2024 Short Film Showcase
Join us in celebrating the Short Films made by Asian & Asian American filmmakers! This showcase features films and filmmakers you won't want to miss!
There will be Q&As after the showcase so you can get to know our local talent!
Q&A Following the Showcase with Moderator Roma Sur!
Roma Sur
Roma Sur is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and an educator at the University of Denver, where she teaches Scriptwriting and Film Production. She writes young adult and female driven dramas with levity. Sur was recently featured in Marquis Who's Who of America 125th edition, for excellence in arts and entertainment. She is currently on the Executive committee of @Womanhood_theseries Season 2. She loves her role on the Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival programming committee, as it is a wonderful way of giving back to the Colorado community through cinema that celebrates her AANHPI roots.
Filmmaker: Hannah Tran
Hannah Tran is a Vietnamese-American filmmaker from the Denver area in Colorado. She is currently based in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she works as a Senior Social and Digital Media strategist at Colorado State University.
Hannah was formally a video journalist for about seven years. She has continued her love for documentary filmmaking, climate communication, and social impact within her current position. Additionally, she adheres to these areas of emphasis in her freelance work.
Hannah is now foraying into the music video space, where she can explore her imagination and experience the blend of storytelling, music, dance, and abstract expression. She has a particular interest in color grading, which she hopes to apply in future music videos.
Closing Time
Synopsis:
In 1983, my parents immigrated from Hong Kong to the United States seeking a better future for our family. They persevered through the ups and downs and forged their own path in a new country and culture. Having fulfilled their dream of creating a better life for their family and future generations, they retired in 2013. This is their story.
Director Statement
This film was born out of a desire to learn more about my roots and why my parents chose to leave their home country behind to start a new life in a foreign country. Although I can never thank them enough, this film is my way of showing how much I appreciate what they did for our family.
Director Bio:
Sherwin Lau is an award-winning filmmaker and educator based in New Mexico. Since 2006, he has worked on feature films, documentaries, commercials, and music videos and has collaborated with filmmakers all around the world. In addition to his filmmaking career, he teaches undergraduate courses at the Creative Media Institute at New Mexico State University.
Terry Ngo is a writer, director, producer, editor, and actor. Her films include Santa Fe Resident (2nd place at the Film Fronteras film fest), Granny Boot Camp (nominated for Best Short at the Viet Film Fest and won Best Comedy at the Madrid Film Festival), Camp, and Ofrenda. The films good enough, Show Up, and Thread were collaborations with her husband Nick Stofocik. Her films have all been on the film festival circuit. She is the proud recipient of the NMWIF Finishing Funds Grant for the documentary Santa Fe Resident Too.
Bruce Tetsuya is a Japanese film director and father. If he’s not on set, you can find Bruce on the tennis court, grabbing an espresso, or exploring new lands with his wife, son, and daughter. Bruce is currently in early pre-production stages for his first feature film.
Jade Tsumura is a writer, director, producer, and mother of two. Her love for J-Horror early on influenced her filmmaking voice.
Drew Matsushima is a Colorado native and fourth-generation Japanese-American. Versatile and adept, Drew works in various fields in business and enjoys time traveling, escaping into the mountains and trying new local restaurants when he’s not working.
Nkosi Roma is a cinematographer and father, who specializes in shooting 16mm motion picture film.
A Dream Deferred
From childhood into her college years, Mi Ja Peak was a well-known, traditional Korean dancer in her community. She eventually left her home, Seoul, Korea, to pursue love in the United States. Decades later, she reignited her dream of dancing after several surprise encounters with life-long friends, who led her towards an emotional performance in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Ofendra
A boy of Vietnamese descent and a boy of Mexican descent connect through the loss of their grandfathers and healing through their cultures.
Mochi Mama
A short film about my grandmother "Gma" and our family tradition of making mochi for the New Year. Gma is about to be 99 years old. She was born in Brighton, Colorado and has lived in Longmont most her life. She is of the Nisei Japanese American generation (2nd generation). In this film she gives a brief history of how her mother taught her to make mochi from scratch and how she has passed the tradition on to our family. She also gives a little sass.
About the Cast & Crew
Nic Golden Henry is a film and video maker based in Denver. His other narrative short films include "Bright" (2013) and "Craved" (2016).
Angie Golden Henry is a graphic designer based in Denver. Mochi Mamas’ star, Mabel, is her “Gma.”
In the twilight of his life, Mehrdad, now an elderly man, reminisces about his transformative journey from Iran to Japan, a poignant odyssey that began in the wake of his mother's passing when he was just a young boy. His narrative unfolds around a heartwarming encounter with an elderly Japanese woman, forged amidst the hushed serenity of a graveyard and facilitated by the pages of his cherished sketchbook.
Dragon Boat
Director, Producer, Editor: Kevin Shore
Director of Photography: Kevin Shore, Barbara Kagawa Shore, Carol Shubin
Music Composer: Josh Shore
Coach Nathan Salazar, leads us on a journey into the empowering world of Dragon Boat racing. Experience the color and excitement of a dragon boat festival. Hear personal stories that will make you laugh and inspire you. See what can be accomplished when the human spirit works together as one.
The Young Old Crow
Vestige
Premiere
Director: Bruce Tetsuya
A realtor enters a vacant mansion, hoping to escape from his personal life, and encounters a trapped spirit.
THE RIVER'S EDGE | A Refugee Story
The plight of the Karen refugees is called “a forgotten story.” The Karen people, from southeastern Myanmar, have been struggling against the brutal Burmese military regime for over seventy years in the world’s longest running civil conflict. This short documentary weaves together the beauty of the Karen people’s rich culture with their heart breaking story. The work aims to amplify the voices of a group of people who, though they feel like they have been abandoned by the world, continue to hope for a better future.
Filmmaker Bios
Levi & Cory are husband & wife filmmakers from Brooklyn, NY with work ranging from documentary shorts to commercials. Their past short “Who Is Jiro” screened at the ROS House of Fútbol space and event. Their work focuses on identity, with common themes exploring cross cultural boundaries and definitions that help us consider what it means to be human.
