CAPE and Janet Yang Announce Grantees for Short Film Challenge for API Women and Nonbinary Filmmakers

CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) and Janet Yang Productions today revealed the four grantees of the 2024 Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge for Asian and Pacific Islander Women and Non-Binary Filmmakers.

In its third consecutive year, the four filmmakers will each receive a $25,000 production grant to produce their short films.

Yang, who also serves as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said, “I love it when dreams become reality – I had a dream that I shared with Julia Gouw several years ago that I wanted to support emerging filmmakers who are AAPI and female or nonbinary, since we are still profoundly underrepresented.” She added, “With Julia’s support and in collaboration with CAPE, this dream has been realized. Now we are able to help the dreams of many others come true with this short film competition.”

Michelle K. Sugihara, executive director of CAPE, said, “This year’s cohort of finalists and winners are incredibly strong, and I am excited to see where all of their careers go from here as they continue this program’s legacy.”

Comprising the top 1% of submissions, the filmmakers and their winning projects are below.

“You Have Arrived” by Dia Frampton: Dia Frampton (she/her) always knew she wanted to be a storyteller. She believes that movies can create change, and are a vital way to help people empathize with others. She first started telling stories through music, performing her original songs on tour across the US, Europe, and Asia. But after having written songs for screen, she started writing her own screenplays. She has completed multiple feature film scripts, and is currently working on a new coming-of-age feature about two Korean American sisters growing up in Utah. She’s currently repped at Luber Roklin and Authentic management.

“Taga” by Jill Sachs: Jill Sachs (she/her) is a mixed Filipina-American writer-director, passionate about using genre to challenge oppressive narratives and amplify the voices of those whose fears and desires are often overlooked. Sachs earned her MFA in Directing from AFI, and was a Finalist of both the Disney-AFI Underrepresented Storytellers Initiative and the 2023 Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge. She won second place at the 2024 Screencraft Short competition with her travel/folk horror. Her films have won awards at festivals including BendFilm, Cinequest, Mallorca, Filmquest and more. Sachs currently works in animation at Psyop, and enjoys backpacking, art and all things spooky.

“When Life Gives You Lemons” by Lindsay Watson: Lindsay Watson (she/her), a Native Hawaiian writer and director from Maui, began her career as an actress having starred in films like Netflix’s “Finding Ohana” while immersing herself in the world of performance. During this time, she discovered a profound passion for storytelling. Driven by a fascination with the complexities of the human experience, she strives to tell stories that reflect real life – all while adding a flare of her Hawaiian upbringing. She is determined to create stories and opportunities that uplift her fellow Native Hawaiians. In 2022, she wrote, directed, and produced her debut short film, “Lotto Boy”, which is currently in post-production.

“Sūnna (Listen)” by Radha Mehta: Radha Mehta (she/her) is a civil engineer-turned-filmmaker with an MFA in Film Directing at AFI; a Disability Belongs Entertainment Fellow; a BIPOC Deaf Arts Grant Recipient; and a voting member of The Recording Academy. Her works stem from personal experience as a South Asian first-gen mother with the disability of being hard-of-hearing and explores themes of motherhood, women’s empowerment, and dismantling cultural taboos around mental health and disabilities.

Outside of the grantees, a special Honorable Mention also goes to Seeret Singh, a New York-born, L.A.-based Punjabi-Sikh actor-writer-director with a penchant for comedy, for her submitted project “Good Indian Girl.” Her past films have screened in museums, universities and festivals internationally. The remaining finalists include Afia Nathaniel, Katherine Chou and Meena Ramamurthy. This year’s and last year’s finalists will join the grantees at an intimate filmmakers retreat in Los Angeles offering in-person networking opportunities and speaker sessions with high-level industry professionals facilitated by Janet Yang Productions and CAPE.

The 2024 jury, comprised of all-women Asian and Pacific Islander industry professionals, includes Elsie Choi-Pletts (EVP, head of scripted TV; CJ ENM America), Geeta Malik (director; India Sweets & Spices), Jeyun Choi Munford (president; Hisako), Iram Parveen Bilal (director; Wakhri: One of a Kind), Katie Leung (“Bridgerton”), The Legend of Baron To’a Producer Kerry Warkia (producer, Brown Sugar Apple Grunt Productions), Naomi Scott (Great Scott Productions), Niti Shah (senior executive of talent development, talent acquisition and strategy; Inclusion, Equity, Belonging & Diversity Advocate; Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences), CAA Motion Picture Agent Rowena Arguelles, cinematographer Sandra Valde-Hansen (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”), Urooj Sharif (vp of original programming at Showtime). Sundance award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Phang (“Descendents: The Rise of Red”) contributed the 4-line script for the Challenge’s finalist round.

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