We were lucky to catch up with Lynn Tang recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lynn, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I come from a family of teachers, who taught me the value of hard work. My grandmother in particular was a great influence on me. She encouraged me to do everything to the best of my ability. To make my mark and be remembered well by future generations.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Maeya Culture Exchange Group produces features about historically underrepresented groups. Our recent productions, “On Matriarchy Lake” and “Tibetan Hearts” are romantic dramas featuring Mosuo and Tibetans, respectively, both minority groups with little western media exposure. “Tibetan Hearts” has won awards for cinematography at several film festivals, including Riverside International Film Festival and screened at the famous Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Most recently, it won Outstanding Screenplay at Abuja International Film Festival in Nigeria. It will appear at Follow the Arrow International Film Festival in Hungary this summer. I was also awarded Best Foreign Producer for my work on ‘Tibetan Hearts’.
Both of these films were shot on location with a crew and cast comprised of locals. The communities embraced this rare opportunity to share their culture with the wider world. Political and geographic issues keep most western productions from filming in these regions. Our solution was to have the director work remotely with the on-set crew.
Maeya also runs three film festivals throughout California. Our upcoming festival is the Universe Multicultural Film Festival, located in Los Angeles, April 12 to 14, 2024. UMFF is currently accepting films that showcase diversity and cultural heritage.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
As a film producer, it’s important to have a strong knowledge of the filmmaking process. This includes an understanding of all stages of production, from screenwriting to distribution. A big picture view of filmmaking, including how each role effects the others, is essential.
In my previous career in project management, I specialized in cross-cultural communication. This skill has been incredibly useful to me as a filmmaker. Having an understanding of the geographic region you are working with is necessary in aspects as varied as location scouting and advertising.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am looking for marketing and production experts to collaborate with on my upcoming films. I have several films in pre-production, including a period drama about Chinese women migrating to the US in the 80s and a comedy film featuring several big-name stars. You can contact me at the email [email protected] or through our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Maeyafilms. For information about our past films, visit our website https://maeyafilms.maeya.us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maeya.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maeya.umff.1
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/maeya-culture-exchange-group-llc/about/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/maeya_Culture
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/maeyagroup
