“CRAFT OF SPEED” MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY TRAILER #1 DROPS ON LUNAR NEW YEAR

We’re excited to announce that our “Craft of Speed” Mooneyes Documentary Trailer #1 will be dropping on Tuesday, 2/1/2022, the Lunar New Year. We’ll also be launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for post-production costs. Our feature documentary project has been an amazing journey. We started it in October 2019. Despite the extreme challenges of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, we’re about to finish filming and will transition to editing. Thank you to our fiscal sponsor, grantors, donors, and supporters. Our film wouldn’t be possible without your generous support.

To watch the trailer:
https://vimeo.com/653297485

To donate:
https://craftofspeed.wedid.it/campaigns/10132-craft-of-speed-mooneyes-documentary-fundraising-campaign-2022

IN MEMORIAM: ALLAN BERNARD KARP

There are very people who can teach magic. Al Karp was one of them. He was one of my photography teachers, who taught me the arcane art of black and white photography printing. Watching a print gradually appear in the developer was like magic. The dim red glow of the darkroom’s safelight added to this mysterious feeling. In the darkroom, everyone worked quietly, even reverently. However, outside the darkroom, Al would be cracking up everyone with his wicked humor. In between his jokes, he would evaluate my prints and give me his sage advice, teaching me not just about technique but more importantly about nuance.

As a filmmaking student, I wanted to learn more about motion picture film processing, but it was cost-prohibitive. Studying black and white photography printing, on the other hand, was less expensive, learning one frame at a time. This is how I met Al. After serving in the Air Force and working at Commercial Union Insurance Company, he pursued his passion and taught photography at Burbank Adult School for almost 25 years. He loved Pentax cameras and enjoyed large format photography. He used his earnings for his other passion—golf. Small in stature, he was outsize in his knowledge, warmth, and humor.

I recently learned that Al had passed away from illness before the pandemic. My own father, who’s also passed on, was a photographer in China. After he immigrated to the U.S., he worked for an aircraft x-ray lab, processing x-rays of aircraft parts. I always wanted to learn how to develop and print film from my father but never got the chance. I found a worthy substitute through Al, for whom I’m forever grateful. I’ll miss him but I’ll think of him along with my dad whenever I’m in the darkroom.

Ming Lai

To read Pasadena Star-News’ Obituary: 
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/pasadenastarnews/name/allan-karp-obituary?id=8251902 

“JOURNEY OF A PAPER SON” TO SCREEN AT THE SCREENSHOT: ASIA FILM FESTIVAL

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“Journey of a Paper Son” will be screening at the Screenshot: Asia Film Festival on Sunday, 10/10/2021 at 2:00 p.m., EDT. Afterward, there will be a Q&A with the director, Ming Lai. In the short film, an elderly Chinese man, who’s dying from cancer, shocks his family when he reveals that he’s a “paper son” (an illegal immigrant using fake documents) and asks them for a final wish to change back his name. “Journey of a Paper Son” was an official selection of a dozen national film festivals and won the “Best Short Film Gold Award” at the Chinese American Film Festival. According to their site, this festival is a joint project by the University of Pittsburgh’s Film and Media Studies Program and Asian Studies Center that “brings together students, faculty, and community members to create a shared awareness of Asian and Asian American experiences through contemporary film and media.” We’re very excited to participate in their first annual film festival and share our film with the university and Pittsburgh. We hope that through our film, we’re able to create dialogue about Chinese “paper sons” and illegal immigration and ultimately the human cost. Thank you to Lynn Kawaratani, Kirsten Strayer, the Screenshot: Asia Film Festival, and the University of Pittsburgh for this incredible honor.

Screening and Q&A with Director Ming Lai:
Sunday, 10/10/2021 at 2:00 p.m., EDT
Allegheny Rivertrail Park/Outdoor Pavillion (formerly known as Aspinwall)
285 River Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15215

To learn more about the screening:
https://screenshot.pitt.edu/programming/screenshotfestival

To learn more about “Journey of a Paper Son”:
https://www.humanistfilms.com/journeyofapaperson

To screen “Journey of a Paper Son” at your own university or organization:
https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C5111483

“VISIONS OF WARRIORS” TO SCREEN AT THE APHA PUBLIC HEALTH FILM FESTIVAL

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“Visions of Warriors” will be screening at the American Public Health Association (APHA) Public Health Film Festival as part of the APHA 2021 Annual Meeting and Expo in Denver, Colorado. Our feature documentary will be part of a session, entitled “Addressing Mental Health and Stigma through Personal Stories,” on Monday, 10/25/2021, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Afterward, there will be a Q&A with our friend and supporter, Raymond Sedillo, of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, Colorado Chapter (COPRA). We’ve always thought of veteran mental illness as a public health crisis, affecting not just veterans but also their families, friends, caregivers, and society as a whole. We’re deeply honored to be selected by this respected film festival that focuses on public health. According to their site, the APHA’s mission is to “improve the health of the public and achieve equity in health status,” and they are “the only organization that combines a nearly 150-year perspective, a broad-based member community and the ability to influence federal policy to improve the public’s health.” Thank you to Lisa German, Mario Dozal, and the APHA for this great honor. Special thanks to Roberto Garces and his family for their love and support. Our deepest gratitude to Raymond Sedillo/COPRA.

Screening and Q&A with Raymond Sedillo/Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, Colorado Chapter (COPRA):
Monday, 10/25/2021, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., MST
APHA Annual Meeting & Expo
APHA Public Health Film Festival
Session: Addressing Mental Health and Stigma through Personal Stories
Colorado Convention Center
700 14th Street
Denver, CO 80202
[UPDATE: For COVID safety reasons, this screening will now be online.]

To learn more about the film festival screening:
https://apha.confex.com/apha/2021/meetingapp.cgi/Session/63582

To learn more about the film festival:
https://www.apha.org/Events-and-Meetings/Annual/Schedule/Film-Festival

To learn more about the annual meeting and expo:
https://apha.org/Events-and-Meetings/Annual

To learn more about the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association:
https://www.psychrehabassociation.org/

“JOURNEY OF A PAPER SON” TO SCREEN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

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Our award-winning short film, “Journey of a Paper Son,” will be screening at the University of Texas at Austin/Center for Asian American Studies (CAAS) for one of their Asian American history classes on Thursday, 3/4/2021, from 2:00 p.m to 3:00 p.m. CST. Afterward, there will be a Q&A with the director, Ming Lai. In the film, an elderly Chinese man, who’s dying from cancer, shocks his family when he reveals that he’s a “paper son” (an illegal immigrant using fake documents) and asks them for a final wish to change back his name. “Journey of a Paper Son” was an official selection of a dozen national film festivals and won the “Best Short Film Gold Award” at the Chinese American Film Festival. According to their site, the CAAS “seeks to develop and highlight transnational and hemispheric perspectives and narratives in the American and the American South.” Recently partnering with ProQuest’s Alexander Street, we hope to support more university Asian American studies programs with their important work. Thank you to Mohit Mehta, Dr. Eric Tang, Tony Vo, Uri Kolodney, and the University of Texas at Austin and their Center for Asian American Studies for this huge honor.

Screening and Q&A with Ming Lai:
Thursday, 3/4/2021, from 2:00 p.m to 3:00 p.m. CST*
*This screening and Q&A are available only to University of Texas at Austin students.

To learn more about “Journey of a Paper Son”:
https://www.humanistfilms.com/journeyofapaperson

For educational sales of “Journey of a Paper Son”:
https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C5111483

To learn more about the University of Texas at Austin/Center for Asian American Studies:
https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/aas/

HUMANIST FILMS PARTNERS WITH PROQUEST’S ALEXANDER STREET FOR EDUCATIONAL SALES OF “JOURNEY OF A PAPER SON”

We’re thrilled to partner again with Alexander Street, a ProQuest company, for educational sales of our award-winning short film, “Journey of a Paper Son.” In the film, an elderly Chinese man, who’s dying from cancer, shocks his family when he reveals that he’s a “paper son” (an illegal immigrant using fake documents) and asks them for a final wish to change back his name. The story was inspired by the countless “paper sons,” who were born from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first federal law to restrict immigration to the U.S. based on race or nationality. “Journey of a Paper Son” was an official selection of a dozen national film festivals and won “Best Short Film Gold Angel Award” at the Chinese American Film Festival. Alexander Street is the perfect partner to distribute our film because of their expertise in history, diversity studies, social studies, and many other fields. Through our partnership with them, we hope that we can contribute to the current global discussion about immigration and racism.

For educational sales of “Journey of a Paper Son”:
https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C5111483

To learn more about “Journey of a Paper Son”:
journeyofapaperson.com

To learn more about “Alexander Street”:
https://alexanderstreet.com/

HUMANIST FILMS PARTNERS WITH PROQUEST’S ALEXANDER STREET FOR EDUCATIONAL SALES OF “VISIONS OF WARRIORS” AND “ART RECESSION”

We’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Alexander Street, a ProQuest company, for educational sales of “Visions of Warriors” and “Art Recession.” According to their site, Alexander Street is “the world’s leading provider of academic streaming media to libraries.” Because they’re “particularly strong in the fields of counseling, anthropology, history, diversity studies, theatre, film, music, dance, news, current affairs, and social studies,” they’re an ideal partner to distribute “Visions of Warriors,” our feature documentary about how art/photography therapy can help treat veteran mental illness, and “Art Recession,” our feature documentary about the benefits of art education. With a powerful partner like Alexander Street, we’ll be able to share our films with more educational institutions and the communities that they serve. Ultimately, we hope to assist more veterans and raise more awareness about the importance of art education.

For educational sales of “Visions of Warriors”:
https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C5105799

For educational sales of “Art Recession”:
https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C5105797

To learn more about Alexander Street:
https://alexanderstreet.com/

THE COLORADO STATE LIBARY TO SHARE “VISIONS OF WARRIORS” WITH THE COLORADO LIBRARY COMMUNITY

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We’re pleased to work with the Colorado State Library to share free “Visions of Warriors” online screenings with the Colorado library community. According to their site, the Colorado State Library is “a division of the Colorado Department of Education” which “helps libraries, schools, museums, and other organizations to access and use the materials and information they need for lifelong learning.” To assist veterans who are at even more risk because of COVID-19, we’re offering online screenings of our documentary at no charge to libraries, universities, veterans organizations, and mental health organizations. We also include many free resources: a Press Kit, a Discussion Guide, a “How to Organize a Screening” Guide, and a “How to Set Up an Online Screening and Q&A” Guide. Best of all, we provide extensive support to participants. Veterans are facing extraordinary challenges during the pandemic. Hopefully, our film can help support veterans during this tough time. Thank you to Nicolle Davies and the Colorado State Library for their generous assistance.

To set up an online screening, contact us:
shoot[at]humanistfilms[dot]com

To learn more about the Colorado State Library:
https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/

THE NEBRASKA LIBRARY COMMISSION TO HELP MAKE “VISIONS OF WARRIORS” AVAILABLE THROUGH NEBRASKA LIBRARIES

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We’re thrilled to announce that the Nebraska Library Commission will be helping to make online screenings of “Visions of Warriors” available through Nebraska libraries. According to their site, the Nebraska Library Commission “is part of the executive branch of the state government” and “responsible for the statewide promotion, development and coordination of library services.” The Commission “works with all types of libraries—public, school, college and university, special and institutional libraries.” To help veterans who are at even more risk because of COVID-19, we’re offering online screenings of our documentary at no charge to libraries, universities, veterans organizations, and mental health organizations. We also include many free resources: a Press Kit, a Discussion Guide, a “How to Organize a Screening” Guide, and a “How to Set Up an Online Screening and Q&A” Guide. In addition, we provide extensive support to participants. The veteran suicide rate has increased significantly since the pandemic had started. Hopefully, our film can be part of a collective effort to reach out and assist veterans during this difficult time. Thank you to Rod Wagner and the Nebraska Library Commission for their generous support!

To learn more about the program:
http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/2020/10/30/visions-of-warriors-documentary-for-nebraska-libraries/

To learn more about the Nebraska Library Commission:
http://www.nlc.nebraska.gov/

“VISIONS OF WARRIORS” TO SCREEN ONLINE FOR THE PARK COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM

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In honor of Veterans Day, “Visions of Warriors” will be screening online for the Park County Library System, which is made up of the Cody Library, Powell Library, and Meeteetse Branch Library, from Monday, 11/8/2020 to Saturday, 11/21/2020. This library system and its surrounding area have a rich history, with the Cody Library being founded in 1906, the Powell Library Club being established in 1910, and Meeteetse Branch Library starting in the 1920’s. Between Powell and Cody, the Heart Mountain Relocation Center is an important historical site, where more than 14,000 Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated during World War II. West of the two cities is the majestic Yellowstone National Park. We’ve partnered with the Wyoming State Library to promote our documentary to the Wyoming library community. We’re excited to work the Park County Library System to share our film with their communities. Thank you to Jamie Markus, the Wyoming State Library, Nicholle Gerharter, and the Park County Library System. Our deepest gratitude to all of our veterans and their families on Veterans Day.

Screening:
Monday, 11/8/2020 - Saturday, 11/21/2020

To learn more about the screening:
link TBA

To learn more about the Park County Library System:
https://parkcountylibrary.org/

To learn more about the Wyoming State Library:
https://library.wyo.gov/

HUMANIST FILMS RECEIVES A DOCUMENTARY IMPACT PRODUCERS RELIEF FUND GRANT

We’re deeply honored to announce that we’ve received a generous grant from the Documentary Impact Producers Relief Fund. The fund is administered by the Doc Society (formerly known as BRITDOC and earlier the British Documentary Film Foundation). According to their site, they’re “a non-profit founded in 2005 committed to enabling great documentary films and connecting them to audiences globally.” They’re supported by the Perspective Fund. Per their site, their “mission is to foster positive social change by funding and partnering with impact-oriented media makers and campaigns.” Impact producing is an integral part of our filmmaking. To be acknowledged and supported for this challenging work means a lot to us. We recognize that there are many other impact producers who are also in need during this unprecedented time. So we greatly appreciate this grant, which will allow us to continue our impact producing.

To learn more about the Doc Society:
https://docsociety.org/

To learn more about the Perspective Fund:
https://www.perspectivefund.org/

To learn more about the Documentary Impact Producers Relief Fund:
https://docimpactproducersrelieffund.org/

HUMANIST FILMS AWARDED A CA CARES RELIEF GRANT

We’re humbled to announce that we’ve been awarded a CA CARES Relief Grant by the California Humanities, an independent nonprofit organization and partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Funding for these grants has been provided by the NEH as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan. According to their site, the mission of California Humanities is “to connect Californians to ideas and one another in order to understand our shared heritage and diverse cultures, inspire civic participation, and shape our future.” Since 1975, they’ve been “promoting the humanities as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect us to each other in order to help strengthen California.” Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re awarding these grants “to meet the emergency relief needs of organizations and individuals in order to help sustain and grow the public humanities field in California.” We’re very honored to receive a generous grant from this respected organization because we aspire to the same goal. Through our artistic work, we similarly attempt to explore the human condition. We recognize that there are many other worthy organizations and individuals who are in need during this challenging time. So we deeply appreciate California Humanities’ support of our work.

To learn more about California Humanities:
https://calhum.org/about-us/history-mission/

To learn more about the CA CARES Relief Grant:
https://calhum.org/california-humanities-announces-recipients-of-ca-cares-humanities-relief-and-recovery-grants/