Celebrating and empowering voices and stories too often marginalized by mainstream media.
Winners Announced for the Film Lab’s 20th Annual 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition
New York City, August 4, 2024 – The Film Lab is thrilled to unveil the winners of its milestone 20th Annual 72 Hour Shootout, a premier global event dedicated to promoting gender and racial parity in entertainment media and empowering emerging filmmakers of color, particularly Asian Americans.
Over the intense 72-hour period, diverse teams of filmmakers united to create compelling short films centered around the theme “Practical Dreamer,” integrating Gold Sponsor Idealist’s circular image. Judged by a distinguished panel including Marci Phillips (VP, Casting for ABC Primetime), Jandiz Cardoso Estrada of Sundance, Antony Wong (AAARI-CUNY), Daniel Sakaya of CrossingsTV, and other luminaries, participants competed for coveted opportunities such as film festival screenings, television exhibition, mentorship from industry leaders, cash prizes, and more.
The top ten films premiered to acclaim on August 3, 2024, at the prestigious Asian American International Film Festival, highlighting the Shootout’s role in amplifying underrepresented voices and stories. This year’s competition, underscores the Film Lab’s commitment to nurturing talent and enhancing visibility for underrepresented narratives in the media landscape. “We are immensely proud of the creativity and diversity showcased by this year’s filmmakers,” said Jennifer Betit Yen, actor and President of the Film Lab. “The 72 Hour Shootout continues to be a catalyst for change, fostering inclusive storytelling and providing a platform for emerging talent to shine.”
The winning films are:
- “Blue Agate” by David Choi of Team Possible
- “Lola’s Spaghetti” by Veanne Cao of Team usine
- “Requiem” by Pearl Lam of Team Gold Standard Productions
- “Distance” by Sean Nguyen of Team Sedulous Films
- “MSG” by Keith Leung & Alan He of Team We, Chinese
- “Dreamweaver” by Chris Caccioppoli of Team Chimera Entertainment
- “Lil Little Tokyo” by Team Kamaboko Buds
- “You Don’t Need Me” by Jenni Loo of Team Lychee Lychee
- “Ulam” by Tyler Cino Maradiaga of Team Team Feirstein
- “The Next Stop Is” by William Zhou of Team Noboo
Category Awards:
- Best Female Content Creator: Veanne Cao for “Lola’s Spaghetti” by Team usine
- Best LGBTQ+ Content Creator: Pearl Lam for “Requiem” by Team Gold Standard Productions
- Best Screenwriting: Chris Caccioppoli for “Dreamweaver” by Team Chimera Entertainment
- Best Directing: Keith Leung & Alan He for “MSG” by Team We, Chinese
- Best Editing: Team Kamaboko Buds for “Lil Little Tokyo”
- Best Cinematography: Keith Leung & Alan He for “MSG” by Team We, Chinese
- Most Original Use of Theme: David Choi for “Blue Agate” by Team Possible
- Best Actor: Jason Amerling in “Lola’s Spaghetti” by Veanne Cao of Team usine
- Best Actress: Mallory Wu in “Lola’s Spaghetti” by Veanne Cao of Team usine
At the awards ceremony, senior Shootout Coordinator Francis Chin extended Film Lab’s sincere gratitude to sponsors including New York Women in Film & Television, Asian American International Film Festival, Asian CineVision, CrossingsTV, Idealist, ScriptHop, JerseyKool, Backstage, FOU, Cre8sian Project, Lunar, and many others, with support from New York State Council on the Arts and New York City Cultural Affairs.
About the Film Lab: Founded in 1998 and headquartered in New York City, the Film Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting gender and ethnic diversity in media through education, outreach, and production across film, television, and online entertainment.
For more information about the Film Lab and the 72 Hour Shootout, visit www.film-lab.org or follow @AsAmFilmLab on social media. Join the conversation using #72HrSO.
Media Contact: Luana Sandoval, Shootout@film-lab.org
Editor, Publisher Gregg W. Morris
Can be reached at gregghc@comcast.net, progreggwmorris@gmail.com