This May, Los Angeles Chinese Film Festival (LACFF), along with Chinese In Entertainment (CIE), will organize a series of programs in celebration of AAPI heritage month as well as in response to the recent surge in hate crimes toward the Asian community.

Centered on the theme “Re//Claiming Our Voice,” the events intend to amplify AAPI narratives and empower AAPI filmmakers. In this time of racism, xenophobia, and inequality, LACFF and CIE want to focus on the AAPI community’s agency, their activism, and their creative talent.

Our regular programming Speaker Series will continue this month. The Speaker Series will focus on the topic of racial justice, inviting influential speakers from the AAPI community to share their stories and insights. We will also screen The Race Epidemic, a documentary film that tells the unique story of AAPIs within the broader context of racism in America. The producer Ronald Wong, founder of the Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation, director Tony Shyu, and more will join us for a Q&A session.

“The Race Epidemic” screening and live Q & A

About this event

Los Angeles Chinese Film Festival (LACFF) is pleased to announce our upcoming screening of The Race Epidemic and live Q&A, featuring a conversation with producer Ronald W. Wong, director Tony Shyu, and former LA City Councilmember David Ryu, moderated by Amanda Walencewicz (Programmer, LACFF.)

Screening: Thursday, May 20 | Available for 48 hrs
Q&A: Saturday, May 22 | 2:00 pm PT
*After registration a link to the screening will be sent to you 48 hours before the event.

About Speakers:

Ronald W. Wong

Ronald W. Wong, founder of the Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation and President of Imprenta Communications Group, an award-wining public affairs, ethnic marketing, and advertising firm, serves as producer & writer and will oversee the fundraising and management of the entire project. Ron has been involved in politics and political campaigns for the past 30 years. The Race Epidemic is the culmination of Ron’s work in politics, social justice, and the political empowerment of diverse underrepresented communities for the last 35 years. Ron has been involved and committed to the civic and political engagement and empowerment of AAPIs for nearly 4 decades.

Tony Shyu

Tony Shyu is a noted director and award-winning screenwriter. Tony serves as director & producer of the project. Tony spent many years in Asia creating award-winning commercials for major brands such as Avon, Volvo, and Visa. He won the Taiwan Times award, which is Asia’s equivalent of a Clio award. The PSA he directed for API Vote starring George Takei, John Cho, and Constance Wu won the 2016 Videographer award. Tony received his B.A. and M.F.A. in film from the renowned Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, which is known for creating visual story tellers.

David Ryu

Former Los Angeles City Councilmember. Ryu was the first Korean American to serve on the Los Angeles City Council and only the second Asian American elected to the City Council, representing the 4th Council District. Prior to being elected to the Council, Ryu served as Senior Deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke, he also served as Director of Development and Public Affairs at one of Los Angeles’s largest non-profit health care providers: Kedren Acute Psychiatric Hospital and Community Health Center.

Moderator: Amanda Walencewicz

Amanda Walencewicz is a writer focused on Chinese film, with experience in media production and communications. She graduated from Tufts University, majoring in International Literary and Visual Studies and Chinese. She completed the graduate certificate program at Johns Hopkins’ Nanjing campus. Between her academic programs, Walencewicz worked as the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations’ Communications and Production Assistant, producing videos, podcasts, and graphics and launching the web series U.S.-China Insights.

#StopAsianHate Speaker Series

About this event

We firmly believe that promoting diversity through media is one of the best ways to change the public perception of Asian communities, especially in this challenging time. Through the stories, insights, and feelings shared by guest speakers from AAPI communities, we hope to raise public awareness of racial discrimination, evoke empathy to racial minority groups, and encourage individuals to combat racism, bigotry, and xenophobia in our contemporary society.

Date and Time: Sunday, May 30 | 2:00 pm PT
*After registration a link to the speaker series will be sent to you 48 hours before the event.

About Speakers:

PETER MARKHAM

Peter Markham was Head of Directing in the MFA program of the American Film Institute Conservatory, Los Angeles from 2010 to 2018. Before that he was Senior Lecturer in Directing (2003-2010) having begun teaching at the Conservatory as adjunct faculty in 2001 — a total of 17 years experience as a teacher of directing at graduate level in one of the top film schools in the world. He has tutored and mentored some 450 new directors many now working as directors but also as writers and producers, including a substantial number who have achieved outstanding success within the industry, at the major festivals across the world, and at the Academy. He has also been invited as a guest lecturer and inspired dozens of new filmmakers in AFI’s prestigious Directing Workshop for Women.

Prior to his teaching career Markham directed Second Unit for Martin Scorsese on GANGS OF NEW YORK (Nominated for 9 Academy Awards in 2003, including Best Picture), and for Anthony Minghella on THE ENGLISH PATIENT (Winner, 9 Academy Awards in 1997, including Best Picture). As a director in his own right in his native UK, he directed TV drama for the BBC and Granada TV while his film THE CORMORANT, starring Ralph Fiennes, was nominated for a BAFTA Wales Award in 1993. After completing a first novel, Markham is writing his second book of fiction. His other interests include Politics and Society, History, Music (Baroque to Post Punk), Fashion, and Philosophy. Since leaving AFI Conservatory Markham has taken his teaching out to the world, giving two series of workshops and masterclasses in Beijing. Currently he is writing WHAT’S THE STORY? — THE DIRECTOR MEETS THE SCREENPLAY An Essential Guide for Directors and Writer-Directors for Focal Press/Routledge.

BRIAN YANG

BRIAN YANG is an actor and producer whose producing credits include LATE LIFE, the Golden Horse Best Documentary Award nominated feature on former New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang; the Jeremy Lin documentary LINSANITY which premiered at Sundance Film Festival; Shanghai International Film Festival award winning biopic ANOTHER SHOT, on former NBA player Stephon Marbury's life in China; I CAN I WILL I DID starring Tony Award nominee Mike Faist; and SNAKEHEAD which just premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Yang has also produced documentary specials for ESPN and Fox Sports. As an actor, his film credits include SAVING FACE, THE JADE PENDANT, and an upcoming Disney+ short called THE LITTLE PRINCE(SS) that was part of Disney+'s inaugural Launchpad Program and TV credits include THE PATH, WESTWORLD, BLACKLIST, SHANGHAI RUSH and HAWAII 5-0, on which he played the lab tech Charlie Fong for five seasons.

PEILIN CHOU

Peilin Chou is an Academy Award-nominated Producer with an overall deal at Netflix Animation. Most recently, Peilin produced Over the Moon, an animated musical feature film directed by Glen Keane which premiered on Netflixin Fall 2020. Peilin also produced Abominable, an animated feature co-production with DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio directed by Jill Culton, which launched theatrically worldwide in Fall 2019.

Prior to joining Netflix, Peilin was the Chief Creative Officer of Pearl Studio (formerly Oriental DreamWorks). In her 5 year tenure at Pearl Studio, Peilin oversaw the overall mission and creative direction of the studio, including the development and production of all Pearl Studio films and projects, as well as the creative oversight ofall marketing, PR, and consumer products at Pearl.

In addition to her work in animated features, Peilin’s 20+ year career in content creation also encompasses numerous creative leadership roles in television and theater.In television, Peilin developed a robust slate ofscripted and unscripted series (live-action and animation) in her roles as Director of Development at Nickelodeon,Vice-President of Original Series at Spike TV, and Senior Vice President of Programming and Production at AZN Television.In the realm of live theater, Peilin served as the Director of Development at Livent, Inc. as well as Artistic Associate of The Roundabout Theater, where she specialized in new musical development, and oversaw the company’s New Works Reading Series.

Peilin started her career in feature films at the Walt Disney Studios where she was a Creative Executive at Walt Disney Feature Animation and Touchstone Pictures. In those roles, she developed and oversaw dozens of feature film projects, of which two of her favorites are: Mulanand Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion.

Peilin is the recipient of Animation Magazine’s 2020 “Producer of the Year” Award. In 2019, Peilin was named to the Gold House A100 List of “Top 100 Most Influential and Impactful Asians & Pacific Islanders”. She is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA), the Television Academy, Women in Animation (WIA), New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE). Peilin currently resides in New York City with her husband Eric and their two boys Hayden and Bailey. She received her BA in Communication Studies from UCLA. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Moderator: CLARA WAYEE YIP

Clara Wayee Yip is an impact investor, entrepreneur, and business consultant. She is currently a partner and trader at MoveBlock Capital, a digital asset exchange and OTC trading desk based out of Singapore and Hong Kong. Clara began her career as a business development manager in the entertainment business in 2013 at C&C Entertainment, a company based out of Boston. She became passionate about alternative investment opportunities at that point and went on to complete her degree in business administration for finance and investments at Baruch College in NYC. During her time at Baruch, Clara began to trade and consult for various trading and financial investment firms in New York. She is currently pursuing her graduate studies at Columbia University.

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