Writer-director and award-winning playwright Levi Wilson and award-winning filmmaker-producer Lisa Hammer bring humor, heart, and biracial issues to AMC+ with their celebrated coming-of-age short film, LUKE AND EMMA AND A GAS STATION ON FRANKLIN AVE. Now streaming in honour of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, AMC+ is featuring the film as part of a special “Future of Film: AAPI Rising Stars” collection

Set in 1980’s rural America, The story focuses on 11-year-old Luke (played by Coulter Ibanez), who has a crush on his classmate Emma (played by Christina Gobes) . During a chance encounter at a gas station on a summer day, the two innocently talk and flirt outside, while Luke’s Thai mother shops and gets hit on by Emma’s father inside the station’s mini-mart.

Written and directed by Levi Wilson, this semi-autobiographical story reveals an authentic Asian-American experience exploring racism and sexism through the eyes of adolescents. “In going through the process of creating this short film, I discovered even more viscerally that this story is still happening,” Levi shares. “There is much of our culture that has resisted change over the last nearly four decades. And though the story takes place at a time when I was young, it is just as relevant today.”

Lisa Hammer produced the project under their Wilson Arts Diversified banner, which earned several awards and accolades since hitting the festival circuit in 2023. These include Best Short Film for New Faces New Voices screening at Regal Essex Crossing in Manhattan with additional festival wins at New York Int’l Women Fest and Austin Int’l Art Fest. The film was an official selection at DC Asian Pacific American FF, Asian American Int’l FF, Boston Int’l Kids FF, Big Apple FF, and DisOrient Asian American FF.

This rising powerhouse husband and wife creative team are currently developing a feature length version of the film titled Luke and Emma, as well as several other comedy and drama screenplays. “One of my biggest highs in life is working on projects with Levi,” Lisa states. “Whether we are writing together or on set shooting, acting, directing…I geek out every day and I am so grateful to be able to work with family.”

Additionally, the duo co-star and shot the dark comedy Amazon Prime series, Great Kills, directed by James Merendino of SLC Punk! fame and co-created by Hammer. They just wrapped season two, bringing in Eric Roberts, Cathy Mortiarty, and Bai Ling to star in the series about a Documentary film crew callously recording the life and violent crimes of a lonely Staten Island hit man.

To learn more about Levi Wilson and Lisa Hammer visit: linktr.ee/WilsonArtsDiversified

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