Granary Arts invites you to join us for Film Feast, a screening of “Maika: The Girl From Another Galaxy “including exclusive recorded intro with filmmaker Ham Tran.
About the Film
After a grieving 8-year-old boy investigates a mysterious falling star, he befriends a powerful alien girl named Maika in the poignant, fun-filled adventure “Maika: The Girl From Another Galaxy”. The “charming, heartfelt film” (Monique Jones, Common Sense Media) from award-winning writer and director Ham Tran, stars Phu Truong Lai, Diep Anh Chu, Tin Tin, Ngoc Tuong, and Kim Nha. During its theatrical window, “Maika: The Girl From Another Galaxy” was selected as an official Common Sense Selection for Families from Common Sense Media. The film also has been named a final nominee for Shine Global’s inaugural Children’s Resilience in Film Award, an accolade that honors filmmakers who highlight and celebrate the power of children globally.
About the Director
Ham Tran received his MFA in Directing from the UCLA School of Film and Television where his short films won numerous accolades including the title of National Finalist for the Student Academy Awards® for his short films “The Prescription” (2000) and “Pomegranate” (2001). Tran's thesis film “The Anniversary” was top ten for the 2004 Academy Awards® for Best Live Action Short. In the spring of 2006 Tran premiered his first feature film, “Journey From the Fall”, at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. This film went on to receive 16 international film festival awards for Best Feature Film.
In 2012, Tran began directing films in Vietnam. “Am Muu Giay Got Nhon” (How to Fight in Six Inch Heels), received the Silver Kite award for Best Director in 2014 at the Golden Kite Awards in Hanoi, Vietnam. The success of “Six Inch Heels” was quickly followed by Tran’s 2014 horror film, “Đoạt Hồn” (Hollow). This film did so well in the box office that it paved the way for the horror film genre in Vietnam. Tran continues to pioneer new paths in 2015 with the release of “Sieu Trom” (Bitcoin Heist), Vietnam’s first heist film. This film was very well received by audiences and film critics, and has found an occult audience in Vietnam. In 2016, Tran remade Thailand’s box office hit, “ATM Error” for local Vietnamese audience, retitled “Ban Gai Toi La Sep” (She’s the Boss).
About the Curators
Jared & Carly Jakins are a documentary filmmaking team and curatorial collaborators for Film Feast at Granary Arts in Central Utah. They have directed and produced several award-winning short films and have worked on multiple feature-length documentaries together. Their feature debut, Scenes From the Glittering World, was broadcast nationally on ITVS’s Independent Lens (PBS, 2022). Their work has also been curated by The Atlantic. They believe cinema has the capacity to formally transcend the sum of its parts. They are interested in stories of cultural and historical intersections near their home in the American West and beyond.
Granary Arts is supported in part by Utah Division of Arts & Museums, with funding from the State of Utah and the National Endowment for the Arts, Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, VIA Art Fund in partnership with Wagner Foundation, Utah Humanities, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, The Sam and Diane Stewart Family Foundation, The Ephraim City RAP Tax Fund, Sanpete County Travel, and generous support from Ephraim City.
This event is free and open to the public.