Holly Mai-kin Kaplan
李美娟
Holly M. Kaplan is a 2nd-gen Chinese-American filmmaker born and raised in New York City. Driven by ties to her mixed Cantonese heritage, Holly's work highlights underrepresented narratives, focusing on the Asian diaspora and femme perspectives. Her films have been featured on Omeleto, the Shiny Awards Creator List, and have screened at over 50 film festivals worldwide.
In 2022, Holly was selected for NALIP and NETFLIX's “Narrative Short Incubator for Women of Color,” where she wrote, directed, and produced SUNFLOWER GIRL starring Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja (AFTER YANG). The film was nominated for the Oscar-qualifying "Mark Braunstein Award for Best Short Narrative" at the Woodstock Film Festival and won the Audience Award at France's largest youth film festival, Ciné Junior. Holly is currently developing SUNFLOWER GIRL into a feature film. She is an alum of Stowe Story Labs and was 2025 BendFilm: Basecamp Fellow.
Holly served as a Co-Executive Producer/Director's Assistant on PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: ORIGINAL SIN (HBO Max) and was an apprentice to late independent Producer/Director Ben Barenholtz (REQUIEM FOR A DREAM). She attended LaGuardia Arts High School as a fine arts major and earned her BA in Film & Media Arts from American University in addition to studying at (FAMU) The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Holly also works in film exhibition and mentors underserved NYC teen filmmakers at Reel Works.
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Photo Credit: Janira Natalie Hernandez
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