Alvin Tsang, Director
Alvin Tsang is a filmmaker and artist based in New York City. His work explores the more personal human experience to inform on bigger issues such as community, migration and humanity. Tsang’s REUNIFICATION (2015), an award-winning personal documentary about memories of migration and Tsang’s once intact family, was praised for “explor[ing] the past with a Proustian sensitivity” (The Boston Globe), its “clear-eyed honesty” (Meredith Monk), and being “the film that’s come closest to feeling like a truly distinct Asian-American [film] language” (Salon). Tsang is currently working on its sequel, WHEN HOME IS ELSEWHERE (WIP), which reflects on the idea of home by looking into the life of Tsang’s “minimalist” father. It is sponsored by New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and received grants from New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and Queens Council on the Arts (QCA). Tsang was an editing assistant for THAT’S MY FACE (2001), a Berlinale’s Ecumenical Prize winner by Thomas Allen Harris that explores the mythical African “face” within the African diaspora. Tsang served as a co-producer and post-supervisor for Ermena Vinluan’s award-winning documentary, TEA & JUSTICE (2007), which looks at the very first female Asian-American NYPD officers on the force. His shorts include FISH (2010), PRESERVATION (2011) and A MINUTE WITH THE ELDERS (2000). He collaborated with artist Siyan Wong on her FIVE CENTS A CAN art exhibitions (2019-2022) by creating a “gold mountain” and several other conceptual installations out of 5,000 gold soda cans in order to shed light on the people (mainly immigrants and elderly) who must collect cans and bottles for a living in our land of plenty.

Joanna Karselis, Music Composer – website
Joanna Karselis is a competition winning composer based in Birmingham, UK. Born in Oxford, Karselis trained as a violinist and pianist for music performance and later discovered a passion for composition during her undergraduate degree at the University of Birmingham. Since then, Karselis received several commissions and won several competitions, notably winning the University’s Composition Competition (2013) and was selected as a finalist at the Iris Theatre Christmas Songwriting Competition (2013). Karselis also scored two plays (HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA, 2013, and HIDE & SEEK, 2013) and completed her masters in composition in 2014. After finishing the original score for Alvin Tsang’s award-winning film REUNIFICATION (2015), Karselis recorded her debut EP as a singer-songwriter and begun working on a new theatre score. Karselis has a strong interest in acoustic, electro-acoustic and mixed composition, and how music can be used to add to visual drama.

Amy Epstein, Editing/Script Consultant – website
Amy Epstein’s film I’VE GOT YOU BABE (an action/adventure pic) which she wrote, produced and directed, premiered at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 2000 New Directors/New Films Series at the Museum of Modern Art.  It featured Fredrick Neumann of Mabou Mines and Lisa Welti and was sold to the Sundance Film Channel.  It has also played at the 30 Festival de Cine Alcala de Hanares Comunidad in Madrid, the Clermont-Ferrand Festival in France, the 20th Women in the Director’s Chair Festival in Chicago, the Not Hollywood Film Festival in New Paltz, New York, the Kino Film Festival in Manchester, England, the Chashama Arts Festival and the Coney Island Film Festival in New York.  She has recently completed writing, producing and directing a new twenty minute film entitled BUT THIS IS HOW IT WILL END which stars Obie award winning actor Steven Rattazzi.  Other works include a five minute music film HOMAGE TO DRINK, which she directed, edited, co-wrote and co-produced with Obie award winner Cynthia Hopkins, who also performs in the film as well as the short piece JOSEPH (which played last spring at The American Film Festival of New York) — about a 13 year old boy and his love of writing – produced and directed by Ms. Epstein and edited by Jeff Drury of Mad Mad Judy Productions.  In support of her playwrighting and screenwriting, Ms. Epstein has received fellowships from the Edward Albee Foundation and the MacDowell Colony.

Consultant – Ermena Vinluan
Poster Design & Website – Boon Khoo – website
Community Promotion Consultants – Corky Lee, Bayer Lee
Distribution (US) – Facets – website
Distribution (HK) – Ying E Chi – website
“Modern” DVD Cover Concept (HK) – Peter Bird Studio – website
Supported by – The United States Consulate General Hong Kong, Hong Kong Economic Trade Office (HKETO) New York & DC, Queens Memory Project, Memories of Migration