About Us
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Paolo Bitanga
Chairman
Originally from the Phillipines, Paolo Bitanga began his career directing music videos and documentaries on breakdancing. Now living in New York City, the Mecca of independent film and hip-hop culture, he has written and directed a number of films that have screened at The Asian American International Film Festival, Doc NYC and the Newport Beach Film Festival in California. Having found a solid team of equally passionate artists at school, he plans to keep working to make powerful films with positive messages as he moves upward toward his goal to becoming a well-established director.
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Dominic Miller
Executive Director
Coming from a suburban background in Connecticut, Dominic Miller was one of the few individuals from his hometown who was excited about the "Energy of Creation" – to the point that it soon led him to take a high school film with this title and subsequently form an arts club. Since his migration to the lucrative arts scene in New York City, Miller has directed a number of documentaries, a short narrative film and a music video. He has also worked on an independent feature, television production and various student projects. His passion for music and collaborating with artists inspired him to produce a DJ show in Prague, where he is currently studying 35mm filmmaking.
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Gwen Lee
Executive Director
Gwen Lee came to New York University's film program all the way from Korea to pursue her dreams as a documentary filmmaker, tackling social issues such as plastic surgery and child delinquency. After developing an interest in producing, she brought many successful student films to life such as Once Upon a Bedtime, winner of Best Student Film for the Maryland 72-hour Film Festival in 2011. Furthermore, she was the line-producer for a Graduate thesis film on Columbia University entitled The End of the World. She hopes to stay in New York and continue producing independent films.
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Son Duong
Head of Development
Son Duong is a Vietnamese-American who became interested in film and TV in his freshman year of high school. Since then, it has grown into a budding career. He is now an animator, writer and director in his third year of New York University's Tisch Undergraduate Film School. He has been recognized in his achievements in editing, animation, directing and writing, for both live action and animation. In general, he strongly believes that films should be a perfect blend of entertainment and art – not only an awe-inspiring adventure of a new world, but a thoughtful journey to rediscover the world we live in.
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Dennis Hu
Head of Post-Production
As one of the few sound designers at New York University's film program, Dennis Hu has worked on some of the most prominent short films produced by Tisch School of the Arts, including Comrades and The Ninth Train which was awarded for its sound design at the New Vision and Voices Film Festival. With ever-growing talent for visual effects and design, he promises to create films that match and even exceed the expectations forged by one's imagination, even making the fantastical real.
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Dante Close
Director of Operations
Dante Close is currently majoring in Film and Television with a minor in Philosophy at New York University. He has worked as a gaffer on many student shorts, including Deactivated, Comrades and Bless You. Recently, he made his debut as a cinematographer with the short film Harry Thompson in 2012. Dante is also a Technical Assistant at the film school's Post Production Center, as well as a choreographer associated with the lightsaber choreography group, New York Jedi.
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Kayla Wong
Director of Public Relations
Kayla Wong, a Seattle native of 19 years, took interest in the world of filmmaking after the making of a high school English project where the object was to create a ghetto-gangster parody of The Scottish Play. Continuing with this same visionary frame of mind, she aspires to be a producer/director focused on creating entertaining works that will expose the world to the value of other communities. She is majoring in Film and Television and minoring in East Asian Studies and Entertainment Business at New York University.
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Royce Dunmore
Social Media Marketing
Royce Dunmore is a writer and director from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. He has written and directed various short films and has also produced for non-profit commercial videos. Currently, he serves as the social media director for various organizations, while operating as a full-time student at New York University.