Producing: Your Independent Film (Level 1) (Oct. 2019)

Karin Chien is a producer & distributor committed to championing independent voices. Karin is the recipient of the inaugural Cinereach Producers Award, the 2010 Independent Spirit Producer’s Award and the producer of ten independent feature-length films, including STONES IN THE SUN (2012), JACK AND DIANE (2012), CIRCUMSTANCE (2011), THE EXPLODING GIRL (2009), BEYOND OUR DIFFERENCES (2008), THE MOTEL (2005) and ROBOT STORIES (2002). Her films have won over 100 festival awards, premiered at the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals, been nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards and received distribution in over 20 countries. Karin is the founder/president of dGenerate Films, the leading distributor of independent cinema from mainland China. Karin is the co-creator of the Cinema on the Edge screening series, celebrating the best of contemporary Chinese cinema. Karin is the co-founder of i love 2, a boutique production company specializing in socially conscious, short-format content. Karin is the creator of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Fellowship, a mentoring program for Asian American media professionals. Karin has consulted for the Sundance Institute, The New York Times, Film Independent, Independent Television Service (ITVS), Cinereach. Karin recently taught Film Producing at Temple University and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Summer Shelton was the recipient of the 2018 Independent Spirit Producers Award.

In 2023, her directorial debut You & I which she also wrote, produced and co-starred opposite veteran actor Clayne Crawford screened as an Official Selection at the Nashville Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, River Run International Film Festival and debuted internationally at the American Film Festival. The film was released in 2024 by Slated.

Feature works she produced included Maine (Orion Classics, 2018 Tribeca Film Festival) and Keep the Change (KINO LORBER, 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Best Narrative Feature; FIPRESCI Critics’ Prize at the 2017 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival).

She was Executive Producer of People Places Things which premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, produced Icarus (short) which premiered at the 2015 New Directors/New Films Festival and produced Little Accidents, which had its World Premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

She worked alongside critically acclaimed director Ramin Bahrani as Associate Producer of Goodbye Solo (2008), an official selection of the Venice Film Festival; Co-Producer of Plastic Bag (2009), opening night short film of the Corto Cortissimo at the Venice Film Festival and Associate Producer of At Any Price (2012), which premiered in main competition at the Venice Film Festival and most recently as Co-Producer of short documentary If Dreams Were Lighting, Rural Health Crisis (2023), which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival.

She was the recipient of the inaugural Bingham Ray Creative Producing Fellowship, awarded by the Sundance Institute (2012), a Rotterdam Producing Fellowship (2013), Film Independent Sloan Producing Fellowship (2014) and Cannes Producing Fellowship (2021) awarded by the Gotham.

Prior to her filmmaking career, Shelton was a former high school English teacher, she remains connected to the classroom as a University Lecturer, Adjunct Professor and provides educational consulting services to arts non-profits. You can find more on her website: summershelton.com