Stories of “Good Filipino Kids,” a mother reincarnated as a goldfish and a woman’s guilt as she prepares the lunches of her childhood were among the highlight’s of New Filmmakers Los Angeles recent InFocus: Asian Cinema Program.
NFMLA’s May event celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and spotlighted Asian filmmakers and stories from around the world across two shorts programs. The day’s programming also featured the West Coast premiere of Brutal Season by Gavin Fields, presented in partnership with Filmmakers Alliance.
The day began with InFocus: Asian Cinema Shorts I, a collection of films that explores individual identity within a greater culture. It includes stories of queer identity in Asian and Asian-American communities, explorations of immigrant identity, the individual struggling to survive in a dystopian future, as well as motherhood as an identity and context.
The day continued with InFocus: Asian Cinema Shorts II, a selection of films that spans a range of genres as it tells stories of family, memory, loss and the ancient beyond. Through documentary, drama, horror and magic realism, the audience is invited to view these themes through different lenses. The night concluded with Brutal Season, a powerful family drama that explores the rising tensions of an estranged son returning home during a heatwave.
NFMLA showcases films by filmmakers of all backgrounds throughout the year in addition to its special InFocus programming, which celebrates diversity, inclusion, and region. All filmmakers are welcome and encouraged to submit their projects which will be considered for all upcoming NFMLA Festivals, regardless of the InFocus programming.
Here is some information on the filmmakers and their films, as well as their video interviews with NFMLA Board Chair Danny De Lillo (Twitter/Instagram: @dannydelillo).
“Brutal Season” directed and written by Gavin Fields
About Gavin Fields: Gavin Fields is a writer and director based in Atlanta. Past feature screenplays have been placed in various competitions including Bluecat, Austin Film Festival, ScreenCraft, Script Pipeline, Cinequest, and Fresh Voices. Brutal Season is his directorial debut, which premiered at Fantastic Fest in September 2022 before showing with the Phoenix and Fargo Film Festivals. Since its completion, Gavin has written two more features and is working on a third. He currently runs a small video agency, Lil Cowboy, with his wife and producer, Shelby Grady. Gavin received his BA from the University of Mississippi and MA from the University of Arizona.
About Brutal Season: When their estranged son inexplicably returns home, the Trouth’s home is full again, but is their Red Hook apartment big enough for the gambling debts, trauma and substantial life insurance policy that come in his wake?
Watch the NFMLA interview with Gavin Fields, writer and director, and Shelby Grady, producer of “Brutal Season”:
“Grandpa Cherry Blossom” directed and written by Maddox Chen
About Maddox: Maddox Chen is a filmmaker, animator and actor originally from New York City. Currently, he lives in Los Angeles. His work has been published in The New York Times and its corresponding book, Coming of Age in 2020. His film, “Grandpa Cherry Blossom,” has garnered numerous awards from film festivals and competitions, including YoungArts and IndieFEST. As an actor, he has been featured in several national commercials. This fall, Maddox will be pursuing a major in Film and Television Production at New York University.
About “Grandpa Cherry Blossom”: The Life of Francis Uyematsu, from his journey to America to his time at the Manzanar Concentration Camp.
Watch the NFMLA interview with Maddox Chen, writer and director of “Grandpa Cherry Blossom”: