our shootout coordinator


DAVID DENNIS

David Dennis is an animator and illustrator whose work evokes the intensity of Japanese Anime and Italian Drama. A graduate of New York University, David has traveled to the Czech Republic where he completed his first 35MM short film, NIKDO, which was shot on location with the support of Panavision and Barrandov Studios. His film's subject matters are both dynamic and diverse, ranging from chaotic family relations between mother and son, to the alternative history of colonized civilizations and their brimming fury towards impending doom.​​
our film lab board


AARON WOOLFOLK, BEA SOONG, ERIC LIN, ERIK LU, JAMES KYSON, JENNIFER BETIT YEN, JOHN C. WOO

Aaron Woolfolk
Aaron is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He shot his first feature film The Harimaya Bridge in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan and San Francisco. The film had a nationwide theatrical release in Japan in the summer of 2009, and had an independent release in the United States in 2010. For his first film, the short Rage! Aaron won a Directors Guild of America award. His short films Eki and Kuroi Hitsuji won several awards, screened in international film festivals, and played on cable television. Aaron was the recipient of an ABC Talent Development Grant, and was later a Walt Disney Studios/ABC Entertainment Writing Fellow. With The Harimaya Bridge, Aaron became the first African American to make a feature film in Japan, and one of the few Americans to direct a movie in the Japanese film industry. Aaron is a veteran of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET). He taught junior high school English in Kōchi Prefecture. Aaron collaborated with playwright Tim Toyama in writing the play Bronzeville for The Robey Theatre Company, which developed the play and presented the world premiere in association with The Los Angeles Theatre Center in Los Angeles in the spring of 2009. Aaron and Toyama received a nomination for an Ovation Award in the category Best Playwriting for an Original Play.

Bea Soong
Bea Soong has been an actress for over thirty years. She has appeared on stage with the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, East West Players and La Mama among others; in film (Greedy), and television (Law & Order), but she is best known for her appearances in numerous television commercials for clients that include GE, Glaxo Smith Kline, Intel, Lilly, Merck, Prudential, Verizon and Visa. Bea is also a filmmaker; her documentary short film “The Wives Of Henry Yuk” won a Cine Golden Eagle Award in the fall of 2011. She is currently editing a narrative short film she directed. She holds a B.F.A. in Film and Television from N.Y.U.’s Tisch School Of The Arts where her animated film “That Fruit Film” won a regional Student Academy Award and went on to be a national contender.

Eric Lin
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.

Erik Lu
​Erik Lu founded Descendant Films Production Co. in 2010. He is a graduate of the film production program at University of Southern California where he studied writing/directing under faculty such as Michael W. Watkins (The X-Files, Monk), Nina Foch (Spartacus, An American in Paris), and Gordy Hoffman (Love Liza). He has a natural eye and extensive training in cinematography under Earl Rath, ASC, (Raid on Rommel) and John Tarver, CSC, (Mothman, Seance). He has also done videography for Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, CA. Erik has made over 50 films in the last few years that have been distributed both domestically and internationally. Recent collaborations also include work with director/cinematographer Daniel Zhao (Far East Movement/Cali Swag District) and Emmy Award winner DP Dan Wills. Since moving back to the east coast, Erik has directed/shot several music videos and commercials and is currently writing a feature to direct in 2013.

Jennifer Betit Yen
See bio, to the left.

James Kyson
Voted by TV Guide as “Hollywood’s 25 Hottest”, James 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, and New 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."

John C. Woo
John C. Woo is founder and president of Woo Art International, a creative services and visual communications firm and the Executive Director for Asian CineVision.​​

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our film lab president


JENNIFER BETIT YEN

Jennifer Betit Yen is an actor, attorney and the CEO of MyJennyBook. She has a strong commitment to volunteer work and to fostering and supporting gender and ethnic diversity initiatives. As an actor, Jennifer has performed on stage for East West Players in Los Angeles and at the Manhattan Theatre Source in New York City (http://www.backstage.com/bso/advice/paper-dragon-1005151982.story). Jennifer has provided voiceover talent for Random House and Reading Rainbow, among others, voicing the character of “Avery” in the series “The Beacon Street Girls.” Jennifer is an avid kickboxer and a graduate of Cornell University and Boston University School of Law. She is admitted to the bars of Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, New York, and to the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States of America. She is the author of several books for children, an article entitled “Is My Baby ‘Defective’? Fetal Genetic Testing as Part of a Public Health Care Plan” published by Suffolk University Law Review and the co-author of the Boston Bar Association White Collar Crime 2005 CLE Seminar presentation, entitled “Issues with Debarment/Exclusion.” Jennifer has experience newscasting and hosting and produced the web series La La Land in Los Angeles, which won an Accolade Award for Best Television Pilot.​​
contact

Shootout@film-lab.org​
© 2013 The Asian American Film Lab (TM) / The 72 Hour Shootout (TM)  www.asianamericanfilmlab.org
our shootout graphic designer


MAY TRUONG

May Truong is a graphic and media designer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  She received her BA in Digital Arts & Multimedia Design from La Salle University and is currently earning her MS in Instructional Design Management.  May lives and breathes design as the Mulitmedia Coordinator for La Salle University and as the Creative Lead for Twelve 6 Designs.  Some of May's work can be viewed at http://www.may-truong.com​​ as well as on the 72 Hour Shootout website.