The inaugural class of Netflix, Tribeca Studios and Gold House’s Future Gold Film Fellowship has been revealed. Directors Lloyd Lee Choi, Erin Lau and Derek Nguyen have been named the program’s first fellows.
The Gold Film Fellowship, which was designed to elevated experienced directors from Asian Pacific Islander (API) communities, will see the selected directors created scripted short films that explore themes of family love, persistence and loss. The trio of directors will receive full funding, creative feedback and mentorship from executives at Tribeca Studios and Netflix and production expertise from he former. They will also have access to the Gold House Network and a seat in Gold House Futures. Their short films will also be considered to premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in June.
The three directors selected for the program where vetted by Tribeca Studios and a panel of industry leaders including Aneesh Chaganty, Jon M. Chu, Destin Daniel Cretton, Christopher Kahunahana, Daniel Dae Kim, Alice Wu, Janet Yang, and Nina Yang Bongiovi.
“These projects demonstrate the wonderful breadth of stories that can come from the API community,” said writer and director Aneesh Chaganty, who served on the selection committee. “And as someone whose career was kickstarted by a short film, I’m particularly excited to see this crop of filmmakers bring these stories to life.”
Read more about Choi, Lau and Nguyen below.
Lloyd Lee Choi (“Closing Dynasty”)
Logline: On a school day, a precocious eight-year-old boy with the gift for gab hustles and schemes ways to make money on the streets of New York.
Bio: Lloyd Lee Choi is a filmmaker from Toronto who got his start in the ad world. Named 30 Under 30 by Marketing Mag, he has directed campaigns for brands like Google, Playstation, Chevrolet, and Nat Geo. With his eyes set towards telling bigger stories, he is currently developing his first feature film based around his short Same Old about one bad night for a New York City delivery driver. Passionate about representation in front and behind the camera, he is driven to dig deeper into the Asian-American experience — one rich with new and compelling stories to tell.
Erin Lau (“Inheritance”)
Logline: While struggling to make ends meet as a photographer of Hawaiʻi’s recent lava flow, Kelsey Akioka is forced to confront the rage his family has held onto for generations.
Bio: Raised in Kahaluʻu, Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiian filmmaker Erin Lau has dedicated her life to creating empathy-forward stories for her community. After receiving degrees from the University of Hawai’i and Chapman University, Erin continued her growth through opportunities with the Sundance Institute, Film Independent’s Project Involve, Unlock Her Potential, Points North Institute, Nia Tero, and Powderkeg’s Break The Room. Most recently, Erin produced and directed work for three years at Jubilee Media, where her videos accumulated over 130 million views.
Derek Nguyen (“The Resemblance”)
Logline: When a grieving older couple go to a “rental family” agency to hire an actor to role-play their dead son, they discover that their evening of remembrance is more than they bargained for.
Bio: Derek Nguyen wrote and directed The Housemaid, which was released theatrically by IFC Films. He’s producing the American adaptation called Grave Hill, co-written by Oscar-winner Geoffrey Fletcher and directed by Deon Taylor, slated for production in 2022. Derek’s short The Potential Wives of Norman Mao screened at multiple film festivals around the world and was narrated by George Takei. He is also a partner with Mynette Louie at The Population, which produced Swallow, I Carry You With Me, and Catch the Fair One.
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