SEAN PATRICK HIGGINS (Writer, Director and Producer)

Sean Patrick Higgins - the 3rd of 4 children - was raised by his Mother who battles Multiple Sclerosis and Bipolar, and his Father who was a decorated Green Beret in Vietnam. He grew up in the cow-town of Nicasio, CA and spent his summers camping in the Tetons with his Dad. His family is war-torn and his folks divorced when he was 6. Fast-forward through a messy situation which lead to his Dad’s incarceration, to being homeless with his Mom at age 7, to 3 sport varsity athlete (and high school football captain), to top graduate of University of Wyoming College of Arts & Sciences in 2013, to Yale School of Drama, to Oxford, to care-taker, to the NYC stage – his journey these 30 years has been unique to say the least. Higgins has produced 5 short films and acted in 9 with his tribe of filmmakers; 3 of which he has written. “QINGREN” is his directorial debut. He is passionate about telling stories that effect change.

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BFA, University of Wyoming. Certificate from Oxford (BADA). MFA, Yale School of Drama.

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ANTON SHAVLIK (Cinematographer)

Anton Shavlik is an American cinematographer. He received a BA in Political Science with a focus on Public Service from Hamline University in 2012. He then spent 3 years living and working in Taiwan as a videographer. After returning to the US in 2015, he worked as a camera operator for national live television. His work on the 2017 short “New Neighbors” was selected to compete at the Sundance Film Festival. He received his MFA in Cinematography from the AFI in 2019, and his thesis film, “The Speech”, premiered in the Best of the Fest category at Palm Springs Shortfest 2020. Also in 2020, his first feature, “Dickens’ Holiday Classic”, premiered on the Broadway On Demand streaming service.

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LUQI ZHAO (Editor)

Luqi Zhao is currently based in Los Angeles. She grew up in Kunming, a city in Southwest China and she moved to the U.S in 2012. She graduated from University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) with a major in Film Studies in 2016, a minor in Digital Arts and a minor in Asian Studies. During undergrad, she developed a strong interest in editing which led her to pursue her dream to become a film editor.

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She then moved to Los Angeles and worked in post-production at Market Street Productions in Venice, California for a year. In 2019, Luqi graduated from the Editing Program at AFI Conservatory (AFI). As of now, one of her AFI thesis film, THE SPEECH, has been chosen as an Official Selection at Palm Springs International ShortFest 2020, and it was shown at CAA Moebius Showcase 2020. Her other AFI thesis film, MISS BOUNDLESS, was a Silver Remi Winner at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival 2020 and was shown at AFI FEST 2019.

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Luqi has edited one feature film and one feature documentary, along with 10+ shorts so far. She is efficient working with Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, Davinci Resolve, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Photoshop. For her career growth, she would like to explore editing/assistant editing job opportunities to improve her skills and gain experience in the industry. Her goal is to join the Editor's Guild and become an editor in the future.

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DAN HIGGINS (Key Cast)

A San Francisco, Bay Area native, Dan Higgins began dancing at the age of eighteen after a long history with organized sports. The physicality and athleticism directly translated into his love for dance. Dan received his training from the University of Wyoming, obtaining his B.F.A. in Dance Performance. He has worked with many critically acclaimed artists such as, Bill T. Jones, Nina Watt, Noa Zuk, Danielle Agami, Bill Evans, Joanie Smith, Molissa Fenley, and Zvi Gotheiner among others. Dan is a performer, teacher and choreographer who is currently interested in the mergence of semantic expression and body composition as they relate to the human condition. He has expanded his own work under RDT's EMERGE Series and at the Salt Lake Fringe Festival. Other choreographic projects can be seen throughout the states of Utah, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Dan continues to craft his own future work with the art of dance, and is grateful to be able to progress alongside a beautiful community.

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JON KIM (Key Cast)

Jon Kim graduated in 2017 from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor's in Dance. He performed "august," a piece by Colin Connor and Debra Noble, at the 2016 American College Dance Association National Festival and the inaugural Jacob's Pillow American College Dance Association Gala Highlights at the 2016 Inside/Out Festival. He worked with Lineage Dance Company, SJDanceCo, Kelly Alvarez and Artists, Embark Dance Theatre, and most recently performed with SALT Contemporary Dance for their 6th season while directing the SALT Pro Training Program. He performed works by Doris Humphrey, Donald McKayle, Gustavo Ramirez-Sansano, Brendan Duggan, Penny Saunders, Nicholas Palmquist, Hilary Thomas, and Joni McDonald. After guesting in Repertory Dance Theatre's 2018 fall concert SPIRIT, he became a company member in 2019.