founding board member of the Catalina Film Festival.

About the Asian American Film Lab
The Film Lab is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that promotes ethnic and gender diversity through outreach, education and production. The Film Lab provides free or low cost programming ranging from screenwriting workshops to panels to seminars to screenings. The Film Lab produces the television series “Film Lab Presents” and a wide variety of online content on AAFL TV. The Film Lab management team consists of Jennifer Betit Yen (President and Board Member, founder of AAFL TV Production Arm), Huseina Sulaimanee (Treasurer and Volunteer), Daryl King (Secretary and Board Member), Cecilia Mejia (Unfinished Works), Youn Jung Kim (2015 72 Hour Shootout Coordinator), along with a dedicated Board, interns and event volunteers. Board members include James Kyson, Ed Wong and Aaron Woolfolk, among others.

www.asianamericanfilmlab.com

Awards, Entertainment, Film

HIDE AND SEEK named among Top Ten Film Winners of Film Lab’s 72 Hour Shootout; Lia Chang receives Best Actress nomination

July 25, 2015 Lia Chang Leave a comment

My Bev’s Girl Films producing partner Garth Kravits and I are now award-winning filmmakers. Our debut indie short Hide and Seek was named among the top ten films of the Asian American Film Lab‘s 11th Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout filmmaking competition, at the sold-out World Premiere screening at Cinema Village East during the 38th Asian American International Film Festival in New York on July 25, 2015.

11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout World Premiere Film Screening at Village Cinema East in New York on July 25, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Garth is a very talented actor, singer, composer and musician, so I knew we were more than up to the challenge of writing, shooting, editing, scoring and delivering our 5 minute short film, within 72 hours of learning the theme – Two Faces – at the Shootout launch party on June 4th.

Lia Chang, Lori Tan Chinn and Garth Kravits at the 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout World Premiere Film Screening at Village Cinema East in New York on July 25, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

A worldwide filmmaking competition celebrating gender and ethnic diversity in film, Shootout teams compete for cash and prizes and the chance to have their films screened at the prestigious Asian American International Film Festival, the only festival of its kind on the East Coast, as well as at the Asians on Film Festival in Los Angeles, California.

Alicia Manns, Lia Chang and Garth Kravits on the set of Hide and Seek, A Bev's Girl Production, as part of the Asian American Film Lab's ‪#‎72HRSO‬ filmmaking competition. ‪#‎twofaces‬ — Alicia Manns, Lia Chang and Garth Kravits on the set of Hide and Seek, A Bev’s Girl Production, as part of the Asian American Film Lab’s ‪#‎72HRSO‬ filmmaking competition. ‪#‎twofaces‬

I seized upon the idea to play a character with two very different personalities.

Garth Kravits and Evan Daves on the set of HIDE AND SEEK on June 5, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Garth Kravits and Best Actress Nominee Lia Chang in Hide and Seek of “Bev's Girl Films” (Top Ten Film — Garth Kravits and Best Actress Nominee Lia Chang in Hide and Seek of “Bev’s Girl Films” (Top Ten Film)

We co-produced, co-wrote and co-starred in Hide and Seek. Making the film was an exhilarating ride. No stranger to multi-tasking, Garth shared camera operator duties with Evan Daves, composed the original score by singing his vision of the soundtrack over the phone to guitarist Tyler Kent in the last two hours before our deadline, directed and edited the film. The cast also features Evan Daves and Alicia Manns.

Lia Chang during a photo shoot in the 90's with Guardian Angels, on the streets of New York. — Lia Chang during a photo shoot in the 90’s with Guardian Angels, on the streets of New York.

At the World premiere screening, filmmakers learn for the first time whether they have made the Top Ten winners, and individual prizes are awarded in numerous categories. You could feel the collective breath being held.

What?! In the darkness of the theater after the eighth film played, I sat there in shock as our title credits for Hide and Seek appeared on the screen. I was so overwhelmed that I had tears streaming down my face.

Because of competitions like the Asian American Film Lab’s 72 Hour Shootout, we had the invaluable and rare opportunity to tell our fully realized story with an Asian American woman in the lead role. Hide and Seek is a very personal film to me as I began my life in front of the camera as a model at the age of 15, before working in film, television and theater.

The icing on the cake was to be recognized with a Best Actress, Film Lab 72 Hour Shootout of 2015 nomination.

Film Lab President, actor Jennifer Betit Yen, Lia Chang and Shootout Coordinator, videographer and vocalist Youn Jung Kim at the 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout World Premiere Film Screening at Village Cinema East in New York on July 25, 2015. Photo by GK

After all of the winners had been announced and we filed out of the theater, men and women shared how they had been moved or touched by our film. They found it to be inspirational and self-affirming. They related to the character’s feeling of being invisible, being unhappy with her looks and uncomfortable in her own skin, and having the need to embrace another form of beauty or attractiveness other than her own.

Award-winning filmmakers Lia Chang and Garth Kravits doing interviews on the Red carpet for #AAFLTV and Live at the 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout Red Carpet Awards Ceremony and wrap party at The Azure in New York on July 25, 2015. Photo courtesy of 72 Hour Shootout/Facebook

Check out our movie in the link below.

This year’s 72 Hour Shootout judges included Emmy nominated director Rodrigo Garcia, ABC Executive Director of Casting Marci Phillips, playwright David Henry Hwang, agent David Elliott, stuntman Lane Leavitt, and director Bertha Bay-Sa Pan. Several of the judges were in attendance at the premiere and awards ceremony and judges David Henry Hwang and Bertha Bay-Sa Pan, who could not appear in person, gave remarks via video and congratulated the filmmakers.

Click below to see all of the winners.

#AAIFF2015: Top Ten Winning Films of the Film Lab’s 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition- Awards and Wrap Party

Garth Kravits, Lia Chang, FINDING YOU’s Grant Chang (Top Ten Film; Best Actor and Best Director) and co-star Jake Manabat at the 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout World Premiere Film Screening at Village Cinema East in New York on July 25, 2015.

For more information, check out www.asianamericanfilmlab.com

Lia Chang at the 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout World Premiere Film Screening at Village Cinema East in New York on July 25, 2015. Photo by GK

The top 40 72 Hour Shootout films can be viewed on the Film Lab’s online channel AAFLTV (subscribe for free at YouTube.com/asamfilmlab and many will also be featured on the Film Lab’s TV series, “Film Lab Presents.”

Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a Best Actress nominee, a photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” She is profiled in Jade Magazine.

Entertainment, Film

Behind the Scenes of the Asian American Film Lab’s 72 Hour Shootout with Lia Chang, Garth Kravits, Evan Daves and Alicia Manns in HIDE AND SEEK

June 15, 2015 Lia Chang Leave a comment

Alicia Manns, Lia Chang and Garth Kravits on the set of Hide and Seek, A GK film production, as part of the Asian American Film Lab's ‪#‎72HRSO‬ filmmaking competition. Photo by Evan Daves ‪#‎twofaces‬ — Alicia Manns, Lia Chang and Garth Kravits on the set of Hide and Seek, A GK film production, as part of the Asian American Film Lab’s ‪#‎72HRSO‬ filmmaking competition. Photo by Evan Daves ‪#‎twofaces‬

I took the plunge into indie filmmaking with my producing partner Garth Kravits of GK films, an actor, singer, composer and musician, as part of the Asian American Film Lab’s 11th Annual 72 Hour Shootout filmmaking competition. This year’s theme is Two Faces and our film is called Hide and Seek. Also featured in the cast are Evan Daves and Alicia Manns.

The Shootout is a worldwide filmmaking competition celebrating gender and ethnic diversity in film in which filmmaking teams are given a common theme at the start and have 72 hours to write, shoot, edit, and complete short films up to five minutes in length.

Garth Kravits and Alicia Manns on the set of HIDE AND SEEK on June 5, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Director Bertha Bay-Sa Pan at the 72 Hour Shootout Launch party at The Korea Society in New York on June 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Teams promote gender and ethnic diversity in media and compete for cash and prizes and the chance to have their films screened at the prestigious Asian American International Film Festival, the only festival of its kind on the East Coast, as well as at the Asians on Film Festival in Los Angeles, California. Judges include Emmy nominated director Rodrigo Garcia, ABC Executive Director of Casting Marci Phillips, playwright David Henry Hwang, agent David Elliott, stuntman Lane Leavitt, and director Bertha Bay-Sa Pan. Several of the judges were in attendance at the Launch Party to witness the start of the competition and wish the filmmakers luck.

THE 2015 72 Hour Shootout world premiere and wrap party is on Saturday, July 25, 2015, at Cinema Village East, 181-189 2nd Avenue in New York at 2:00 PM during The Asian American International Film Festival.

Check out the world premiere of the top ten most incredible films of the 2015 72 Hour Shootout! Enjoy prizes from sponsors, network and collaborate with fellow artists.

Asian American Film Lab president Jennifer Betit Yen and 72 Hour Shootout coordinator Youn Jung Kim at the 72 Hour Shootout Launch party at The Korea Society in New York on June 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Find out who won the awards, including mentorships from NBC, ABC and so much more! Tickets to the screening must be purchased through Asian CineVision. Click here to buy tickets.

The Wrap Party is for ALL who participated in this year’s Shootout and will be an extravaganza of prizes and celebration. The Wrap Party is free for REGISTERED Shootout competitors only (registration automatically RSVPs you). All others can RSVP in June. Of course, it’s not really a wrap, because the winning films will go on to screen at many other festivals and on AAFL TV!

Film Lab management team- Cecilia Mejia (Unfinished Works), Daryl King (Secretary and Board Member), Jennifer Betit Yen (President and Board Member, founder of AAFL TV Production Arm), Nick Sakai (Industry Spotlight), Youn Jung Kim (2015 72 Hour Shootout Coordinator), Edwin Wong (Board Member), director Berth Bay-Sa Pan and guests at the 72 Hour Shootout Launch party at The Korea Society in New York on June 4, 2015. Photo by Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon and Taxman. She has guest starred on “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “New York Undercover.” She is profiled in Jade Magazine.