The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) will honor Asian and Pacific Islander (API) women and nonbinary artists in entertainment during their inaugural Radiance event.
CAPE, a nonprofit organization that has been advancing Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in Hollywood for over three decades, has invited “The Last of Us” star Merle Dandridge to host the special event, which will take place on March 21. It will notably be held The Ebell of Los Angeles, a women-led nonprofit and historical site founded in 1921.
Ming-Na Wen, known for her roles in films and TV series such as “Mulan,” “The Joy Luck Club” and “The Book of Boba Fett,” will be honored with the event’s first-ever Actor in TV honor. Tati Gabrielle, who stars in Netflix’s “You,” “Kaleidoscope” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” will receive the Cindy Y. Huang Rising Star Award.
Beyond acting, Oscar nominee Shirley Kurata, the costume designer behind “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” will receive the Behind the Camera Award, while “Partner Track” showrunner Georgia Lee will receive the Visionary Award.
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Other award recipients include Rebecca Sun, senior editor of diversity and inclusion at The Hollywood Reporter, for the Trailblazer Award; Dana Ledoux Miller, the writer, executive producer and co-showrunner of “Thai Cave Rescue,” for the Mentor Award; actor Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja (“After Yang”) for the Julia S. Gouw Next Generation Award; and Entertainment 360 partner Priya Satiani for the Power Broker Award.
Michelle K. Sugihara, CAPE’s executive director, shared in a statement that she wanted to celebrate Women’s History Month with a focus on the contributions of APIs.
We were shocked (but not entirely surprised) that there has never been an event during Women’s History Month celebrating API women and nonbinary individuals in entertainment. Despite the massive contributions they make to the entertainment industry, their achievements are often overlooked and CAPE is excited to shine a light on these talented people both in-front-of and behind-the-camera.
Radiance will also serve as a fundraiser, with proceeds from the event going to CAPE’s various programs and initiatives, including the CAPE New Writers Fellowship, the CAPE Leaders Fellowship, the CAPE Database, CAPE List, cultural script consulting and the Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge for API Women and Non-Binary Filmmakers.
Behind-the-scenes collaborators will be Asian-led as well. The red carpet will be run by Sechel PR, an Asian woman-founded and women-led PR firm, while sponsors include Bill Imada of IW Group, Julia S. Gouw, Cindy Y. Huang, House of M Beauty and Kola Goodies, among others.
