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Livestreams are available to watch on the Visual Communications Youtube Channel and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Facebook page!
On Friday, May 29th at 2pm PT, join us for a look at the HBO APA Visionaries program and a heartfelt conversation on the multiple and evolving layers of the APA filmmaker experience of today. E! host and correspondent Erin Lim, hosts Visionary finalists from across three classes, Dinh Thai (MONDAY), Maritte Go (REMITTANCE), Nirav Bhakta (HALWA), and Gayatri Bajpai (HALWA), joined by actress and filmmaker Sujata Day, for a conversation on what it means to be a storyteller and a leader.
Featuring:
Erin Lim (Host)
Erin Lim is a Los Angeles native of diverse heritage, whose creativity and talent are enriched by mixed cultural identity, deep technical expertise, and diversity of experience and interests. She is a correspondent for E! News and the face of E! Entertainment’s Snapchat show, THE RUNDOWN, as well as the host for the new Snapchat Original Series BINGE! CLUB. Erin has also hosted for various internationally recognized networks in Singapore including E! News Asia, EBUZZ for Sony AXN, STORM BYTES for Tech TV, and CULTURE SHIOK for Your Singapore. She has starred in a Singaporean sitcom, RULES OF THAM, and is the face of various brands including Heineken, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Sony, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore Tourism Board and the Close Up Cupid Games.
Sujata Day
Sujata Day is a Pittsburgh native with an infectious personality and unique sense of humor who has established herself in Hollywood as a multi-hyphenate performer, creator, writer, and director. She honed her comedy skills at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and regularly performs in UCB's hit show “Asian AF.” Sujata is known for her starring role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s THE MISADVENTURES OF AWKWARD BLACK GIRL, and had a recurring role for three seasons on HBO's INSECURE. Sujata is a Sundance Lab fellow, Sundance Film Festival influencer, and Sundance Collab advisor. Her short film, COWBOY AND INDIAN, sold to a major studio for series development with Sujata writing, producing, and starring. Sujata is currently in post-production on her debut feature film, DEFINITION PLEASE. She is honored to be the 2019 HBO APA Visionaries Ambassador.
Dinh Thai
Dinh Thai is a Los Angeles based writer/director by way of commercial directing. He brings a youthful, multi-cultural viewpoint to his creative and energetic productions. His commercial clients include Adidas, T-Mobile, Toyota, and the US Navy. Dinh’s narrative work has aired on HBO and Cinemax. Specifically, MONDAY, a short film he wrote and directed has garnished over 50 festival awards and nominations, including first place in the inaugural HBO APA Visionaries competition. Dinh has participated in the Disney|ABC Director Program, shadowed on AMERICAN HORROR STORY (Ryan Murphy's Half-Initiative), MAYANS M.C. (Fox 21 TV), and directed an episode of NEW AMSTERDAM through NBC’s Emerging Director Program. He is actively pursuing film and TV directing assignments as well as developing a show based on his short film and other multicultural ideas.
Maritte Go
Maritte Go is a Filipino American filmmaker who graduated from University of Southern California with a Masters in Film and TV Production. She was also a Visual Communications Armed With a Camera Fellow in 2013. Maritte’s short film REMITTANCE was a finalist for the HBO APA Visionaries competition, and she was recently awarded the CAMERAderie Women in Media grant for her short film ILLIPINO. Maritte recently finished shooting her feature directorial debut RISE, a dramatic thriller inspired by the real-life conflict between the Nigerian people and the Boko Haram insurgency; wrapped directing a segment of PHOBIAS, an anthology horror feature for Defiant Studios and Radio Silence; and is currently working on a studio horror feature film with Amazon and Blumhouse.
Gayatri Bajpai
Gayatri Everitt Bajpai is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker who co-directed HALWA, a finalist for the HBO APA Visionaries Short Film Competition that has won awards at other festivals around the world. Gayatri is also the writer/director of RIO, executive produced by James Franco and incorporated into a feature film anthology of the same name. She is a two-time winner of the UCLA Directors Spotlight for her films MUCK (Best Documentary) and HOUSEWARMING (Best Comedy). With a multiethnic, international upbringing, Gayatri is interested in stories about people who find themselves caught between cultures. She is currently developing a feature screenplay and finishing a documentary with co-director Nirav Bhakta about the experiences of a Mexican trans woman who escaped a cartel. She holds an MFA in directing from UCLA.
Nirav Bhakta
Nirav Bhakta is an award winning Director/Actor/Writer who grew up as an undocumented immigrant in motels. Nirav's background extends from architecture to the North Indian classical dance form of Kathak. Due to the lack of authentic roles and experiences as an actor, Nirav began creating zero budget short films focusing on the immigrant experience, including a portrait documentary short revolving around an immigrant sex worker who was human trafficked by a drug cartel. In 2019, Nirav and his co-director Gayatri Bajpai were announced a finalist of the HBO APA Visionaries Short Film Competition for their film HALWA, which is now streaming on HBO. Nirav is currently in Visual Communications’ Armed With A Camera fellowship and is creating a short film for the non-profit School On Wheels in the CBS Pipeline Challenge.
Livestreams are available to watch on the Visual Communications Youtube Channel and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Facebook page!
On Friday, May 29th at 2pm PT, join us for a look at the HBO APA Visionaries program and a heartfelt conversation on the multiple and evolving layers of the APA filmmaker experience of today. E! host and correspondent Erin Lim, hosts Visionary finalists from across three classes, Dinh Thai (MONDAY), Maritte Go (REMITTANCE), Nirav Bhakta (HALWA), and Gayatri Bajpai (HALWA), joined by actress and filmmaker Sujata Day, for a conversation on what it means to be a storyteller and a leader.
Featuring:
Erin Lim (Host)
Erin Lim is a Los Angeles native of diverse heritage, whose creativity and talent are enriched by mixed cultural identity, deep technical expertise, and diversity of experience and interests. She is a correspondent for E! News and the face of E! Entertainment’s Snapchat show, THE RUNDOWN, as well as the host for the new Snapchat Original Series BINGE! CLUB. Erin has also hosted for various internationally recognized networks in Singapore including E! News Asia, EBUZZ for Sony AXN, STORM BYTES for Tech TV, and CULTURE SHIOK for Your Singapore. She has starred in a Singaporean sitcom, RULES OF THAM, and is the face of various brands including Heineken, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Sony, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore Tourism Board and the Close Up Cupid Games.
Sujata Day
Sujata Day is a Pittsburgh native with an infectious personality and unique sense of humor who has established herself in Hollywood as a multi-hyphenate performer, creator, writer, and director. She honed her comedy skills at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and regularly performs in UCB's hit show “Asian AF.” Sujata is known for her starring role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s THE MISADVENTURES OF AWKWARD BLACK GIRL, and had a recurring role for three seasons on HBO's INSECURE. Sujata is a Sundance Lab fellow, Sundance Film Festival influencer, and Sundance Collab advisor. Her short film, COWBOY AND INDIAN, sold to a major studio for series development with Sujata writing, producing, and starring. Sujata is currently in post-production on her debut feature film, DEFINITION PLEASE. She is honored to be the 2019 HBO APA Visionaries Ambassador.
Dinh Thai
Dinh Thai is a Los Angeles based writer/director by way of commercial directing. He brings a youthful, multi-cultural viewpoint to his creative and energetic productions. His commercial clients include Adidas, T-Mobile, Toyota, and the US Navy. Dinh’s narrative work has aired on HBO and Cinemax. Specifically, MONDAY, a short film he wrote and directed has garnished over 50 festival awards and nominations, including first place in the inaugural HBO APA Visionaries competition. Dinh has participated in the Disney|ABC Director Program, shadowed on AMERICAN HORROR STORY (Ryan Murphy's Half-Initiative), MAYANS M.C. (Fox 21 TV), and directed an episode of NEW AMSTERDAM through NBC’s Emerging Director Program. He is actively pursuing film and TV directing assignments as well as developing a show based on his short film and other multicultural ideas.
Maritte Go
Maritte Go is a Filipino American filmmaker who graduated from University of Southern California with a Masters in Film and TV Production. She was also a Visual Communications Armed With a Camera Fellow in 2013. Maritte’s short film REMITTANCE was a finalist for the HBO APA Visionaries competition, and she was recently awarded the CAMERAderie Women in Media grant for her short film ILLIPINO. Maritte recently finished shooting her feature directorial debut RISE, a dramatic thriller inspired by the real-life conflict between the Nigerian people and the Boko Haram insurgency; wrapped directing a segment of PHOBIAS, an anthology horror feature for Defiant Studios and Radio Silence; and is currently working on a studio horror feature film with Amazon and Blumhouse.
Gayatri Bajpai
Gayatri Everitt Bajpai is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker who co-directed HALWA, a finalist for the HBO APA Visionaries Short Film Competition that has won awards at other festivals around the world. Gayatri is also the writer/director of RIO, executive produced by James Franco and incorporated into a feature film anthology of the same name. She is a two-time winner of the UCLA Directors Spotlight for her films MUCK (Best Documentary) and HOUSEWARMING (Best Comedy). With a multiethnic, international upbringing, Gayatri is interested in stories about people who find themselves caught between cultures. She is currently developing a feature screenplay and finishing a documentary with co-director Nirav Bhakta about the experiences of a Mexican trans woman who escaped a cartel. She holds an MFA in directing from UCLA.
Nirav Bhakta
Nirav Bhakta is an award winning Director/Actor/Writer who grew up as an undocumented immigrant in motels. Nirav's background extends from architecture to the North Indian classical dance form of Kathak. Due to the lack of authentic roles and experiences as an actor, Nirav began creating zero budget short films focusing on the immigrant experience, including a portrait documentary short revolving around an immigrant sex worker who was human trafficked by a drug cartel. In 2019, Nirav and his co-director Gayatri Bajpai were announced a finalist of the HBO APA Visionaries Short Film Competition for their film HALWA, which is now streaming on HBO. Nirav is currently in Visual Communications’ Armed With A Camera fellowship and is creating a short film for the non-profit School On Wheels in the CBS Pipeline Challenge.