When The World Was Young


Bev’s Girl Films presents When The World Was Young starring Virginia Wing, Jason Ma and Lia Chang. The cast also features Jo Yang, Daniel Dunlow, Michelle Simone Miller and Mark York.

Jason Ma, Virginia Wing and Lia Chang in WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG. Photo by Garth Kravits

When siblings Benjamin and Audrey return home to confront their Mother’s memory loss, they discover a hidden key to her past.

Written and directed by Garth Kravits, the film is Executive Produced by Bev’s Girl Films, with producers Garth Kravits of Cut & Dry Films and Eric Elizaga.

The production team includes 1st A.D. Eric Elizaga, 2nd A.D. Anastasia Shulgina, Key Hair and Make-up by Dorothy Bhadra; Kristen Lee Rosenfeld on Piano, Emma Svetvilas on Cello, Garth Kravits on Guitar recorded live at Yes It Is Productions.

Special thanks to Karen Elizaga and Jay Ptashek, Daniel Dunlow, Richie Sullano, Liesl Hara and Mike and Sully.

Virginia Wing. Photo by Lia Chang

Virginia Wing (Virginia) is a Chinese-American actress whose ancestors came to the “Gold Mountain” from Canton (now Guangdong) in the mid-1800s, lured  by the Gold Rush and the building of the railroads. She is currently writing about growing up Southern in the Mississippi Delta, where she was born and raised. Professionally, she has run the gamut from opera, theatre, cabaret, TV, film, playwriting, directing and producing to script analysis. She modeled in her youth and is in the Breck Girl Hall of Fame. She was the model in the Mitsouko by Guerlain ad in the 60s, which won awards internationally. She was a nominee for Best Actress in the Hollywood NAACP Image Awards. She is most proud of this film because the characters did not have to have Chinese accents, did not have to speak Chinese or refer to themselves as being Chinese. They were not written as Exotic or Other, but as Americans who happen to be Chinese, caught up in a universal story. At last! She can be seen in NYTW’s production of Three Sisters in the Spring of 2020. Click on the  Performing Arts Legacy Website for more about Virginia Wing.

Jason Ma. Photo by Lia Chang

Jason Ma (Benjamin) is a son of an immigrant family, and a grateful descendant of a long line of those who were able to persist, overcome and succeed on their way to becoming Americans. He wrote book, music and lyrics for Gold Mountain and is the 2017 recipient of the ASCAP Foundation’s Cole Porter Award for his work as a composer/lyricist. Along with writing, he is an actor who has been seen on Broadway and Off-Broadway stages, in regional theaters and many international venues. Please visit: www.goldmountainthemusical.com

Lia Chang
Lia Chang

Lia Chang (Audrey) is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers,  musicians and corporations. 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, Balancing Act, Belongingness, When the World was Young and Hide and Seek.

Jo Yang

Jo Yang (Amah) in a New York based actress and appeared in New York Theatre Workshop’s production of “Endlings” before it was abruptly shut down by the pandemic. The play also had its world premiere and a full run at The American Repertory Theatre, the year prior. Jo can be seen in the just launched Snapchat web series “Two Sides – Unfaithful” as Aunty Ying. She has worked in numerous films, Alfie, Virginia, The Squid & the Whale, The Namesake, among them and in the short film, Daddy, she appears alongside actors Rob Rifkin and Dylan Sprouse. Her TV credits include recurring roles in Showtime’s “The Affair” and Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” speaking Mandarin. She can also be seen on the recent Netflix series, “You” and the HBO series, “The Flight Attendant.”  Her Film/TV credits are listed here.

Garth Kravits. Photo by Lia Chang
Garth Kravits. Photo by Lia Chang

Garth Kravits is an actor, singer, musician, composer and award winning filmmaker, director and editor. He made his Broadway debut in the Tony award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone and originated the role of Ritchie in the Broadway show Gettin’ the Band Back Together’. His Off-Broadway credits include Old Jews Telling Jokes, Toxic Audio and Smart Blonde. He has appeared regionally in Gettin’ The Band Back Together, Meet Me in St. Louis: A Live Radio Play, and It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, (Bucks County Playhouse) Kravits has appeared on TV in “Mr. Robot,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” HBO’s “Divorce,” “30 Rock,” “The Blacklist,” “Nurse Jackie,” “The Carrie Diaries,” “Hostages” and in the new TV shows “The Hunters” (Amazon Prime) and “Tommy” (CBS). Bev’s Girl Films’ Hide and Seek and Rom-Com Gone Wrong have also been official selections of Disorient.

Garth Kravits’ Short Film WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG Starring Virginia Wing, Jason Ma, Lia Chang and Jo Yang is an Official Selection of The 16th Annual DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon

Broadwayworld: WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG Wins Audience Choice Award For Best Short Narrative At 16th DisOrient Asian American Film Festival

Broadwayworld: WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG Set For Virtual Pacific Northwest Premiere At Disorient Asian American Film Festival 

WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG Star Virginia Wing Wins 2021 DisOrient Inspirational Artist Award; Full List of 2021 DisOrient Award Winners Includes COMING HOME AGAIN, CURTAIN UP!, VALLEY, EQUALITY TEA, CANE FIRE, Ben Phantom, FUGETSU-DO and TAKEOUT GIRL

Garth Kravits’ WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG Receives 2021 DisOrient Audience Choice Short Narrative Award; Full List of Winners Includes Mari Walker’s SEE YOU THEN, Akira Boch and Tadashi Nakamura’s ATOMIC CAFE: THE NOISIEST CORNER IN J-TOWN, Wayne Wang’s COMING HOME AGAIN, Hui Tong and Kelly Ng’s CURTAIN UP!, Allan Zhang Tran’s VALLEY, Jaime Sunwoo’s EQUALITY TEA, Anthony Banua-Simon’s CANE FIRE, Ben Phantom, Kaia Rose’s FUGETSU-DO and Hisonni Mustafa’s TAKE OUT GIRL