ABOUT
KO WAN
CREATIVE
LLC
Ko Wan Creative was developed in California, and birthed in the NYC region. Named after Theresa Wu’s late father and her young son’s Chinese name “Ko Wan”. Ko Wan Creative is a collection of Theresa’s poetry, films, and scripts, as well as community work empowering at-risk populations with filmmaking and writing as an expression for their pain and stories.
Ko Wan Creative is also a conduit for Straight Up Sound, specializing in post-production sound consulting.
ABOUT
THERESA WU
Creative Director
Theresa Wu is Creative Director of Ko Wan Creative. Theresa is dedicated to telling the stories of Asian-Americans and the complexity of our emotions through stories of strength and hope in the face of adversity. She is also committed to empowering those without resources or opportunities, the knowledge and the skills to use their stories to aid in healing themselves and the world around them. Specializing in at-risk youth and senior citizens, she feels passionate about passing on the tools of artistic expression. As an artist and a mother, Theresa has discovered multiple layers to her creativity, life and purpose. Her creativity houses multiple artistic disciplines. She lives and works in the NYC region with her husband and son, missing the Pacific Ocean and lack of humidity, yet thrilled at the possibility of bagels everyday.
THERESA WU, Creative Director of Ko Wan Creative.
EDUCATION
Columbia University - MFA Directing
Pennsylvania State University - BA Film and Video
AWARDS
Presidential Volunteer Award 2018 - Bronze
DGA Best Student Film Award - Asian American/East Coast
CINE Golden Eagle Award
James Bridges Development Award
Carmen Finesta Award
FirstGlance Film Fest Philadelphia - Breakout Performance Award: Krystal Yam
Alaska International Film Festival - Denali Award
Los Angeles Reel Film Festival - Honorable Mention
FILMOGRAPHY
NARRATIVE/EXPERIMENTAL
Smoke and Mirrors - Narrative Short
Silent Reminders - Narrative Short
Going Home - Narrative Short
Jei-Jei (Big Sister) - Narrative Short
Fallen Yellow Tears - Experimental Short
DOCUMENTARY
A Tribute to Bill Watanbe - Short
CRCD: Youth Workforce Development - Short
Depression: When Your Heart Catches a Cold - Short
The Daily Collegian
POETRY/SPOKEN WORD
Theresa Wu began with poetry and spoken word since those late nights as a child, after returning from her family’s Chinese restaurant. She would hide behind her bedroom door with a flashlight to flush out all she could not speak.
Available now, These Things I Carry, is her debut collection of poetry about her journey through Postpartum Depression. Her second collection, set to be released late Fall 2024, One Missing, is about the recent passing of her father. Her third, Side Effects, about the complexities of coming back to life in mid-life, is set to be released in Fall 2024.
Her poetry work was meant to be spoken. Her first single is set to be release Summer 2024. The full album in Fall 2024. A spoken-word feature script is currently being developed entitled You, Mother.
DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER
Theresa Wu is an award-winning filmmaker whose films and writing explores the rich complexity of Asian American lives. Having grown up with immigrant parents who strived to obtain the elusive American Dream, Theresa portrays the dynamic culture with heart-wrenching storytelling, compelling characters and honest emotion. Her films hope to diversify the human experience through Asian Americans’ voices of struggle and strength.
Theresa completed her MFA in Directing at the Columbia University Graduate School of Film. Her thesis film, Smoke and Mirrors, went on to win the Director’s Guild of America’s Best Student Filmmaker Award (Asian-American/East Coast), the CINE Golden Eagle Award and a Silver at the CA Film Awards. Additionally, she has won the Denali Award at the 2011 Alaska International Film Awards and Honorable Mention at the 2011 LA Reel Film Festival. She has screened her numerous shorts at festivals including, but not limited to, the DC International Shorts Festival, the Philly First Glance Film Festival, The Austin Asian American Film Festival, LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, and the New Filmmakers Series in NYC. She’s been awarded the James Bridges Development Award, the Filmmakers of Color United in Spirit Fellowship, the Digital Media Center Fellowship, the Columbia University Merit Fellowship and The Carmen Finestra Award for her scholastic achievements in filmmaking.
Most recently, she has directed and produced documentary works including: A Tribute to Bill Watanabe, CRCD: Youth Workforce Development Program, and Depression: When Your Heart Catches a Cold, in conjunction with the former DIY Productions (a non-profit organization that empowered, trained and employed at-risk students with paid film jobs) and The Little Tokyo Service Center of Los Angeles.
She is currently bringing life to a short film, Encore, about an immigrant ehru player in the depths of the NYC subway, trying to recapture a self he either lost or never had. She is also working on her first musical about motherhood and mid-life.
TEACHING ARTIST
Theresa believes that her work is enriched by work with the community. As a Teaching Artist and a Mentor, she has inspired countless at-risk youth to understand the power and strength of their voices and stories through the art of digital media (photography, filmmaking, writing) across the New York and Los Angeles region.
Theresa has taught filmmaking and digital media arts classes for over eight years. She has worked with various groups of youth (homeless youth, emancipated foster youth, recent immigrants, continuing education students etc.) Her dedication to empowering youth to embrace the arts as a method of healing, expression and self-acceptance has inspired her success in the classroom.
Her work includes hands-on participation in both documentary and narrative formats, class trips to film studios and cultural museums, but also the ability to create, film and edit a film. She encourages her students to explore the power of their voices and perspectives.
Most recently, her work with the community has expanded to seniors in Photography, Filmmaking and Short Story Writing.
ADVISORY TEAM MEMBER
Theresa is proud to be an advisory team member for Photo Forward, an international arts program that empowers youth and women with Photography and Filmmaking.
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