Generations In Bloom showcases the beauty of connection and captures the essence of growth throughout different stages of life. By portraying queer individuals across different eras, these short films highlight the universal quest for self-acceptance and the formation of meaningful relationships, celebrating the enduring power of love and community.
About The Films
They Call Me Suki
Directed By M.G. Evangelista | 2022 | 5 min
The life and legacy of Japanese-American activist Suki Terada Ports sparks a multigenerational conversation among AAPI activists about her decades-long civil rights fight and the beauty of the communities she has helped strengthen in NYC and beyond.
Executive Produced by Kristen Wong, Brad Jenkins, Saj Patel | Produced by Simone Ling, Robert C. Winn | Starring "Suki Terada Ports, Julie Azuma, Jess X. Snow, Robert C. Winn
Queenie
Directed By cai thomas | 2020 | 19 min
An intimate vérité documentary following Queenie, a Black lesbian elder and resident of Brooklyn's Marcie Projects since 1988, who at seventy-three-years-young decides to seek a new place to call home.
Executive Produced by Yvonne Welbon | Produced by cai thomas | Starring Queenie
Grace
Directed By Natalie Jasmine Harris | 2023 |14 min
On the cusp of her baptism in the 1950s Black American South, sixteen-year-old Grace grapples with the weight of repentance and her burgeoning feelings towards her best friend.
Screenplay by Natalie Jasmine Harris | Executive Produced by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Dr. Debra A. Bright, Fanshen Cox, Natalia Bougadellis | Produced by Samiyah Wardlaw, Morgan Powell, Latavia Young, Julia Kennelly, Natalie Jasmine Harris | Starring Jordan Rayanna Wells, Alexis Cofield, Mikayla LaShae Bartholomew, C L Simpson, JeVon Blackwell
THE ROOF
Directed By Alexander Bocchieri | 2024 | 20 min
A Cheyenne teen’s bond with their grandfather leads them to uncover a connection to their family, community, and self they never thought possible.
Screenplay by W.A.W. Parker | Produced by Blake Pickens | Starring Phoenix Wilson, Wes Studi, DeLanna Studi, Landa Lakes, L. Frank Manriquez, Buffalo Barbie, John M. Sneezy
Lucky Fish
Directed By Emily May Jampel | 2023 | 8 min
A chance encounter in the bathroom of a Chinese restaurant unexpectedly leads to a bond between two Asian-American girls.
Screenplay by Emily May Jampel | Produced by Jeremy Truong, Yutian Feng | Starring Lukita Maxwell, Anna Mikami
Ripe!
Directed By Tusk | 2022 | 18
In rural Spain, an enemies-to-lovers romance blossoms between a reticent American teen and a bold Spanish soccer rival, whose tumultuous relationship intensifies after a dramatic accident.
Screenplay by Tusk | Executive Produced by Kelley O'Hara, Kameryn Stanhouse, Luke Anderson | Produced by Tusk, Cookie Walukas, Gerard Rodríguez, Laura Fernández Hormigo, Frank Lucas | Starring Raina Landolfi, Rita Roca, Èric Meneses, Bet Comas, Rafa Valls, Jules Smekens, Joan Moreno, Andrea Scott, Mercês Borges
About The Directors
MG Evangelista was born in Manila and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. This past year, Evangelista received the 2023 United States Artists Fellowship in Film. Their debut feature film, Burning Well – based on their award-winning short film Fran This Summer, is in development and has been supported by Tribeca, Array, the Torino Feature Film Lab and the SFFilm Rainin Grant. Evangelista’s body of work includes the VR dramedy Water Melts, supported by Tribeca and Google; La Gloria, a Project Involve short; and the award-winning short documentary They Call Me Suki, about legendary AAPI activist Suki Terada Ports.
cai thomas is a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer based in Chicago telling intimate stories at the intersection of location, self determination, and identity about Black youth and elders. She grew up in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood and is deeply interested in stories rooted in place. Her filmmaking exhibits how Black folks are agitating and organizing for the world they want, whether that’s a journalist investigating police misconduct (Beneath The Surface, 2023), a disabled lesbian elder fighting for an accessible apartment (Queenie, 2020) or young folks organizing for parks named after folks that look like them (Change The Name Film, 2021). Her work has screened everywhere from classrooms and community centers on the West side of Chicago to Blackstar Film Festival in Philadelphia.
Natalie Jasmine Harris is a Black queer filmmaker passionate about telling coming-of-age stories. Her short film, Grace, premiered at The 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and her 2022 NYU thesis film, PURE, received The Director's Guild of America Student Film Award and was acquired to stream on HBOMax. Natalie has participated in artist programs with Film at Lincoln Center, GLAAD, SFFILM, Outfest, Sundance Institute, and more. Her work has been featured in publications including Teen Vogue, Baltimore Sun, and Huffington Post.
Alexander Bocchieri is an award-winning Native Hawaiian filmmaker who lives and works in Honolulu and Los Angeles. The connecting thread of his personal work that extends into his commercial projects is the desire to use his visual style and unique creative approach to share real human stories, spotlight those who do good, and inspire action. In 2022, Alex was selected to be a part of the Disney Launchpad Program, where he directed a film called The Roof which is available to stream on Disney+. He has also directed short and feature films that have played at film festivals around the world, including Los Angeles, Hawai‘i, Aspen, Palm Springs, Toronto, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, OKC, Seattle, London, Auckland, Shanghai, Normandy and many more.
Emily May Jampel is a writer and director from Honolulu based in New York City. Her films have played at festivals around the world including Palm Springs, Aspen ShortsFest, Champs-Élysées and Outfest. Her short film Lucky Fish became a viral hit after premiering on NOWNESS Asia. Prior to directing, she worked as a Development Executive at the production company The Department of Motion Pictures. Emily was one of the 2023 Recipients of NewFest’s New Voices Filmmaker Grant.
Tusk is a directing duo based in LA made up of Kerry Furrh and Olivia Mitchell. After their first short went to Tribeca and sold to Freeform shortly after graduating, they spent their 20s fine-tuning a style by producing a range of commercials, music videos, and short series for everyone from Camila Cabello to random cat litter brands in the Midwest. Now older and wiser – or so they say – they are developing a slate of scripted women & queer focused projects that share a buoyant zest for life, a pulse on pop culture, and a vibrant art directed palette. The goal? To poke fun at the gravity of the world while lifting up the weird kids.