HBO names Asian Pacific American Visionaries

From left, Julie Zhan, Nirav Bhakta and So Young Shelly Yo.

The HBO network has selected filmmakers Julie Zhan, So Young Shelly Yo and Nirav Bhakta as finalists for the third annual Asian Pacific American Visionaries short film competition.
The competition adds to Hollywood’s changing landscape of inclusion and representation of marginalized voices by showcasing cinematic storytellers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. Zhan’s Zoetic, Yo’s Moonwalk With Me and Bhakta’s Halwa will premiere at the 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, May 2-10.

“HBO is committed to uplifting the next generation of APA storytellers, talent and entertainment community at large,” said Jackie Gagne, VP Multicultural Marketing at HBO. “The recent surge in Asian American visibility is only the beginning and we hope this competition serves to continue this incredible momentum in Hollywood.”

“HBO Visionaries continues to provide a platform for the community to not only tell authentic stories, but shine a spotlight on all these amazing creatives,” adds Sujata Day, APA Visionaries 2019 Ambassador. “It’s exciting to see HBO’s investment in the community by giving emerging directors a chance to be in the limelight

The finalists were selected from hundreds of submissions and were judged by a distinguished panel of HBO executives, industry leaders and fellow APA filmmakers. The three winning films touched on the subject of developing relationships and its complexities through the modern Asian American lens.

Read more about the finalists and their films below.

Nirav Bhakta (Halwa) takes inspiration from his immigrant background to portray the challenges of the Asian diaspora. His films have been shown at film festivals around the world, including the prestigious UK Asian Film Festival. Halwa tells the story of an Indian woman who rekindles her relationship with a childhood sweetheart through Facebook messages, but her abusive husband takes notice. The film was co-directed by Gayatri Bajpai.

So Young Shelly Yo (Moonwalk With Me”) is a Korean American filmmaker living in Los Angeles. She recently graduated from Columbia University where she received her MFA for screenwriting and directing. She was selected to be part of the Alfred P. Sloan Mentorship Program and was a finalist for the Sloan Screenplay Grant in 2018. Moonwalk With Me is about a Korean American girl who is haunted by her father’s disappearances and tells the story of the immigrant experience through a magical landscape.

Julie Zhan (Zoetic) is a Chinese American actress and filmmaker who has been an impassioned advocate for diverse representation in the media. She has used digital media as a platform for her performances. She has garnered over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, ShutUpAndDance. Zoetic is a coming of age story about a single, 60-year old Chinese immigrant mother who is challenged to think of her own wants and needs. She reluctantly agrees to join an online dating app with the help of her daughter. Through the experience, they begin to break through the emotional wall between Asian parent and child. Zoetic was co-directed by Wesley Chan, a co-founder of popular Asian American production company Wong Fu Productions.