The winners of the Interpretations Film Initiative were announced over the weekend at the 2010 San Diego Asian Film Festival. The winners are Aldous Davidson for How to Greet the Dead, Kha Do for Shine, Keith Eng for Struck at First Sight, Andrew Oh for Viewpoint, and & Joey Yee for Bottled Up. Take a look at some of the winning entries:

This experimental horror drama film is about 2 brothers who visit the “other side” and encounter their deceased mother, who died during childbirth. It’s time to meet your mother..

How to Greet the Dead by Aldous Davidson

Letting Go Is Never Easy. Humans were never made to live life alone. It is in others that we find this light that shines in times of darkness. And how tragic when that light that once guide us fade away. How do we remember, cherish, love, and move forward? The story is told in the visuals and does not rely on the text or dialogue. It is all like a dream or a memory. Images and visuals became “inclusios,” bookends. The color red on the girl and the balloon signifying love. The images of the sun and light portraying how friendship will always shine in our lives, especially in the contrast of the two scenes comparing the lonely dark life when we lose those we love, in light of the bright, shining, warm scenes of the memory.

Shine by Kha Do

Your Heart is the Target in this Romantic Comedy. Many of us are familiar with love at first sight. But what exactly goes through our heads during those short few moments? Struck at First Sight dives in to the heads of two guys to reveal what they see and how they act on it in the funniest way!

Struck at First Sight by Keith Eng

Look over your shoulder in this crime thriller. Perception and point of view allow us to have fun by revisiting commonplace scenarios and making them fresh again.

Viewpoint by Andrew Oh

Sooner or later, it’s all gotta come out. Despite how visual a medium film is, it can’t live without a good story. When it comes to a story, you can’t beat the creativity and imagination of the human mind, but sometimes the old cliche “truth is stranger than fiction” rings true.

Bottled Up by Joey Yee

Not everyone can win, but check out some of these other great entries: Spice It Up with Feodor Chin, Kill Joy by Steve Nguyen x Brian Tan, Doggy Style by Shane Sato, WWJD with Randall Park, Mother by John P. Raposas, The Necklace with Karin Anna Cheung, Voo Dude, Strangers in the Park, The Case, Zeist by Zero Kazama, Bathroom Battle Royale, and Above Average. Unfortunately, we couldn’t post everybody’s entry. See more shorts here.

See other shorts commissioned for Interpretations: Far East Futura, Orient Express by Wong Fu Productions, Represent by Iris Yamashita, Blowout Sale with Danny Pudi, Good Shot with Leonardo Nam, Cambodian American, I Felt My Life in Both Hands by Kenneth Bi, Rumble by Ken Leung, and Canvas with James Jean

Have you ever wonder what happens in the women’s bathroom when they walk together in pairs? Bathroom Battle Royale, a submission to the Interpretations Film Initiative, explores why girls take so long in the restroom. They took their cameras along into that most sacred of places and were shocked to find out exactly went on in there. Sometimes It Really Does Hurt to Pee. We also spotted Ktown Cowboy Lanny Joon in the short.

Leave comments about “Bathroom Battle Royale” here.

Bathroom Battle Royale

Bathroom Battle Royale (YouTube version)

Also check out Spice It Up with Feodor Chin, Kill Joy by Steve Nguyen x Brian Tan, Doggy Style by Shane Sato, WWJD with Randall Park, Mother by John P. Raposas, The Necklace with Karin Anna Cheung, Voo Dude, Strangers in the Park, The Case, and Zeist by Zero Kazama.

MTV Silent Library Host Zero Kazama entered a submission as part of the Interpretations Film Initiative. (It’s his birthday today, so we decided to write about it. Leave him a birthday message here.) Not only is he on camera, but he’s also the director, camera operator, and editor. Some of his stunt and martial arts background comes into play in the short. The film definitely keeps you wanting more as the Immortal Battle Continues…According to Zero Kazama, the budget for the film was $8.

Leave comments about “Zeist” here.

Zeist by Zero Kazama

Also check out Spice It Up with Feodor Chin, Kill Joy by Steve Nguyen x Brian Tan, Doggy Style by Shane Sato, WWJD with Randall Park, Mother by John P. Raposas, The Necklace with Karin Anna Cheung, Voo Dude, Strangers in the Park, and The Case.

Here’s an interesting black and white noir short “The Case” by Timothy Tau as part of the Interpretations Film Initiative. Influence by films from the 40’s and 50’s, this short balances the old school look with modern technology. The director offers this statement about the film, “I wanted to direct and write a film that was a throwback to 1950s Film Noir and also integrate other elements from Sci-Fi, Spaghetti Westerns, Comic Books/Manga and Horror as well as Horror Camp – basically tried to see how many genres I could throw into one film.”

Also be on the lookout for Timothy Tau ‘s name in the upcoming October 2010 issue of Playboy magazine. His short story “Land of Origin” garnered second Prize in the prestigious and highly-competitive 2010 Playboy College Fiction Contest (beating over 10,000+ entries). He’ll be representing UCLA and probably the only APA writer who made the top three!

Leave comments about “the Case” here.

The Case by Timothy Tau

The Case by Timothy Tau (YouTube Trailer)

Also check out Spice It Up with Feodor Chin, Kill Joy by Steve Nguyen x Brian Tan, Doggy Style by Shane Sato, WWJD with Randall Park, Mother by John P. Raposas, The Necklace with Karin Anna Cheung, Voo Dude, and Strangers in the Park.