Objective
In its sixth year, the HBO Max APA Visionaries Short Film Competition aimed to uplift and celebrate Asian Pacific American filmmakers by providing a platform for authentic storytelling. The campaign focused on raising awareness and engagement while encouraging submissions from emerging filmmakers, especially from underrepresented groups such as Southeast Asians, South Asians, Pacific Islanders, millennials, and Gen Z.
Approach
To build on the competition’s legacy, the campaign combined community-driven events with an expansive digital strategy. HBO Max’s owned and operated channels played a key role in amplifying reach, including social media, YouTube, in-app teasers tied to culturally relevant content, partner marketing bumpers, and placements across on-demand platform channels.
Culturally rich in-person activations followed in Los Angeles and New York City. In Los Angeles, the event opened with a screening of the winning films at the DGA Theater and continued with a rooftop night market-themed reception at NeueHouse that featured AAPI-owned restaurants curated with Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate, interactive games, giveaways from AAPI-owned brands, DJ Amrit, and a performance by Audrey Mika.
New York mirrored this format with a screening at Chelsea Factory and a reception produced with Heart of Dinner, a nonprofit supporting elderly AAPI residents facing food insecurity. Performances by Bohan Phoenix and Joyce Wrice showcased the breadth of AAPI creative expression.
By pairing digital amplification with on-the-ground cultural engagement, the campaign elevated APA Visionaries as both a program and a broader cultural platform.
Impact
The events generated strong engagement within the AAPI community and reinforced HBO Max’s commitment to inclusive storytelling. The Los Angeles activation earned 4.9 million organic social impressions, while New York generated 2 million. The winning films were featured on HBO Max’s digital platform and scheduled for linear release on HBO, strengthening HBO Max’s leadership in industry diversity, building momentum for future submissions, and deepening connections within the APA creative community.
