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East West Bank Foundation in partnership with Gold House and Sundance to launch One House Filmmakers Fund

Portia Li
Portia Li
January 22, 2024
Ten filmmakers from multi-cultural background are selected as the inaugural winners to receive $10,000 each from the One House Filmmakers Fund. Courtesy East West Bank Foundation
Ten filmmakers from multi-cultural background are selected as the inaugural winners to receive $10,000 each from the One House Filmmakers Fund. Courtesy East West Bank Foundation

(SAN FRANCISCO) One House Filmmakers Fund was launched in January 2024 in partnership with Sundance Institute, Gold House, and East West Bank Foundation to support more filmmakers from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds in the entertainment industry.

Ten filmmakers were selected to receive the inaugural grants of $10,000 each from the newly-created One House Filmmakers Fund.

Ten grantees and their projects are: Arun Bhattarai for Agent of Happiness, Naveen Chaubal for Pinball, Marissa Chibás for 1972, StormMiguel Florez for Welcome To Roswell, Jalena Keane-Lee for Standing Above the Clouds, Sura Mallouh for Untitled Sura Mallouh Project, Walé Oyéjidé for Chiaroscuro, Otilia Portillo Padua for The Queendom, Shrihari Sathe for Doha - The Rising Sun, and Julie Forrest Wyman for Untitled Dwarfism Project.

Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization based in Utah to support the growth of independent artists, filmmakers, theatre artists and composers from all over the world. One of their famous programs is the annual Sundance Film Festival to promote independent filmmakers, storytellers and composers.

Gold House is also a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles and was founded in 2018 to promote the interests and impacts of the Asian and Pacific Islander American community (API). In fall 2023, Gold House expanded to Asia with Singapore serving as an entry point to the rest of Asia.

One of Gold House's projects is to promote Asian Americans in the field of media and entertainment.

“Even though APIs are the fast-growing racial group in the United States, and the API diaspora is reaching 5 billion worldwide, APIs are still vastly underrepresented in front of and behind the camera.," Gold House stated.

Even though APIs are the fast-growing racial group in U.S., and the API diaspora is reaching 5 billion worldwide, APIs are still vastly underrepresented in front of and behind the camera. Courtesy Gold House
Even though APIs are the fast-growing racial group in U.S., and the API diaspora is reaching 5 billion worldwide, APIs are still vastly underrepresented in front of and behind the camera. Courtesy Gold House

"We reshape public opinion about Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) by ensuring authentic and affirming representation on and off screen. From Crazy Rich Asians to Parasite to Turning Red, we have played a major role in the cultural and commercial success of API-led creative projects," Gold House further said.

One House Filmmakers Fund is led by Gold House and made possible by the financial support from the East West Bank Foundation which is the charitable arm of East West Bank.

“One of our main goals is to support diversity and inclusion in all industries, including entertainment and the arts. Strengthening storytelling by diverse filmmakers is a powerful way to build bridges between communities,” said Dominic Ng, Chairman and CEO of East West Bank.

As one of the top-performing banks in the country, East West Bank said the bank has been a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, supporting numerous Hollywood ventures, filmmakers, and storytellers of all backgrounds to create impactful cultural dialogues.

The One House Filmmakers Fund is a continuation of Gold House’s mission to empower the Asian Pacific diaspora and multicultural partners to power tomorrow for all, according to Gold House.

At last year’s Sundance Film Festival, Gold House co-hosted the inaugural pan-AAPI “Sunrise House” with Daniel Dae Kim’s 3AD and TAAF, which included a multicultural evening to celebrate the creativity and solidarity of multicultural communities through a multicultural filmmakers panel.