Film Lab Movie "The Opposite of a Fairy Tale" Receives Accolades in Palm Springs

NEW YORK - Oct. 16, 2016 - PRLog -- The Desert Film Society selected Film Lab's The Opposite of a Fairy Tale (http://www.asianamericanfilmlab.com//index.php?cID=181) by Jennifer Betit Yen for a special Palm Springs Preview Screening on October 15, 2016.  Despite the early screening time of 9:30 AM Pacific, over 250 people packed the theatre and rocked the room with applause after the film ended.  Film Society Director Beth Fromm moderated a panel after the screening featuring three of the actors from the film – Bruce and Timothy Yang and Collin Heald, as well as Collin's father, Ryan Heald, which a moviegoer described as a "very engaging panel."  In the film, a woman is slowly imprisoned by her family with the unwitting help of well-meaning bystanders.  The film aims to draw light to the epidemic of elder abuse affecting at least 1 in 10 seniors today.

Fromm said of the film, "This is an important subject [elder abuse] that kept everyone's attention throughout the screening and really made them think about what they would do in the same situation."  Betit Yen, who wrote the film based on personal experiences, thanked the Desert Film Society for bringing the film to Palm Springs and for raising hundreds of dollars to help combat elder abuse.  The filmmakers also thanked the Warwick Hotel, Fay Ann Lee, NYAWC, and the Asian Women's Giving Circle for their support of the film.

Various versions of the film have previewed in New York, including a sold out preview at the Museum of Chinese in America, the Asian American International Film Festival, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Shorts Showcase, and more.  Versions of the film will show in November for a private event with the New York Asian Women's Center and at the December Annual New York Conference on Elder Abuse.  More information on the film's official website at www.TheOppositeOfAFairyTale.com.  Film Lab's next movie, The Descartes Highlands, by acclaimed novelist Eric Gamalinda, is currently in pre-production.

About the Desert Film Society

The Desert Film Society promotes the appreciation of film in the Coachella Valley by providing Society members an opportunity to view the latest in quality art, international and cutting-edge independent cinema and educating members by providing a platform for discussion of the art of film and film craft.  More at http://www.desertfilmsociety.org/screening/tba-62/

About the Asian American Film Lab

The Film Lab is a non-profit 501(c)(3) headquartered in New York City that has been dedicated to the promotion and support of gender and ethnic diversity in media since 1998.  The Film Lab accomplishes that goal in three ways:  (1) education; (2) outreach and support; and (3) production.

Education – The Film Lab runs monthly events that are open to the public ranging from screenings to seminars to Q&As, all designed to increase awareness of the current state of diversity in media and to provide audiences with the tools and motivation to effectuate positive social change through entertainment.

Outreach-Support – The Film Lab runs various programs ranging from the famous 72 Hour Shootout filmmaking competition to filmmaking how-to workshops to networking parties, all of which work to connect people of color, particularly Asian Americans, and mainstream media executives and to create mentorship and distribution opportunities for people creating diverse works.  The 72 Hour Shootout filmmaking competition is arguably the Film Lab's most important annual event; bringing together A-list judges and established and aspiring filmmakers across the globe.  People of all colors, backgrounds, religions, and cultures with a common goal: to battle inequality through creativity; to promote gender and ethnic diversity through entertainment; and to challenge stereotypical mainstream constructions of race, gender and sexuality.

Production – The Film Lab produces media with positive and prolific perceptions of women and people of color and films that effectuate positive social change through narrative storytelling.  The TV series, Film Lab Presents currently airs on CrossingsTV (Time Warner Cable & Xfinity).  We also have an online channel, AAFL TV, to which viewers can subscribe to for free at youtube.com/asamfilmlab.

The Film Lab management team consists of Jennifer Betit Yen (President), Chloe Jenkins (Treasurer, Grants & Fundraising), Daryl King and Jo Dongbang (Connections), Mahima Saigal (Unfinished Works), Cici Chu and Jodi Lin (72 Hour Shootout), Renee Lasher (Industry Spotlight), along with a dedicated Board, interns and event volunteers. Board members include James Kyson and Aaron Woolfolk, among others.  For more information, please visit the Film Lab's website at http://www.asianamericanfilmlab.com/