Illustration by Angel Trazo
Illustration by Angel Trazo
Janet Chen (Ma), M.F.A. (she/her/hers) is an award-winning film and multimedia director, producer, and educator. Her work often explores stories of representation, resistance, and resilience through a multigenerational lens.
Janet has produced and managed Emmy and Webby-nominated film and multimedia projects. Her latest short film Asian Bitches Speak was honored with a Special Jury Award from the 40th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, a Best Director Award from the 31st QFilms LGBTQ+ Film Festival, and an Audience Choice Award for Experimental Documentary at the 10th Feminist Border Arts Film Festival, among other awards. The film toured the United States as part of “Resistance & Joy,” a program of the inaugural Color Congress Elev8Docs Distribution Initiative, and has also screened in over 30 film festivals and community spaces nationally and internationally in Asia, Canada, New Zealand and Europe.
Currently, Janet teaches at UCLA’s Center for EthnoCommunications and has taught in Film and Media Studies at UC Irvine. She was the Assistant Director at UCLA's Center for EthnoCommunications, and was honored at UCLA Extension with an Exceptional Service Award for her work with students.
Janet served as the founding steering committee member and manager of the Asian American Documentary Network (A-Doc), and the Operations Director and Digital Histories Instructor at Visual Communications. She is a member of Video Consortium and Brown Girls Doc Mafia.