BIZ OF VIZ
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
Through comedy, conflict, and a bit of confession, BIZ OF VIZ is a narrative feature film shedding light on the realities of what it takes to put on an Asian American film festival and love for all film festival organizers, programmers, volunteers, cinephiles, and community members along the way.
BIZ OF VIZ
New York City, New York | Film Feature
Comedy, Drama
59 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$4,798
Goal: $23,000 for production
Through comedy, conflict, and a bit of confession, BIZ OF VIZ is a narrative feature film shedding light on the realities of what it takes to put on an Asian American film festival and love for all film festival organizers, programmers, volunteers, cinephiles, and community members along the way.
Participating In
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
BIZ OF VIZ, a shorthand for BUSINESS OF VISIBILITY, is a chaotic, fast-paced comedy-driven drama film centered around JULES, a bright-eyed-bushy-tailed-first-time Festival Director, ERIC, her demanding (and sometimes) clueless boss, CATHY, the "it" diva-demanding actress from the 70s-80s, and THE CORE 4, a bunch of volunteer-interns who may actually be keeping this film festival running... when they're not busy bickering with each other. As the Asian American Independent Film Institute's Film Festival's Opening Night puts on the pressure cooker for all parties involved, they must figure out how to get the show running without tearing each other apart.
WHO'S ON THE TEAM?
We put together an amazing team of Asian American women to make this happen. Check out the "TEAM" tab.
WHY THIS STORY?
As social media rampantly takes over traditional forms of media (film & television), it's hard to understand the next generation of media consumers. Couple that with independent Asian American film festivals trying hard to champion stories that are left out of the mainstream, it makes our job that much harder. It takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (AKA work) to put together a film festival; yet, there is an AANHPI Film Festival in major and smaller cities alike, because our community knows that our stories deserve to be told on the big screen.
WHY ARE YOU QUALIFIED TO TELL THIS STORY?
Hi, I'm Judy. I was the Festival Director at the Asian American International Film Festival for four years: 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. There's a one-year gap in 2014 because there was a breakdown after the first year, and it took some time to recover and recenter to come back to do it all over again. I won't go into much details, but the fictionalized version of what's about to happen in this film did not go down in 2013--it did, however, happen some time between 2015-2017. I left after celebrating AAIFF's 40th anniversary in 2017 because while the work itself was very meaningful, I had to figure out how to make an actual living for myself, so I can keep supporting the community's mission + work. Till this day, I am involved more on the Board of Directors' side--this is all to say, I get to eat all the food and drink all the drinks, while the festival organizers put in the work--and they put in a lot of it.
I want this film to recognize the amount of hard work and the crazy amount of pressure we all go through to make an Asian American film festival possible. I also want to appreciate film-goer's who come to support us + hope they keep showing up to support us, and for filmmakers to appreciate how much the festival organizers try to showcase their film in the best light possible. It takes a village: to build a team of people to make film festivals a reality, to build a community of filmmakers, and to build up the next generation of audience. Let's continue to build upon the legacy the older generation Asian American media activists left us.
WHAT STAGE ARE YOU IN NOW?
As we are in pre-production, this money will allow us to build an audience, create buzz in this industry, and continue to fundraise offline. It's incredibly hard to fundraise money for an independent film. I know because I've raised $40K over at Kickstarted in 2019 and crowdfunding is something I swear I'll never do again, but here we are--trying to win the Seed&Spark x GoldHouse AAPI Renaissance Rally.
WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM ME?
Aside from money, we need 350 followers on this campaign to qualify for the Seed&Spark x Gold House AAPI Renaissance Rally, where if we get that many followers, we qualify as a finalist! Out of the pool of finalists, they will choose a winner, and the AAPI Renaissance Rally WINNER will have a chance to win a matching fund of $10K, pitch our project to the Gold House Entertainment Fund *and* at the Toronto International Film Festival. NO BIG DEAL!
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH THIS MONEY?
Even if we raise zero dollars beyond this fundraising campaign, the team here will make this film with whatever we raise. Yes, you heard that right. It'd be incredibly hard, but with disinvestment from the studio system and diverse voices + faces being pushed aside, we need to have everyday people invest in what they want to see on the big screen, adapt in all the ways and learn how to be nimble. In other words, I'm out here trying to attract the right team and find my ride-or-dies.
To break it all down**:
- 60% will go towards Production: Camera/Sound/Operations/Insurance/Locations (we need to film at an Office Space and Theater, which will cost $$$)
- 15% will go towards Cast (NYC Local Hires only)
- 10% will go towards Post-Production: Final Sound Mix & Music
- 10% will go towards meals and drinks on shoot days
- 5% will go towards Seed & Spark credit card & processing fees.
** If we are able to raise more money than our intended goal, we will distribute it evenly towards production/post-production + compensate everyone on the team fairly.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Restaurant Catering for 2 Days
Costs $300
By selecting this Wishlist item, YOUR RESTAURANT will donate catering for two (2) days. **must be a restaurant to select this item :)
Restaurant Catering for 2 Days
Costs $300
By selecting this Wishlist item, YOUR RESTAURANT will donate catering for two (2) days. **must be a restaurant to select this item :)
Production costs
Costs $16,000
Camera crew, cast, operations, insurance, location (Theater and Office Space).
Post-Production
Costs $2,500
Amongst our team, we have the ability to edit & color the film. We need $ for Final Sound Mix & Music. Furry Friends for emotional support.
Food, Drinks, and Snacks for Cast/Crew
Costs $2,700
Food, drinks, and snacks budget - Happy catering = happy cast & crew.
Share this update!
About This Team
Director | Actor | Writer | Producer - JUDY LEI aka JULES in this film :)
A NYC Chinatown and Brooklyn native, Judy is committed to telling stories about the Asian American experience through comedy, film, and television. She studied acting and solo-show writing at The Barrow Group Theatre Company and Improv/Sketch at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She wrote and performed two one-woman shows: THE WORLD'S GREATEST (dir. MC Jin) and 28: STILL FUCKED UP in NYC and Los Angeles. She turned TWG into a feature film and most recently completed a short film called FOREVER MAYBE, where she met her ride-or-die camera crew. She is a proud Smith College alum, where she found her social justice awakening, and hopes to spend the rest of her life championing AANHPI narratives.
Director of Photography | CHRISTINE RIVERA
Christine Rivera is a filmmaker based in New Jersey with a passion for impactful storytelling. Her recent mini documentary that she co-directed, GIRLS RUN ULTRAS, was selected for the 2024 Trail Running Film Festival and screened in over 50 locations worldwide. The film celebrates the resilience and spirit of women in sport, showcasing the powerful sense of individuality and community. Christine has also worked as a videographer for a YouTube travel series spotlighting women across the globe who are building meaningful communities for other women. Whether behind the camera or shaping a project’s creative vision, Christine is driven by stories that inspire connection, strength, and transformation.
First Assistant Camera | Gaffer - AUDE YOSA VALLE
Aude Yosa Vallo is a School of Visual Arts alum - completing a B.F.A. in Film Production with a Concentration on Cinematography. Shortly after graduation, she became the first female lighting prep tech at ARRI Rental NYC. This ultimately led her to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 600, Eastern Division. Becoming a member of the camera union, she has worked on numerous shows, series & films for such networks as AppleTV, NBC, MTV, Netflix & more. As a filmmaker & creative, she has made it her mission to bring women & people of color, especially Asians, to the forefront in artful representation & poignant storytelling told through the eyes of her lens.
Co-Producer | JENNY YE
Jenny Ye is a born and raised New Yorker from Manhattan’s Chinatown. She was a Producer and 2nd AD on Judy's first feature film, THE WORLD'S GREATEST. She met Judy in college through Asian American student organizing, and has been a supporter of her creative projects for over a decade. She loves playing basketball and tennis.
Associate Producer | TIFFANY BAI
Tiffany Bai works as a GIS Specialist by profession, but beyond her day job, she is deeply involved in event planning. She currently serves as the Operations Director for the Asian American International Film Festival, and an Event Lead for the NYU Alumni Club in New Jersey. Tiffany also has experience in film production, having worked as a Production Office Coordinator on the short film 20s.30s. A graduate of NYU's Department of Environmental Studies, she is passionate about environmental conservation and does work with bird banding and stream sampling. She is excited to be working with Judy on this film about film festivals, especially after their shared time in the festival world together.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
BIZ OF VIZ, a shorthand for BUSINESS OF VISIBILITY, is a chaotic, fast-paced comedy-driven drama film centered around JULES, a bright-eyed-bushy-tailed-first-time Festival Director, ERIC, her demanding (and sometimes) clueless boss, CATHY, the "it" diva-demanding actress from the 70s-80s, and THE CORE 4, a bunch of volunteer-interns who may actually be keeping this film festival running... when they're not busy bickering with each other. As the Asian American Independent Film Institute's Film Festival's Opening Night puts on the pressure cooker for all parties involved, they must figure out how to get the show running without tearing each other apart.
WHO'S ON THE TEAM?
We put together an amazing team of Asian American women to make this happen. Check out the "TEAM" tab.
WHY THIS STORY?
As social media rampantly takes over traditional forms of media (film & television), it's hard to understand the next generation of media consumers. Couple that with independent Asian American film festivals trying hard to champion stories that are left out of the mainstream, it makes our job that much harder. It takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (AKA work) to put together a film festival; yet, there is an AANHPI Film Festival in major and smaller cities alike, because our community knows that our stories deserve to be told on the big screen.
WHY ARE YOU QUALIFIED TO TELL THIS STORY?
Hi, I'm Judy. I was the Festival Director at the Asian American International Film Festival for four years: 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. There's a one-year gap in 2014 because there was a breakdown after the first year, and it took some time to recover and recenter to come back to do it all over again. I won't go into much details, but the fictionalized version of what's about to happen in this film did not go down in 2013--it did, however, happen some time between 2015-2017. I left after celebrating AAIFF's 40th anniversary in 2017 because while the work itself was very meaningful, I had to figure out how to make an actual living for myself, so I can keep supporting the community's mission + work. Till this day, I am involved more on the Board of Directors' side--this is all to say, I get to eat all the food and drink all the drinks, while the festival organizers put in the work--and they put in a lot of it.
I want this film to recognize the amount of hard work and the crazy amount of pressure we all go through to make an Asian American film festival possible. I also want to appreciate film-goer's who come to support us + hope they keep showing up to support us, and for filmmakers to appreciate how much the festival organizers try to showcase their film in the best light possible. It takes a village: to build a team of people to make film festivals a reality, to build a community of filmmakers, and to build up the next generation of audience. Let's continue to build upon the legacy the older generation Asian American media activists left us.
WHAT STAGE ARE YOU IN NOW?
As we are in pre-production, this money will allow us to build an audience, create buzz in this industry, and continue to fundraise offline. It's incredibly hard to fundraise money for an independent film. I know because I've raised $40K over at Kickstarted in 2019 and crowdfunding is something I swear I'll never do again, but here we are--trying to win the Seed&Spark x GoldHouse AAPI Renaissance Rally.
WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM ME?
Aside from money, we need 350 followers on this campaign to qualify for the Seed&Spark x Gold House AAPI Renaissance Rally, where if we get that many followers, we qualify as a finalist! Out of the pool of finalists, they will choose a winner, and the AAPI Renaissance Rally WINNER will have a chance to win a matching fund of $10K, pitch our project to the Gold House Entertainment Fund *and* at the Toronto International Film Festival. NO BIG DEAL!
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH THIS MONEY?
Even if we raise zero dollars beyond this fundraising campaign, the team here will make this film with whatever we raise. Yes, you heard that right. It'd be incredibly hard, but with disinvestment from the studio system and diverse voices + faces being pushed aside, we need to have everyday people invest in what they want to see on the big screen, adapt in all the ways and learn how to be nimble. In other words, I'm out here trying to attract the right team and find my ride-or-dies.
To break it all down**:
- 60% will go towards Production: Camera/Sound/Operations/Insurance/Locations (we need to film at an Office Space and Theater, which will cost $$$)
- 15% will go towards Cast (NYC Local Hires only)
- 10% will go towards Post-Production: Final Sound Mix & Music
- 10% will go towards meals and drinks on shoot days
- 5% will go towards Seed & Spark credit card & processing fees.
** If we are able to raise more money than our intended goal, we will distribute it evenly towards production/post-production + compensate everyone on the team fairly.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Restaurant Catering for 2 Days
Costs $300
By selecting this Wishlist item, YOUR RESTAURANT will donate catering for two (2) days. **must be a restaurant to select this item :)
Restaurant Catering for 2 Days
Costs $300
By selecting this Wishlist item, YOUR RESTAURANT will donate catering for two (2) days. **must be a restaurant to select this item :)
Production costs
Costs $16,000
Camera crew, cast, operations, insurance, location (Theater and Office Space).
Post-Production
Costs $2,500
Amongst our team, we have the ability to edit & color the film. We need $ for Final Sound Mix & Music. Furry Friends for emotional support.
Food, Drinks, and Snacks for Cast/Crew
Costs $2,700
Food, drinks, and snacks budget - Happy catering = happy cast & crew.
Share this update!
About This Team
Director | Actor | Writer | Producer - JUDY LEI aka JULES in this film :)
A NYC Chinatown and Brooklyn native, Judy is committed to telling stories about the Asian American experience through comedy, film, and television. She studied acting and solo-show writing at The Barrow Group Theatre Company and Improv/Sketch at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. She wrote and performed two one-woman shows: THE WORLD'S GREATEST (dir. MC Jin) and 28: STILL FUCKED UP in NYC and Los Angeles. She turned TWG into a feature film and most recently completed a short film called FOREVER MAYBE, where she met her ride-or-die camera crew. She is a proud Smith College alum, where she found her social justice awakening, and hopes to spend the rest of her life championing AANHPI narratives.
Director of Photography | CHRISTINE RIVERA
Christine Rivera is a filmmaker based in New Jersey with a passion for impactful storytelling. Her recent mini documentary that she co-directed, GIRLS RUN ULTRAS, was selected for the 2024 Trail Running Film Festival and screened in over 50 locations worldwide. The film celebrates the resilience and spirit of women in sport, showcasing the powerful sense of individuality and community. Christine has also worked as a videographer for a YouTube travel series spotlighting women across the globe who are building meaningful communities for other women. Whether behind the camera or shaping a project’s creative vision, Christine is driven by stories that inspire connection, strength, and transformation.
First Assistant Camera | Gaffer - AUDE YOSA VALLE
Aude Yosa Vallo is a School of Visual Arts alum - completing a B.F.A. in Film Production with a Concentration on Cinematography. Shortly after graduation, she became the first female lighting prep tech at ARRI Rental NYC. This ultimately led her to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 600, Eastern Division. Becoming a member of the camera union, she has worked on numerous shows, series & films for such networks as AppleTV, NBC, MTV, Netflix & more. As a filmmaker & creative, she has made it her mission to bring women & people of color, especially Asians, to the forefront in artful representation & poignant storytelling told through the eyes of her lens.
Co-Producer | JENNY YE
Jenny Ye is a born and raised New Yorker from Manhattan’s Chinatown. She was a Producer and 2nd AD on Judy's first feature film, THE WORLD'S GREATEST. She met Judy in college through Asian American student organizing, and has been a supporter of her creative projects for over a decade. She loves playing basketball and tennis.
Associate Producer | TIFFANY BAI
Tiffany Bai works as a GIS Specialist by profession, but beyond her day job, she is deeply involved in event planning. She currently serves as the Operations Director for the Asian American International Film Festival, and an Event Lead for the NYU Alumni Club in New Jersey. Tiffany also has experience in film production, having worked as a Production Office Coordinator on the short film 20s.30s. A graduate of NYU's Department of Environmental Studies, she is passionate about environmental conservation and does work with bird banding and stream sampling. She is excited to be working with Judy on this film about film festivals, especially after their shared time in the festival world together.