Dec. 9, 2015 (DALLAS) – Dallas-based nonprofit Against The Grain Productions is proud to announce it is a recipient of a $5,000 grant from the inaugural Orchid Giving Circle at Dallas Women’s Foundation grant cycle on Dec. 1. Against The Grain plans to use the grant to create a trailer for its second documentary film feature project Light of Day, which will give voice to the untold stories of domestic violence against Asian women and children.
“Dallas Women’s Foundation invests in women and girls and empowers women’s philanthropy in order to build a better world. Through the Orchid Giving Circle at Dallas Women’s Foundation, we are helping empower a group of women philanthropists who are committed to supporting social change and services for Asians in North Texas,” said Roslyn Dawson Thompson, President and CEO of Dallas Women’s Foundation. “In partnership with the Orchid Giving Circle, we are very proud to provide a grant to Against The Grain Productions, which will produce a much-needed film telling the untold stories of local women of Asian origin who have faced gender-based violence.”
Against The Grain’s latest film project comes exactly a decade after Tammy Nguyen Lee’s internationally acclaimed and award-winning documentary, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, a documentary film that followed the journey and compelling stories of orphans that were airlifted to the United States from post-war Vietnam 1975.
“This award from the Orchid Giving Circle means so much to Against The Grain as we go back to the very roots that began our journey to becoming a nonprofit,” said Against The Grain Co-Founder and President Tammy Nguyen Lee. We are going to explore and expose a complex and emotionally heavy topic that silently affects many in our community. For me, this is personal. Through Light of Day, we hope to bring awareness to the unique issues facing women of Asian origin and be a tool for outreach and awareness.”
In just its first year, the Orchid Giving Circle gave a total of $76,500 to four Dallas-area nonprofits.
“Orchid Giving Circle is pleased to advance the mission and vision of Against The Grain to raise awareness of important issues that affect the lives of North Texas Asians,” said Orchid Giving Circle Founding Member and Executive Director of The Boone Family Foundation Cynthia Yung. “We were impressed by ATG’s courageous choice to give voice to women and children.”
Production for “Light of Day” will begin in 2016 with research, development and filming in order to produce a preliminary trailer that will build publicity around the project and kick start additional fundraising. Stories will be collected first from the local Dallas community and additional funding from the film given to specific programs and organizations that actively impact Asian and Asian American domestic violence victims in the area. A hallmark of ATG’s mission, several artistic collaborations with Asian American artists and musical performers are also planned for the project.
About ATG Against The Grain Productions, Inc.
ATG Against The Grain Productions, a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, promotes Asian American cultural awareness through compelling media projects and raises funds for international orphanages and underprivileged children. In addition to hosting outreach events, it also awards annual scholarships to exemplary Asian American student artists and leaders. ATG produced the feature documentary, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, which has screened at more than a dozen film festivals nationwide and received the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film at the Vietnamese International Film Festival and the Documentary Audience Choice Award from the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. For more information, visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com or www.TheBabylift.com. #ATGProds #beCAUSE
# # #
