Team APUC 

Made up of seasoned & young film festival personnel, Team APUC is the incredible driving force behind the successful planning and implementation of our annual film festival. We are indebted to their love, enthusiasm and strong desire of making Asian Pop-Up Cinema relevant while maintaining its vital link in the chain of global film culture.

  • Sophia Wong Boccio is the Founder & Executive Director of Sophia’s Choice. She is also the curator of the bi-annual film festivals.

  • Mark Schilling, Japan Cinema Host/Moderator Mark Schilling has been reviewing Japanese films for “The Japan Times” since 1989 and reporting on the Japanese film industry since 1990, presently for Variety. Since 2000 Schilling has also been a program advisor for the Udine Far East Film Festival, curating retrospectives on Nikkatsu Action films (2005), the Shintoho studio (2010), and Japanese SF/fantasy films (2016). Book publications include “The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture” (1997), “The Yakuza Movie Book – A Guide to Japanese Gangster Films” (2003), “No Borders, No Limits: Nikkatsu Action Cinema” (2007), and “Art, Cult and Commerce: Japanese Cinema Since 2000.” Schilling also wrote the original story for the new Satoshi Miki film "Convenience Story." He has been APUC’s Japanese Cinema advisor since our inaugural season.

  • Film critic and journalist, Darcy Paquet grew up in Massachusetts but has been living in Seoul since 1997. He is the founder and editor of the website Koreanfilm.org and the author of New Korean Cinema: Breaking the Waves. A former correspondent for Variety and Screen International, he works as a Program Consultant for the Udine Far East Film Festival and a Delegate for the San Sebastian International Film Festival. He has also appeared as a supporting actor in several films. In 2013 he founded the Wildflower Film Awards Korea, which recognizes the achievements of Korean independent filmmakers. Darcy also credited highly as doing the subtitles for the award-winning Korean film “PARASITE” by Bong Joon Ho. More info: http://www.koreanfilm.org

  • Ron Falzone is an award-winning screenwriter and Emeritus professor at Columbia College Chicago and an Instructor at Harold Ramis Film School at Second City. Films he has co-produced and written have been screened internationally at numerous film festivals including Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner and Chicago International Film Festival. Prior to moving into film, Ron spent 20 years in the theater where, among other positions, he served as Artistic Coordinator of the Organic Theater, Producing Director for City Lit Theater, and Artistic Director for both The Chamber and Open Circle Theater Company. He holds an MFA in Directing from the School of Speech at Northwestern University and a BA in Film from Columbia College Chicago. His most recent feature, the animated Coriander and a Penny’s Worth of Lonesome entered distribution in November 2020.

  • Patrick McDonald has been a film critic, entertainment writer, and broadcaster for 15 years, and his take on film appears on HollywoodChicago.com (Film Critic, Writer, Editor), on-air WBGR-FM (Monroe, WI), and a two-station broadcast WSSR-FM/WZSR-FM in Chicagoland. He has been a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association for 14 years, is Rotten Tomatoes Certified film critic and has made TV appearances covering the film scene on Fox32 News, WGN-TV Morning News, and “190 North” on ABC7 in Chicago. He has covered the Tribeca Film Festival. the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW Austin and the Chicago International Film Festival, among others. He has served as a moderator for Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) series and curated APUC’s Funniest Stay-At-Home Short Film Competition in 2020. He has served on the Awards Jury for the Chicago International Film Festival and the Midwest Film Festival.

  • Ray Hui is a documentary filmmaker and creative collaborator based in Chicago. Blending his backgrounds in journalism and theater, he enjoys telling stories through film that explore the human condition. Previous work: AOL News, Vox Media’s MMA Fighting. As a performer, he is a Second City/NBCUniversal Bob Curry Fellow and has performed all around Chicago.

  • A former video store clerk based in Montreal, Canada, Alyssia Duval-Nguon is a passionate cinephile who has been active on the scene since 2014 as a film critic, social media manager, content creator, communications advisor, and film festival programmer. She currently works at the National Film Board of Canada, and has collaborated with Cannes' Marché du Film, the Fantasia International Film Festival, Anime Ottawa, Making Waves Montreal, and more.

  • “I am an Asian immigrant, and I really connect with what the Asian Pop-Up Cinema stands for. I grew up in a place with lots of different cultures, and movies have always been something that's made me feel good and inspired me. They help me understand where I come from and who I am in this new place. Volunteering at the film festival isn't just about helping out with Asian movies; it's my way of saying thanks to the community that's helped me so much. I want to share my love for movies and culture with everyone, so we can all understand each other better. Through this, I want to honor my background, celebrate our differences, and keep making connections in our big world.” - Anita

  • Commercially Helen Smith is a print production technician and graphic artist. Her open and fluid artistic applications take in printmaking and photography. Recently, she has expanded her practice to align with the maker movement, applying lasers, CNC routers and 3D printers to achieve high-level effects to develop engraving, one-of-kind objects and wearables.

  • “Asian cinema is enchanting, subtle, and intriguing. My love of cinema started when I was young and has continued to grow. Asian film festivals and experiences are rare in the U.S., and they are even rarer in the Midwest region. That's why I participate as much as I can each year. In addition, working with such a group of Asia film lovers at the film festival is the best. I will catch up with you at the movie theater in season 18!” - Iu Luen Jeng

  • “Asian cinema tends to evoke many emotions for me; vivid nostalgia for my childhood, a deep-rooted connection to my heritage, and most importantly, a longing for stories that feel like I've lived in a past life. I'm always filled with pride & honor when I see my people & our stories represented on the big screen. The art of storytelling & cinema remains one of the most powerful mediums for us to connect & learn about other ways of life, and Asian Pop-Up Cinema shares that same enthusiasm that I have for sharing these precious stories from around the globe.” - Timothy

  • Oscar winning film Parasite (2019) introduced Joey into the world of Asian films. Since then, he has watched over 50+ Asian films, series and documentaries enriching his love of Asian culture. He has been actively involved with APUC, volunteering since Season 15. Being involved with APUC grants you intimate access to Asia's top stars, directors and producers. No where else can you find handpicked showcases (Sophia's Choice) to feed your appetite for all ranges of Asian cinema!

  • Sebastian Ang io riginally from Singapore. He loves traveling and to immerse himself in different cultures and local traditions.

    Much of Sebastian’s work experience is in the hospitality industries -- hotels, restaurants, and airlines. He loves meeting and interacting with people from all walks of life and from all over the world.

  • Led by Morgan Harris and Tom Elliott, Acacia Consulting Group brings more than 30 years experience in communications, public relations, and marketing expertise to bear for a diverse portfolio of clients including film and theatre, museums, nonprofits, politics and social impact, and small businesses. For more information: www.teamacacia.com

  • Taylor Nettnin is an internationally published editorial photographer from Chicago, IL. She specializes in capturing live music, dance performances, red carpets, and much more. In addition to her work behind the lens, she is also a skilled retoucher and helps assist other photographers with their needs.

    Taylor is excited to join Team APUC and hopes to help garner more interest in viewing the wonderful lineup of international films that are picked each season.

  • Originally from Colombia and currently based in the U.S., she is passionate about film and cultural events. She has been involved in the industry through volunteer work at the Chicago International Film Festival and collaborations with organizations that promote Korean and Latin American cultural exchange. María is currently pursuing a BFA in Production Design at Columbia College Chicago, bringing her expertise in visual storytelling to her work in film festivals and beyond.

  • Born and raised in Indonesia and a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Hugo has been extremely passionate about film since he was 4 years old and particularly Asian cinema in the more recent years. He has worked and directed in several short films as well as taken photography on the side, while at the same time, building up his experience and skills in giving a hand to the Chicago arts scene and film community through working in a number of different film festivals and events on campus and throughout the city. While he is not working, Hugo loves to travel and write reviews on Letterboxd. He also admires his weekly trips to movie theaters with hope that more people will still want to go to the movies instead of just browsing streaming services at home. 

  • Bosnian born and raised, Maja is Chicago based filmmaker with variety project under her belt. Recently she served as Co Producer on a feature, movie American Warrior ( Danny Trejo, Veronica Falcon), directed by Gustavo Martín Benites Gálvez.

    While studying law in Sarajevo, Maja was an active member of local film and music industries, which inspired her to pursue a creative-arts paths. She collaborates with talented filmmakers /musicians from USA, Canada, Peru, Brazil, France, Mexico, passionately seeking to understand herself, and the world around her, through film and music.

    Maja contributes her talents and skills to the ever-growing Chicago film industry (production/location) on feature films, television, reality shows and commercials for well-known networks as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Fox, NBC, Disney, Hulu, HBO, etc.

    Maja strives to meet diverse people and visit different places, because it challenges and inspires her to support and create new projects, which in return helps her grow as an artist and a human being.