On January 25th, 8pm ET, join us for a virtual program celebrating Asian American Trailblazers in Film featuring a panel of filmmakers. The group discussion will include Shirley Sun (A Great Wall, Iron and Silk), Felicia Lowe (Couplets) and Robin Lung (Finding KUKAN). This program will provide a unique opportunity to hear firsthand from accomplished Asian women in the film industry and explore their professional journeys, the history and experiences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in film, and the personal stories that have shaped their careers. The webinar will also feature a short film on the history of Asian American contributions to American film, created by panelist Shirley Sun.
USCET’s Asian Women Trailblazers Series began in 2021 as a response to the rising anti-Asian hate by highlighting the contribution of Asians to the fabric of American society. The series recognize the accomplishments of trailblazing AAPI women, offer them a platform to share their stories, spotlight the Asian American experience, and help to inspire the next generation.
Speakers
Shirley Sun
Shirley Sun is a multifaceted filmmaker (director, producer and writer), video artist, curator, scholar and cultural interchange activist. Sun’s works draw from her rich bi-cultural heritage, spanning eastern and western civilizations, forging a creative dialogue. She directed the first American feature film shot in the People’s Republic of China, A Great Wall, portraying the reunion of a Chinese-American family. Her documentary, Fire and Ashes, exploring the creation of the ballet RAkU, received acclaim at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, earning the SFNCFF Best Documentary Award. Beyond film, Sun has held influential roles such as Deputy Director of Public Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities and Executive Director of the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco. Her extensive contributions extend to curation, education, and writing, including a notable presence in major publications. Shirley Sun holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in History of Asian Art, an M.A. in Asian Studies, a B.A. in Asian Languages from Stanford University, and a Filmmaker Certificate from Stanford’s Communication Department.
Robin Lung
Robin Lung is a 4th generation Chinese American with deep roots in Hawai‘i. She specializes in bringing untold minority and women’s stories to film. A Stanford University and Hunter College graduate, she became a filmmaker after successful careers in book publishing and higher education. Lung’s feature documentary Finding KUKAN about her discovery of the lost Oscar-winning film KUKAN and Li Ling-Ai, the woman from Hawaiʻi who produced it, received the American Library Association’s Notable Film Award in 2019 and was selected to be broadcast nationally on PBS World’s America ReFramed series. Lung made her directorial debut with Washington Place: Hawai‘i’s First Home, a PBS documentary about the legacy of Hawaiʻi’s Queen Lili‘uokalani and her personal home. In 2015 she was selected as one of four documentary fellows for the NALIP ARC diverse female filmmaker residency and is a proud member of the renowned filmmaker distribution cooperative New Day Films, serving on New Day’s Steering Committee from 2019-2021. Lung’s short documentary Nancy Bannick: Saving Honolulu’s Chinatown, which is about photojournalist Nancy Bannick and her work to preserve Honolulu’s Chinatown in the face of urban renewal, premiered at the 2022 Hawaiʻi International Film Festival and was chosen to screen on all transpacific Hawaiian Airline flights in 2023.
Felicia Lowe
Felicia Lowe is an award winning independent media producer, director, and writer with 40 years of production experience. Her documentaries; Chinese Couplets, Carved in Silence, Chinatown and China: Land of My Father reveal the unique experiences of Chinese in America while underscoring our common humanity. Her films have been broadcast on PBS and are used in classrooms across the country. Recent works include Pacific Gateway, a 360° virtual reality video on Angel Island Immigration Station and leading a creative team to produce 17 two minute videos for the Gold Mountain: Chinese Californian Stories exhibit at the California Museum in Sacramento, California. Prior to producing documentaries, she was one of the first Asian female television news reporters and worked in children’s programming. A descendant of Angel Island detainees, she’s been a leader in the preservation and restoration of this National Historic Landmark.
