ISSUE V NYU TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS ASIA MAGAZINE

In class with

Oliver Stone

2011 TISCH ASIACOMMENCEMENT

AUGUST 2011

THE INAUGURAL

PROGRAM AT

TISCH ASIA

Visit by NYU President

& Dean of Tisch

nother batch of young, aspiring artists have commenced on the next phase of their lives. They join the global community of Tisch alumni and fellow artists, embarking on their journeys to leave a mark in the professions of their chosen craft.

Spring 2011 was marked with a flurry of many activities in various departments, each hosting special visitors, guest lecturers and speakers. Our artistic director, Oliver Stone was also on Campus to dispense words of wisdom on the eve of Commencement this year. On campus to share their experience and successes were our own Tisch alumni who have recently won at Sundance.

Distinguished visitors to our lush green campus this spring included US Ambassador to Singapore, the Honorable David I. Adelman, President of NYU John Sexton and Chair of Tisch Asia’s Board of Directors and Dean of Tisch School of the Arts, Mary Schmidt Campbell.

A special program that started in NYC made its way across the globe to Singapore: The Future Filmmakers Program. We hope to provide education in the art of filmmaking to the financially underprivileged in Singapore.

As fall comes our way, we prepare ourselves to welcome another group of new aspiring artists who have made the commitment and dedication to pursue an education at Tisch School of the Arts Asia.

The cycle of education continues…

Pari Sara Shirazi, Ph.D.President, Tisch School of the Arts AsiaVice Dean, Tisch School of the Arts

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

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TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTSDEAN’S COUNCIL

Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D. Dean, Tisch School of the Arts

Alec Baldwin ‘94Dean’s Council Co-Chair

Andrew TischDean’s Council Co-Chair

Alan J. BernonMartin Bregman ‘49Colin Callender, CBEIris CantorSharon Chang ‘95/‘98Alexandra M. CohenChris Columbus ‘80Martha Coolidge ‘71William H. Cosby, Ph.D.Billy Crystal ‘70Raymond T. DalioClive Davis ‘53Barry DillerAlphonse FletcherMitchell Glatt ‘78/’80 Brian GrazerRobert M. GreenbergBrad GreyElizabeth Hemmerdinger ‘03Maurice KanbarGeorge S. Kaufman ‘55Alan Landsburg ‘53Ang Lee ‘84/Hon. ‘01Spike Lee ‘82/Hon. ‘98Margo LionAmanda Lipitz ‘02Jillian Manus-Salzman ‘84Laurence Mark ‘73Lorne MichaelsSidney Poitier Hon. ‘95Jack Rapke ‘74Brett Ratner ‘90Dennis Riese ‘73Jane Rosenthal ‘77Daryl RothScott RudinHenry S. SchleiffMartin Scorsese ‘64/’68/Hon. ‘92Jay Stein ‘65Sir Howard StringerAnn Rubenstein TischJonathan TischSteve TischRichard VagueRobert WarrenCasey WassermanGeorge C. Wolfe ‘84

LEADERSHIP

Oliver StoneArtistic Director

Pari Sara Shirazi, Ph.D.President

Gerard I. BuenoExecutive Director

Annie StantonExecutive Director

Jean-Marc GauthierChair, Animation and Digital Arts

William KovacsikChair, Dramatic Writing

Michael BurkeChair, Film

Jon HammondActing Chair, Film

Gillian GordonChair, International Media Producing

Kartini RahmanSenior Director, Administration

Timothy TanDirector, Public Affairs & Marketing

TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS ASIABOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D.Chair

David McLaughlin, Ph.D.Vice Chair

Bonnie BrierSecretary

Sheril D. Antonio, Ph.D.

Meileen Choo

Jennie Chua

Raymond T. Dalio

Eric Khoo

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Kwan Lui, Chair

Fang Ai Lian

Gerard Ee

Sarah Schlesinger

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Alec Baldwin, Co-Chair

Andrew Tisch, Co-Chair

Edmund Cheung ‘85

Raymond T. Dalio

Kazuo Hiramato

Lawrence R. Meli, ‘74

Ong Keng Sen ‘95

CONTENTS01 President’s Message.............................

04 Tisch School of the Arts Commencement

08 Visit by the American Ambassador.........

10 Visit by NYU President and

Dean of Tisch School of the Arts............

12 In Class with Oliver Stone.....................

14 Inaugural Future Filmakers Program......

16 The Center for Continuing Education......

18 Campus News.....................................

24 Spotlight News....................................

28 Special Guests....................................

PresidentPari Sara Shirazi

EditorTimothy Tan

ContributorsMariangela LardaroJenn NewmanJoshua SanchezJosh MurrayWai Xiao Wen

Art Direction and DesignSketchbook Design Solutions, New York

Tisch School of the Arts Asia3 Kay Siang RoadSingapore 248923+65 6500 1700

New York Office721 Broadway, 12th FloorNew York, NY 10003212 998 1516

www.nyu.edu/tisch/artbeat

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CommencementTISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

ommencement

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o the tune of Pomp and Circumstance, 26 Tisch School of the Arts Asia students from ten different countries marched into the grand ballroom of the Capella Singapore, on Sentosa

Island, to receive their New York University Master of Fine Arts Degrees on May 12, 2011. Set against dusk on the South China Sea, the Commencement Ceremony of Tisch School of the Arts Asia 2011 witnessed the birth of yet another batch of young, talented and adventurous artists nurtured at the Singapore Campus.

Alumna Faye Minli Lim ’09 (MFA, Institute of Performing Arts, Dance) opened the ceremony with a dance piece entitled Docent Variations.

“I was taught to enjoy the process of being an artist, the friendships that I have established with film directors, the alternate worlds that I created with animators, the mind employing conversations I have had with various professors and the freedom to write whatever I want and see it come to life on screen. What people would give for what we do! This is a lifestyle that was opened up to me at Tisch Asia for which I am forever grateful,” shared Phil Leung ’11 (MFA, Kanbar, Dramatic Writing) in his speech as the student speaker for this year’s commencement ceremony.

As a part of her address to the graduates, President Shirazi bade a special farewell to Professor Mark Dickerman, Acting Chair of the Dramatic Writing Department at Tisch School of the Arts Asia. Mark spent two years away from his family, at Tisch Asia, to lead the Dramatic Writing Department. “Your contributions to the school are unforgettable. We count on your friendship and we count on you staying as a part of the family forever. We will deeply miss you!” said Pari Sara Shirazi, President, New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia.

In her commencement address, President Shirazi emphasized that the importance and value of an education at Tisch does not merely lie in the training and knowledge but in the network of global alumni who are there to support and help. She urged our young alumni to do the same for those that follow after them.

“Today we are here again to surround you, another milestone, this time with Pomp and Circumstance. Today, we are not standing in front of you. We are behind you. We are here at the foot of the mountain to let you go and watch you take your first steps… When you reach to the top, standing up all shining, and beautiful, I, at the foot of the mountain, will stand on the shoulders of pride, feeling so tall, I am next to you. I see the stars in your eyes, so bright, I will whisper in your ear, I am so proud of you,” said Pari Sara Shirazi, President, New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia.

Four-time Emmy Award-winning television writer, Alexa Junge shared four essential tools that will help our graduates in their journeys ahead.

1. Find your people 2. Listen 3. Answer the call 4. Never stop caring about what you do

Her parting words of wisdom were, “Honor your passion. Be grateful. Most people do not get to do what they are passionate about. The Arts is a fight to the finish!”

In accordance to tradition, the various departments presented their works before the chairs of the departments made their speeches. Alumnus Doug Kreeger ’00 (MFA, Tisch School of the Arts, Drama) closed the ceremony with his rendition of the song, I’m Movin’ On by Rascal Flats.

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10 ART BEAT

A VISIT BY THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR

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January 24, 2011

The Honorable David I. Adelman, the American Ambassador to Singapore, visited Tisch School of the Arts Asia on January 24, 2011. The embassy’s Public Affairs Counselor, Mr. Aruna Amirthanayagam, and Mr. Louis Mazel, the Deputy Chief of Mission from the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, joined the ambassador on his visit.

Pari Sara Shirazi, President of Tisch School of the Arts Asia, and Sheril D. Antonio, member of the Board of Directors for Tisch School of the Arts Asia and Associate Dean for Film, Television, and New Media at Tisch School of the Arts, officially welcomed Ambassador Adelman.

Following a tour of the campus led by department chairs, Ambassador Adelman remarked that he was very impressed with the school’s accomplishments and facilities.

9 ART BEAT

Visit by NYU President, John Sexton & Dean of Tisch School of the Arts, Mary Schmidt Campbell

April 21, 2011

Tisch Asia received two very special visitors: New York University President John Sexton and Dean of Tisch School of the Arts, Mary Schmidt Campbell. President Sexton was brought on a campus tour conducted by student ambassadors from all departments and from various cohorts.

During the hour-long tour, students shared with him their experience studying and working in Singapore and Asia. The tour gave our special visitors an insight into their lives as students at Tisch Asia. President of Tisch Asia, Pari Shirazi was also present with the Chairs of the various departments as well as administrators of the school.

In an all school address, President Sexton shared his vision of NYU as a global university after which a small reception was held to welcome his inaugural visit.

OliverStoneIN CLASS WITH

OliverStoneMay 9 – 11, 2011

Artistic Director of Tisch School of the Arts Asia, Oliver Stone, was on campus to give guidance to students of Tisch Asia, on the eve of commencement 2011. Mr. Stone led classes for students in the Graduate Film Department, International Media Producing Department and the Dramatic Writing Department. He also spent time looking at the works of students from the Animation and Digital Arts Department.

Mr. Stone critiqued works by second year students from the Graduate Film Department from the last semester. He also spent time on the collaborative projects that students from the Dramatic Writing Department, Graduate Film Department as well as the International Media Producing Department have worked on.

On his final day at the campus, Mr. Stone illustrated to students from the Dramatic Writing Department how notes for full-length feature film scripts are given and how script development is conducted in the industry. During the class, he showed students the manner and method of analysis and critique by a master director, writer, and producer.

“IT WAS EXTREMELY ENCOURAGING AS OLIVER POINTED OUT TO ME WHAT WAS WORKING...AND HE RECOGNIZED MY SCRIPT’S COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL.”“It was extremely encouraging as Oliver pointed out to me what was working in the script and he recognized my script’s commercial potential. He also zeroed in on what was problematic and cracked some tough areas which I had been battling all year. It was a real masterclass and a real real honor. It will honestly be one of the most inspiring and affirming moments in my creative life,” shared Wee Li Lin’11 (MFA, Kanbar, Dramatic Writing) whose script Oliver Stone critiqued on the final day of his visit.

THE INAUGURAL

PROGRAM AT TISCH ASIA

April 4, 2011

Following a rigorous selection and admission exercise, 15 talented students aged 16-17 years old attended their first class of the inaugural Future Filmmakers Program at Tisch School of the Arts Asia, on April 4, 2011.

This is the school’s first community service program presented in partnership with the People’s Association. Students spent each Saturday of the the 12 week session learning the art of filmmaking. The program was led by Gerald “JC” Crump ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) and assisted by Graduate Film students Matte Chi ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) and Christopher Smith ’11 (MFA, Kanbar, Film).

THIS IS THE SCHOOL’S FIRST COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT.A film festival was held to celebrate the works of these young aspiring filmmakers. The guest-of-honor at the film festival was Mr. Sam Tan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and Mayor, Central Singapore District.

The top three winners of the festival were awarded cash prizes to fund their next project under the supervision of the People’s Association. Chair of our Board of Trustees, Mrs. Kwan Lui was present with her guests to support the hard work by the students from the program.

CENTER FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION AT TISCH ASIA

The

The Center for Continuing Education (CCE) was launched at Tisch Asia to provide continuing education and professional training in the arts. Our CCE recruiters were in Southeast Asia and Taiwan to meet potential students.

They covered cities such as Taipei, Jarkarta, Medan, Ho Chih Min, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai and New Dehli, over the months of May, June and July, organizing press conferences, seminars, attending television shows and radio talkshows as well as visiting various colleges, screenings and discussions.

The Center for Continuing Education offers part-time continuing education courses, held on weekday nights and weekends, targeted toward adults who wish to pursue the craft of their passion.

Professional Certificate Programs – full-time professional training courses lasting 12 weeks – leading to a Professional Certificate, have also been introduced.

For more information, please visit: cce.tischasia.nyu.edu

Center for Continuing Education

CONVERSATIONS WITH TISCH ASIA ALUMNI

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WEE LILINHonorary Award at Singapore Short Film AwardsFebruary 11, 2011

The Singapore Short Film Awards presented an Honorary Award to Wee Li Lin ’11 (MFA, Dramatic Writing) for her outstanding contributions to the Singapore short film scene.

The Singapore Short Film Awards is the only plat-form that recognizes excellence in short films in Singapore.

“Wee Li Lin is one of the leading female filmmakers in Singapore. She has created a unique body of work that stands out for its colorful characters and every-day humor. The award recognizes her outstanding contribution to the short film community and Singa-pore film industry as a whole…,” shares Wahyuni A. Hadi, one of the organizers of the awards.

“I’m absolutely delighted and flattered to receive this award and I hope to continue to present an original and offbeat female voice in the Asian film scene and hope for more audiences to get to see my works,” says Li Lin, sharing her feelings on re-ceiving the award.

UTA ARNINGSnow ChildFeb 16, 2011

Since leaving the classrooms of Tisch School of the Arts Asia, Uta Arning ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) has been busy writing, producing and directing her fea-ture film Snow Child.

The film is based on a true event of a young Japa-nese man’s suicide attempt. Although the man sur-vived with serious injuries, according to Arning, the most disturbing scene and the inspiration for this story, was the oblivious reaction from bystanders.

Arning carefully researched the story, and even-tually Snow Child became Arning’s thesis film, a full feature.

After securing some investments from Germany for the film, Arning and her partners formed a produc-tion company in Germany. The film was shot in Ja-pan from mid-November to December, 2010 with the help of her classmates Amalia Yunus ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film), Matthew Bowyer ’10 (MFA, Kan-bar, Film), Gerald Crump ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film), Gavin Ramoutar ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) and Ash-ish Ghadiali ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film). The Director of Photography is Matthew Mendelson (MFA, Kanbar, Film), her counterpart from the New York Campus’ MFA Program.

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writers on three feature film scripts in both English and Mandarin. She is also working on the adaptation of popular Chinese novels.

HSIEH CHUN-YITribeca Film FestivalMarch 22, 2011

Braid (Bian Zi), by Chun-Yi Hsieh, a third-year gradu-ate film student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts Asia, was selected for the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival’s Best Narrative Short competition. Braid is one of 60 films selected out of 2,862 submissions.

Having lived in New York in 2007, Chun-Yi had al-ways wanted for his film to premiere at the Tribeca Film festival.

Braid (Bian Zi) unravels the hardships of a single fa-ther trying to raise his young daughter in the best way he knows. The image of a braid appears throughout the film both in a literal and figurative sense. The film serves as a universal exploration of every par-ent’s struggle with responsibility and accountability for the lives of their children.

Currently developing his thesis short entitled Cold Feet, about the hesitation of a man who is about to marry his pregnant fiancé. Chun-yi is also develop-ing a documentary project about the brutal pet dog business in Taiwan on top of two feature film scripts – a road-trip romance between China and Taiwan and

Snow Child won the Special Diploma of Cinema Clubs at this year’s Moscow International Film Festival and Arning is working on marketing and distribution of her film.

GU QIAOHer Love StoryFebruary 18, 2011

Her Love Story is a coming-of-age story about Ye Jian-gli, a 17-year old girl living in a small city in Sichuan. Just before her college entrance examination, love enters Jiangli’s life, bringing with it a couple of twists and turns. This feature film is written, produced and directed by Gu Qiao’11 (MFA, Kanbar, Film).

Shot in the Sichuan province, Qiao’s home, over a four-week period, Qiao collaborated with her fellow classmates on her maiden feature film attempt.

Ting Song ‘12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film), Director of Photog-raphy – Han West ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film), Script Su-pervisor – Hsieh Chun Yi ’11 (MFA, Kanbar, Film), As-sistant Camera – Kenny Gee ’11 (MFA, Kanbar, Film); Philip DeRise ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film), Camera – Erin Galey ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film). Fifteen crewmembers from China joined Qiao’s production.

Within a day of the trailer’s release on youku.com it received ten thousand hits.

Qiao is working on the worldwide distribution of this film, including China. Qiao is also working with other

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a Taiwanese gangster redemption story. Chun-yi is currently based in Taiwan.

“As China grows their economy, I think more and more investors will want to find opportunity to enroll in the China market. As a Chinese speaker, I think it’s a good trend,” says Chun-yi.

TISCH ALUMNI GATHERING IN HONG KONGMar 23, 2011

The 2011 annual Tisch Alumni gathering in Hong Kong was held at the Quarterdeck Club on Fenwick Pier in Wan Chai. The club is situated against the scenic cityscape of Kowloon.

Mr. Edmund Cheung ’85 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) moder-ated a panel comprising illustrious alumni and industry experts who gave Tisch Asia students practical advice on how they can make and distribute films for Hong Kong and Greater China.

Mr. Noel Leung’79 (MA, Skirball, Cinema Studies) who is currently the Principal Entertainment Standards’ Con-trol Officer (Film Development) for the Hong Kong Gov-ernment; Ms. Amy Ip’ 95 (BFA, Kanbar. Film) now the Head of Distribution for Sony Pictures in Hong Kong; Mr. Stephen Lam, Executive Producer of Lust Caution; and Ms. Nelly Song, the CEO of Global Creative Work-shop, were on the panel.

Among the guests at the gathering were Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Ms. Ruby Yang and Mr. Larry Shiu ’79 (BFA, Kanbar, F&TV). The gathering ended with students, alumni, partners and guests mingling and exchanging name cards.

EXPLORING HONG KONG

Besides networking, attending seminars and work-shops at the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), students from the graduate film department and the international media producing de-partment took time to explore the pearl of the orient – Hong Kong.

LEARNING FROM THE PROFESSIONALS!

Director Po-Chih Leong shared his views on making films for an international audience with Tisch Asia stu-dents, during the FILMART. He also talked about his experience working in the industry for the past 40 years as well as his friend, Director Edward Yang.

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minded and to garner resources, support, followers and viewers.

Her latest work Rockaway, is a coming-of-age survival tale of a sexually abused and displaced young woman, set in a two-day time frame.

ERIN GALEYBrave GirlMay 04, 2011

Brave Girl by Erin Galey ‘10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) is a narrative short exploring con-artists of the sex indus-try in India. Produced by Brett Joffe ‘12 (MFA, Kanbar, IMP), the crew comprises Tisch Asia students, alumni and Tisch Alumni from New York City.

Producer – Brett Joffe ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, IMP)Co-Writer – Antoinette Mullins ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, DW)Assistant Director – Matt Bowyer ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)Production Design – Rosie Haber ’13 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)Cinematographer – Rob Hauer ’04 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)Editor – Sangchul Lee ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)

The story is about a 13-year-old girl craving opportu-nity and adventure, who takes the first chance to leave her rural Nepali village with her new friend Krishna. He guides her through the hauntingly beautiful Hima-layas into the chaos of urban Kathmandu, where she quickly discovers that the rules of this world are differ-ent than her own. As they close in on the Indian bor-der, Bumika races to unravel Krishna’s dangerous plan.

Film students also met Michael Leow, Director of Gateway Law Corporation at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong, for an intimate sharing session about the Asian film industry. One of the leading entertainment lawyers in the region, Michael recently co-produced critically acclaimed Taiwanese film, Au Revoir Taipei.

MELANIE SCHIELERockaway and Tribeca BlogApril 27, 2011

Tribeca Film Festival’s Future of Film blog featured the trailer of alumna Melanie Schiele’s ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) new short film Rockaway.

Melanie shared in her blog that it is important as a film-maker to be able to gather resources, especially the people who believe in the vision that she has, to bring a film to life. To her, the medium of film has the ability to unite people from all walks of life for a common vi-sion and goal.

Encouraging fellow filmmakers to grow their audiences and understanding them and their reactions, Melanie urged filmmakers to seek out avenues to find the like-

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This short film by Erin Galey’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film), raised $31,239 in 2 months with the help of social me-dia, an online fundraising website: kickstarter.com as well as a fundraising party at Tisch Asia.

JORDAN MANNLife in Los Angeles

Jordan Mann ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, ANDA) moved to Los Angeles since leaving Tisch Asia and has been working as a freelance visual effects artist.

In less than a year, she has served as a rotoscope artist on the 2D to 3D stereoscopic conversion for Gulliver’s Travels, starring Jack Black. She was also a rotoscope lead on another feature film and worked on the most recent series of American Idol/Ford commercials as a VFX artist.

She intends to remain in the visual effects industry, develop her skill set and continue to grow as an artist.

In the visual effects industry, the term rotoscoping refers to the technique of manually creating a matte for an element on a live-action plate so it may be com-posited over another background.

JEREMY CHIAStriving in Singapore

Jeremy Chia ’11 (MFA, Kanbar, ANDA) is currently working for the non-profit organization that he was working for prior to pursuing his MFA with Tisch Asia. He belongs to a part of the team that develops ideas for the advertising of programs and activities. He as-sists in post-production work as well. Despite his inten-sive workload, Jeremy hopes to be able to continue to work on personal projects.

Jeremy shared that his time at Tisch Asia was a tre-mendous experience. Besides meeting people from all over the world and listening to their stories, the education received was first rate. It has given him a fresh perspective on conceptualization. Jeremy feels that his education has definitely strengthened the ap-proach he uses in his current work.

Now developing a new website for the organization he works for, Jeremy has been able to put his knowledge to good use. There are two other film projects in the near future and he is really looking forward to being part of the production team.

SINGAPORE SHORT FILM AWARDS 2011:Tisch Asia short film nominated for five awards.

11 February 2011 Wake, a short film by Atsuko Hiranayagi ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) was nominated for five awards at the Singapore Short Film Awards 2011, out of a total of 11 awards which recognize excellence in short films made in Singapore.

Wake was nominated in the following categories:

Best Director Atsuko Hiranayagi ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)Best Fiction Atsuko Hiranayagi ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)Best Art Direction Atsuko Hiranayagi ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) Shirlyn Jennifer Wong ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)Best Cinematography Corey Kupfer ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)Best Performance Michael Lee

FINALISTS AT FUSION FILM FESTIVAL 2011

15 February 2011 Tisch Asia’s women filmmakers, Anya Leta and Ng Wai Ha, were finals at the Fusion Film Festival 2011.

SPOTLIGHT

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Anya Leta ‘11 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) – Breaking the WayNg Wai Har ’10 (MFA. Kanbar, Film) – May

The Fusion Film Festival was founded eight years ago at New York University with the mission of encourag-ing, promoting and inspiring women filmmakers in the NYU Community. Fusion also strongly encour-ages collaboration between male and female film-makers as a way of demonstrating the advantages of gender partnership in all aspects of filmmaking.

JOHN INWOOD’S EXTERMINATORS PREMIERES IN NEW YORK

7 March 2011 Kodak featured Sundowning, a film by Frank Rinaldi ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) in its online magazine InCamera.

Sundowning is a coming-of-age-story that explores the relationship between Shannon, a 24-year-old woman suffering from early-onset dementia, and her caretaker Susan.

Kiran Chitanvis ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) and Stephanie Bousley ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) assisted on this film.

FIRST RUN FESTIVAL 2011 AT TISCH ASIA

3 April 2011 The Singapore edition of First Run Film Festival 2011 was held for the first time outside the United States. The award ceremony was held at The Cathay Cineplex, followed by a marathon screen-ing of the three Tisch Asia finalists and two finalists

from New York’s Graduate and Undergraduate Film programs.

President Pari Shirazi announced the Craft Award win-ners and the Grand Prize Winner – Jordan Schiele ‘11 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) for his 2nd year film, Ten Years From Now. Jordan walked away with US$7,000 and he thanked his crew and classmates for their hard work.

GLOBAL SOCIAL CHANGE FILM FESTIVAL AND INSTITUTE - FELLOWSHIP AWARDS

5 April 2011 The Global Social Change Film Fes-tival and Institute (GSCFFI) supports filmmakers to be effective social activists and supports social activists to be engaging storytellers.

Out of a total of 11, four recipients of the GSCFFI Fel-lowship came from Tisch Asia.

Name: Jean Lee ’13 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) Issues of interest: labor and sex trafficking, issues of gender violence, police brutality and the Burmese refugee camps in Thailand and Cambodia Country: Singapore

Name: Amy Hartman ’13 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)Issues of interest: woman’s issues worldwide, spe-cifically increasing young girls’ education and mi-cro-credit organizations who focus on woman as primary lendersCountry: Singapore

Name: Rosie Haber ’13 (MFA. Kanbar, Film)Issues of interest: educational equality and immigra-tion equality Country: Singapore

Name: Eleonora Errico ’13 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)Issues of interest: political movements in Italy Country: Singapore

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Name: Ty Lawson ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, IMP)Issues of interest: plight of impoverished people in the global community Country: Singapore

SUNDAY FIGURE DRAWING AT TISCH ASIA

12 April 2011 It started as a casual gathering of 30 enthusiasts keen on practicing figure drawing on Sundays. These casual gatherings grew into a group of 80 followers of an event organized by Pat-rick Smith, faculty member of Tisch Asia’s Animation and Digital Arts Department.

The school aspires to be a venue for artists to gather, create and inspire one another. Followers are looking forward to Sunday figure drawing sessions at Tisch Asia in the fall.

SUNDANCE FILMMAKERS @ TISCH ASIA

16 April 2011 Following the successes of Tisch alumni at Sundance 2011, Tisch Asia hosted alumni whose films won at the prestigious Sundance 2011 in Utah.

US Dramatic Competition Audience Award: Circum-stance, directed by Maryam Keshavarz ’10 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)

World Cinema Audience Award (Dramatic): Kinyar-wanda, directed by Alrick Brown ’08 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) / Adjunct Instructor

Excellence in Cinematography Award (Dramatic): Pariah, directed and written by Dee Rees ’07 (MFA, Kanbar, Film); cinematographer: Bradford Young

Sundance Film Festival 2008 Jury Prize in Short Film-making On the Ice, directed and written by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean ’08 (MFA, Kanbar, Film)

TISCH ASIA ANIMATIONS @ VERY SHORT INT’L FILM FESTIVAL

18 April 2011 Bee My Honey and Bar! by Melissa Wright ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, ANDA) and Ghosh Shreyom ’13 (MFA, Kanbar, ANDA) were selected by the Singa-pore section of the Very Short International Film Fes-tival. The Very Short International Film Festival (Très Court in French) is an international event that spans 20 coun-tries and 80 cities, with a unique concept of screening “at the same time everywhere.”

TISCH ASIA AT CANNES INT’L FILM FESTIVAL

27 April 2011 Critically-acclaimed producer/direc-tor and member of Tisch Asia’s board of Directors, Eric Khoo showcased his first animated feature on May 17, 2011. Called Tatsumi, the feature is based on the life and works of manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi.

Also selected for the Official Selection is Suu and Uchikawa, an 11-minute film by Nathanael Carton ’11 (MFA, Kanbar, 2011). Nathanael’s film was one of 16 selected from more than 1,500 entries and 360 film schools.

Shot in Japan, Suu and Uchikawa is a film about an el-derly Japanese man and his young Burmese partner. They find their union at threat when the immigration services discover that she resides in Japan illegally.

Created in 1998 and devoted to the search for new talent, the Cinéfondation selects fifteen to twenty short and medium-length works each year from film schools all over the world.

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STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS REGION THREE SEMIFI-NALS: A CAMBODIAN SNACK BY GARRET ATLAKSON

27 April 2011 A Cam-bodian Snack by Garret At-lakson ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) was in the region three semi-finals of the Student Academy Awards.

The film is about hunters from a remote Cambodian village who scour the coun-tryside with staves and hoes

hoping to bag eight-legged creatures living in the ground. Back at home they fry them up over an open fire for a special snack the whole family can enjoy.

EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL & TISCH ASIA – A GLOBAL EXCHANGE

10 May 2011 The European Union Film Festival 2011 partnered with Tisch School of the Arts Asia in this year’s edition of the festival. The festival served as a platform for up-and-coming filmmakers from Tisch Asia.

Organizers of the festival felt strongly that, besides having a robust film program that touches on the genre of European cinema, the films by students from Tisch Asia offer a multicultural perspective with a stu-dent body hailing from about 25 countries, including Australia, China, India, Japan, Ghana and Cuba.

Leveraging off Tisch Asia’s diverse student body, the EUFF offered our students the rare opportunity to showcase their best short films alongside internation-ally acclaimed European features.

TISCH ASIA AT SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

14 June 2011 The Binding of Ismael, a film by Taofik Ko-lade ’12 (MFA. Kanbar, Film), was in the Seattle International Film Festival 2011. The Seattle International Film Festival’s mission is to create experienc-es that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world.

The film is about Azim and his father taking a long drive into the city to visit younger brother, Ahmet. His father’s lectures leave Azim totally blind to the true purpose of this journey – to permanently sever ties with the son who strayed.

TISCH ASIA AT PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL SHORTFEST WITH EIGHT ENTRIES

14 June 2011 Palm Springs International Short-fest is the largest and most prominent showcase in North America. Designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as award-qual-ifying, and accredited by the International Short Film Conference, it is the scouting ground for new filmmaking talents.

A total of 8 films made by the students, alumni and faculty of Tisch Asia are in this year’s Palm Springs In-ternational Shortfest.

EhJeung by Matt Chi ‘12 (MFA, Film)Egg by Chris Martin ‘12 (MFA, Film)The Champions by Gilani Sumida-Mosieff ’12 (MFA, Film) The Binding of Ishmael by Taofik Kolade ’12 (MFA, Film)Skwobble by Ashish Ghadiali ’10 (MFA, Film)Suu and Uchikawa by Nathanael Carton ‘11 (MFA, Film)Braid (Bian Zi) by Chun-yi Hsieh ’11 (MFA, Film)Masks by Patrick Smith (Department of Animation and Digital Arts, Tisch Asia)

SPECIAL GUESTS

ach semester, Tisch School of the Arts Asia becomes a conduit of global talents, in-ternational professionals and top artists to share their experience, impart their knowl-edge and enrich the educational experience of our students.

ENRIQUE CABALLERO28 March 2011 Enrique shared his experience with students at Tisch Asia presenting a talk on 3D Animation. Specializing in creature development for animation & VFX features, Enrique was respon-sible for modeling the main monster in the movie Where the Wild Things Are and most recently mod-eling the main owls in Legend of the Guardians. He became the youngest lead character artist on the Academy Award-winning film Happy Feet, where he executed all the simulation and any tech-nical animation for the entire movie.

JEREMY HALL31 March 2011 Jeremy Hall was at Tisch Asia to present a talk as part of the Animation and Digital Arts Departments’ Friday Talks – a platform for industry professionals to share their knowledge with Tisch Asia.

A pioneering producer & director who developed the first Academy Award-winning, digital compos-iting system, Jerry Hall has extensive knowledge of film production, gained from over 20 years of ex-perience working at the highest level in the feature film industry, within the UK, continental Europe, Australia, the United States and Canada.

VIKEBE SORENSON + VISITING PROFESSOR, HANS BACHER29 April 2011 The Animation and Digital Arts Department hosted a special event with Vibeke Sorenson, Chair of the School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University and their visiting Professors Hans Bacher, Ishu Patel and Heitor Capuzzo on April 29, 2011.

The panel talked about John Hench, one of the

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creators of Walt Disney Imagineering. John worked on nearly every Disney animated feature and theme park. The panel was moderated by Jean-Marc Gauthier, Chair of the Department of Animation and Digital Arts at Tisch Asia. APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL

18 January 2011 Famed Thai film director, Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Tropical Malady) con-ducted a 3-hour masterclass at Tisch School of the Arts Asia. This masterclass was jointly presented by the Tisch Asia’s Graduate Film department and the Asian Film Archive. Apichatpong is the first film-maker from Southeast Asia to win the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

MIRA LESMANA

16 February 2011 Renowned Indonesian Pro-ducer, Mira Lesmana was at Tisch Asia. She pre-sented a talk and screened her box-office hit Rain-bow Troops (Laskar Pelangi). Born in Jakarta, she was first known in Indonesia as the filmmaker for her movie Kuldesak in 1998. The Indonesian film industry was in a crisis when this film became a box-office hit.

Film critics have labeled her as ‘unpredictable’, producing films ranging from a big box office suc-cess to critically acclaimed films, from small budget feature to big epic production.

TSAI MING LIANG

28 March 2011 One of Taiwan’s most promi-nent directors, Tsai Ming-Liang (Goodbye, Dragon Inn; What Time Is It There?) was at Tisch Asia to conduct a two-day masterclass with the students from the Graduate Film department. He talked about how his cinematic experience in Malay-sia during his youth has shaped his filmmaking style. A screening of his short film, Madame But-terfly was also held. Shot in a chaotic bus sta-tion in Kuala Lumpur. Following the screening, he spoke about his definition of cinema in Malaysia and Taiwan and what influences his films.

Tsai Ming Liang is one of the most celebrated “Sec-ond New Wave” film directors of Taiwanese Cin-ema. His films have been acclaimed worldwide and have won numerous film festival awards.

NG CHIN HAN

08 April 2010 Tisch Asia‘s Acting Adjunct Pro-

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fessor, John Wills Martin, interviewed Singaporean actor, Chin Han about his career as an Asian ac-tor in Hollywood. Chin Han has a career that spans over 20 years and was listed by CNNGo (a divi-sion of CNN) as one of Asia’s 25 greatest actors of all time. He has had supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as The Dark Knight and 2012.

In the interview, Chin Han spoke about his experience of acting in theater, film and television and working with his co-star, Heath Ledger, in The Dark Knight.

JODIE FOSTER

04 May 2011 Hollywood actress Jodie Foster shared her experience in acting, producing and di-recting in a morning Skype call with the Graduate Film students at Tisch Asia. The Skype call was organized and moderated by Barbara Schock from the Graduate Film Department at Tisch Asia.

Jodie Foster is a multi Academy Award-winner most known for playing a rape survivor in The Accused. In 1991, she starred in The Silence of the Lambs as Clarice Starling, a gifted FBI trainee, assisting in a hunt for a serial killer. This performance received in-ternational acclaim and her second Academy Award for Best Actress. She received her fourth Academy Award nomination for playing a hermit in Nell (1994). Other popular films include Maverick (1994), Con-tact (1997), Panic Room (2002), Flightplan (2005), Inside Man (2006), The Brave One (2007), and Nim’s Island (2008).

STEPHEN CHIN

02 February 2011 Stephen Chin, an attorney, studio executive, film producer, and screenwriter, was at Tisch School of the Arts Asia for a brown bag lunch and lecture with students to advise them on entry into the international film industry.

During his visit, Chin shared personal anecdotes from his unique career, including his work on the campaign to elect President Clinton. Chin also was the Vice President of Miramax, co-wrote Another Day In Paradise, produced Play It to the Bone, and Gummo, and he has been hired by DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, Warner Brothers, MGM, Univer-sal, Legendary Pictures and HBO Films. Chin has also written scripts for Jason Reitman, Hugh Jack-man, Justin Lin, Greg Berlanti, Scott Stuber, Kevin McCormick, John Wells, Jason Blum, Michael De-Luca, and Stephen Norrington.

YVONNE FOONG

30 March 2011 Tisch Asia‘s International Me-dia Producing Colloquium invited Singaporean Yvone Foong, CEO of Zixxe, a multimedia platform

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company. She spoke to the producing students about her 18 years of experience in the entertain-ment and media business. She talked about honing the skills to read and spot good stories and most importantly, trust your instincts. She also shared her story about returning to Asia from Los Angeles because she wants to be a part of the booming Asian entertainment world.

ADRIAN PANG

26 April 2011 On invitation by the Interna-tional Media Producing Department as part of the Producer’s Colloquium, prominent local actor, Adri-an Pang was on campus to share his experience of being both a stage and screen actor in Singapore. Trained in England, Adrian first caught the eyes of the local audience as the lead in the Singaporean Movie, Forever Fever.

Known best for his work on television, Adrian has also starred in another local movie I do I do and Gone Shopping made by Wee Li-lin ’11 (MFA, Kanbar, Dramatic Writing). Adrian’s theatrical per-formances include: Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress, The Dresser, The Odd Couple and Twist of Fate.

PANGDEMONiUM! is a theater company that Adri-an and his wife established. The company made its debut production, The Full Monty, in June 2010, based on the musical of the same name.

LIGIAH VILLALOBOS

07-11 February 2011 Ligiah Villalobos, writer and producer of Under the Same Moon, (La Mis-ma Luna), the hit feature film that premiered at Sundance, has worked as a staff writer on a net-work television series, Ed, and is the head writer of Go, Diego! Go! was on campus to give lectures to our students from the Dramatic Writing Department.

JONATHAN COLLIER13 April 2011 Jon Collier was on campus to conduct a masterclass and workshops with stu-dents from the Dramatic Writing Department. On April 13, 2011, he conducted a masterclass for the community.

Best known for his work on The Simpsons, King of the Hill and Monk, Jon has been involved in well over 125 produced television shows as writer, pro-ducer, or director since he graduated from Tisch Dramatic Writing in New York. He is currently writ-ing for Men in Black 3.

DAN WIGUTOW16 April 2011 Dan Wigutow is a producer of 35 films for television and creator of the True Crime genre. His mini-series, Fatal Vision, won many Emmy Awards. He also produced Heaven Help Us, a highly regarded film. He was on campus for a screening and Q&A of his film, Heaven Help Us.

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SABRINA DHAWAN20 April 2011 Sabrina Dhawan, writer of Mon-soon Wedding, among other films, will lead thesis panels for graduating MFA thesis screenwriters at Tisch Asia’s Singapore campus.

ALEXA JUNGE

10 May 2011 Alexa Junge, long-time show-runner for Friends, writer for Sex and the City, The West Wing, Once and Again, Big Love and United States of Tara, was a guest teacher in the Dramatic Writing Program at Tisch Asia. She met with student screenwriters, playwrights, and televi-sion writers. Ms. Junge will also critique and work with thesis candidates in television writing.

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www.tischasia.nyu.edu.sg/page/giving.html

ALUMNI: STAY CONNECTEDCALLING ALL ALLUMNI! We hope to stay connected to you and learn about the latest projects that you have been working on. We would also like to keep you posted on the latest developments at Tisch School of the Arts Asia in Singapore and invite you to our events. Write to us!

Contact us: Timothy TanDirector, Public Affairs & MarketingTisch School of the Arts Asia3 Kay Siang RoadSingapore 248 923Email: timothy.tan@nyu.edu