Singaporean Cinematographer Justin Ivan Hong has secured a high-profile international appointment, joining the production team for a film titled DEAD BIRD HEARTS. The project is a highly anticipated debut narrative fiction endeavour from the influential Native American-owned creative agency, Buffalo Nickel Creative.

This appointment is notable for the powerful and unusual cross-cultural bridge it represents in global cinema.

The collaboration suggests a powerful commitment to visual excellence that transcends geographical boundaries. In an industry often stratified by regional and ethnic lines, a Southeast Asian Cinematographer being brought on to visually shape a core Native American narrative is a groundbreaking move. It shatters the expectation that only creators from within a specific cultural group can define its visual language. It highlights the growing solidarity among global creative communities, demonstrating a willingness to leverage international talent to bring deeply authentic, yet universally resonant, stories to the forefront.

For Asian cinema enthusiasts, Hong's involvement places a regional talent at the helm of a culturally significant American production, offering a potent example of how regional expertise can drive global narrative innovation. Buffalo Nickel Creative is championing a global artistic synergy, recognizing that a Cinematographer like Hong brings a fresh, technically sophisticated perspective and voice rooted in the dynamic, cinematic traditions of Asia.

Buffalo Nickel Creative is led by founders Joseph Brown Thunder and Ryan Redcorn, and has established itself as the premiere creative production agency within Native American Nations. Up till now, their main focus has been on commercial and non fiction work. DEAD BIRD HEARTS will mark the first time they are venturing into the fiction narrative world.

The company has also stated their crucial, long-term mission: to actively create an Indigenous talent pool in front of and behind the camera. By prioritizing mentorship and training for Native American filmmakers, actors, and crew, Buffalo Nickel Creative aims to ensure that their community’s stories are told by their own people. This narrative debut is seen as a major first step in building that sustainable industry infrastructure. They have decided to bring international expertise in the form of Hong to expose their team to new ideas and practices as part of this broader mission.

Before his current international commitments, Justin Ivan Hong had built a successful career in Singapore and was subsequently invited to be a Cinematography fellow at the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory in Los Angeles. Since completing his fellowship, he successfully balanced projects in Singapore, the USA, and internationally. His past work includes award winning films like REMNANTS (2016), I LOVE NEW YORK (2016) and BLACK FRIDAY (2020).

Dead Bird Hearts is rumored to be a contemporary drama following a young Native American man in a post apocalyptic world who struggles to find a sense of identity and purpose when everything he has known and loved has fallen apart.

The production of Dead Bird Hearts is expected to begin principal photography later this year in Oklahoma, USA.