A Cambodian woman, carrying a tragic secret, comes to America to work in an illicit massage parlor in hopes of making a better life for her family. Director Biography -&nbsp;Élodie Yung<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/166/375/original/96671cf46c-headshot.jpg?1662401578" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/166/375/thumb/96671cf46c-headshot.jpg?1662401578" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative;" width="205"></a>Elodie Yung is a French-Cambodian actress raised in the projects of Seine Saint Denis, a suburb of Paris, by her Cambodian father (a political refugee) and her French mother. Elodie graduated with a law degree from University of La Sorbonne in Paris. She then decided to study acting at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in England. Elodie is best known as the star of Fox's ‘The Cleaning Lady’ and for portraying Elektra Natchios in MCU Netflix series ‘Daredevil’ and ‘The Defenders’. Her other credits include ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’, ‘Gods of Egypt’ and ‘The Hitman's Bodyguard’. Happy Ending is her directorial debut.

Happy Ending

This is a story of two women, former classmates from Delhi, who reconnect in Silicon Valley in their forties, after taking completely different paths through life. Sunny came to the US after an arranged marriage and raised a family in Silicon Valley. Tara, a single New Yorker, is a successful journalist content with fulfilling her career ambitions. After being ghosted for a decade, Sunny meets with Tara on the very day that her husband, a tech CEO, is caught in a sting operation. Unbeknownst to each other, both women were abused by the same man, and they had remained silent for different reasons. On this day, one has chosen to fight back while the other contemplates giving up. With words remaining unspoken, they recognize each other's trauma and resolve to liberate themselves of their stains. Director Biography -&nbsp;Shruti Tewari<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/100/848/original/995c0b38e1-headshot.jpg?1654462394" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/100/848/thumb/995c0b38e1-headshot.jpg?1654462394" width="131" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative;"></a>SHRUTI TEWARI has spent over two decades in the creative arts with acting projects ranging from a Bollywood blockbuster to numerous award winning independent films. After stints in investment banking and tech, she, an MBA from Mumbai and MIA from Columbia University, changed course to authentically represent minority voices in the arts. A member of Playground writer's pool in San Francisco, she has written several plays and screenplays. In 2020, she was selected for the Sundance Collab directors and producers programs to develop her first feature film, "Flares," the screenplay for which is an award winner at the Alliance of Women Filmmakers Scriptwriting Competition and a finalist at WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Screenwriting Lab as well as the Big Apple Film Festival. She was also a finalist at the Austin Film Festival Pitch Fest, 2020. Through her pilot and feature scripts, she has placed at the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, Big Break, 1497 Screenwriting Lab and the Atlanta Film Festival screenwriting competition, among many others. This year, she was selected for the Women of Color Filmmakers Lab and made a female forward short film, "Stain Resistant," about overcoming suppressed trauma, with grant help from Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and BraveMaker film festival. She made her first short film, "Trail Past Prejudice," in response to the spike in violence based on skin color in our country. It won the Silver Remi Award at WorldFest Houston and played at over a dozen film festivals worldwide. Her second film, "Mum," was inspired by teen mental health issues within Asian American communities. It premiered at the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival and has won numerous accolades including an Award of Merit from the Best Shorts filmmaking competition. The film continues to be in festivals and played at the Bravemaker Film Festival in July.She is also the recipient of a Certificate of Honor by the City and County of San Francisco for her mentorship in juvenile halls.

Stain Resistant

An award-winning coming-of-age journey in the midst of war and bravery, Namba introduces us to May Namba, a Japanese American woman incarnated during WWII. It's a portion of American history not often told. We learn the story of May Namba, narrated by her granddaughter Miyako Namba. Beginning with the summer of 1941, she chronicles the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt's execute order that sent Japanese Americans to prison camps, and the impact it had on those Americans.May was incarcerated in Minidoka, one of 10 such prisons. We follow as May loses her job and her father is taken away. Yet throughout the journey, we witness May's incredible resilience and how it forges a life of service. May goes on to become an community organizer, working collaboratively to create community events and spaces for healing and justice. She mentors many local youths who go on to become the leaders they are today. In the film, May, Miyako and other members of the Namba family travel to the Minidoka site. Miyako struggles to walk May's journey. She imagines what she would bring with her in the limited luggage allowed, makes a mattress of hay in a horse stall for a bed, and visits many of the locations that shaped May's life. May Namba's patriotism, resilience, perseverance, and leadership is an inspiration for us all. Director Biography -&nbsp;Emily Hanako Momohara<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/175/504/original/70b7d14a24-headshot.jpg?1663284097" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/175/504/thumb/70b7d14a24-headshot.jpg?1663284097" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative;" width="144"></a>Emily Hanako Momohara was born in Seattle, Washington where she grew up in a mixed Asian and White family. Her work centers around issues of heritage, multiculturalism, immigration and social justice. Momohara has exhibited her artwork nationally, most notably at the Japanese American National Museum in a two-person show titled Sugar|Islands. She has been a visiting artist at several residency programs including the Center for Photography at Woodstock, Headlands Center for the Arts, Fine Arts Work Center and Red Gate Gallery Beijing. In 2015, her work was included in the Chongqing Photography and Video Biennial. Her first film NAMBA was completed in 2022 and is currently in several film festivals.

NAMBA: A Japanese American's Incarceration and Life of Resilience

Based on stories from my grandfather, Nisei follows the journey of two Japanese-American brothers during World War II, Minoru and John Miyasaki. Stripped of their citizenship and placed in internment camps, they volunteer for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an all Japanese-American unit that sacrificed everything, to prove their loyalty to a country that doesn't want them. Torn between country and family, they must face the enemy overseas along with adversity back home. Director Biography -&nbsp;Darren Haruo Rae<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/168/092/original/622c0dfd6a-headshot.jpg?1662413020" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/168/092/thumb/622c0dfd6a-headshot.jpg?1662413020" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative;" width="230"></a>Darren Haruo Rae, a Japanese American producer/director based in Los Angeles, co-founded the boutique production company Roann Films. He has directed high-profile commercials and branded content for clients such as Western Digital, Airbnb, and Cisco.Rae's directorial debut, Park Arcadia, garnered Best Screenplay at the 2014 International Film Festival Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles. His latest film, Nisei, inspired by his Japanese-American grandfather's WWII experiences in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, earned Best Drama at Cinequest and Audience Choice &amp; Best Drama at the 2023 Poppy Jasper Film Festival and continues it’s festival circuit, screening at Indy Shorts by Heartland Film, LA Shorts International Film Festival, HollyShorts Film Festival, and Catalina Film Festival.

Nisei

Removed by Force memorializes the unique and relatively unknown experiences of the 1,500 Americans of Japanese ancestry from 23 geographic areas in Hawai‚Äòi who were evicted from their homes, but not interned, during World War II. Their quest for redress is told from personal interviews and stories by affected individuals, Honolulu JACL and NAPABA lawyers, volunteers and government officials. Director Biography -&nbsp;Ryan Kawamoto<a href="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/411/204/original/201100edca-headshot.jpg?1688618402" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://filmfreeway-production-storage-01-storage.filmfreeway.com/press_kits/headshots/002/411/204/thumb/201100edca-headshot.jpg?1688618402" style="border: none; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-size: 12.95px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; display: block; height: auto; max-width: 100%; position: relative;" width="156"></a>Ryan Kawamoto is a television and film director based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, represented by Kinetic Productions.His last film, “Voices Behind Barbed Wire: Stories of Hawaiʻi,” was an official selection of the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (2018), aired on PBS Hawaiʻi, and was awarded a 2020 Preservation Honor Award by the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation. He wrote and directed "The Untold Story: Internment of Japanese Americans in Hawai'i, ” which was also an official selection of the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival (2012), ran theatrically, and was broadcast on PBS Hawai’i. His narrative feature film is, "Hang Loose," an Asian American comedy starring Kevin Wu, aka YouTuber KevJumba (“Revenge of the Green Dragons,” “Man-Up!,”), Dante Basco (“Hook,” “The Debut”), and Justin Chon (“Gook,” “Blue Bayou”). The film was nominated for Best Feature at the 2012 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Kawamoto also directed the short film "The Sand Island Drive-In Anthem," winner of the 2005 HIFF Audience Award for Best Short Film.

Removed by Force: The Eviction of Hawaii's Japanese Americans During WWII

Immigrant and Survival Stories

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Thank&nbsp;you&nbsp;for your generous donation to the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest, a production of CATS (Contemporary Asian Theater Scene), a non profit 501c3. EIN: 77-0402633 Thank&nbsp;You,Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest<a href="https://www.svapfilmfest.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.svapfilmfest.org</a>

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