Valley of Flowers | BLOCK J |

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses were struggling to stay afloat. One industry that is often overlooked is the flower market. The complex network of farmers, florists, and wholesalers were at their lowest point after huge events like weddings were canceled due to the pandemic. In the town of Valley Center, California, the community came together to save its local farms and keep their businesses open.

Director Biography - Emma Asson, Suno Chen, Sophia Nino

Suno Chen is a MFA Documentary Filmmaking student at Chapman University with a B.A. in International Journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University. Curious by nature, she is eager to become a documentarian, using the camera to investigate the truth and provide a thoroughly researched and well-rounded perspective on social issues. After graduation in 2014, she worked for Xinjiang TV Station as a documentarian for 5 years, filming the lives of various ethnic groups. She believes it is necessary to enable people's understanding of each other and enhance their cross-cultural awareness.

Sophia Nino is a senior Broadcast Journalism and Documentary major at Chapman University. She grew up with an interest in the fashion and music industries and lets those influences drive her work in documentary. Her most recent work centers around issues of sustainability in the fashion industry and the environmental impacts that the industry has on our planet. After graduation, she hopes to continue working on projects in both the music and fashion industries.

Emma Asson is a documentary filmmaker most passionate about creating social issue films that educate and inspire an audience. For the past 3 years she has been working on a range of documentary short projects, involved mainly as a cinematographer and editor. Her most recent experience interning with the 2020 Czech Republic documentary film festival developed her connections with the worldwide film community and shaped her career goals around travel and film. Now back in Southern California, she's focused on further advancing her cinematography and directing skills.