Kaylen Ng was named as the recipient of the $10,000 Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award on Friday at the renowned art fair. Meanwhile, Britt Williams was announced as the winner of the $2,500 Audience Award, voted for by the public.
Ng and Williams received their prizes during a special invitation-only ceremony at the fair. Realized in collaboration with acclaimed non-profit Ghetto Film School and global film and TV studio Fifth Season, the Frieze Los Angeles Film Award has been widely recognized within the industry as an incubator for next-generation talent.
Ng is a first-generation Singaporean American producer and writer with a degree in creative producing and virtual production from Chapman University’s Dodge College. She was a 2022 Coca-Cola Refreshing Films finalist and a 2023 Television Academy Foundation Star Trek Command Training Program fellow. With previous experience at Proximity Media, Starz and Lionsgate, Ng currently works as the executive assistant to the president of film and television at Justin Simien’s Culture Machine. She also produces live events and podcasts.
Her film, “The Metamorphosis Project,” tells the story of Eric, who is given the opportunity to test a virtual-living experience after a harrowing diagnosis.
A jury comprised of leading art and entertainment professionals selected Ng’s winning film, with members including Fifth Season VP of TV development and production Mina Baban, artist José Davila, writer and director Julio Quintana, Ghetto Film School CEO Montea Robinson and 1Community head of content Ameet Shukla, alongside Frieze director of Americas Christine Messineo and Deutsche Bank’s head of private bank and management board member Claudio de Sanctis.
“I am delighted that Frieze Los Angeles, taking place in the home and heart of the film industry, is celebrating the fifth Deutsche Bank Film Award this year,” Messineo said. “Now it is more important than ever to foster opportunities for emerging talent, and that impact can be seen in our support of over 40 fellows since the Award initiated in 2019.”
Audience Award winner Williams is a writer and director based in Los Angeles, who recently completed her studies as a directing fellow at the American Film Institute. Williams previously programmed a film series at Doc Films while pursuing her bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago and enrolled in night film classes at the School of Visual Arts while working in digital marketing in New York. Her work uses humor to explore Black characters who are confronted with their own internal contradictions, reflecting her interest in community, femininity, and narratives of Black progress.
Her film, “Soft Launch,” follows a controversial tech CEO as she defends her latest software to a journalist ahead of its launch. As the interview grows increasingly antagonistic, the CEO secretly grapples with her desire to unleash the technology on the world.
Frieze comprises three magazines – frieze, Frieze Masters Magazine and Frieze Week – and five international art fairs – Frieze London, Frieze Masters, Frieze New York, Frieze Los Angeles and Frieze Seoul. In October 2021, Frieze launched No.9 Cork Street, a hub for visiting international galleries in the heart of Mayfair, London. Frieze is part of the IMG network.
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