Film

Samara is an impatient, bold Vietnamese-Cambodian-American girl who is determined to show her independence and drive as a college-dropout. On her quest for validation she has to sort out her new lifestyle, and relationships, and prove to her immigrant mother she has what it takes to succeed. Pressure makes diamonds. Or crushes them.

The 2021 film grant will support "Dear Sofia," a documentary about a 37-year-old filmmaker's journey as mother and advocate of her daughter Sofia—a five-year-old girl diagnosed with autism in 2019. After over a year of being together everyday, without much contact with other people due to the pandemic, while working full time in her career and as a mother, Melanie must now prepare her daughter, and herself, for the next chapter in Sofia's life: entering kindergarten.

The 2021 film grant will support "The Difference Between Us." This short film is about an undocumented Bangladeshi immigrant in Philadelphia starts to fall for a roommate she's never met—forming a connection that will test the limits of her romantic imagination.

The 2021 film grant will support "This Too Is Liberia," an immersive documentary that follows Liberian surfer Melvin Kabakole Jr. and his friends as they heal their traumatized communities in Liberia through surf therapy.

The 2021 film grant will support Alx Through the Labyrinth. The film takes a dive into the Alice In Wonderland-like reality of contracting COVID-19; from the symptoms of vertigo to sensory loss and the labyrinth of seeking treatment.