20th Anniversary New York Asian Film Festival

Jul 15-31, 2022

NYAFF Talk Panel: Celebrating Asian LGBTQ+ Cinema

NYAFF will host a discussion celebrating the impact LGBTQ+ Cinema has had and continues to have worldwide, and discuss the challenges filmmakers face to produce LGBTQ+ content and representation of Asian queer identities in film.

This talk is FREE for all 2022 NY Asian Film Festival ticket and pass holders. Present your ticket at the box office beginning up to an hour before the talk begins for entry, first-come, first-served.

Moderator: Shae Xu
Guests: Ken Kwek, Leon Lê, Erich Rettstadt, C.K. Hugo Chung

Monday July 25, 6:00pm
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

with Ken Kwek, Leon Lê, and Erich Rettstadt

Ken Kwek

Ken Kwek is an award-winning Singaporean filmmaker and playwright, known for his irreverent comedies and social satires. His short film anthology Sex.Violence.FamilyValues (2013) was banned in Singapore but won awards internationally. His first feature, Unlucky Plaza (2014), premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won Best Director at the Tehran Jasmine Film Festival. Kwek’s plays include "This Is What Happens to Pretty Girls" (2019), praised by The New York Times for its unflinching examination of sexual misconduct in schools and the workplace. #LookAtMe is Kwek's second feature film.

Shae Xu

Shae Xu is a Shanghai filmmaker based in New York. Graduated from Columbia University with an MFA in Film Directing, Xu is a winner of DGA's Student Film Awards and an alumni of Talents Tokyo 2020. Her works have been selected in film festivals worldwide, including Cannes Film Festival - Cannes XR, Braunschweig IFF, Rhode Island IFF among many other Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying festivals. Currently, she is working on a medium-length art film Vanishing Shore with its principle photography set to be the end of August 2022.

Leon Lê

Born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam, Leon Lê moved to the US at the age of 13. An accomplished actor, dancer, singer with credits including Broadway, film and TV, he always had a passion for filmmaking. As a self-taught filmmaker (writer, director, editor), his shorts Dawn and Talking to My Mother gained him attention at film festivals, garnering awards including Best LGBT short film, Best Director. Song Lang (NYAFF 2019 Audience Award winner) was Lê’s first feature, an elaboration of his interrupted upbringing in Vietnam and nostalgic tribute to his beloved Cai-luong theatrical art form. The film screened in more than 80 festivals and won 50 awards worldwide. Leon currently lives in NY and Vietnam.

Erich Rettstadt

Erich is a queer American filmmaker and theater artist whose work emphasizes inclusivity and escapism. He earned a BFA in Film Production from New York University and an MFA in Writing for Screen & TV from the University of Southern California. His short film TANK FAIRY premiered at SXSW 2022 (Audience Award) and is an Official Selection at more than 35 festivals across 12 countries, including Frameline (Best Narrative Short), SIFF (Special Jury Prize), Sydney, Outfest, Fantasia and Kaohsiung Film Festivals. Erich currently resides in Taipei with his partner Tai; together, they are working to develop TANK FAIRY into a drag anthology series.