FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karin Venegas, karin@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-7049
  Sandra Tharas, sandra@anatgerstein.com, 718-793-2211

Crazy Talented Asians & Friends Animation Returns to Flushing Town Hall “Celebrating APA Heritage Month, Frame by Frame”


—Selected Animated Shorts Announced—
­—YouTube Live Stream on May 29, 2021 at 6:00 PM (EDT)—




(Flushing, N.Y.) — Flushing Town Hall today announced the selected films to be honored at this year’s Crazy Talented Asians & Friends animation shorts showcase, “Celebrating APA Heritage Month, Frame by Frame,” a YouTube livestream event on Saturday, May 29th at 6:00 PM (EDT). The evening program also features live conversation with the artists to share their stories.
“Flushing Town Hall is excited to continue promoting works by young and emerging Asian-heritage artists with the return of Crazy Talented Asians & Friends. Asian/Asian American artists and their stories need to be heard and cherished, especially in these times,” says Ellen Kodadek, Flushing Town Hall’s Executive & Artistic Director. “We have been a strong advocate of arts equity since 1979, supporting local, immigrant, national, and international artists. We develop partnerships and collaborations to bring people together by presenting arts and culture from around the world. Highlighting Asian/Asian American perspectives and talents is an important part of our mission.”

The event premiered in 2020 with great success in viewership and brought a community together through beautifully animated stories, all despite COVID’s challenges. This year’s selected animation shorts, representing the top 4% of the several hundreds of submissions, were chosen by a panel of seasoned film professionals for their extraordinary storytelling, art direction, animation, production, and sound design. In addition to their creative visuals and soundtracks, these films present a range of stories and experiences as diverse as the APA community itself. These include, among others:
  • Harunohi, or Spring Day, is about kindness that while everyone has it, tends to freeze when cold days continue, by Imai Yuka.
  • In the Forest, We Grew, is about two red pandas that set off to build their dream house together in a bamboo forest, by Vincy Guan and Sunnie Moon.
  • Left Unsaid, is about cultural dysphoria and the barriers between a grandfather and grandchild, by Mei Lian Hoe.
  • Mirage, surprises the viewers with a clever use of special effects, by Xiaoli Zhang.
  • Scooped!, tells the story of nine eccentric robbers on a mysterious mission, by Alan Dharmasaputra Wijaya.
This year’s jury is led by Ms. Hsiang Chin Moe, an artist and educator with experience in higher education, production, technology, and management. In addition to being the BFA Animation Chair at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, she also serves on the board of Women in Animation as the Chair for Education Program where her direct focus is to provide the support and resources for students as well as educators to reach the goal of gender equity 50/50 by 2025. The jury panel also includes:
 
  • Wen-Chin Hsu has been a Lighting Technical Director at Pixar Animation Studio since 2008. Before joining Pixar, she had worked for Tippett Studio and ILM. Her work is included in numerous VFX films, animated feature films and she specializes in storytelling using color and lights.
  • Gonzalo Janer is a Colombian character animator and motion graphics artist, currently working at Nickelodeon and teaching animation at ESPOL (Guayaquil - Ecuador). He is passionate about programming and the technical aspects of animation: making art through code and scripting tools to aid his workflow.  
  • Pilar Newton is an animator, cartoonist, and educator. She got her start doing animation production art on shows such as Courage the Cowardly Dog for Cartoon Network and MTV’s Daria. In 2008 she established her Brooklyn-based production company PilarToons, LLC. Pilar also teaches animation at the City College of New York and the School of Visual Arts.
  • CJ Walker is an illustrator and background artist currently based in NYC. They currently work at Titmouse NY as a background designer and layout artist, but have also been a background painter, character layout artist, prop designer, risograph printer, and perspective teacher. 
  • Wendy Cong Zhao is an independent artist based in Brooklyn, New York. She has been working and teaching in the animation field since 2011. She started her career as an editor and compositor at Signe Baumane’s Studio. She also worked as the senior producer at Bill Plympton Studio. Her animated documentary "My First Sessions" was published by The New Yorker. She recently directed two music videos for Verve Records.
“It is my extreme honor to celebrate APA Heritage Month with an amazing selection of animated films. Special thanks to all the filmmakers for sharing their stories with our audience and inviting us on a journey of imagination. Their talent is a true representation of how unique and creative Asian-American filmmakers are, and the celebration is expanded to all the Asian creators in the world,” says Hsiang Chin Moe, Lead Advisor.
“Flushing Town Hall is proud to continue amplifying Asian/Asian American voices by providing a platform for young and talented animators to showcase their works and fostering creative dialogues about storytelling with animation form,” says Ya Yun Teng, Flushing Town Hall’s Chinese Projects Director. “It was especially heartwarming to see how the event brought people of different backgrounds together during this unprecedented global pandemic.”

This year’s Selected Animation Shorts are listed below. The program on May 29th will only screen some of the selected film, due to limited time.
 
  • “3:45 PM,” Alisha Liu
  • “#hAPPy,” Yu-Ju Kuo and Huiching Tseng
  • “A Poem in Bamboo,” Chun-Yao Chang and XuFei Wu
  • “Back to the Source,” Sandra Lucille
  • “BEYOND THE LINE,” IJinuk Choi
  • “Ducky,” Winnie Wu
  • “FIRE,” Ofer Bambino Jacoby
  • “Half a Saba,” Ben Molina
  • “Happy Year of the Rat 2020,” Lei Lei
  • “Harunohi,” Imai Yuka
  • “In the Forest, We Grew,” Vincy Guan and Sun Woo Moon
  • “Left Unsaid,” Mei Lian Hoe
  • “Mirage,” Xiaoli Zhang
  • “NoWhereMan,” CK Lu
  • “Outgrow,” Ollie Yao
  • “Pyramid,” Ihsu Yoon
  • “Scooped!,“ Alan Dharmasaputra Wijaya
  • “Seeing Blind,” Jazmine Lee
  • “Signal Lingers,” Harry Chen
  • “Stage-Fright,” Yuyang Zhang
  • “Take Out,” Moksha Rao
  • “The Boundaryless Night,” Li-Wei Hsu
  • “The Organized Life,” Yu Wang
  • “The River,” Ping An Huang
  • “Video Letter,” Moon Wang
  • “Winter Bath,” Jingpei Xiao

Register for this free event here: https://flushingtownhall.org/crazy-talented-asians-friends-animation-shorts

Crazy Talented Asians & Friends is a community-led program series dedicated to works by Asian/Asian Americans—to showcase the diverse creativity and impact this community has to offer, while bringing together families, friends, and audiences from different backgrounds to celebrate their stories.
 
 

NEW WEBSITE:
Flushing Town Hall is excited to announce the launch of its redesigned website: https://www.flushingtownhall.org. The new site improves access to online events, educational programming, artist services, and rental availabilities. It also features a brand new PRESS ROOM with the latest press releases and news coverage. As always, it remains a great source for information about the history and mission of the organization, as well as important contact and community engagement information.

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A majority of Flushing Town Hall’s FTH At Home! virtual programming is presented for free to the general public but donations in any amount are appreciated to support the artists and the nonprofit cultural organization as they continue to provide programming and entertainment across New York and the world.

Flushing Town Hall’s facilities are temporarily closed to the public in accordance with COVID-19 safety regulations. Current programs are being presented virtually.

 

About Flushing Town Hall

Flushing Town Hall (FTH), a Smithsonian affiliate, presents multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens and New York City, in order to foster mutual appreciation. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, we support local, immigrant, national, and international artists, developing partnerships and collaborations that enhance our efforts. As a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), we serve to restore, manage and program the historic 1862 landmark on behalf of the City of New York. FTH celebrates the history of Queens as the home of Jazz, by presenting the finest in Jazz performance. We are committed to arts education and hands-on learning, for the arts-curious, arts enthusiasts, and professional artists. We serve one of the most diverse communities in the world and strive to uphold the legacy of inclusiveness that has defined our community since the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657.

 

Land Acknowledgement:

Flushing Town Hall acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the Matinecock People, one of the original tribes of New York, and the first people of Flushing, Queens. The Matinecock continue to live and work on this land to this day. Flushing Town Hall honors their elders who have stewarded this land throughout generations.

 

COVID-19:

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, while our venue remains temporarily closed to audiences in accordance with social distancing guidelines, we are proudly presenting performances, exhibitions, panel discussions, and educational activities online through our virtual initiatives, FTH at Home! and Global Arts for Global Kids.

 

Although we cannot list every donor, Flushing Town Hall is grateful for all gifts received and wishes to thank everyone for their ongoing generosity.

Special thanks to the Howard Gilman Foundation, Flushing Town Hall was able to purchase equipment needed to live stream and record from its theatre.Louis Armstrong Legacy Virtual Jazz Jam is supported in part by a grant from The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. Crazy Talented Asians & Friends: An Evening of Live Comedy – Triumphing Over Quarantine! is sponsored by a generous anonymous donor. Flushing Town Hall thanks the sponsor and the numerous community volunteers and viewers for your strong support.

Flushing Town Hall greatly appreciates the supporters of our current campaign, Step Up for Flushing Town Hall, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are able and willing to help, please click here to learn more and donate today. 

Special thanks to our Step Up Campaign donors with gifts of $100 and above: Karen Argueta, Maria Arias, Henry Assael, Christopher Banks, Barbara Banks Schwam, Beverly Bartow, Geraldine Benfante, Carol Bennett, Seth Bornstein, Larue Brathwaite, Anne Bresnahan, Claire Bullard, Jenna Capeci, Calvin Chan, Dongshin Chang, Christopher Chen, Cecilia Cheng, Amy Chin, Wanda Chin, David Creed, Jacob Eichenbaum, David Fesser, Ellen Fisher-Turk, Karen Fitzgerald, Paul Foster, Emma Frankel, Andrew Garson, Howard Graf (Graf & Lewent Architects), Anat Gerstein, Heather Harrison, Alan Heilbron, Susan Hennessy, Carolee Hildenbrandt, Rhenaye Hornsby, Timothy Hosking, Ming-I Huang, Raymond Jasen, Carmen Jimenez, Andrew Karp, Amir Kassam, Adrienne Kivelson, Bob Kodadek, Saul Kupferberg, Carol Leaf, Stephanie Lee, Anne Lewent, Judith Lewent, Steve Lewent, James Liao, Jeri Lim, Meiling Liu, Stephanie Long, Martha Ma, Frank Macchio, Rob Mackay, Sandra Mann, Pamela Marquez, Steve Marston, William McClure, Steven Mecca, Cynthia Merkle, Chi Mo, Lee Nash, Sandra Nash, Rochelle Nechin, Albert Niu, TeHsing Niu, The Ong Family Foundation, Jessica Peña, Kimberly Phelan, Mary and Oscar Pollock, Ryan Powers, Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Association, Richard Quatrano, Mira Rubens, Teresa Salles, Jeffrey Schneider, Roslyn Schwersenz, Tina Seligman, Dominique Sellers, Alice Sharp, Thomas Simmons, Mike Sperendi & Jan Schneider, Sheila Sweeney, Jean Tatge, Marsha Toma, Veronica Tsang, WAC Lighting, Tai-nin Wang, Jill Ward, Daryl Ware, David and Elsie Werber, Robert and Karla Wishnick, Edwina and Eldwin Wong, Lucy Wong, Jon Yanofsky, Mimi Yeung.

Flushing Town Hall is a not for profit organization which receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; New York State Assembly Member Ron Kim; The City of New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Commissioner Gonzalo Casals; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; The New York City Council, Speaker Corey Johnson, and Council Members Costa Constantinides, Daniel Dromm, Barry Grodenchik, Peter Koo, Karen Koslowitz, Paul A. Vallone, and Jimmy Van Bramer; and the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, and the Booth Ferris Foundation.

Support for our programs is also provided by Acrobuffos/Seth Bloom & Christina Gelsone, Angela An, Robin Bell-Stevens, Viviana M. Benitez, Dongjiang Bi, Cathay Bank, Douglass Chan, Amy Mak Chan, Calvin W. Chan, Sharon Chen, Ginger Chinn, Dr. Hsing-Lih Chou/New York Institute of Culture and the Arts, Con Edison, Crossings TV, Exploring the Metropolis, Kuang-Yu Fong/Chinese Theatre Works, Barbara Garii, Matthew Goldner, Howard Graf & Kathy Donovan, Guru Krupa Foundation, Lily Han, Heather Harrison, Belinda Pilin Hsu, Alice & Steve Huang, Hung Pin Hung, Investors Foundation, Raymond D. Jasen, the Jim Henson Foundation, Ellen Kodadek, the Laura B. Vogler Foundation, Nelson Lee/Flushing Bank, Janet T. Leow, Anne Lewent, James S. Liao, Emily Lin/Lin & Loveall Foundation, Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Frank Macchio, Materials for the Arts, William McClure/Queens College, Mets Foundation, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Jassy Z. Min, New York Chinese Chorus, Northwell Health, TeHsing Niu, Carlos Ortiz, Queens Art Education Center/Arthur Liu, Richard Quantaro, Queens Courier, Resorts World, Camillo Reyes, RuDance/Asian American Dance Sport Corp., Dominique Sellers, Helen Shieh, Richard Siu, Curtis Smith, Mike Sperendi & Jan Schneider, Taipei Cultural Center in New York, Michael Tang, Veronica Tsang, Tai & Tony Wang/Glow Foundation, Jay Wegman, Constance Wingate, Lucy Wong, Anna Wu, Minwen Yang, Hank Yeh, Sandy Yeh, Shane Yeh, and Angela Qi Zhang.

We have done our best to recognize donations correctly, but should your recognition be incorrect, please contact Jessica Peña, Director of Development, at jpena@flushingtownhall.org.

 

For more information:

www.flushingtownhall.org

(718) 463-7700 x222

137-35 Northern Blvd. Flushing, NY 11354