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Keith Tang

Motion Pictures & Television / MFA

Filmmaker Kaijian Deng (“Keith Tang”) hails from Guangzhou, China. With a keen eye for capturing popular trends, Keith earned a degree in journalism in China before venturing across the globe to study film production at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. During his time there, he collaborated with community organizations such as the San Francisco Fire Department and San Francisco Animal Care & Control to produce numerous documentaries and public service announcements (PSAs).

Drawn to experiences within the LGBTQ+ community and informed by his own life, Keith produced several queer-themed films. His most recent directorial work, the short film "This Is Goodbye," delves into the importance of setting boundaries within intimate relationships. The film garnered attention and praise at numerous international film festivals.

For his next project, Keith aspires to craft a cinematic tale of a closeted Chinese student who falls in love with a hustler, while navigating the complexities of staying in America against his conservative parents' wishes. He hopes to tell a story that demonstrates some of the tensions and difficulties young people experience when caught between conflicting cultures as they struggle to be their authentic selves.

Embracing life wholeheartedly, Keith enjoys extending his visual storytelling talents to YouTube, touching audiences with his optimism and heart. Although he was raised in a sheltered environment, Keith doesn't shy away from exposing and confronting society's complexities, even when they have caused him pain. As the Indian poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore wrote, "The world has kissed my soul with its pain, asking for its return in songs.” Keith continues to sing his experiences through the medium of film.

Awards
NXTUPfest 2023 Nominee: Directing Under 12 Minutes: This is Goodbye

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