Category Archives: shorts

Asian American shorts

The Forge : short film

The Forge : short film

Over the past year, Eric Lim worked on a project in memory of his sister. His sister, Tanya Lim, killed herself, leaving behind her savings to him. He felt the only appropriate use of this tragic gift was to make something both in her honor and to prevent others from falling into the dark place she fell victim to. To shed a ray of strength on people affected by depression. The end result is “The Forge,” a short film made by a great group of friends and strangers-turned-family that came together to make a reimagining of the public service announcement in their free time. The short is an emotional, anti-suicide message in which a man battles his inner demon in a fight for his life. The production value is impressive with visual effects to illustrate Eric’s thoughts and feelings.

They managed to get an important YouTube channel to host their video: SoulPancake, created by actor Rainn Wilson (Dwight, from NBC’s THE OFFICE). They have agreed to host their message without asking anything in return because they were moved by their message. Rainn Wilson states, “The Forge is an incredibly rich and powerful film. The entire SoulPancake family was moved by Eric Lim’s story and his love for his sister. Death is such a universal experience, but when a life ends too soon, it can be hard to express that grief. This film expresses those feelings beautifully, and we’re grateful that Eric and Stephen Reedy have chosen to partner with our channel to share this with the world.”

Watch the video and pass along the message.

The Forge : short film

You’re Stoopid with Justin Chon

You're Stoopid with Justin Chon

While two childhood friends (Justin Chon and Kanao Goo) have lunch, memories from the past come flooding back when one of them spots a girl (Katherine Emily Mills) he once cared for. Childhood mistakes can cost friendships and more. Will the errors of the past be healed or carry forward? Can both love and pain coexist together as we try to move on?

See more short films with Justin Chon: Full Circle, BFF?, Ktown Cowboys, and Turbo.

You’re Stoopid with Justin Chon (contains adult language)

Lost & Found : short film

Lost & Found : short film

As Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Parent’s Day approaches, the short Lost & Found follows a young man as he reflects on his relationship with his parents. Although you may face ups and downs with your parent, there is no greater love than the love of our parents.

Lost & Found : short film

Lunch Money by Jubilee Project x David Choi

Lunch Money by Jubilee Project x David Choi

Jubilee Project x singer David Choi team up for the short film “Lunch Money”, which is about a starving artist who spends his day playing music on the pier to raise money for lunch. Set to David Choi’s single “Can’t Take this Away” off his Forever and Ever album, the video is a simple reminder that Doing Good is Contagious.

Watch more videos from Jubilee Project: The Master Chef, The Last Pick, Fireflies, An Incredible Bond, Dear Daniel, Back to Innocence, Picture Perfect, Generosity Day : What is Love?, Be the Change, Love Language, Top Chef, Picture This, Why I Sing, Waiting Game, Top Chef, Waiting Game, Letter of Hope, and Beautiful.

Lunch Money by Jubilee Project x David Choi

Behind the scenes of Lunch Money by Jubilee Project x David Choi

They’re All So Beautiful : Episode 5

They're All So Beautiful : Episode 5

In episode 5 of the webseries They’re All So Beautiful, they attempt to answer the question “What about marriage and Yellow Fever?” Looking beyond personal ad profiles and first dates, how do cross-cultural relationships with or without the “tarnish of ‘yellow fever'” work in the long term? Interviews with interracial couples, as well as experts and those on the hunt for love reflect on what it takes for initial attraction to evolve into real and lasting commitment. One couple — an Asian American husband with a Caucasian wife — agree that “race has never been significant” in their relationship, but “culture gets in the way”. A Thai immigrant says she can “tune to the same channel” with her white American husband, yet also confesses their marriage is still a secret to her potentially disapproving parents. Owner of a dating site and Chinese Yenta, Julia Ma, reflects on the difficulties of finding marriage (with Asian women) in a high-speed Silicon-valley life where people don’t have time to get to know each other. Communication in a cross-cultural relationship is key, she states, but does anyone penetrate their stereotyped expectations before experiencing an actual relationship? Circling back to our original interviews, various men with “yellow fever” declare how much they dream of marrying an Asian woman. At the end of this sequence, we meet Steven (the main character of Seeking Asian Female and) one of the many men with “yellow fever”, who stumbles over his Freudian slip: “I’m looking for a mate and looking at Asian women to be that mate — one mate. I only want one mate.”

Previous episodes:
They’re All So Beautiful Episode 1
They’re All So Beautiful Episode 2
They’re All So Beautiful Episode 3
They’re All So Beautiful Episode 4

Talking head commentary from experts and everyday Asian/Americans, as well as interviews with patrons of Asian fetish forums spell out the implications of race-based romantic preferences with honesty and humor, making They’re All So Beautiful provocative while politically agnostic. It promises to surprise viewers with its thoughtful look at modern love and relationships, just as with Lum’s award-winning documentary, Seeking Asian Female, which provides the thematic basis of They’re All So Beautiful.

Weekly webisodes will air online leading up to the national broadcast of Seeking Asian Female on Independent Lens on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings).

They’re All So Beautiful Episode 5

More about They’re All So Beautiful
They’re All So Beautiful is a six-part web series directed by Debbie Lum and co-produced by Maikiko James. The short online documentary episodes are designed to stimulate discussion on yellow fever – a unique but in many ways ubiquitous predilection Western men have for women of Asian descent. Each video starts with a question:

Episode 1: What is Yellow Fever?
Episode 2: Do you have to be white to have Yellow Fever?
Episode 3: What do Asian men think of it?
Episode 4: What about White Fever-Asian women who seek out white men?
Episode 5: What about marriage?

Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Season 2 Episode 3

Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Season 2 Episode 3

Ben Baller hustles everyday. Sometimes that means reconnecting with old friends like Andy Milonakis, keeping up relations on set of Goodie Mob’s music video, and remembering where he came from by giving back to those coming up from the streets at Homeboy Industries. It’s not just fun everyday for Ben Baller. He strives to be a role model for others as well.

Previous episodes:
Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Episode 1
Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Episode 2
Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Episode 3
Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Episode 4
Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Episode 5
Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Episode 6

Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Season 2 Episode 1

Ben Baller’s Insane Jewelry Season 2 Episode 3 (contains adult language)