From New York Film Training to West Hollywood: Michael Zaw Envisions a New Asia-Hollywood Bridge
Written by Will Jones
For Singaporean cinematographer Michael Zaw, returning to the United States represents more than another geographical career move. It continues a journey that began at the New York Film Academy and later carried him through Singapore's production industry, Asia's changing social landscape and the international festival circuit. Now, he is exploring an entrepreneurial role alongside cinematography: developing independent co-productions that connect Los Angeles with stories, talent and production opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region.
West Hollywood and the surrounding creative community could become a meeting point for that ambition. The area places independent filmmakers near producers, representatives, post-production specialists, sales companies and distributors, while remaining connected to the wider Los Angeles production ecosystem. Zaw does not plan to arrive only in search of employment. He wants to bring experience, original projects and relationships with a region whose stories remain insufficiently connected to international production.
Zaw's relationship with American filmmaking began at NYFA in 2010, where his training included working with the Panavision Platinum 35mm camera system. Film demanded precision and discipline because every foot of stock carried a financial cost. "Working with film taught me that every frame requires intention," he says. "Careful preparation forces me to understand why the camera is there and to plan the scene in depth." New York also introduced him to a filmmaking culture shaped by many nationalities and visual traditions.
Since 2000, he began as a music recording engineer in Singapore, later worked in a production house and served as Location Sound Recordist. Sound trained him to listen to performance and atmosphere; cinematography allowed him to translate emotional rhythm into composition, light and movement. His work received recognition at the Singapore Short Film Festival, and he later photographed K. Rajagopal's debut feature A Yellow Bird, which premiered in competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week.
Shot entirely handheld, A Yellow Bird demonstrated Zaw's instinctive response to performance as it remained physically close to lead actor Sivakumar Palakrishnan. The film's path also revealed what cross-border collaboration could achieve. A deeply Singaporean story reached international audiences through a Singapore-France production structure. "That experience taught me that authenticity and international reach do not have to oppose each other," Zaw says. "A story can be culturally specific and still connect around the world."
Zaw is not leaving cinematography behind. He sees producing as a way to create opportunities for the visual storytelling he values. Cinematographers often join after development has begun; as a co-producer, he could identify visual strategy from the start. His model would combine Los Angeles expertise in development, packaging and international markets with Singapore's legal and production infrastructure, multilingual professionals and proximity to Southeast Asian locations and audiences.
His current developing projects reflect that approach. “The Latent” is a migration drama about a young woman raised where dishonesty has become normalized as a means of survival. After seeking work in unknown country, she begins confronting how family influence and social pressure shaped her decisions. “Prayer Never Ends” examines fear, memory and moral responsibility across decades of unlisted history. Both are culturally specific stories built around experiences that travel across borders: migration, obligation, identity, silence and the struggle to act consciously.
He believes the filmmaking industry is changing as production methods, distribution and audience behavior evolve. "Filmmakers must understand today's viewing habits without abandoning the foundations of traditional filmmaking language" he says. For him, character, performance, dramatic structure and emotional truth remain essential, even when faster pacing, emerging formats and new technology make the viewing experience more immediate. Innovation should strengthen a story's development, not replace it.
That changing landscape makes the Los Angeles-Asia connection timely. Independent producers increasingly need realistic financing, identifiable audiences and partners across territories. Zaw hopes to meet collaborators in and around West Hollywood who understand international co-production and want to engage seriously with Southeast Asian perspectives. He imagines moving between Los Angeles and Southeast Asia, allowing both places to contribute to development rather than abandoning one region for the other.
Years after studying in New York, Zaw would return as a professional with decades of media experience, international festival recognition and a clearer understanding of the stories he wants to create. His objective is not to become an entrepreneur separated from the artistic process, but to build structures that protect it. "Cinematography will always remain at the centre of how I understand cinema," he says. "Now I want to use what I have learned to create opportunities rather than only wait for them." If his vision succeeds, the bridge between West Hollywood and Asia will carry more than productions; it will carry creative influence, lived experience and stories in both directions.
