HBO names 2020 Asian Pacific American Visionaries

This year's Visionaries, are, from left, Johnson Cheng, Thomas Percy Kim and Tiffany So.

The three finalists for HBO's fourth annual Asian Pacific American Visionaries were announced Wednesday, Sept. 9, The APA Visionaries is a short film competition that showcases film makers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.

The three winning films exemplified this year’s competition theme: “Breaking Barriers.” Filmmakers Johnson Cheng (“Lonely Blue Night”), Thomas Percy Kim (“Si”), and Tiffany So (“Fine China”) will premiere their films online during the 2020 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on Sept. 25 via HBOVisionaries.com.

Special appearances are expected from 2020 HBO APA Visionaries Ambassador Shannon Lee, Lovecraft Country’s Jamie Chung, as well as a performance by 88Rising artist NIKI.

Tiffany So ("Fine China") is a Chinese Canadian writer and director who is passionate about sharing personal stories in unexpected ways. She studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California. Fine China follows a determined daughter as she uses music and dance to express all that goes unsaid in her Chinese household.

Johnson Cheng ("Lonely Blue Night") is a Chinese American filmmaker whose films have screened at over 100 international film festivals, including Tribeca, TIFF Kids, Atlanta, and Palm Springs (Best Student Film Award). Lonely Blue Night is a portrait of a Chinese family in which a mother and daughter reunite on one lonely blue night. Starring Diana Lin ("The Farewell").

Thomas Percy Kim ("Si") started working on his first stop-motion animated short film,  at the age of 14. At 19, Thomas finished his live-action short film, Si, starring Ki Hong Lee, and is in development for a feature while attending USC for Film Production. 

The short is a story of an Asian American boy who navigates micro-aggression with his friends through seemingly innocent jokes and games after baseball practice.

“At HBO, we are proud to see how much theAPA Visionaries competition has grown and the impact it has created in the industry,” said Jackie Gagne, SVP Multicultural Marketing, WarnerMedia. “Heading into a year where we saw a vast increase in submissions, we are excited to continue elevating unique experiences and highlighting the unsung talent and diversity of storytellers that exists within the Asian Pacific American community.”

In addition to their premieres at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, HBO will air the films on HBO and available to stream on HBO Max on September 29th.

"Visual Communications is grateful to HBO for their commitment to amplifying our stories through HBO APA Visionaries," said Francis Cullado, Executive Director of Visual Communications. 

"From navigating microaggressions to intergenerational family dynamics, each film is a nuanced portrait of our experiences in America. We are excited to present the works of Johnson Cheng, Thomas Percy Kim, and Tiffany So with our creative communities," said Cullado.