MINOR LEGENDS RECOGNIZED WITH 2023 QUEENS ARTS FUND GRANT FROM NEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS (NYFA) AND THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS (DCLA)

Angela Wong Carbone Will Present Minor Legends as Part of Award Program

Click here for more information on Queens Arts Fund.

Queens, NY – Angela Wong Carbone (writer, actor) is one of 142 Queens-based artists, artist collectives, and small non-profit organizations to receive funding through the Queens Arts Fund program, presented by The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) in partnership with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA).

Wong Carbone was recognized with a New Work Grant for Minor Legends, of which she is the writer and creator, which will bring a live reading to the Queens upon the series launch.

Minor Legends is a comedy fiction podcast that follows five friends in NY who are navigating and redefining the "AAPI experience". Each episode takes place at the gang's weekly dinner hang where they dish on their lives. A part-anthology part-serialized show that explores a different topic (tiger moms, fetishization, therapy, superstition, interracial dating, and more) in each episode and follows our characters as they embark on a journey to understand whatever the f*** AAPI culture means to them. Like Drunk History and Subtle Asian Traits smashed together, Minor Legends specifically addresses (and dismantles, questions, and pokes fun at) stereotypes that AAPI representation has been limited to in traditional media.

The City-funded Queens Arts Fund, administered by NYFA for Fiscal Year 2023, will provide $457,600 in project grants to Queens-based artists, artist collectives, and small non-profit organizations of all artistic disciplines to support the local production of artwork and cultural programs that highlight, engage, and bolster the borough of Queens.

All recipients must have a public component–held in-person, virtually, or combination of both–in Queens within the 2023 calendar year to provide Queens community members with the opportunity to experience dynamic, easily accessible arts and cultural events. Members of the public can participate in Queens Arts Fund programming by following the hashtag #QAF2023 on social media.

 Angela Wong Carbone was recognized with a NewWork Grant.

THE PLAYLIST | Resurrection

The Playlist names Resurrection (2022) the BEST HORROR FILM of 2022

When a horror film is praised on the festival circuit, one always wonders how it will make the leap to more widespread audiences. For months, “Resurrection” was a film that had been whispered about in festival circles, a movie with a killer monologue and a batshit third act that would leave horror fans breathless. In this instance, the movie was not oversold. It is not too much of a stretch to call “Resurrection” the feel-bad movie of the year. Director Andrew Semans entrusts his film to the capable hands of Rebecca Hall, and the twists and turns that follow — the unraveling of a human being as a result of decades of emotional abuse—make the movie one of the hardest watches of any year; let alone 2022.

SHORT OF THE WEEK | NOTICE ME

Kurt Schneider’s Notice Me featured on Short of the Week 12/14/22

With the camera so close to her face throughout the film, and the entire emotional journey and narrative arc on her shoulders, Angela Wong Carbone, who had already blown us away in Doublespeak, is once more incredibly impressive with a layered and compelling performance that truly captures the nuances of the screenplay. 

DEADLINE | SWIPE NYC ADDS ANGELA WONG CARBONE

EXCLUSIVE: David Walton (Council of Dads), Justin Marcel McManus (Power Book II: Ghost), David Kelsey (Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story) and Omari K. Chancellor (The Greatest Beer Run Ever) are among the newest additions to Sue Zarco Kramer’s short film, Swipe NYC, shooting this month in New York. Others joining the ensemble, led by Lisa Edelstein, Richard Schiff and Bridget Moynahan, include Richard Radutzky, Angela Wong Carbone (Resurrection) and Christiane Seidel (The Queen’s Gambit).

The short follows the adventures of the newly divorced empty nester, Syd (Edelstein), as she navigates the world of online dating in Brooklyn. Each “swipe” serves as a metaphoric stepping stone towards putting the pieces of her life back together. Kramer will direct from her own script and produce alongside Moynahan, Cheryl Bayer and Kelsey. Heather Sederquist is executive producing, with Katia Koziara serving as co-producer.

AsAmNEWS | MINOR LEGENDS x MIXED ASIAN MEDIA FEST

MAM Fest spotlights stories, fosters community for mixed Asians

“We are a very excited, boisterous and culturally relevant community, but I think we often don’t get opportunities to stand alone, to really distinguish ourselves,” Wong Carbone says. “And [Chester-Iwata] has really created this festival as a way to spotlight our stories and our experiences, and I feel really grateful that she’s involved me in it.”

In 2021, Wong Carbone submitted the script for an episode of her podcast Minor Legends to the first MAM Fest. She describes the podcast as a mashup of Subtle Asian Traits and Drunk History. The show features 5 friends who discuss the Asian American experience in NYC over a lively dinner and is filled with bombastic comedy and colorful characters.

Minor Legends won the Best New Media award at the 2021 MAM Fest. Now, this year’s festival features a live recording of an episode of the podcast, which explores the immigration story of Wong Carbone’s Chinese mother. Wong Carbone hopes to continue the success she’s found at the festival as she records the rest of the podcast’s first season this year.

NEW YORK TIMES | ‘Resurrection’ Review: Mother of Fears

CRITIC’S PICK

A successful single mother encounters a terrifying man from her past in this crazily enjoyable horror movie.

“That’s why Hall’s skin-prickling, 7-minute monologue early in the film is so critical. As the screen darkens behind her and her pale face fills the frame, she recounts Margaret and David’s horrifying history with irresistible sincerity. It’s the perfect setup for an ending of such delicious ambiguity it was all I could do not to applaud.”

COLLIDER | 'Resurrection' Review: Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth Clash in an Enticing Thriller | Sundance 2022

Coercive control takes full form in this psychological thriller by filmmaker Andrew Semans.

“The third act is where Director Andrew Semans pushes himself and takes a bold step away from what we might expect and perhaps what we want – giving us a conclusion that is full of gore, completely bizarre, and absolutely fitting for the story he is trying to tell. Coming in at an economical 103 minutes, Resurrection was one of those rare movies that showed during Sundance that I wished was a bit longer. Fleshing out some more of Abbie or Angela Wong Carbone's Gwyn, Margaret's doe-eyed and soft-spoken underling might have added heft, especially since both Gwyn and Abbie serve as foils to Margaret. They are both nurtured by her and Margaret acts as a sort of mentor to Gwyn.”

ROGER EBERT | RESURRECTION (2022)

3 STARS

"Resurrection" starts with a cold open: a young woman (Angela Wong Carbone) sits in a glassy modern office, sharing her man-problems to someone off-screen. Her "confessor," Margaret (Rebecca Hall), is first seen sitting on the side of her desk, her lean body twisted around itself, her neck elongated and exposed in a disturbingly vulnerable and yet somehow aggressive way. Is Margaret an HR representative? Is she this young woman's mentor? The cold open leaves a strange impression. Margaret refers to the young woman's boyfriend as a "sadist," an exaggerated word choice. Her delivery is off-putting. Margaret, in general, is off-putting. Written and directed by Andrew Semans, "Resurrection" is a diabolically intense psychological thriller, with two riveting central performances from Hall and Tim Roth, neither of whom shy away from the dark nutty territory they are required to enter.

ABC TALENT SHOWCASE 2020

Selected for the ABC Talent Showcase 2020

Culled from over 15,000 submissions, Angela was selected to participate in the 46th annual ABC Talent Showcase along with 15 other participants from the East Coast.

SHORT OF THE WEEK, VIMEO STAFF PICK

Doublespeak is selected as a vimeo staff pick, shortoftheweek’s best of the month July 2020

Doublespeak was selected for July’s best shorts on Short of the Week:

“For our favourites films, it was so hard to separate the votes from the team, so I’ve gone for a quartet of shorts, instead of the usual trio. The foursome – described by our team as “subtle and slight but utterly effective”, “one of the best genre shorts ever made”, “a short that works on every level” and a “mini, understated masterpiece” – makes for just under an hour of viewing that promises to toy with your emotions and linger long after watching.”

INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER PROJECT 42nd IFP WEEK 2020

Minor Legends selected for IFP’s 42nd annual IFP Week Project Forum

Today, IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project), announced its Project Forum slate, highlighting 144 feature-length and series projects, including, for the first time, a slate of 36 audio projects, in development and production set to participate in the upcoming 42nd annual edition of IFP Week, taking place entirely online September 20 – 25, 2020. Press release here.

Minor Legends, written and created by Angela Wong Carbone, was selected as one of 36 audio projects ranging from traditional podcast series to audio plays and chatcasts, the Audio Hub aims to bring together emerging and established artists and bridge the gap between them and the ever-growing audio industry.

Minor Legends created, executive produced, and written by Angela Wong Carbone, production by Ruth Du, co-produced by Nick Vango. Over dim sum and shared noodle bowls, friends recount the bombastic, intriguing and untold experiences that come with being a minority in the western world through the lens of “urban legends.” (Fiction)

SWIPE NIGHT WINS WEBBY AWARD, D&AD PENCIL, GOLD CUBE

Swipe Night wins big

Winner of the People’s Voice award, Webby Awards

Graphite Pencil / Media / Use of Entertainment / 2020, Wood Pencil / Entertainment / Immersive, D&AD Pencil

Gold Cube at the ADC awards by the One Club

VANITY FAIR

Lena Waithe and AT&T Take Action to Expand Diversity in Hollywood

In the television industry, it all starts in the writers’ room. It’s the place where characters are developed, story arcs are plotted, and dialogue that defines the actors’ roles is crafted. It’s where negative stereotypes can be dismantled and viewers’ aspirations are sparked. And, despite greater inclusion in recent years, the writers’ room is still the place where an overwhelmingly white male demographic determines the content we tune into and stream. There’s an urgent need for diverse audiences to see characters they can relate to and stories that reflect their world on both the big and small screens. According to a recent report, in the 100 top movies of 2017, 29.3 percent of characters were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, 2.5 percent were characters with disabilities, and less than 1 percent of all characters were from the LGBTQ+ community.

FEELING ASIAN PODCAST

Rummaging Through Garbage for Success

Our first guest ever! Angela Wong Carbone joins Feeling Asian to discuss her career transition from architecture to acting, half-Asian identity and why she rejected Brian. Catch her every Sunday on the new Tinder series Swipe Night! Follow her on instagram @labellacarbone and follow us @itsbrianpark, @ymmayer and @feelingasianpodcast.

VANITY FAIR

LGBTQ+ Stories in the Spotlight: Lena Waithe and Emerging Filmmakers on Inspiring Change

October marks LGBTQ+ History Month, a celebration coordinated by the Equality Forum to recognize current and posthumous achievements of members of the queer community. It’s important to note that, far from being celebrated, gay people have been ostracized, suppressed, and even criminalized until very recently. Their queer identity has been excluded from the history books, and depiction of their lives in art, literature, and film were all but non-existent until the late 20th century. “I absolutely believe there is a lot more queer representation than there was even three years ago. So much progress has happened,” said award-winning writer, showrunner, and producer Lena Waithe, the lead mentor for the AT&T Mentorship Program. “But we still have more work to do—it’s not enough until it’s all equal.” As October comes to an end, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the importance of celebrating the LGBTQ+ community throughout the year.

MITÚ

Work In Progress – A Preview To The 2019 AT&T Hello Lab Mentorship Projects

The 2019 AT&T Hello Lab Mentorship Program is well underway, supporting up-and-coming filmmakers as they bring their projects to life. A program specifically designed to spotlight underrepresented voices in the entertainment industry? Sign us up! Helmed by lead mentor and Emmy® Award-Winning Actress, Writer, Producer, and all-around dope human being, Lena Waithe, five Writers are paired up with five Directors and are guided through the process of bringing their short films to fruition. They attend workshops, learn how to pitch their projects, and launch into production, getting incredibly hands-on experience. The program is an amazing platform to bring the voices and stories of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community to mainstream media, which we can all agree, is insanely needed.

AT&T HELLO LAB

The New Creative Class with Lena Waithe: Episode 7, The Making of Postmarked

In the seventh episode, we take a look at the production process behind “Postmarked.” Malakai braves the literal heat from the Director’s chair and the whole crew gets a well deserved reward. Stay tuned for the series finale in the next episode of “The New Creative Class with Lena Waithe!” Projects + Teams: “Postmarked” - Angela Carbone (Writer) and Malakai (Director)

POPSUGAR

Meet the Stars of the Interactive TV Series Tinder — Yes, Tinder — Is Launching

Let's get this out of the way right now: Tinder is launching an interactive TV series about a scary apocalyptic disaster. Yes, Tinder. Yes, it might seem weird. But when you stop to think about how nerve-racking dating is IRL, the idea . . . actually makes quite a bit of sense, no?

The choose-your-own-adventure interactive series (think: Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, but hopefully with less murder) is titled Swipe Night and hails from 23-year-old music video director Karena Evans (Drake's "Nice For What," SZA's "Garden"). The microseries will give Tinder users a whole new way to match, since Evans shot Swipe Night entirely from the first-person perspective. Because of that, members are placed directly into the action-packed storyline, dodging threats and making important decisions along with the cast of three talented young stars.