Celebrating diversity and artistic empowerment, the Tenth Annual 72 Hour Film Shootout (“Shootout”) returns to the AAIFF this summer. The Shootout is a worldwide competition in which filmmaking teams are given a common theme (The Color of My Hair!) at the start and then have 72 hours to write, shoot, edit, and complete short films up to five minutes in length. The Top Ten films are selected by judges including acclaimed playwright David Henry Hwang, film festival programmers Milton Liu and Scott Eriksson, writers Celena Cipriaso (All My Children) and Kenneth Lin (House of Cards), talent agent David Elliott, and ABC’s Executive Director of Casting, Marci Phillips, and enjoy their World Premiere on July 27th at the AAIFF. The Asian American Film Lab, a 501(c)(3) non profit, runs the Shootout every year to challenge stereotypes in mainstream media and to ensure the diverse stories, faces and voices of Americans of color are seen and heard, not just as whispers, but as shouts to the world! Come join in on the most cutting edge, innovative, bold, and deliciously diverse entertainment imaginable! You can watch past Shootout winners on the NYCMedia television series, Film Lab Presents. The awards will be hosted by actor and Film Lab President Jennifer Betit Yen. The theme was selected by Justin C. Lee, as part of an investigation into race and race relations in today’s world. More at: www.asianamericanfilmlab.com