By Katie Chambers
Let’s give a warm NYWIFT welcome to Kayla Sun! Kayla is a LA-based trilingual Asian filmmaker. She earned her B.A. degree for Studio Art and Economics at Vanderbilt University and subsequently worked in the art world before diving into the film world. She earned her M.F.A. for Film and Television Production at University of Southern California, as a Jeffrey Jones Scholar in writing, and is a recipient of the 2020 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Production Grant for her film The Code of Family (2022). The film also received a NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Short Narrative Directing at last year’s UrbanWorld Film Festival.
Kayla’s short films have screened at award-winning film festivals and in gallery exhibitions. She currently focuses on TV writing, exploring how to write social topics in light-hearted dramedy. Her most recent drama Teleplay Choose Your Parents was a finalist in the 2022 Austin Film Festival.
Kayla spoke to us about her inspirations, love of learning, and why people of all ages should be encouraged to embrace technology.

NYWIFT Member Kayla Sun
Tell us about yourself – give us your elevator pitch!
Hi! My name is Kayla and I am a trilingual Asian filmmaker (English, Chinese, Japanese). I love storytelling and I write a lot, focusing on female centered stories with unique perspectives.
Congratulations on winning the NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Short Narrative Directing at the 2022 UrbanWorld Film Festival! What did inclusion in UrbanWorld mean to you?
Thank you! I believe inclusion means that no one is judged based on their appearances and everyone has an equal opportunity. I am very happy to see the film world becoming more and more inclusive.

Still from The Code of Family (dir. Kayla Sun)
What inspired you to make your award-winning film, The Code of Family?
Growing up in China, I’ve witnessed multiple families pressuring and dissuading the elderly from using new technology. I had to fight my own parents in 2014 to convince them to buy a smartphone for my grandma. Flip phones, or “old people phones” as we call them, are the only thing recommended for them. Thus, many never used smartphones or computers. But I feel very strongly that we are depriving the elder generation of a major resource that could be improving their lives as much as it has improved ours.
I was inspired by the story of Masako Wakamiya, a renowned 84-year-old app designer who had never touched a computer until she was 60. As an Asian filmmaker myself, the story formed in my head instantaneously. I needed to show this journey of how an Asian grandma could become a computer scientist. I want to show the emotions behind everything she represents: how the elderly feel left out as the rest of the population moves on.
In 20 years, everyone alive will be those who have known technology all their lives. The people who grew old without such tools, who have been discriminated against when they tried to learn, will have passed on, and the issue will die out with them. As a filmmaker, the least I can do is to tell their perspective now.

On the set of The Code of Family
What do you hope audiences will take away from seeing the film?
I want audiences to know that age doesn’t stand in the way of learning. And hopefully everyone can spend a little more time with their parents or grandparents and help the elderly with modern technology.
What kind of projects excite you as a creative?
I am attracted to unique characters and unique situations. It might be true that “every story has already been told,” but there is always a new perspective to the same story. Female centered or Asian centered stories also excite me more.

On the set of The Code of Family
I also saw your visual art on your website – wow! Tell us about your tiny sculptures!
Thank you! I studied studio art, so I can draw, paint, and make sculptures. It was my thesis project in undergrad at Vanderbilt. I made 300 little women soldiers in traditional Chinese clothing. I started making similar things when I was around 10 and kept doing different kinds of mini sculptures. I don’t really know why. I just love them.

The team behind The Code of Family presenting at a festival
What is the best advice you ever received?
Never stop learning!
And what is next for you?
I am developing a feature, an Asian love story.
Connect with Kayla Sun on Instagram at @sun_kayla and on her website www.kayla-sun.com.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Kate Walker
With a knack for merging film with her passion for science and journalism, Kate Walker has triumphed as an environmental and science producer, director, writer, and editor. Her projects, which have aired on networks such as PBS, Vice, HBO, IFC, and MSNBC, among other media platforms, typically raise awareness of prevalent social and environmental issues such as marginalized identities and climate change. Read more about this former high school science teacher’s remarkable career journey as we discuss some must-see documentaries and Kate’s approach to developing a captivating filmic style that simultaneously educates and entertains audiences.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: LaKisa Renee
Welcome to NYWIFT, LaKisa Renee! LaKisa is a multitalented media/film industry professional, journalist, host, actress, videographer, voice artist, and award-winning makeup artist. She is the owner and Founder of LaKisa Renee Entertainment, a media, fashion and events company. As a media professional, she is a contributing journalist for Cultured Focus Magazine, In Black Magazine, and Steller Magazine. LaKisa spoke to us about her wide range of roles in media, fashion, and entertainment.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Chloë Levine
Welcome to NYWIFT, new member Chloë Levine! Chloë is an award-winning filmmaker who has worked as an actress, director, screenwriter, and producer. Learn more about Chloë as we discuss her 2014 debut short that earned praise at a well-known film festival, some of the screen goddesses that served as her muses during her earlier years, and the wide range of projects she has contributed to artistically, in addition to other fun topics!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Kilara Sen
Welcome to NYWIFT, Kilara Sen! Kilara is a Japanese female stand-up comedian and actor, moving to New York this summer. Kilara currently is hosting "Japanese Whisky Lockdown" and "Japanese Whisky World" on Dekanta TV. She also appeared on international TV such as Asia's Got Talent, Paul Hollywood Eats Japan, and Welcome to the Railworld. Kilara is gender non-conforming (she/they), a "hikikomori" survivor (a form of severe social withdrawal), and had a wonderful year at Historically Black Colleges. Based on her experiences, she shares her strong and funny voice on mental health, feminism, and diversity. She believes that everyone should be as special and unique as a unicorn. Also, she is the voice breaking stereotypes of Japanese women: the New Pink. Kilara thinks of herself as a Pink Unicorn. Kilara spoke to us about breaking down stereotypes, community support, and finding liberation through comedy.
READ MORE
Comments are closed