American Public Television Announces Filmmaker Theresa Loong as the Recipient of the 2023 Leanne Kaʻiulani Ferrer Content Fellowship Award
Annual award provides mentoring and support that advances the work of BIPOC creatives in public mediaBOSTON, MA (November 7, 2023) – American Public Television today announced New York-based filmmaker Theresa Loong as the winner of the Leanne Kaʻiulani Ferrer Content Fellowship Award, created in 2021 to honor the public media legacy of filmmaker Leanne Kaʻiulani Ferrer. The annual fellowship provides a BIPOC independent producer with the opportunity to attend APT Fall Marketplace, and receive one year of mentoring and counsel from members of the APT team. This public television system opportunity is intended to support the fellow’s next project - from tips on the budget process and sponsorship vetting, to editorial guidelines and global distribution.
Loong is a filmmaker and award-winning multimedia artist whose work has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Art, Círculo de Bellas Artes, and the Asia Society Hong Kong. Her film about one man’s experience of World War II, Every Day Is a Holiday, premiered on public television. She previously served as an associate producer on the public television film So Very Far From Home; and as a producer for Farmers for America, Unsettled History: America, China and the Doolittle Tokyo Raid, and China: Frame by Frame. Loong has also produced interactive graphic novel games and social media games for AMC Networks’ The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. A graduate of Harvard University with a Master of Fine Arts from Hunter College, Loong is the chairperson for Filmshop and is a member of the Asian American Documentary Network, Film Fatales, and Brown Girls Doc Mafia. Loong’s fellowship project will focus on her next film Game On, a documentary exploring award-winning game designer Brenda Romero and her trailblazing impact as a woman in a male-dominated industry, incorporating historical and social themes into the 50 video and board games designed over the course of her career.
“Given the unique topic and perspectives represented by Theresa’s upcoming project, Game On, we knew it was a story that needed to be shared with public media audiences,” said Jim Dunford, President and CEO of APT. “We are proud to support Theresa with this year’s fellowship award, dedicated to supporting BIPOC creatives in their filmmaking endeavors.”
Leanne Kaʻiulani Ferrer, who passed away in 2021, was the executive director of Pacific Islanders in Communication, dedicated to creating a deeper understanding of Pacific Island history, culture, and contemporary challenges through media content.
Details on submission guidelines and selection process for the Leanne Kaʻiulani Ferrer Content Fellowship Award are available at https://aptonline.org.
About American Public Television
American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and more than one-third of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, dramas, how-to programs, classic movies, children’s series and news and current affairs programs. Doc Martin, Midsomer Murders, America’s Test Kitchen, AfroPoP, Rick Steves’ Europe, Pacific Heartbeat, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television, Legacy List with Matt Paxton, Front and Center, Lidia’s Kitchen, Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen, Simply Ming, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, Front & Center, James Patterson’s Kid Stew and NHK Newsline are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV — featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. APT’s newest venture, APT Podcast Studios, presents podcast productions including “If This Food Could Talk,” “Armchair Explorer” and “Gravy.” More information at APTonline.org.
Press Contacts
Olivia Wong
APT Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Olivia_Wong(at)APTonline.org
Ajani Martin-Abascal
Marketing & Communications Associate
Ajani_Martin-Abascal@APTonline.org