‘Bulldozer’ Wins Award at Extremely Shorts

June 27, 2010
by Melissa Hung
Film / News
An audience in a warehouse-like space watching a film screening.

My film “Bulldozer” won third place in the Audience Choice Awards at the Extremely Shorts Film Festival in Houston yesterday! First place went to “La Pinata” by Spanish filmmaker Manuel Arija, and second place went to the documentary “Short Stitched,” directed by Jenalia Moreno.

Twenty-three films, all three minutes and under, screened at the 13th annual installment of the festival, which is put on by the Aurora Picture Show. This year’s program was curated by Donald Harrison, executive director of the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Per Aurora tradition, a picnic and a killer karaoke session followed the final screening of the festival last night. Wish I could have been there to sing some songs in person.

Photo by Camilo Gonzalez

Extremely Shorts | Houston | June 25 & 26

June 17, 2010
by Melissa Hung
Events / Film

Just found out that “Bulldozer” will be screening in Aurora Picture Show’s Extremely Shorts Film Festival in Houston on June 25 and 26. (I would have found out sooner had I checked my email earlier. Note to self: check email more often.)

Aurora Picture Show is also the home of the film festival that I started and have been curating for 10 years, Slant. To return to Aurora this time as an artist instead of a curator feels pretty sweet. (And by return, I don’t mean in person, unfortunately. I was just in Houston for Slant a month ago so I won’t be back in town unless extremely cheap airfare shows up in time for Extremely Shorts.) In the past decade I’ve spent more time editing and curating rather than making my own art, so it’s very satisfying to be recognized for artistic work at an organization where I’ve done so much programming. The juror for this year’s Extremely Shorts (it changes every year) is Donald Harrison, the executive director of the Ann Arbor Film Festival.

If you are in Houston, you should definitely go, and not just because my film is showing. Extremely Shorts is super fun and one of the most popular events put on by Aurora Picture Show. All the films, as you have probably figured out from the title of the event, are very short: three minutes and under.

This year’s Extremely Shorts will be held at Molly Gochman’s Studio, 2442 Bartlett Street, at 7 p.m. on both June 25 and 26. The screening on June 26 will be followed by a picnic. Details here.

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival | May 4

April 21, 2010
by Melissa Hung
Events / Film

“Bulldozer” plays at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, which kicks off next week. It’s part of the Cinema Musica! program of music videos screening Tuesday, May 4 at 9:15 p.m. at the Downtown Independent (251 Main Street in Little Tokyo). I won’t be there to see it myself, sadly. It sounds like a fun program. But Seng Chen, the director of photography, will be representing. Click here to see what else is in the program and to buy tickets.

Asian American Showcase | Chicago | April 7

April 4, 2010
by Melissa Hung
Events / Film

“Bulldozer” screens this Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 8 p.m. at the Chicago Asian American Showcase. Film screenings for the festival take place at the Gene Siskel Film Center. It’s part of Chicagoans, a program of local shorts.

True, I am no longer a local, but I did spend many years in Chicago and look back at that time with fondness and nostalgia. Chicago is where I got involved with programming art and film, particularly in the Asian American community. So it’s fitting that the first theater screening for “Bulldozer” will be in Chicago at the Asian American Showcase.

Click here to see the other films in the program and to buy tickets.