Friday, June 15, 2012 6pm
AsianInNY.com is a proud media sponsor for the 2012 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking competition!

The 72 Hour Film Shootout (“Shootout”) is a worldwide competition organized by The Asian American FilmLab, in conjunction with Asian CineVision and the Asian American International Film Festival, in which filmmaking teams have a total of 72 hours to write, shoot, edit and produce short films up to five minutes in length on a common theme. The competition creates opportunities to demonstrate talent, gain exposure in the entertainment industry and significantly impact gender and ethnic diversity in film and television. At least one key production member and a lead actor from each team must be of Asian descent. To register, go on line to www.aafilmlab.org or find us on Backstage online.

2012 will be the 8th year Asian CineVision will partner with FilmLab to promote the Shootout at the 35th annual Asian American International Film Festival (“AAIFF”). AAIFF is New York’s leading festival for independent Asian and Asian American film and video, and the first and longest-running U.S. festival of its kind.

As an integral part of AAIFF, the Shootout celebrates the creativity and genius of the directors, their casts and crews as they share stories by, about and for Asian Americans with the world. AAIFF has played a vital role in discovering and nurturing such acclaimed talent as Wayne Wang (THE JOY LUCK CLUB), Ang Lee (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN), Mira Nair (THE NAMESAKE), Zhang Yimou (HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS), Christine Choy (WHO KILLED VINCENT CHIN?), Steven Okazaki (THE MUSHROOM CLUB), Jessica Yu (PING PONG PLAYA), and Justin Lin (FAST FIVE).

2012 Shootout Judges include:

RUSSELL SIMMONS, Forbes Magazine recently named Russell Simmons one of “Hollywood’s Most
Influential Celebrities.” USA Today named Russell Simmons one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years,” calling him a “hip-hop pioneer” for his groundbreaking vision that has influenced music, fashion, finance, the jewelry industry, television and film, as well as the face of modern philanthropy. From creating his seminal Def Jam Recordings in 1984, to his fashion industry changing brands including Phat Farm in 1992, Baby Phat in 2001 and current men’s lifestyle brand Argyleculture, to founding UniRush in 2003 providing instant access to a set of basic financial services for over 48 million Americans who could not previously establish traditional banking relationships, to the 2007 publishing of his New York Times best-seller Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success, to founding GlobalGrind.com, the leading online destination for celebrity entertainment, music, culture and politics for the new, postracial America and his latest New York Times best-seller “SUPER RICH: A Guide To Having It All”, Russell is recognized globally for his influence and entrepreneurial approach to both business and philanthropy. Giving back is of primary importance to him in all aspects of life and as Chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, he has consistently leveraged his influence in the recording industry, fashion, television, financial services, and jewelry sectors to give back. A devoted yogi, Russell also leads the non-profit division of his empire, Rush Community Affairs, and its ongoing commitment to empowering at-risk youth through education, the arts, social engagement, and promoting racial harmony and strengthening inter-group relations.

MARCI PHILLIPS, the Executive Director of Primetime Casting for ABC Entertainment. Marci is responsible for covering the East Coast talent pool. For over a decade, Marci has cast for ABC and ABC Studio pilots, new series regulars, TV movies and alternative series. She was voted “Favorite NY TV/Film Casting Director” in the 2009 Backstage readers poll and tied in 2007. Marci is happy to have the lofty title of adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Department of Theatre Arts. Marci was voted “Favorite TV/Film Casting Director” by Backstage magazine.
TEDDY ZEE, a film producer, entertainment executive and marketing consultant with 30 years experience in Hollywood. Currently, he is Chief Creative Officer of Mozaik, a Silicon Valley based interactive media company. Zee’s films have grossed over $1.7 billion at the box office. As one of the first Asian Americans to reach prominence in the film industry, he was of SVP at Paramount Pictures and EVP at Columbia Pictures in charge of such films as Charlie’s Angels, Cable Guy, My Girl, Fools Rush In, Anaconda and Indecent Proposal. His producing credits includePursuit of Happyness, Hitch, West 32nd, Saving Face, Life or Something Like It, Quantum Quest and the Asian Excellence Awards. Zee headed production at Davis Entertainment (Fox) and Overbrook Films (Universal and Sony). He is Executive Producer of Mashbox, a TV show debuting this year on Myx.

ERIC LIN, acclaimed director and cinematographer, studied film criticism and sociology as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. He went on to pursue his passion for visual storytelling and earned his MFA at New York University’s Graduate Film Program. For his efforts, he received the award for Best Cinematography at NYU’s First Run Film Festival as well as the Kodak Award for Best Cinematography at the International Student Film Festival, Buenos Aires. In the summer of 2003, Lin was chosen to apprentice under Rodrigo Prieto (“Babel”, “Brokeback Mountain”, and “Frida”) on Spike Lee’s film “The 25th Hour”. For the Showtime network, he shot “Brighter Days”, a short dramatic narrative dealing with the relationship of two brothers and the haunting possibility of AIDS. He has shot numerous short films, including: “Missing” by director Kit Hui, which premiered in competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival; and “Franklin and Matilda” by Paul Dano, starring Eddie Redmayne and Zoe Kazan. His feature film work includes Hui’s feature debut, “Fog”, which premiered at the 2010 Edinburgh Film Festival; and Bradley Rust Gray’s “The Exploding Girl”, which premiered at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival and was released theatrically by Oscilloscope Laboratories. The Indiewire review of “The Exploding Girl” wrote: “Eric Lin’s magnificent cinematography seals the deal: Expressive colors and gentle movements become as relevant to thematic construction as the characters themselves.” His most recent production, Olivia Silver’s “Arcadia”featuring Academy Award Nominee John Hawkes, premiered at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival. Lin’s other features have taken him abroad to Hong Kong, Cuba, and Haiti. Other works of Lin include a music video for Asobi Seksu’s song, “Trails”,a Public Service Announcement for the Office of the Attorney General about student lending, as well as industrial spots for the global software company, SAP. An avid street photographer, Lin’s photos of Havana were selected to be exhibited at Fotografia 2010 – The Rome Photography Festival.

JAMES KYSON LEE, Voted by TV Guide as “Hollywood’s 25 Hottest”, James recently finished Hawaii Five-O on CBS, and a 4-year run on NBC’s Heroes as ‘Ando’. A native of NYC, James graduated from Bronx H.S. of Science, then went on to study communications& broadcasting at Boston University, andNew England Institute of the Arts. After a stint in a hip-hop rap group in college, and trying out improv comedy, James moved to LA on a one-way ticket & a single suitcase, where he began his training in music, dance, and acting. His first ever Television audition landed him on CBS’s “J.A.G.”. Other TV credits include “CSI”, NBC’s “Las Vegas”, “The West Wing”, “Heist”, as well as ABC’s “Threat Matrix”, and FOX’s “All About the Andersons”.
James has starred in feature films such as “Star Runners”, “Shutter”, “How to Make love to a Woman”, and “White on Rice”. James plays basketball for The Hollywood Knights, a charity celebrity team, and participated in Robbie Williams’ Soccer Aid for UNICEF, at Manchester United’s Old Trafford in England. An avid outdoorsman, James enjoys scuba diving, ultimate frisbee, and playing basketball. He is also an active member of theGlobal Green eco campaign & the Creative Coalition.

BRIAN YANG, a Chinese-American actor and producer, was born in Columbus, Ohio, raised in the Bay Area, California, and currently lives in New York City. Stage highlights include “Free Country” at the San Francisco Asian American Theatre Company, the Pulitzer-Prize winning play “Wit” at the Philadelphia Theatre Company, and “OneFamilyOneChildOneDoor”, a play about China’s one-child policy, with the Yangtze Repertory Theatre in New York. On screen, he is perhaps best known for his role as “Little Yu” in Alice Wu’s 2005 Sundance hit “Saving Face” where he was Joan Chen’s younger secret love. At the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, Brian’s short film “Red Shoes”, directed by Singaporean director Li-Anne Huang, made its premiere. Recently, Brian has turned his attention to producing as well and thus has started a production company, 408 Films, along with some partners, with the intent of producing features that hold international cross-over appeal.

For more info: http://www.aafilmlab.org/72hours/