Rafael Bitanga’s Bridging Our Stories won the 2024 Virtual Ready, Set Pitch! event on October 27. The annual opportunity to pitch works-in-progress is the culmination of the year-long CAAM Fellowship program, which pairs emerging filmmakers with established professionals to develop their non-fiction projects.
To prepare for the event, Bitanga and the other two 2024 Fellows—Colette Ghunim and Linghua (Lily) Qi—worked with Pitch Coach Shuling Yong, as well as their respective program Mentors: Tadashi Nakamura, Bhawin Suchak and Diane Quon. As part of the event, Fellows pitched their films, showed a clip and then answered questions from the jurors.
Bitanga’s documentary tells the story of Alma, a 50-year-old immigrant who travels to the Philippines for the first time since infancy, following her journey to learn traditional dance in an effort to bring cultural connection to Filipino/a youth in Alaska.
As the winner, Bitanga, 24, will be awarded $10,000 in support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
“I was truly impressed with Rafael—his passion and connection to the story shone through in his pitch,” said Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, Director of Artist Accelerator & Women at Sundance Programs at the Sundance Institute. “All three projects bring powerful, unique perspectives on cultural identity and belonging in America today. These new voices inspire hope for the future and underscore the importance of supporting diverse stories and creators.”
“Though it was a difficult decision, Rafael’s short about the Filipino American experience in Ketchikan, Alaska sheds light on the diversity of Asian-American experience in unexpected ways. The ability to support an Asian-American filmmaker in an underserved region like Alaska was one we couldn’t pass up,” said juror Keisha Knight, Director of IDA Funds & Advocacy. “The blend of politics and intimacy in each of the three projects was extremely exciting to see! Each of the three projects attempts to delicately weave together the personal, the political with compelling effects.
All three films addressed intensely personal differences across cultures and identities. “All three of these incredible stories contain unique through lines exploring the experience of becoming American, a departure from the idea of a pure and immutable ‘Americanness’,” said juror Michael Kinomoto, Senior Manager, Production and a Supervising Producer for ITVS. “Stories like these celebrate our differences while reminding us of our shared values, ultimately inspiring us to grow and belong together.”
“What a joy to support a bright emerging voice like Rafael and his ambitious first film that expands our perceptions of the Asian American experience,” said Theresa Navarro, filmmaker and co-director and chief operations officer at Catapult Film Fund. “We were so inspired by the way each of the fellows embodied CAAM’s essential mission to bring stories to light. Can’t wait to see what they do next!”
Reflecting on the award, Bitanga thanked CAAM Mentor Tadashi Nakamura and Pitch Coach Shuling Yong, and the other two 2024 CAAM Fellows Colette Ghunim and Linghua (Lily) Qi. “As a child of Filipino immigrants who worked in Alaska’s canneries, I saw firsthand how certain stories remain untold in mainstream media.” Bitanga said. “The CAAM Fellowship has given me the tools to change that narrative.”
Bitanga’s advice to future CAAM Fellowship applicants: “Whether you’re established or just starting out, your perspective matters. Don’t self-select out—apply!”
2024 Ready, Set, Pitch! Films
Traces of Home by Colette Ghunim
Ghunim’s personal narrative about traveling to her parents’ ancestral homes in Mexico and Palestine opened the pitchfest. She spoke to the healing journey of the film as well as broader notions of healing and belonging in the U.S. “Because of this deeply impactful journey that I had, my vision is that it is able to do the same for other children and immigrants and refugees globally,” she said.
Untitled Religion in School Documentary by Linghua (Lily) Qi
Next, CAAM Fellow Linghua (Lily) Qi presented her documentary about a unique Illinois public school class “World Religions”, which brings together students from a range of backgrounds to learn about and across differences—in a time when such understanding is badly needed. “Throughout the school year, we witness students approach each other with curiosity and breakthrough preconceived notions, and we watch students question and challenge their own beliefs about who they are and who they want to become,” she said.
Bridging Our Stories by Rafael Bitanga
Wrapping up the event, Bitanga discussed his project about a Filipina immigrant woman in Alaska traveling to the Philippines to bring her native culture to Alaska. He also talked about his connection to her. “I felt an immediate connection, because I haven’t really seen any initiative like this in Alaska. Now, I saw so much of myself in her experiences that I wanted to document her journey.”
2024 Jury
Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs is the Director of Artist Accelerator & Women of Sundance Programs at the Sundance Institute where she spearheads multidisciplinary initiatives aimed at fostering opportunities for artists in the independent film and television industry. Her focus is on addressing issues of equity, sustainability, and access. She provides support to nearly 100 artists through fellowships, grants, and scholarships, empowering them to enhance their creative capital and cultural influence.
Michael Kinomoto is the Senior Manager, Production and a Supervising Producer for ITVS where he oversees documentary films in production. Highlights include the Academy Award-nominated and Peabody Award-winning Minding the Gap, Emmy-winning Best of Enemies, as well as festival award-winners Free Chol Soo Lee, Hidden Letters, El Equipo, and The Tuba Thieves. He worked with filmmaker Steven Okazaki as an associate producer, assistant editor, and post-production supervisor on the Academy Award-nominated short, The Mushroom Club, and Emmy award-winning documentary, White Light/Black Rain, both for HBO.
Theresa Navarro is a Pinay cultural worker and an Independent Spirit Award-nominated producer. Her credits include Chinatown sports documentary 9-Man (director Ursula Liang), Peabody Award-winning anthology series ‘America Reframed’ on WORLD Channel (supervising producer Carmen L. Vicencio), and sci-fi feminist feature Advantageous (director Jennifer Phang, producers Robert Chang, Jacqueline Kim, Ken Jeong, Moon Molson), which won the Special Prize for Collaborative Vision at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
Keisha Knight is the Director of IDA Funds & Advocacy. In this capacity, Keisha oversees a portfolio of IDA’s granting, research, and artist support programs. Keisha has served on numerous juries and review panels, was a 2023-2024 Warhol Curatorial Research Fellow, co-founder of Sentient.Art.Film, and is a PhD candidate in Film and Visual Studies at Harvard University.
2024 Ready, Set, Pitch! Participants
Rafael Bitanga is a filmmaker from Kodiak Island, Alaska who focuses on the power of film and service to uplift others with dignity. Beyond film projects, he teaches filmmaking to youth and educators across Alaska through the nonprofit See Stories.
Colette Ghunim is a documentary filmmaker and nonprofit co-founder. Her soul purpose is to use the power of film and storytelling for those oppressed around the world to be seen, to be heard, and to heal. Her first documentary, The People’s Girls (2016), received over 2 million views and won Best Short Documentary at the Arab Film Festival.
Linghua (Lily) Qi is a Chicago-based filmmaker and producer with a passion for visual storytelling that reflects human interests and social issues. She has assisted projects for BBC, CNBC, Belt Magazine, Global Citizen, and AARP-Chicago, including Emmy-nominated, award-winning docuseries co-produced by WORLD Channel and Asian American Documentary Network.
Check back soon to learn more about and apply for the 2025 CAAM Fellowship.
Tomio Geron is a writer based in San Francisco.
