filmmaker

Marissa Lichwick is a playwright, actress, filmmaker, and mother based in Chicago. She fell into the Arts at 10 years old during her fifth grade play, and at 18 made the move to NYC with only $100 in her pocket. Now, she and Summer Hill Films are in negotiations regarding distribution of her feature film, Searching For Yoo, has worked with Goodman Theatre, Silk Road Rising, Court Theatre, and Connecticut Free, and created and toured her solo show, Yellow Dress. Offstage and screen, Lichwick is a huge supporter of Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KATCH) for their outreach work for children and adults. Her advice to young artists? “Create your own work… This is where I learned to empower myself… [and] get training, take classes, meet people, collaborate, and build relationships.” Read on to learn more about Marissa Lichwick and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!

Donna Weng Friedman is a multidisciplinary artist based in NYC. Taking her mother’s advice to find a “stable job,” Weng graduated from Princeton and became an assistant agent for ICM before recognizing music as her true passion and pursuing a Masters in Music from Julliard. After a traumatic encounter with racism in March of 2020, she decided to create change herself, and founded Heritage and Harmony to connect the community around her through music and stories Through this organization, Weng established “an educational role model program to help school-age girls of color find their artistic voice” and combined the voices of BIPOC artists to produce an EP (Heritage and Harmony: Silver Linings) during the pandemic to raise funds for an anti-racism foundation. Weng is currently collaborating with Chun Wai Chan on a short film, Never Fade Away, which narrates her immigrant father’s life through dance (starring fellow Amazing Asian in the Arts, Xiaoxiao Cao!). Her advice to young artists? “... Be strong and resilient… Listen to people who you trust, but most of all, listen to your heart.” Read on to learn more about Donna Weng Friedman and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts! 

Larissa Lam is “a creative force in music, film and TV” and “a voice that inspires and empowers others” based in Pasadena! She began her journey as the chief financial officer of a record company shortly after graduating with a degree in Business Economics from UCLA, and joined a group with that label (Nitro Praise). Since then, the “Singing CFO” has written music for The Oprah Winfrey Show, released her own albums, sung the national anthem for the Lakers (twice!), given TEDx talks, hosts a podcast (Love, Discovery and Dim Sum) with her husband, Baldwin Chiu, and produced documentaries – the latest being Far East Deep South, which won her the 2021 Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking! Lam’s advice to young artists is to “commit to being in the Arts and doing the work that needs to be done to be a pro at it… [the Arts] need the same investment in time, gaining skills, and experience as… other professions”. Read on to learn more about Larissa Lam and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts! 

Jinna Kim is an actress based in Charlotte, N.C – but that wasn’t her initial start in the Arts! Kim began as a classically trained violinist/violist before expanding her horizons to become a performer and studying at the University of Illinois and University of Virginia. Recently, she’s worked on her own short films, including Chinese Girl Wants Vote about suffragist Mabel Lee, which can be found in the Digital Public Library of America, as well as winning two local grants and earning eligibility for Screen Actors Guild membership! In addition to all of this, Kim developed mascot experience as - you guessed it - a dancing unicorn! Her advice to young artists is to stop counting rejections – as someone “rejected thousands of times… [she doesn’t] think about the odds” and welcomes each day as a new opportunity. Read on to learn more about Jinna Kim and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts! 

Sarah Di is a multidisciplinary artist based in Pittsburgh, PA. Initially, Di set out to become a dermatologist, but she discovered a love for filmmaking during her freshman year at Carnegie Mellon. Di has gone on to create an “sprawling interactive fiction game” and play the Chinese zither (guzheng) at Carnegie Hall, and is currently working on a documentary-inspired film centered around her relationship with Chinese-American food from the early 2000s to the present. She also recently won the Asian American Film Lab's 72 hour Film Shootout award for Outstanding Female Content Creator for her submission filmed entirely in her bedroom using nothing but her Panasonic DMC-ZS100 and an Amazon basics tripod! In the future, Di aims to produce her very own feature-length film! Aside from telling meaningful stories and practicing self care, she advises young artists to put together a portfolio, and emphasizes the importance of “[having] physical evidence of [their] work, no matter how small.” Read on to learn more about Sarah Di and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts! 

Kristy Choi is a filmmaker and writer based in Los Angeles. Initially a competitive pianist, Choi went on to fall in love with writing, and began to study screenplays to better her work. She picked up the fundamentals for filmmaking from the many projects she dedicated herself to, later going on to writing, directing, and producing her own film for the New Yorker (“Herselves”)! She finds collaboration with other professionals inspiring, particularly with non-binary, female, and POC creatives. Choi hopes to “write and direct [her] first narrative feature film” in the future, and to “further experiment with hybrid documentary techniques.” She advises young artists to practice self care and seek out a circle of fellow artists that will both encourage and celebrate their work, as well as adopting a growth mindset and a regular routine to practice their art. When she’s not working on a project, she enjoys hiking and karaoke, and lists whistling as a special skill! Read on to learn more about Kristy Choi and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!

Carol Nguyen is a talented 22-year-old filmmaker, based in Toronto and Montreal, who explores the subjects of family, memory and cultural identity within her work. The 2019 documentary, “No Crying at the Dinner Table,” premiered to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) before going on to receive the Jury Prize for Short Documentary at SXSW. Carol’s incredible talent and passion has awarded her recognition as a 2018 Sundance Ignite fellow, Adobe Creativity Scholar and a TIFF Share Her Journey ambassador, a role with a mission to champion female storytellers. Read on to learn more about Carol and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!

Kathleen Choe is an actor and writer based in New York City! She comes from a background in film production before transitioning into acting. Her work spans the stage and screen, as well as voice over work for audio books! Keep reading to find out more about what makes Kathleen an Amazing Asian in the Arts!

Lava Buckley is a filmmaker based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was recently named Outstanding Female Content Creator in this year's 72 Hour Shootout! Lava is an actress turned filmmaker, comes from an incredibly interesting Thai family history, and has an astounding amount of special skills and hobbies! Keep reading to find out more about what makes Lava an Amazing Asian in the Arts!

Karen Huie is an actor, writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles!! Her versatility allows to work in voiceovers, looping, video games and anime. Her voice can be heard in the last...

Giovannie Espiritu is an actress and filmmaker based in Los Angeles!! Her primetime TV credits include ER, Bones, and Gilmore Girls, and she plays the lead in the Amazon series...