Submissions open later this week for HBO Visionaries with Shannon Lee as this year's ambassador and spokesperson.

Get your short films in order or start shooting one now. Thursday morning, HBO announced a call for submissions for its annual short film competition, Asian Pacific American Visionaries (APAV).

The theme for this year’s competition is “breaking barriers.” Films must be directed by a person of Asian or Pacific Islander descent, run 10-15 minutes long, and be a live-action narrative (no documentaries or animation). Check out www.hbovisionaries.com for full competition guidelines. Submissions will open on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 9 a.m. PT and will be closed on Dec. 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

HBO Visionaries was established in 2016 to provide a platform for emerging filmmakers to share their own stories from their unique and diverse point of view. The competition showcases storytellers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, and the top three winners are awarded cash prizes and the opportunity to have their projects premiere on HBO (and/or its on-demand, digital and/or social platforms), following their theatrical debut at the 2020 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Shannon Lee, executive producer on Cinemax’s “Warrior” and CEO of Bruce Lee Enterprises, serves as the 2020 HBO Visionaries ambassador and spokesperson. Previous HBO family members who’ve served as ambassadors include Sujata Day (“Insecure”), Leonardo Nam (“Westworld”), and Jimmy O. Yang (“Silicon Valley”).

“One of the most important ways that we lift each other up is by creating opportunity for one another — opportunity to share our intimate stories, opportunity to be seen and heard, opportunity to grow through one another,” said Lee. “HBO APA Visionaries is creating opportunities that didn’t exist for someone like my father back when he was making media in the ’60s and ’70s, and I am honored and grateful to be an ambassador for the program this year.”

Lee has been vocal lately about the way Quentin Tarantino handled her father Bruce Lee’s story in the film “Once Upon a Time” in Hollywood. Tarnishing the martial arts and acting legend’s story is just one more reason for increased reputation in front of and behind the cameras.

Here’s Shannon Lee’s official announcement for HBO Visionaries:

HBO executives and representatives from leading Asian American media organizations — including the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) and Visual Communications — will judge the competition.

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