Alibaba Pictures and Pasadena Community Foundation Announce Winners of the Big Heart Small Film Competition
November 20 2017 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
Four winning films premiered at the Big Heart
Small Film Awards Ceremony
$200,000 raised from event will support
Pasadena- and Los Angeles-area non-profit organizations
Alibaba Pictures Group Limited (“Alibaba Pictures”) and the
Pasadena Community Foundation (“PCF”) announced the four winners of
their Big Heart Small Film competition at a premiere event on
Thursday, November 16 at the Huntington Library’s Rothenberg Hall.
All nine finalists created films to raise awareness of local
non-profit organizations in the Pasadena community and the Greater
Los Angeles area. Each of the nine non-profits received a $2,500
grant from the Pasadena Community Foundation. The event raised
$200,000, which will be used to support Pasadena Community
Foundation’s grant-making programs for Pasadena- and Los
Angeles-area non-profit organizations.
“We are excited to have been able to be a part of this event and
celebrate these powerful stories of ‘doing good’ in Pasadena. Our
films give the community a unique perspective on the missions of
our incredible non-profits,” said Jennifer DeVoll, CEO of Pasadena
Community Foundation. “We are proud of our collaboration with
Alibaba Pictures and look forward to seeing these stories
shared.”
“Giving back to the communities we serve is a shared priority of
Alibaba Pictures and PCF,” said Wei Zhang, President of Alibaba
Pictures Group Limited. “These filmmakers have shown a true
dedication to telling the compelling stories of Pasadena-area
non-profits. Our hope is that this project inspires others to find
their philanthropic passion and make an impact in their
communities. As a local resident of the Pasadena area, I’m proud of
the stories being told due to this partnership and to positively
contribute to all of the great organizations involved.”
“I applaud the filmmakers for their creative contributions to
the goals of ‘Big Heart Small Film’,” said Steven Spielberg, one of
the industry’s most successful and influential filmmakers and
competition judge. “Their variety of stories expressed not only
their talent, but also their desire to make a personal impact on
viewers here and around the world. It is terrific to see a
partnership between Alibaba Pictures and the Pasadena Community
Foundation designed to turn a light – and a lens – on the good work
all around us.”
These winning films exhibited a mastery of storytelling and
creatively addressed their non-profits’ unique work in
Pasadena:
Gold Prize
- DEAR MAMA – follows a man on a journey
to re-enter society after incarceration.
- Filmmaker: Jiayuan Liu, USC School
of Cinematic Arts
- Non-profit: Flintridge Center creates
opportunities for individuals to become contributing and
self-sufficient community members.
Silver Prize
- POINT & DREAM – explores the issue
of homelessness from the eyes of a child.
- Filmmaker: Rui Cui, USC School of
Cinematic Arts
- Non-profit: Union Station Homeless
Services helps homeless individuals and families rebuild their
lives, leading the way to end homelessness in our community.
Bronze Prizes
- THEM – gives a glimpse into the life of
a girl with autism and her mother’s determination to ensure her
child has opportunities.
- Filmmaker: Taro Wei, USC Annenberg
School for Communication & Journalism
- Non-Profit: Professional Child
Development Associates offers a range of specialized therapy
services and programs for children, teens, and young adults who
have autism or other developmental disabilities.
and
- HEADSHOT – shares the story of an
aspiring actress and a printing professional, who look beyond their
disabilities and learn they can do anything.
- Filmmaker: Eva Ye, USC School of
Cinematic Arts
- Non-profit: AbilityFirst provides
a variety of programs designed to help people with disabilities
achieve their personal best throughout their lives.
To view these winning films and the other finalists, follow this
link: https://pasadenacf.org/big-heart-small-films/.
The Awards Ceremony on Thursday, November 16 showed each of the
four winning films. John Horn, Host of KPCC’s The Frame and emcee
of the Awards Ceremony said the finalist videos highlighted “very
poignant and powerful stories.” One judge gave “Dear Mama,” the
Gold Prize film by Jiayuan Liu featuring Flintridge Center, a
perfect score, commenting that the concept of the film was
“imaginative and well-executed.”
The competition was judged by a group of prominent
entertainment industry leaders including directors Steven
Spielberg ("Jaws," "Jurassic Park"); John Lee
Hancock (“Saving Mr. Banks,” “The Founder”); and D.J.
Caruso (“Disturbia,” “Eagle Eye”); producer Don Hahn
(“Beauty & the Beast”); actor and entrepreneur, Billy Zane
(“Titanic”); President, Alibaba Pictures Group Limited, Wei Zhang;
Head of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s Producers
Program, Denise Mann; Chairman and CEO of East West Bank, Dominic
Ng. John Horn (KPCC’s “The Frame”) emceed the event.
The participating Pasadena non-profits and filmmakers
include:
- Arroyo's & Foothills
Conservancy – Angela Liu
- Five Acres – Dmitry Kharchuk &
Xueru Tang
- Pasadena Playhouse – Xinxuan
(Demi) Zhong
- AbilityFirst – Eva Ye
- Flintridge Center – Jiayuan
Liu
- Huntington Senior Care Network – Muqing
Li
- Pasadena Police Activities League (PAL)
– Qingge Gao
- Professional Child Development
Associates – Siyu (Taro) Wei
- Union Station Homeless Services – Rui
Cui
For more information about the Big Hearts Small Film event and
competition, please visit: https://www.bigheartsmallfilm.org/.
About Pasadena Community Foundation
The Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) is a tax-exempt public
charity created by and for the people of Pasadena. Managing over
$70 million in charitable assets, PCF works with individuals,
families and organizations to establish philanthropic funds,
invests and builds endowment funds and provides grants to local
non-profits. PCF focuses on six areas of local interest: arts and
culture, education, environment, health, human services, and youth.
Dedicated to growth and posterity, PCF is Pasadena’s permanent
endowment for public good.
About Alibaba Pictures Group Limited
Alibaba Pictures, headquartered in Pasadena, is an
Internet-driven movie and television entertainment powerhouse. The
company’s operations integrate the full entertainment value chain,
including investment and financing, content sourcing and
production, promotion and distribution, as well as cinema services.
Alibaba Pictures has invested in the production of movies such as
Ferry Man, Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and
Ao Jiao Yu Pian Jian. It has also invested in international film
projects such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,
Star Trek Beyond, Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation, and REAL
starring popular Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun. Alibaba Pictures has
also partnered with Skydance Media to finance and produce the
WWII-themed feature film Flying Tigers, for which renowned
Hollywood screenwriter Randall Wallace is on board write the
script. Meanwhile, it has an upcoming TV series and movie Swords of
Legends 2.
Alibaba Pictures is listed on both The Stock Exchange of Hong
Kong Limited (stock code: 1060) and the Singapore Exchange
Securities Trading Limited (stock code: S91). Alibaba Group is the
largest shareholder.
About Big Heart Small Film
In January 2017, Alibaba Pictures and PCF announced a
partnership to support nine local non-profit organizations with the
launch of the ‘Big Heart Small Film’ short film competition. Nine
aspiring filmmakers were selected and matched with the non-profits
to create short films featuring the critical work of these
organizations and to raise awareness of the vibrant philanthropic
efforts in the Pasadena community.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171120005637/en/
Pasadena Community FoundationKathryn
Mgrublian626-818-6543kmgrublian@gmail.comorAlibaba
PicturesHannah Dunning / Monique Sidhom415-618-8750 /
310-201-2040hdunning@sardverb.com / msidhom@sardverb.com
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