Holly Mai-kin Kaplan
李美娟 • (she/her)
Holly M. Kaplan is a second-generation Chinese-American filmmaker born and raised in New York City. Driven by ties to her mixed Cantonese heritage, Holly's work highlights underrepresented narratives with focus on the Asian diaspora and femme perspectives. Her work has been featured on Omeleto, TELUS, the Shiny Directors List, and has screened at over 50 film festivals worldwide.
In 2022, Holly was selected for the NETFLIX x NALIP “Director Incubator,” where she wrote, directed, and produced the short film SUNFLOWER GIRL starring Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja (AFTER YANG). The film premiered at the Uppsala Short Film Festival and was nominated for the Oscar-qualifying "Mark Braunstein Award for Best Short Narrative" at the Woodstock Film Festival. Holly is currently developing SUNFLOWER GIRL as her debut feature. She is a SAGindie Fellowship Finalist for Stowe Story Labs 2026 Producers' Lab and was a 2025 BendFilm: Basecamp Fellow.
Holly was an apprentice to late independent Producer/Director Ben Barenholtz (REQUIEM FOR A DREAM) and served as a Co-Executive Producer/Director's Assistant on PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: ORIGINAL SIN (HBO Max). She attended LaGuardia Arts High School (Fine Art), American University (BA Film & Media Arts, Anthropology), and FAMU International at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.
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Photo Credit: Janira Natalie Hernandez
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