NYFA’s own Phyllis Tam, who recently graduated with her MFA in Filmmaking from NYFA’s Los Angeles campus, was named a finalist in the 47th Annual Student Academy Awards for her narrative short film Fragile Moon.

Crickett Rumley, NYFA’s Director of the Film Festival Department hosted a virtual school screening of Fragile Moon and talked with Tam about the making of her thesis film.

Fragile Moon tells the story of a 60 year old Chinese immigrant named King, who was known in China as a famous Peking Opera singer before immigrating to Los Angeles and becoming a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant. The film grapples with themes of memory, loss, and the impact of immigrating to the U.S and pursuing the American dream.

To learn more about the film, click here.