On June 10, the Asian American Committee’s (AAC) meeting featured the panel discussion, Asian American Women Representation. In a conversation moderated by Director Tiffany Frances, Directors Yangzom Brauen and Diane Paragas and UPM/1st AD Jasmine Marie Alhambra shared some of their experiences navigating the film industry.
In introducing these trailblazing female Asian American filmmakers, Frances observed that they are reshaping the narrative in front of and behind the camera.
Paragas described how her background in documentary filmmaking influences her approach to her work and said, “After interviewing real people for years and building the story, I learned how to bring the humanity and honesty to narrative work. I became a spontaneous Director from those experiences; you have a plan but know how to be flexible.”
Speaking of a challenge she faced, Brauen shared that for some time early in her directing career, she would rehearse with her actors and ask for a certain setup, then come back to a completely different setup, with crew telling her, “We’re doing it this way.” To overcome this, she would respectfully put her foot down and shared with her teams that she’s open to ideas, but ignoring her direction and doing it however they wanted without consulting her was not acceptable.
Alhambra noted the importance of building a community of people who support each other to navigate the industry together. “I have two people I call who I can use as sounding boards when something doesn’t feel right You never know where you’re going to get your next job, so I just treat everyone with love, kindness, and a little patience. You never know, the PA that worked for you two years ago can be your boss, so just take care of each other.”
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
 Director Yangzom Brauen Brauen’s directorial credits include the documentaries MOLA - A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss and Pilgrimage in Exile; and episodes of Law & Order: Organized Crime, FBI: International, Matlock, 9-1-1: Lone Star, NCIS: Hawai'i, Station 19, American Horror Stories, Magnum P.I., MacGyver and NCIS: Los Angeles. Brauen has been a DGA member since 2018. |
 Director Diane Paragas Paragas’ directorial credits include the features Brooklyn Boheme and Yellow Rose and an episodes of the series Little America. Paragas became a DGA member in 2022. |
 UPM/1st AD Jasmine Marie Alhambra Alhambra’s resume includes Assistant Director credits on features such as Alejandro G. Inarritu’s DGA Award winning The Revenant and Paul Feig’s DGA Award-winning episode of The Office, “Dinner Party.” Most recently she served as the UPM for additional photography on Julius Onah’s feature, Captain America - Brave New World. Alhambra has been a DGA member since 2001. |
 Director Tiffany Frances (moderator) Frances’ directorial credits include an episode of the series Kung Fu and numerous short films including Dot, Temple Beauty, Another Day and Hello from Taiwan. Frances has been a DGA member since 2022. |
About the Asian American Committee:
The Asian American Committee (AAC) was created as a networking group to provide a forum for interests and issues that concern Asian-American Guild members. Through outreach efforts in the entertainment industry that emphasize career development and skills enhancement, the committee provides a variety of networking opportunities as well as screenings, seminars and discussions with industry professionals.
