Angie Lin’s “Cost of Joy” Shines as a Finalist at Houston Comedy Film Festival

Angie Lin, a multidisciplinary artist and graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts, is making a remarkable mark as a finalist at the 2025 Houston Comedy Film Festival with her deeply personal and inspiring indie film, Cost of Joy. Drawing from her own life’s toughest moments, Angie crafts a story about hitting rock bottom and finding joy in the smallest things—a theme many can relate to in today’s chaotic world.

Angie’s career began as an actress, with international recognition for award-winning indie films such as Dive Into The Blue and Manchukuo, 1943, Summer. She was a series regular on The Plaza, a Cpics TV original, and has appeared in commercials for Xfinity and NBA Finals. Recently, Angie has expanded into theater, stunts, editing, writing, and directing. She has performed at The Group Rep theater in North Hollywood and starred alongside top stunt professionals worldwide. She is also set to train at the 2025 Jackie Chan Stunt Team Action Film Camp. Passionate about exploring mental health and spirituality through her projects, Angie uses art to spread love and joy and inspire positive outlooks on life.

At the festival, Angie sat down with Roselyn Omaka, the festival’s director, to discuss her heartfelt film and creative process. Angie shared:

“My film, Cost of Joy, is about the dip before the rise in life. It’s very personal—it’s about a series of trauma I went through, that lowest of lowest point before it shifted my perspective and I started to appreciate the little things and found joy.”

What makes Angie’s story even more inspiring is how she brought this film to life almost entirely on her own. She wrote, directed, edited, and starred in the project herself. Budget constraints pushed her to wear many hats, but Angie views this as a creative advantage:

“When you don’t have a budget, you gotta do everything yourself. It was easier because it’s so hard to get everyone’s schedule aligned. With a whole team, it takes months to plan things; solo, I already know what I want so it doesn’t take 20 takes per scene—usually two or three.”

Her drive to act fast on ideas comes with a sense of urgency inspired by creative legends:

“I would get these images and think, ‘I need to make this happen because if I don’t, somebody else will.’”

Angie encourages others not to let perfectionism or budget stop them:

“You can make it happen, even if you have a very low budget or you’re a one-person team. Don’t let your ideas sit and get forgotten.”

Recently, Angie trained at Jackie Chan’s stunt camp in Beijing, learning martial arts and action filmmaking from top industry pros. This rich experience intensified her desire to mentor emerging filmmakers, with plans to become an executive producer and create a nonprofit supporting new artists.

Angie also highlighted the importance of authenticity in collaboration:

“People can sense when you’re being fake or desperate, and it turns them off. If you’re passionate and authentic, people will naturally want to collaborate.”

Angie Lin’s journey and Cost of Joy exemplify the spirit of indie filmmaking: courage, creativity, and unwavering commitment to telling one’s story. Her film stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration at the Houston Comedy Film Festival.

Follow Angie’s inspiring journey on Instagram @angielinofficial.

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