Greetings!

This month we bring news about Christine Choy’s tribute at the Asian American International Film Festival, upcoming screenings of the newly restored film "A Litany for Survival", and so much more. 

As a pioneering filmmaker, educator, activist, and co-founder of Third World Newsreel, Asian CineVision, and the Center for Asian American Media, Christine Choy spent a lifetime crossing the borders of nation, language, identity, and expectation. On August 2nd, the Asian American Film Festival will hold a Christine Choy tribute with screenings of "Fei Tien: Goddess in Flight" and "Ha Ha Shanghai". Spanning from 1980s New York Chinatown to the rapidly transforming Shanghai of the 2000s, these films highlight Christine’s lifelong exploration of migration, freedom, and the ways people carry home across time and place. The screening will be followed by a conversation with JT Takagi (Executive Director of Third World Newsreel), Ku-Ling Yurman (Christine’s daughter and cinematographer of "Ha Ha Shanghai"), and Nancy Tong (filmmaker and longtime collaborator).

Films from our distribution catalog will be showcased at film festivals and art-house cinemas around the country. During Harlem Week, TWN Workshop graduate Shawn Batey will present her documentary "Changing Face of Harlem" at Maysles Cinema. The newly restored "A Litany for Survival" will premiere in Seattle and Washington, DC. Michèle Stephenson’s "True North" and Maori Karmael Holmes’ "Scene not Heard" will be part of the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia. 

Stay connected with us! Follow us on social media for real-time updates. Visit our website to sign up for newsletters, learn about upcoming screenings and workshops, and stay engaged with the TWN community.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Our Exhibitions showcase films, filmmakers, and communities, bringing crucial issues to the forefront. These events serve as dynamic platforms for diverse voices, facilitating dialogue and building deeper understanding and connections across communities.

• Aug 2, "Fei Tien" at the Asian American International Film Festival, New York (TWN Production)

• Aug 2, "A Litany for Survival" Restoration at the Langston theater, Seattle (TWN Production)

• Aug 7, "Scene not Heard" 2K Restoration at Black Start Film Festival, Philadelphia (TWN Distribution)

• Aug 9, "True North" Philadelphia Premiere at BlackStar Film Festival (TWN Distribution)

• Aug 12, "Changing Face of Harlem" at Maysles Cinema as part of Harlem Week (TWN Distribution)

• Aug 14, TWN Showcase airs on "Frame by Frame" episode, CUNY TV (TWN Workshop)

• Aug 16, "A Litany for Survival" Restoration at the African Diaspora International Film Festival, DC (TWN Production)

• July 25-November 11 2026, "Water Ritual #1" and "Shopping Bag Spirits and Freeway Fetishes" at the Mississippi Museum of Art (TWN Distribution)

• Ongoing, "Finding Christa" Streaming on Metrograph at Home (TWN Distribution)

• Ongoing, "Sweet Sugar Rage" Streaming on Criterion Channel (TWN Distribution)

• Ongoing, "Thời Thơ Ấu (Childhood)" Streaming on PBS POV Shorts (TWN Workshop Grad)

• Ongoing, "Mama Gloria" Streaming on PBS AfroPoP (TWN Distribution)

List of Resources and Deadlines

• New York State Media Arts Map and list of grants
• Deadlines:
• Bloomberg Green Docs (8/14)
• Alter Ciné (8/15)
• NFMLA NewNarratives (8/18)
• Jewish Film Institute's Doc Lab (8/21)
• AFI DWW+ (9/9)
• Sundance Catalyst Forum (9/23)
• Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant for Presentations (Ongoing)
• More resources

Join Us

Visit twn.org to explore our renewed digital presence and join us in shaping a media landscape where diversity and intersectionality drive social transformation.

In solidarity,

The Third World Newsreel team

Pioneering Social Justice Media Since 1968

Thanks to our supporters

TWN is supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council, Color Congress, Jerome Foundation, Mosaic Network, the National Film Preservation Foundation, Golden Globe Foundation, New York Community Trust, Kolibri Foundation, NFF, and the Peace Development Fund, as well as individual donors.