This year’s CAAMFest is setting itself apart from mainstream Hollywood Fare with a line up of films directed by Asian American women, reports SF Gate.
That’s quite a contrast to the fact that just 9 percent of Hollywood’s 250 top grossing movies this year were directed by women. Four women directors interviewed by SF Gate agree film festivals such as CAAMFest can help up and coming talent become established.
For Jennifer Phang, whose made a name for herself directing low budget science fiction films, distribution is the major hurdle. But she’s found a way around it by taking her latest film, “Advantageous” directly online and through video on demand. It’s the same path her debut film, “Half-Life” also took.
“Our distribution pathway (for ‘Half-Life’) became the Sundance Channel, iTunes, Amazon, then WolfeVideo released it” on DVD, Phang said. “We basically treated its festival life as its theatrical run to generate whatever excitement we could.”
Christine Kwon is using the same strategy with her webisodes Nice Girls Crew. The entire first season is available on You Tube. For Kwon, what’s important is not the money(there is none), but the exposure.
“One way or another, these voices are going to find a platform,” Kwon said. “You’re seeing this more and more through technological advances.
