
This eclectic collection of AAPI short films offers a vibrant mix of voices, stories, and perspectives. These shorts showcase the creativity, diversity, and originality of AAPI filmmakers. Together, they invite audiences to explore new ideas, encounter unexpected perspectives, and celebrate the richness of AAPI storytelling in all its forms.
Amidst the outbreak of the 1910 Manchurian Plague, a young Chinese doctor must defy prejudices of both the East and the West to champion his groundbreaking theory of the disease and seek the truth that will heal it.
Director Robin Wang
Zhongyu (Robin) Wang is a Los Angeles – based director and producer, whose expansive filmography has been honored with a Student Academy Award®, three DGA Awards Grand Prize, and three College Television Awards.
As a director and producer, Robin has brought his works to over a hundred international film festivals worldwide, including many prominent Oscar-qualifiers such as LA Outfest, Cleveland, St. Louis, Urbanworld, deadCenter, and LA Shorts. He is especially known for directing the historical biopic short film, Neither Donkey Nor Horse, based on the life of the first Nobel Prize-nominated Chinese scientist, Dr. Wu Lien-teh. The film, sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival, won the Student Academy Awards®, and is currently longlisted for Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards®.
Robin's other directorial works include the coming-of-age Asian American comedy Wei-Lai. The film won Best Comedy Series at the 42nd College Television Awards, Best Comedy of the Year at Newfilmmakers Los Angeles, and has been an official selection at Bentonville Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Hollyshorts, as well as a Finalist for KCET – Fine Cut and CAA Moebius. The film has received distributions on Kanopy, Viddsee, and Omeleto, where it currently garnered 290K views.
From 2023 to 2024, Robin helmed numerous higher-budget genre films and period pieces as the director. Notably, he co-directed the feature film Jack & Lou: A Gangster Love Story, starring Linda Hamilton from the Terminator Franchise. The film is set in 1920s Al Capone’s Chicago, with select scenes filmed on the Warner Brothers Studio Lot.
Robin was born in Xi'an, China but had spent most of his youth traversing the rich and intricate cultural landscapes of China, Singapore, and the United States. As a Chinese diaspora storyteller, Robin is recognized for his global Asian-themed dramas with a blend of bittersweet poignancy, twisted ethics, and heartfelt realities. As one who wanders on the margin of cultures, he wants to continue to explore the meaning of "home" and "homelessness" against the massive backdrop of cultural displacement and the Asian diaspora.
Robin holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English (Highest Distinction) from Duke University and an MFA degree in Film & Television Production from the University of Southern California.
- Year08/14/2024 00:00
- Runtime0:28:29
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States, United States
- GenreHistory, Biography, Drama, Thriller
- Awards51st Student Academy Award® London October 14, 2024 Bronze Medal in Narrative (Domestic and International) United States Humanitas Prize Los Angeles September 7, 2025 Nominee Best Short Film United States DGA Student Film Awards Los Angeles, CA Grand Prize - Best Asian American Filmmaker United States 44th College Television Awards/ Student Emmys Los Angeles Nominee in Best Drama Series United States 97th Academy Award® Best Live Action Short Film Log Angeles March 2, 2025 Long List/ Qualified United States Telluride Film Festival Telluride, Colorado August 31, 2024 World Premiere Official Selection United States St. Louis International Film Festival St. Louis November 7, 2024 Official Selection United States Newport Beach Film Festival Newport Beach October 20, 2024 Outstanding Narrative Short United States San Diego International Film Festival San Diego October 17, 2024 Official Selection United States Cleveland International Film Festival Cleveland, OH March 31, 2025 Midwest Premiere Official Selection United States Flathead Lake International Cinemafest Polson, MT February 14, 2025 Montana Premiere Best Picture Short, Best Actor United States Dam Short Film Festival Boulder City, Nevada February 13, 2025 Nevada Premiere Best Student Short Winner United States Sedona International Film Festival Sedona, AZ February 26, 2025 Arizona Premiere Best Student Film United States
- Social Media
- DirectorRobin Wang
- ScreenwriterRobin Wang, Jesse Aultman
- ProducerEllen Eliasoph, Aslan Dalgic, Lilith Mo, Jesse Parker Aultman, Chirsten Vanderbilt Ellis
- CastChris Pang, Jim Lau, Michael Monasterio, Albert Kuo, Beryl Liu
This eclectic collection of AAPI short films offers a vibrant mix of voices, stories, and perspectives. These shorts showcase the creativity, diversity, and originality of AAPI filmmakers. Together, they invite audiences to explore new ideas, encounter unexpected perspectives, and celebrate the richness of AAPI storytelling in all its forms.
Amidst the outbreak of the 1910 Manchurian Plague, a young Chinese doctor must defy prejudices of both the East and the West to champion his groundbreaking theory of the disease and seek the truth that will heal it.
Director Robin Wang
Zhongyu (Robin) Wang is a Los Angeles – based director and producer, whose expansive filmography has been honored with a Student Academy Award®, three DGA Awards Grand Prize, and three College Television Awards.
As a director and producer, Robin has brought his works to over a hundred international film festivals worldwide, including many prominent Oscar-qualifiers such as LA Outfest, Cleveland, St. Louis, Urbanworld, deadCenter, and LA Shorts. He is especially known for directing the historical biopic short film, Neither Donkey Nor Horse, based on the life of the first Nobel Prize-nominated Chinese scientist, Dr. Wu Lien-teh. The film, sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival, won the Student Academy Awards®, and is currently longlisted for Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards®.
Robin's other directorial works include the coming-of-age Asian American comedy Wei-Lai. The film won Best Comedy Series at the 42nd College Television Awards, Best Comedy of the Year at Newfilmmakers Los Angeles, and has been an official selection at Bentonville Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Hollyshorts, as well as a Finalist for KCET – Fine Cut and CAA Moebius. The film has received distributions on Kanopy, Viddsee, and Omeleto, where it currently garnered 290K views.
From 2023 to 2024, Robin helmed numerous higher-budget genre films and period pieces as the director. Notably, he co-directed the feature film Jack & Lou: A Gangster Love Story, starring Linda Hamilton from the Terminator Franchise. The film is set in 1920s Al Capone’s Chicago, with select scenes filmed on the Warner Brothers Studio Lot.
Robin was born in Xi'an, China but had spent most of his youth traversing the rich and intricate cultural landscapes of China, Singapore, and the United States. As a Chinese diaspora storyteller, Robin is recognized for his global Asian-themed dramas with a blend of bittersweet poignancy, twisted ethics, and heartfelt realities. As one who wanders on the margin of cultures, he wants to continue to explore the meaning of "home" and "homelessness" against the massive backdrop of cultural displacement and the Asian diaspora.
Robin holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English (Highest Distinction) from Duke University and an MFA degree in Film & Television Production from the University of Southern California.
- Year08/14/2024 00:00
- Runtime0:28:29
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States, United States
- GenreHistory, Biography, Drama, Thriller
- Awards51st Student Academy Award® London October 14, 2024 Bronze Medal in Narrative (Domestic and International) United States Humanitas Prize Los Angeles September 7, 2025 Nominee Best Short Film United States DGA Student Film Awards Los Angeles, CA Grand Prize - Best Asian American Filmmaker United States 44th College Television Awards/ Student Emmys Los Angeles Nominee in Best Drama Series United States 97th Academy Award® Best Live Action Short Film Log Angeles March 2, 2025 Long List/ Qualified United States Telluride Film Festival Telluride, Colorado August 31, 2024 World Premiere Official Selection United States St. Louis International Film Festival St. Louis November 7, 2024 Official Selection United States Newport Beach Film Festival Newport Beach October 20, 2024 Outstanding Narrative Short United States San Diego International Film Festival San Diego October 17, 2024 Official Selection United States Cleveland International Film Festival Cleveland, OH March 31, 2025 Midwest Premiere Official Selection United States Flathead Lake International Cinemafest Polson, MT February 14, 2025 Montana Premiere Best Picture Short, Best Actor United States Dam Short Film Festival Boulder City, Nevada February 13, 2025 Nevada Premiere Best Student Short Winner United States Sedona International Film Festival Sedona, AZ February 26, 2025 Arizona Premiere Best Student Film United States
- Social Media
- DirectorRobin Wang
- ScreenwriterRobin Wang, Jesse Aultman
- ProducerEllen Eliasoph, Aslan Dalgic, Lilith Mo, Jesse Parker Aultman, Chirsten Vanderbilt Ellis
- CastChris Pang, Jim Lau, Michael Monasterio, Albert Kuo, Beryl Liu