Red Light Rebel

Hannah Yang is a second generation Korean-Canadian director from Vancouver, BC, with a passion for exploring the intersection of culture and identity. After graduating from UBC in 2020, Hannah serendipitously ended up on a film set, sparking a fiery passion for filmmaking and prompting her to leave her position in the public service to fully dive into film.

In 2021, her debut short film, “Mama’s Song”, was a selection in VAFF’s 2021 Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon. Powered by an all-Asian cast, it then went on to screen at the New York Lift-Off Film Festival and Canada Shorts Film Festival. Hannah has also directed music video, “Big Money”, which was awarded the 2023 RBCxMusic & Prism Prize Production grant. She is also the Director “Homecoming”, recipient of the 2021 Creative BC Music Video grant. Her latest short film, “The Principles of Greenology” (co-directed with Crazy 8s alum, Kevin Ang) made with only $500, was a selection for the Hollywood Shorts Fest and semi-finalist at the Cannes Indie Shorts Awards in 2024.

As a filmmaker, Hannah champions representation and diversity by creating BIPOC women-led production teams, as demonstrated in Homecoming, where nine out of eleven departments were led by women. Hannah’s current projects include “Freefall,” an experimental short about BIPOC women living with keloid scars, and a producing role on a Telus Storyhive-funded documentary on the authenticity of AI-generated art.

Ava Maria Safai, a Canadian-Iranian artist from Vancouver, Canada, is a Dean's List graduate from UBC's BFA in Acting program and currently serves as the artistic director of The Harlequin Theatre Society. She is also a Leo award-winning editor, and has produced every project she’s directed.

Her directorial debut, "ZIP," created waves as the first short film in the 24-year history of the Crazy8s Film Festival to receive a standing ovation. "ZIP" has garnered acclaim as an Official Selection at multiple Academy Award and CSA-qualifying festivals, including Uppsala, CINEQUEST, Athens International Film & Video Festival, the Calgary International Film Festival, and The Chilliwack Independent Film Festival, where it won Best Short Film.

Ava Maria is currently in post with two features (including self-directed and written Telefilm Talent to Watch project FOREIGNER), a web series, and a short. In addition to working behind the camera, Ava Maria is also an accomplished actor, musician, and writer, known for infusing her diverse talents into every project. Explore more about her work at www.avamariasafai.com.

Justin is a filmmaker, playwright, and sailor with an interest in the evolution of Canadian drama as a building block for a richer national identity. He holds a BFA in theatre from the University of Victoria and is an associate producer at Electric Company Theatre (Vancouver).

He associate produced the feature film “Mongrels” which premiered at Vancouver International Film Festival (DGC Horizon Award) and the short film “SO-RI” as part of VAFF’s 2023 Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon. Graduating during COVID, he created work for himself as a Project Manager at The Canadian Play Thing Theatre, showrunning the audio drama series “A Way Out” and creating the interview show “Playwright to Playwright” funded through Playwrights Guild Canada.

Justin directed the short, “Smile for Me”, which premiered at the Chilliwack Independent Film Festival. Currently he is in post-production for his writer/director debut short, "Knots", which was awarded the CineVic Dynamo Grant and is inspired by his time crewing tall ships in the Maritimes and Washington State. Follow his journey on Instagram @ justin.f.lee