Author: representmedia

Jennifer Huang awarded Berkeley FILM Foundation Grant

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Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Jennifer Huang, has been awarded a Berkeley FILM Foundation 2022 Grant Award, for her film The Long Rescue.

The film is the recipient of the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation Elevate Award for $25,000, in partnership with the Berkeley-based Jonathan Logan Family Foundation (JLFF).

The Long Rescue follows Filipina teen sex trafficking survivors for six years where we learn of their dark pasts through brief flashbacks that reveal the cyclical nature of exploitation that haunts women and their children for generations.

Jennifer Huang wins The Great Chicago Pitch

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Congratulations to Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Jennifer Huang, who won The Great Chicago Pitch for The Long Rescue. The film will receive $50,000 as part of the inaugural Shifting Voices Film Fund, sponsored by CMP and Mezcla Media Collective.

The Long Rescue follows Filipina teen sex trafficking survivors for six years where we learn of their dark pasts through brief flashbacks that reveal the cyclical nature of exploitation that haunts women and their children for generations.

For Love and Legacy in Tribeca’s Juneteenth program

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For Love and Legacy - Dana King in her studio

Re-Take Oakland filmmaker A.K. Sandhu is screening For Love and Legacy this weekend as part of Tribeca Film Festival’s Juneteenth program.

The film tells the personal stories of sculptor Dana King and activist Fredrika Newton who come together to build a new monument that honors the Black Panther Party’s vital place in American history.

For tickets and more info:

https://tribecafilm.com/films/for-love-and-legacy-2022

The Power of Personal Documentary at BAMMS 2022

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Re-Present Media presented a session, The Power of Personal Documentary Films: The Creators, at the 2022 Bay Area Media Makers Summit. The Bay Area Media Maker Summit (BAMMS) is a collaborative initiative to cultivate a healthy and inclusive Bay Area filmmaking community.

In this session, we reviewed highlights from a Re-Present Media study that looks at the relationship between emerging BIPOC filmmakers, personal storytelling, and the dynamics of white supremacy culture in the industry.

After a presentation of findings and strategies for change, Jennifer Crystal Chien engaged in a dialogue with two guest filmmakers with personal films – Jay Gash (When the Garden Comes) and Lucy Saephan (My Name is Lai).

Sabaya: Director accused of faked scenes, heroes lied to separate children from mothers

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Kvartal

A two-part investigative report on Sabaya in Kvartal by Swedish journalist Ludde Hellberg that exposes the following:

  • The movie is significantly based on a falsehood, states Peter Galbraith, former US ambassador.

  • The film’s protagonists forced several of those women to be separated from their children, promising they would later be reunited. Those who refused were kept under house arrest for up to two years.

  • The director now admits that the dramatic rescue of Leila, the female protagonist of the documentary, was filmed with an entirely different woman. Other scenes are also examined and shown to be faked.

The articles can be found on Kvartal, a Swedish online magazine.

This news has made ripple effects through the Swedish media, stirring up conversations among funders, distributors, and film reviewers.

Our original advocacy campaign began in October 2021, after the release of the New York Times article citing problems with this film. Since then, we have worked with a group of international women advocates to continue to bring attention to the unethical and exploitative practices of this film.

June 5 – The Power of Personal Documentary Films: The Creators Session

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BAMMS Summit - Power of Pesonal Documentary Films Event - Sunday June 5 - 12:30pm

Join us for a filmmakers’ case study for The Power of Personal Documentary Films!

IN PERSON – Sunday June 5, 12:30pm

KQED, 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco

Learn about our new article, The Power of Personal Documentary Films, which looks at the importance of personal storytelling in relationship to racism and white supremacy in the industry.

We discuss two case studies from personal films by Lucy Saephan (My Name is Lai) and Jay Gash (When the Garden Comes).

REGISTER FOR EVENT

Lucy Saephan receives CAAMFEST Loni Ding Award

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Congratulations to Re-Take Oakland filmmaker, Lucy Saephan, who received the 2022 CAAMFEST Loni Ding Award for Social Justice Documentary, for My Name is Lai.

In My Name is Lai, a first generation Mien American elder, shares the events leading up to her arrival to the U.S. as a refugee survivor of war. Lai retraces moments of her life from memories as a young child, to being a newly arrived refugee finding her way in the U.S. Through these memories, Lai reflects on her life, passing on cultural traditions, fears of losing her independence, and hopes for the future.

“When the Garden Comes” screening at Queer Women of Color Film Festival

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When the Garden Comes, directed by Re-Take Oakland filmmaker Jay Gash, is screening at the Queer Women of Color Film Festival on Sunday, June 12th at 5pm at the Presidio Theater in San Francisco.

The Film Festival will be held in-person at the renovated Presidio Theatre, 99 Moraga Avenue inside the San Francisco Presidio.

When the Garden Comes follows how the legacy of homeownership and gardening pumps through the veins of a Black family in North Oakland.

For more information, visit: https://festival2022.qwocmap.org/

May 11 – The Power of Personal Documentary Films: The Creators Session

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May 11 CAAM Filmmaker Summit Event - May 11th 10am PT

Join us for a filmmakers’ case study for The Power of Personal Documentary Films!

Presented at the CAAM Filmmaker Summit with A-DOC

In this 90 minute presentation and interactive dialogue, IDA’s Director of Artist Development Abby Sun will moderate a presentation and discussion with Chanda Chevannes, Jennifer Crystal Chien, Nausheen Dadabhoy, a Muslim-American filmmaker and mixed race Asian American filmmaker David Siev regarding highlights of their work as it relates to RPM’s field surveys on personal storytelling and their films – An Act of Worship and Bad Axe. We will also discuss the unique challenges Asian Americans and/or Muslim Americans and other BIPOC face when making these films. After the presentation, attendees will engage in a facilitated dialogue about their own experiences, reflections, and questions.

Panelists:
Jennifer Crystal Chien, Director, Re-Present Media
Chanda Chevannes, Filmmaker, Writer, and Educator
Nausheen Dadabhoy, Director, An Act of Worship
David Siev, Director, Bad Axe
Moderator: Abby Sun, Director of Artist Programs, IDA

REGISTER FOR EVENT