Meet Cute Music
Watch music meet the moving image in this special collaboration between Asian CineVision and Keepsake House for the 45th Asian American International Film Festival presented by Citi. Songwriters ÊMIA, Mai Anna, and TONIE will take to the stage in performance and conversation with filmmakers C.K. Hugo Chung, Joshua Chee, Kimberly Te, and Lee Milby. Sing along to the best of local indie pop, dance your heart out to the music videos that will hit straight in your feels, and grab a colorful cocktail at this music night out that promises to be as sweet as a summer sunset.
This series is co-produced by Asian CineVision.
Special thanks to Moshi, Lunar, and Kolkata Chai for being a part of Meet Cute Music. For each show ticket purchased, receive one raffle ticket for a chance to win a Kolkata Chai Gift set! And for every Lunar hard seltzer purchased at the bar during the show, receive one raffle ticket for a chance to win an exclusive Lunar x AAIFF hoodie!
Doors: 7:00pm
Tickets:
In person: $20
Two drink minimum
— Songwriters —
ÊMIA (she/her)
ÊMIA is the indie-pop project of Vietnamese-American, Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter and producer, Anh Le. With a string of impressive singles under her belt, the rising star has managed to be featured in a Logitech's for Creators campaign as well as appearing in Netflix's “Ronny Chieng Takes Chinatown.” The indie-pop songstress has amassed millions of streams across her discography. Her self-written and self-produced debut EP, Little Secret, has been featured on a myriad of Spotify editorial playlists and on Starbucks’s official “Coffeehouse Pop” playlist. Her work as a songwriter and featured vocalist for producers like DUUMU, Imfinenow, and SVDKO have landed her placements on New Music Friday Belgium, Spain and Norway. Her first cut as a producer was for Brooke Alexx.
She recently released “being single” on March 31st, which is the second single to her upcoming two-part EP, Video Call: AM.
Mai Anna (she/her)
Mai Anna is a 20-year-old Harvard student turned R&B/Soul Songstress who was born and raised in Queens, NY. Her silky smooth vocal tone combined with her unwavering ability to pen hits across multiple genres allows listeners to feel connected to her storytelling. As an audio engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and creative director, Mai Anna’s vision far exceeds her youth. So much so that she decided to take a semester off from school to launch her music career. The Japanese & Puerto Rican singer “Mai Anna” released her first single and video in 2021.
Soundcloud | Spotify | Instagram
TONIE (they/them)
TONIE is doing their very best to make you cry, in all the best ways. Their music is deeply autobiographical, taking on topics such as love and heartbreak, struggles with depression, and queer contemplations. TONIE wraps challenging conversations in luscious synths, driving guitars, and dynamic vocals that invites listeners to love themselves fully and bask in their feels.
The LA-native writes and produces each synth-pop track from the comfort of their skylit home studio in Brooklyn, NY — a perfect backdrop for the emotional vulnerability that colors their lyrics. Proudly Vietnamese American, nonbinary, and themselves!
TONIE has previously performed in the Keepsake House series Show Yourself and was the Music Director of From Story to Song.
— Filmmakers —
C.K. Hugo Chung (he/they)
Taiwanese by nature, New Yorker by nurture, C.K. Hugo Chung is an experienced film distributor and producer based in Taiwan. In 2019 his distribution title, RBG, was nominated for two Academy Awards. His production title that will be screened during this show, Tank Fairy, won the Midnight Audience Award in 2022 SXSW, and Best Narrative Short in Frameline 46: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival. When he is not producing a project, he enjoys red wine and poetry.
Joshua Chee (he/him)
Joshua is a Chinese American cinematographer and video editor born and raised in Queens. He studied cinema at Binghamton University, and after graduation he became involved in the filmmaking scene in NYC. He was the cinematographer and editor of the music video “if i took a pill” by TONIE, which will be screened at this show.
Kimberly Te (she/her)
Kimberly is a Cambodian American director and producer. She was raised in Northern Virginia and attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville where she got involved in filmmaking. She moved to NYC after graduating to further pursue the arts. Earlier this year, she produced and directed the music video “if i took a pill” by TONIE, which will be screened at this show.
Lee Milby (she/her)
Lee Milby is an Asian-American filmmaker and artist born in Hawaii and raised by an Irish American family in the suburbs of Upstate NY. She attended Pratt MWP from 2007-2009, and earned her BFA in 2012 from The Cooper Union School of Art with a focus on oil painting and performance art. Her films have won awards in festivals domestically as well as internationally, and as a storyboard artist, she has illustrated spots for Saks 5th Avenue, PwC, NAACP, Amazon, Netflix, Nickelodeon, and many more. Her music video “1-1” will be screened during this show.
*Note: Littlefield is a 21+ venue. Government-issued ID is required to enter.