Winners 2019 - HBO APA Visionaries
Winners
Nirav Bhakta
Halwa
Nirav Bhakta is a director and producer who takes inspiration from his immigrant background to portray the challenges of the Asian diaspora. His films have been shown at film festivals around the world, including the prestigious UK Asian Film Festival.
The film was co-directed by Gayatri Bajpai. Bhakta’s HBO Visionaries film, Halwa, is the story of an Indian woman who rekindles her relationship with a childhood sweetheart through Facebook messages, but her abusive husband takes notice.
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Cast
Sujata
Vee Kumari
Dr. Chopra
Asit Vyas
Anjali
Sanchita Malik
Rukmini
Aishveryaa Nidhi
Lalita
Samiya Khan
Premila
Sonal Shah
Young Premila
Puja Gupta
Young Sujata
Renu Razdan
Producers
Executive Producer
Vijaya (Vee) Kumari
Producer
Kelsey Fordham
Producer
Gayatri Bajpai
Producer
Nirav Bhakta
Director
Director
Gayatri Bajpai
Director
Nirav Bhakta
So Young Shelly Yo
Moonwalk With Me
So Young Shelly Yo is a director and writer who earned her screenwriting and directing MFA from Columbia University. She was selected to be part of the Alfred P. Sloan Mentorship Program and was a finalist for the Sloan Screenplay Grant in 2018.
Yo’s HBO Visionaries film, Moonwalk With Me, is about a Korean American girl who is haunted by her father’s disappearances and tells the story of the immigrant experience through a magical landscape.
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Cast
Juno
Carrie Kim
Father
James Kang
Young Juno
Eliza Rain
Customer
Crystal Lee
Producers
Executive Producer
The Yo Family
Producer
Jamil Munoz
Directors
Director
Shelly Yo
Writers
Writer
Shelly Yo
Julie Zhan
Zoetic
Julie Zhan is a writer, producer, director, and actor who is an impassioned advocate for diverse representation in the media. She has used digital media as a platform for her performances and has garnered over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel, ShutUpAndDance.
Zoetic was co-directed by Wesley Chan, a co-founder of popular Asian American production company Wong Fu Productions. Zhan’s HBO Visionaries film, Zoetic, is a coming of age story about a single, 60-year old Chinese immigrant mother who, for the first time ever, is challenged to finally think of her own wants and needs. She reluctantly agrees to maneuver the world of online dating apps with the help of her daughter.
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Cast
Jackie
Dawn Yuen
Emma
Julie Zhan
Gong Gong
Julie's Grandpa
Po Po
Julie's Grandma
Jessica
Zailee Madrigal
Dave
Phil Morris
Blane
Doug Burch
Producers
Producer
Benson Quach
Producer
Julie Zhan
Producer
Wesley Chan
Executive Producer
Julie Zhan
Directors
Director
Wesley Chan
Director
Julie Zhan
Writers
Screenplay
Julie Zhan
Screenplay
Wesley Chan
Story
Julie Zhan