AABANY Supports the 2024 Asian American International Film Festival as a Community Partner

AABANY is one of the proud community partners supporting the 47th Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) in New York, which ran from August 1 through 11, 2024. One of the short films, “How to Live as an Asian Woman in NYC,” screened on August 8, 2024, featured New York City! This short documentary by Jacqueline Jaemin Yeon portrayed what navigating life in New York City as an Asian woman is like. Another short film, “Meeting You, Meeting Me,” is about an unlikely friendship between a Korean American divorce attorney and a college dropout from California. These screenings were followed by a filmmaker Q&A session. 

Another feature of the AAIFF is The 72-Hour Shootout filmmaking competition, run by the Asian American Film Lab (www.film-lab.org), with a theme of “The 2024 72 Hour Shootout: Practical Dreamer.” The Asian American Film Lab is a nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion and support of gender and racial parity in film and television programming with a particular focus on Asian Americans. The 72 Hour Shootout competition is held annually and accepts submissions from across the globe. The concept of the competition is that participating teams have 72 hours to write, shoot, and edit a 5-minute short film, while incorporating the year’s competition theme into the film. This year’s theme was “Practical Dreamer,” and also had to incorporate the logo of Idealist which was this year’s Gold Sponsor. 

On August 3, 2024, Francis Chin, AABANY member and former co-chair of the Professional Development Committee, hosted the awards ceremony for this year’s 72 Hour Shootout Competition. As this year’s Competition Coordinator, he edited the short films for the video streaming. Francis also participated in the 72 Hour Shootout Competition for several years, and won best screenplay award in 2021. 

“The Film Lab’s 72 Hour Shootout over the last twenty years has done its part in providing an entryway for aspiring Asian Americans of all skill levels to practice filmmaking. I’ve enjoyed the challenge over the years of making 5-minute films in three days with friends from AABANY and our community,” Francis stated. “As this year’s Competition Coordinator, I was awed by the talent and creativity of the competitors, the Film Lab team and its supporters.”

AABANY was proud to support AAIFF yet again as a Community Sponsor and thanks all our members who supported the AAIFF through their attendance and participation. Congratulations to Francis on being the Competition Coordinator for this year’s 72 Hour Shootout.

Congratulations to Francis Chin and Team Triscribe on their Best Screenplay Award at the 2021 72 Hour Shootout

https://youtu.be/vAVp0xGEtbA

AABANY congratulates Director of Technology Francis Chin, Ben Chan, past Student Outreach Committee Co-Chair and former AABANY member, and Sally Woo, Administrative Law Judge and current AABANY member, for winning best screenplay in this year’s 72 Hour Shootout Competition organized by the Asian American Film Lab (“AAFL”). The 72 Hour Shootout Competition is held annually, accepting submissions from across the globe. The AAFL states:

The competition creates a valuable opportunity for filmmakers of color – focusing on Asian American filmmakers – and women, as well as other underrepresented groups, to demonstrate their talent, gain exposure in the entertainment industry and impact the visibility of diverse stories and characters in film. One of the Shootout requirements is that at least one key production member (e.g., director, producer or writer) and a principal actor from each team must be of Asian descent.

Participating teams have 72 hours to write, shoot, and edit a short film of up to 5 minutes long. This year’s competition theme was “BE A HERO.” Francis, Ben and Sally formed Team Triscribe to produce Better than Sliced Bread, a short film which takes a close look at a young father-daughter relationship following the height of the pandemic. Gifted with free bus tickets to venture beyond the confines of their home, the father-daughter duo rediscovers the pleasure of enjoying a sandwich, a simple meal with endless possibilities, as well as a fantastic upgrade from the plain sliced bread one reliably finds at home. The featured sandwich, a bánh mì, made of “pickled vegetables, pâté, Asian luncheon meat, mayo, and peppers on a crusty roll” is distinguished by its bright colors, flavors, and textures, encapsulating the simple way sliced bread can be revitalized and made exciting with a little extra care, much like our post-pandemic relationships with family.

Team Triscribe dedicated their film to the memory of Corky Lee, one of the most significant contributors to the photographic documentation of Asian American history; his work spanned momentous events in Asian American history like the protests following the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin to everyday life in New York City’s Chinatown.

Ben helped write Better than Sliced Bread and played Dr. Apollo. Sally also helped write the short film and was a narrator. Francis played the father, Harry Ong, in addition to producing and directing the film.

Congratulations to the Better than Sliced Bread team! Watch the short film here.

Film Lab & Time Warner Screening & Panel on Media Constructions of BEAUTY

Film Lab & Time Warner Screening & Panel on Media Constructions of BEAUTY