MCTV Special Selection: Mānoa Valley
With the launch of MCTV last month, we are excited to announce the first recipient of the MCTV Special Selection laurel, Mānoa Valley, a short film written and directed by NYC-based filmmaker, Emily Jampel.
MCTV (monsterchildren.tv) is Monster Children’s dedicated video streaming platform which houses 20+ years of Monster Children original films, as well as the work of filmmakers we love. The MCTV Special Selection is awarded to outstanding films of all shapes, sizes, and styles made independently of Monster Children Films, which we find to be innovative, entertaining, and which align with our values; it is a laurel given to the kind of film that your favorite filmmaker would like, and we are excited to highlight Mānoa Valley as the inaugural recipient.
Mānoa Valley is a studious short film which follows a day in the life of two friends who spend a summer day together in Honolulu’s Mānoa Valley before one of them moves to New York City and is available for streaming now at MCTV.
To be featured on MCTV or considered for the MCTV Special Selection award, send submissions to editorial@monsterchildren.com.
Key cast and crew:
Emily May Jampel (Writer/Director)
Emily May Jampel is a director from Honolulu based in New York City. Her films have played at festivals around the world including Palm Springs, Aspen ShortsFest, Champs-Élysées, and Outfest. She previously worked as a Development Executive at the Academy Award-Nominated and Peabody Award-Winning production company The Department of Motion Pictures (Beasts of the Southern Wild, Gasoline Rainbow, Monsters & Men, 32 Sounds), was an Associate Producer on the podcast series Operator and a Creative Consultant on Constance Tsang’s debut feature Blue Sun Palace (Cannes Critics' Week). Emily was one of the 2023 Recipients of NewFest’s New Voices Filmmaker Grant.
LUKITA MAXWELL (Iris)
Lukita Maxwell is an Indonesian-born American actress. On television, she is known for her roles in the HBO Max series Generation (2021) and the Apple TV+ series Shrinking (2023). Her films include The Young Wife (2023) and They Listen (2024).
DEREC PATRICK JUAN (Ben)
Derec Patrick Juan is a photographer, musician, skater and surfer. This is his acting debut.
Diane Ng (Producer)
Diane Ng is a director and producer based in New York by way of Hong Kong. Her feature debut Hummingbirds (producer, co-director, co-director of photography) won the Grand Prix for best feature film in Berlinale Generation 2023. Her work is supported by Sundance, Field of Vision, and SFFILM, among others. She is a 2020 NBCU Original Voices Fellow. Diane's career also spans in the narrative and commercial world, where she freelance directs and produces commercials for clients such as Nike, Facebook, On Running and Arri Rental, working in cities all over the globe, like Honolulu, L.A., New York, Texas, Zurich and Amsterdam.
Aja Toscano (Co-producer)
Aja Toscano is a Creative Producer based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Passionate about the community, fashion, art, and the islands that raised her, Aja collaborates with brands to take a concept and make it a reality. From casting to photo and video production, she has worked with artists and global brands including Nike, Numéro Berlin, Jacquemus, Saturdays NYC, OluKai, First Hawaiian Bank, and Billabong to help make their vision possible with efficiency and conscientiousness.
Scott Ray (Director of Photography)
Scott is an NYC and LA-based cinematographer. He has shot numerous films such as Kimi Howl Leeʻs Kamaʻaina, and the feature Edge of Everything directed by Palo Feldman and Sophia Sabella.
Holden Mandrial-Santos (Composer)
Holden is an artist, actor and musician based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. He composed the soundtrack for Alika Tenganʻs Sundance feature Everyday in Kaimuki (2022), the first-ever Native Hawaiian-directed film to ever play at the Sundance Film Festival, and stars in Alikaʻs upcoming narrative feature Molokaʻi Bound (2024). He is a member of the Honolulu-based instrumental indie surf rock band bnd Temple Waves.
Alan Wu (Editor)
Alan Wu is a film editor and director whose work has spanned multiple awards and festivals across the world. His most recent editorial works include Alexander Rockwell's feature Sweet Thing (Berlinale Generation), Mamadou Dia's Baamuum Nafi (2019), Zamarin Wahdat’s short Bambirak (Best International Fiction Short, Sundance 2021), and Emily May Jampel’s debut narrative short Lucky Fish (2022).
Full cast and crew:
Writer/Director
Emily May Jampel
Producer
Diane Ng
Executive Producers
Lukita Maxwell
Linda Nichols & Robert Nichols
Keith Kandell
Cast
Lukita Maxwell
Derec Patrick Juan
Alec Singer
Winona Momi Silva
Cinematographer
Scott Ray
Editor
Alan Wu
Co-Producer
Aja Toscano
For rubbertape
Producer: Jeremy Truong
Development Director: Owen Lazur
Creative Director: Jonas Berry
Associate Producers
Jen Sanchez & Rosco Flevo (WeThem.Us)
Kevin V. Doan
Composer
Holden Mandrial-Santos
Casting Director
Akemi Bischoff
Sound Design
Matthew Ericson
Production Manager
Aja Toscano
1st Assistant Director
Taylor Gruver
Art Director
Vincent Bercasi
1st Assistant Camera
Adam Denis
Diane Ng
Swing
Rochelle Ash Yu
Sound Mixer
Cori Chong
Production Assistants
Brandyn Liu
Will Forni
Madison Willard
Set Photographer
Lila Lee
Assistant Editor
Cori Chong
Color by
Nice Shoes
Colorist
Phil Choe
Color Assist
Glenn Weidlich
Post Producer
Isabel Gomez-Boone
Catering
Morning Glass Coffee
Andy’s Sandwiches & Smoothies
Okata Bento
Fort Ruger Market
Pioneer Saloon
Very Special Thanks
Mana Maoli
Devon Jackson at Trademark Talent
Ai Okuno at Hawaii Media Inc
Chapin Hall
Alika Tengan
Christopher Makoto Yogi
Michael Tanji
Rebecca Wyzan
Michael Gottwald
Constance Tsang
Albert Ogata
Roland Longstreet
Frankie de Fusco
Kimi Howl Lee
Kit Zauhar
Mānoa Mart
Red Hook Post
