Local production company Zatori Films highlights diversity in filmmaking

Binjal Patel and Maria Brenda Acopiado from Zatori Films talk about what their film production is doing to place a spotlight on diversity in the filmmaking industry.

CHICAGO - As part of Asian American Pacific Islander Month and Win With Women Wednesday, FOX 32 Chicago highlighted a rising Asian American female-owned film production company that operates at CineCity in Chicago.

Zatori Films chief operating officer and project manager Binjal Patel said the production house received a lot of industry attention by producing a short trailer for a film currently in production in Chicago and the Philippines.

"'Maya’ is our feature film. It’s a horror fantasy movie that is dedicated to mental health. It’s our passion project, our first project, the feature film that we’re working on. We created a small teaser for proof of concept and during the pandemic, we put it on a film festival and we won over 200 awards from around the world for it," Patel said.

Maria Brenda Aciopado, founder and CEO of Zatori Films, said the company is excited to be part of an Asian film festival promoting LGBTQ films.

"We’re hosting and collaborating with the Taipei Cultural Office in Chicago. This is our first one to host in CineCity studio, the Taiwan Pride Film Festival, and that’s going be on Jun 29. It’s a Saturday so we are very excited to have it here," Aciopado said.

CineCity is at 2429 W. 14th St., Chicago, where local television, film and industrial videos are made.

The festival will raise money and awareness for mental health issues. For more information, head over to their website.