films
Here are the shorts I made in the first year of the Stanford Documentary MFA program
bullet proof vest
16mm b&w: 5:20 min
director/editor
Welcome to Richmond California where children neither walk to school, nor go to the park, not if they want to live past the age of 18. Fed up with the gun violence decimating the city’s young male population, residents took over the four most dangerous parks, camping in ‘Tent Cities’ in a desperate stand for peace. Let 9-year-old twins Mustapha and Jyeshria explain why kids are killing kids in Richmond.
Festivals & Awards:
Honorable Mention, Best Documentary Short, Worldwide Short Film Fest, 2007
Nominee, David L. Wolper Student Award, International Documentary Association, 2007
Honorable Mention, Documentary, Angelus Student Film Festival, 2007
Grand Jury Prize, Independent Lens Online Festival, 2007
Nominee, Cinematic Vision Award, Silverdocs AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival, 2007
Best Student Director, San Francisco Frozen Film Fest, 2007
National PBS Broadcast, P.O.V., 2007
Edinburgh International Film Festival
True/False Film Festival, 2008
Ann Arbor Film Festival, 2008
Cinequest Film Festival, 2008
IFP Center, New York, Short Attention Span Cinema, 2008
Flickerfest, Australia, 2008
Norwegian Short Film Festival, 2008
Los Angeles Film Festival, 2007
Rhode Island Film Festival, 2007
Mill Valley Film Festival, 2007
Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market, 2007
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gentle creatures
dv: 10:32 min
co-directed with kelcey edwards
With implacable resolve and well-worn boots, two plain-speaking Californian cowgirls steward both land and beast through the uncertain seasons. Their trusty mares accompany them in the craggy valleys and in the brokenness of their own lives, bringing redemption and restoration.
Festivals & Awards:
Director’s Choice, Black Maria Film & Video Festival
Silverdocs AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival, 2008
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keeping house
16mm colour: 7:07 min
director/cinematographer/editor
A reflection on a mother’s resolute love as she confronts the fragile promise of life through the eyes of her son. A quiet film about finding an anchor in the uncertainties of the everyday.
Screenings:
National PBS Broadcast, P.O.V., 2007
Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica Student Film Festival
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Broadcast work:
A reel is available for the work I did in Channel NewsAsia headquartered in Singapore. Please ask.
Body Count: 7 years. Over 90 half-hour current affairs programs broadcast throughout Asia
Genres:
Social investigative*
Socio-political analysis
Finance & Industry
Celebrity profiles. Lifestyle. Pets. Health. Gardens.
*I was one of 5 producers on the team that pioneered and launched the award-winning investigative program Get Rea! in 2003.
Skillset:
Versatility in storytelling
Learning to learn fast
Multi-tasking: as the producer of the show you direct, write, research, production manage, transcribe, write pressers, carry tripods, & make coffee.
Broadcast training:
On my third day of work I was told to do a business story for the night bulletin, a glaring omission in my otherwise useful Economics & Politics degree. Much of what I now know, I owe to Channel NewsAsia camera crew, editors & colleagues who yelled, embarrassed and inspired me to hone my craft.