HBO Selects Finalists for the Fifth Annual Asian Pacific American Visionaries Short Film Competition

HBO today announced the three finalists of the fifth annual Asian Pacific American Visionaries, a short film competition which showcases cinematic storytellers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. The finalists were selected from hundreds of submissions and were judged by a distinguished panel of HBO executives, industry leaders and fellow APA filmmakers. The winning films exemplified this year’s competition theme: “Taking the Lead.” Filmmakers Jesse Gi (NEH) and Urvashi Pathania (UNMOTHERED) will premiere their films during the 2021 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, presented by Visual Communications, on Saturday, September 25.

APA Visionaries was established by HBO in 2016 to provide a platform for Asian Pacific American stories to further the dialogue about representation in Hollywood and the importance of diversity in entertainment. 

“I'm very proud of this year's contestants. The filmmakers were able to showcase authentic stories with such intimacy, and oftentimes humor, exploring complex family dynamics, and overcoming personal and generational trauma,” said Jamie Chung, APA Visionaries 2021 Ambassador. “Through these shorts we are left feeling inspired and hopeful. Congratulations to this year's contestants and winners!”

In addition to premiering at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on September 25, HBO Max will debut the films on platform on September 27.

ABOUT THE FINALISTS

Jesse Gi (NEH) born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, is a second generation Korean American writer, director whose stories focus on extraordinary endurance, sacrifice, and unflinching ambition influenced by his immigrant family and community. Jesse graduated from USC's film program and has worked across studios from Lucasfilm, Warner Bros, and CBS. Jesse wrote, produced, and directed festival selected short films, BEAM, a grounded sci-fi, action drama about a teleporting thief, and NEH, a comedy-drama about a Korean American with no fluent Korean language skills. Jesse is currently preparing his next project, THE SHOW, a suspenseful drama about a rivalry between two high school baseball players.

STILL FROM “neh”

Urvashi Pathania (UNMOTHERED) is a writer/director based in Los Angeles. She received her B.A. with Honors in Film Studies from Columbia University and her M.F.A. in Film Production from USC. Her films explore emotions as pathways to knowledge. In 2021, Urvashi was selected for the Google Assistant Storytelling Fellowship in partnership with The Black List. She is also currently in Lena Waithe’s Writers’ Lab. Urvashi’s pilot script, TAJ MAHAL RESTAURANT, was recommended and tweeted by The Black List.

STILL FROM “UNMOTHERED”