All is Vanity
Dec 2014

Roxy Shih speaks about her feature film directorial debut, a sci-fis thriller: All is Vanity (Tomato Sunrise Films). Nothing was the same and every choice could be your last. Directed by Roxy Shih. Written by Ian Paxton. Produced by Dena Hysell and Brandon Tansley

For the last several years, Roxy has worked as a full time producer: commercials, features, short films, and she has free lanced in other aspects of film making. But, her dream has always been to direct a feature film.

Roxy was fortunate enough to obtain enough financing for the production of “All is Vanity,” of which principal photography wrapped in mid-December.

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Specifically, Roxy shares the challenges of making the indie, “All is Vanity,” and how she and her amazing and loyal crew overcame them.

Quentin Lee (Chinese name: 李孟熙 ) is a film writer and director. He is most notable for the films *White Frog, The People I’ve Slept With, Ethan Mao, Drift, Flow, and the film short, To Ride a Cow.

Lee also co-directed Shopping For Fangs, with Justin Lin, known for his
controversial film, Better Luck Tomorrow.

Lee’s films are noticeable for containing male lead characters who are Asian and gay, two minority groups generally not seen as lead characters in mainstream Hollywood films.

He attended UCLA film school.

The Best Films of 2013
(and what we can expect for the future of the film industry in 2014)

Graduated from Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Film Editing in 2013. Editor of successful narrative, commercial, and music video pieces. Began editing in high school when he took a television production class and moved to Los Angeles in 2007 to take a shot being a writer. After re-visiting non-linear editing he found that it was the happy medium between crafting characters and technology. Worked on several film shorts including The Missing Piece, In Too Dark, Novel, Woodland Heights, The Fighter Within, and The Ferryman.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sheldon grew up in a Cantonese family with parents who fled Vietnam during the Fall of Saigon. It was not until high school that his interest in films began developing — a feat he owes to both his drama teacher and artist uncle — and where he began realizing the power of storytelling, particularly inspired by his parents’ tale of survival. After graduating the University of California, Irvine, with a Bachelor’s degree in Film & Media Studies as well as completing several personal films about his family, Sheldon is now currently pursuing an MFA at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He also really likes pineapple buns.
Sheldon first embarked on the ASENNA journey after his first year at NYU. For his second year film, which was an assignment that required each student in the class to write and direct an original short film, he decided to make an action project. Specifically, he wanted to make a film that not only touched upon elements of family, trust, and betrayal, but also one that showcased exciting movement, gorgeous cinematography, and impressive landscapes for an overall epic feel. A challenge to himself to push his limits and attempt to make a piece that is quite simply, cinematic.
By teaming with genre icon Kristina Klebe (Rob Zombie’s Halloween) and his invaluable friends and classmates at NYU, Sheldon set out to make the most difficult project of his life thus far. Sheldon worked on the 2011 Roxy Shih short “Play Time.”

Basil Vassili Mironer was born in Moscow, Russia, and immigrated to America in the late
1980’s. Accepted to Georgia Institute of Technology, Basil briefly pursued a career as a
computer science programmer. After witnessing a student seizure from a flickering
screen, he enthusiastically redirected his passion to storytelling through film and video.
Moving to Europe, Basil created a series of avant-garde short films and eventually
started to focus on more linear storytelling – directing short documentaries exploring
immigration and nomadic lifestyle.

In 2010, he received his Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production from NYU
Tisch School of the Arts Asia. Basil has honed his cinematography and directing skills on
over 30 global film productions, and pioneered the first stereoscopic 3-D film shoot in
NYU history.

Basil has received numerous awards and accolades including: Sonje Award for the best
Asian Short film at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival, Best of Festival selection
at Palm Springs Shortfest 2009, and the Wasserman Award at the First Run Film
Festival 2010.

His film Rare Fish (Ikan Langka) was selected for the prestigious Haig P. Manoogian
Screenings at the Directors Guild of America where it won the Audience Award.
Basil is an award winning Director of Photography and recently finished production on a
Hong Kong narrative feature entitled Camera, a dystopian-thriller to be distributed
by Fortissimo Films. Basil currently splits his time between Los Angeles, New Zealand,
and South-East Asia collaborating with storytellers, artists, and filmmakers.