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Almost a decade ago, a group of young Asian-Americans frustrated by the lack of opportunities in the film industry created a small, regional competition to bring Asian characters and themes to the screen. This regional competition has since blossomed into the international 72 Hour Shootout, organized and run by the Asian American Film Lab and receiving more than 200 submissions a year. “Boiled down to its essence, the Shootout is about empowerment—creating opportunities for Asian-Americans and other entertainers of color and helping our communities to collaborate, network, and grow so that we can take proactive steps to empower ourselves and each other,” Jennifer Betit Yen, president and a board member of the Asian American Film Lab, told Backstage. “We encourage our members not to wait for ‘the mainstream industry’ to offer handouts but rather to seize and create their own opportunities.” For the Shootout, filmmaking teams have 72 hours to write, shoot,...