NextShark Studios
Asian & Asian American films, from first short to first feature — Los Angeles, since 2021.
14 films · 20+ festival selections · Tribeca · Cannes · PBS · Canal+
The slate
This week’s picture · doors open through Sunday
On his final night alive, a ramen chef goes on an unintended late-night odyssey with the Grim Reaper. They share a bowl of noodles and discover what it means to be human.
Streaming free · feature adaptation in development at Fit Via Vi
Why we backed it — BennyTiger sent a cut where the Grim Reaper shares noodles with Bobby Lee. We said yes before the bowl was empty.
Written & directed by Tiger Ji · Starring Bobby Lee & Matt Jones · Executive Producers Benny Luo & Jonathan Sanger (Oscar-winning producer, The Elephant Man)
- PremiereWorld premiere in competition, Palm Springs ShortFest 2023 · screened at 10+ Oscar-qualifying festivals
- DistributionCanal+ worldwide · 1M+ YouTube views in first month · Kanopy · Encore Inflight
- NextFeature adaptation in development (Fit Via Vi)
The Filmmakers
Jonathan Chan
No Trouble
Beyond Fest 2025
Tiger Ji
Death and Ramen
Signed by UTA & Anonymous Content; feature in development
Daeil Kim
Loving Day · STEM
Student Academy Awards finalist · Sundance Screenwriters Intensive
Kevin Jin Kwan Kim
My Dad, the Rockstar
Tribeca premiere · Sony Future Filmmaker shortlist
Crystal Kwok
Blurring the Color Line
National PBS broadcast · 6+ festival awards
Haneol Lee
First Night
Nashville Grand Jury Prize winner · BFI Future Film Festival
Anthony Ma
God & Buddha Are Friends
Triple winner, Studio City Int’l Film Festival
Reangsei Phos
#StopAsianHate · All Bark Never Bite
Viral day-one PSA with China Mac
Nathan Xia
Ayo, Check Up! · Adam’s Song · Flavor of the Month
Signed by M88
Jennifer Zhang
Trüebadour
First feature, executive produced by Jamie Lee Curtis
The Wire
Honors — 2021–2026
2026
STEM — Student Academy Awards Narrative Finalist (1 of 7 worldwide, only U.S. film in category); Sundance Screenwriters Intensive (1 of 9); Sundance Institute–Sloan Development Fellowship
My Dad, the Rockstar — Sony Future Filmmaker Awards shortlist, Fiction (top 30 of 8,400+ entries)
Trüebadour — Marché du Film, Cannes, via Avatar Entertainment
2025
My Dad, the Rockstar — World premiere, Tribeca Festival
Loving Day — American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase, Cannes, with Gold House; Audience Award, USC Asian Pacific Film Festival
God & Buddha Are Friends — Winner ×3 (Narrative Short, Screenplay, Actor), Studio City Int’l Film Festival; 15+ selections incl. LAAPFF, CAAMFest, AAIFF
Flavor of the Month — HollyShorts (Oscar-qualifying), AAIFF, Bend
No Trouble — Beyond Fest, Los Angeles
2024
STEM — Alfred P. Sloan Production Award
First Night — Grand Jury Prize, Best Tennessee Short, Nashville Film Festival; BFI Future Film Festival, London
Ayo, Check Up! — Premiere, UNINTERRUPTED Film Festival powered by Tribeca
Death and Ramen — Gold Award, Best Humor, 1.4 Awards
2023
Death and Ramen — Best Narrative Short (Hon. Mention) & Audience Award, Tallgrass; world premiere in competition, Palm Springs ShortFest; 10+ Oscar-qualifying festivals
Adam’s Song — Audience Awards, Nashville Film Festival & NFFTY; PBS KCET Fine Cut finalist
2022
Blurring the Color Line — Mira Nair Rising Female Filmmaker Award, Harlem Int’l; Courage Award, DisOrient; Best Documentary at Silicon Valley APFF, JXN, Fort Smith & Denton Black FF; national PBS broadcast, America ReFramed (2023)
2021
#StopAsianHate — viral day-of-release, 1,000+ reposts in 24 hours; Sundance Collab catalog
Filmmakers
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