CAPE, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, is returning with their third annual Radiance gala for Women’s History Month, which celebrates women and non-binary trailblazers in Hollywood.
Actor and comedian Kiran Deol is hosting with a featured musical performance by Luna Li.
The celebratory gala honors Asian and Pacific Islander women and non-binary artists, cultural creators, and decision-making power brokers, from the highest levels of achievement in Hollywood to burgeoning talent. Previous honorees have included actors Sandra Oh (Quiz Lady), Ming-Na Wen (Karate Kids: Legends), Megan Suri (Never Have I Ever), poet and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon, Nickelodeon/Paramount Animation executive Ramsey Naito, director and writer Dana Ledoux Miller (MOANA 2), and more.
“CAPE is thrilled to return for a third year of RADIANCE as a precursor to our upcoming 35th Anniversary next year,” said Michelle K. Sugihara, CAPE Executive Director. “RADIANCE is one of our biggest initiatives alongside the Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge to uplift women and non-binary artists, which is more important than ever to do. While RADIANCE celebrates these artists’ achievements during Women’s History Month, all our honorees, both in front and behind-the-camera, should be commemorated all year long.”
Radiance is hosted by CAPE and presented by Lexus.
In addition to Radiance, CAPE supports Asian and/or Pacific Islander women or non-binary filmmakers with short film production grants through the Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge with the grantees being announced with screening events on April 12 and April 13 in Santa Monica.
The gala supports CAPE’s industry-renowned professional development initiatives such as the CAPE New Writers Fellowship, the CAPE Leaders Fellowship, the CAPE Animation Directors Accelerator, the Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge (in partnership with Janet Yang Productions), CAPE Emerging Executives Committee, the CAPE x TAAF Rising Filmmakers Finishing Fund, and the Beyond JAPAN Filmmaker program (sponsored by JETRO). CAPE is also incubating several other initiatives and is in the beta phase of the CAPE Database, a public-facing database for Asian and Pacific Islander talent, executives, reps, and more.
Deol is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker. She recently starred as the lead in Didn’t Die, Meera Menon’s movie which just world premiered at Sundance. She starred in Destroy All Neighbors opposite Alex Winter. As a comedian, she has headlined the New York Comedy Festival, the Kennedy Center, and will release her first comedy special Joysuck on April 8 through Comedy Dynamics after clips of material garnered millions of views online. She also wrote on the CBS/Netflix TV series Among Us and currently has several projects in development.
Korean-Canadian Los Angeles-based musical artist Li released her debut LP Duality in 2022 and her sophomore album When a Thought Grows Wings both garnered a Juno Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year. When a Thought Grows Wings was produced by Monsune (SZA, Drake) and Andrew Lappin (L’Rain).