The non-profit organization MAP for Health has received a grant from the Boston Cultural Council to screen Albert’s film Welcome to the World and have a discussion and talk-back with LGBTQ youth and young adults about mental health, coming out, and suicide. Now in its 25th year of service, MAP for Health is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes healthy outcomes for Asian and Pacific Islander (API) youth and their communities in the greater Boston area. In addition to being a key resource for building HIV/AIDS awareness and delivering HIV prevention and education in the Asian community, MAP for Health is focused on youth development and safety of API youth, especially LGBTQ youth, and the widespread epidemic of hepatitis B in the API community.

Welcome to the World is a daring film about a troubled man who records a video message for his pregnant sister. Drawing its power and immediacy from its first-person, confessional style, the film presents, in one continuous shot, the journey of one man’s awakening from isolation back to humanity. The film stars Albert and is directed by Albert and Anthony Grasso.

Richard Propes (The Independent Critic) gives it four stars and writes:

“RIVETING… CHAN’S PERFORMANCE IS DEEPLY MOVING… LINGERS IN YOUR BRAIN LONG AFTER THE CLOSING CREDITS”

Kirk Fernwood (One Film Fan) praises the film as:

“INTELLIGENT, INVENTIVE, AND INSPIRED… CHAN DOES A FANTASTIC JOB… DRAWING YOU IN WITH EVERY WORD… THE FINALE IS A STROKE OF CREATIVE BRILLIANCE AND ARTISTRY”

Max White (OC Movie Reviews) raves:

“CHAN GIVES A GRIPPING, HEARTFELT AND SINCERE PERFORMANCE WHICH PLUNGES YOU INTO THE MURKY WATERS OF MODERN HUMANITY AND MASCULINITY… SQUEEZES SO MUCH RAW EMOTION INTO A SINGLE SHOT”

And Rachel Pullen (UK Film Review) writes:

“LEADING MAN ALBERT M. CHAN… PLAYS AN EMOTIONALLY RAW MAN WITH A GRACE AND EASE THAT IS OFTEN ONLY SEEN WITHIN SOME OF THE MOST HIGH END ACTORS… PACKS A HUGE PUNCH… TO CREATE SUCH AN IMPACT ON A VIEWER IN ONLY SEVEN MINUTES WITH JUST ONE MAN, A SCRIPT AND A CAMERA CERTAINLY SPEAKS VOLUMES OF THE SKILLS THAT CHAN HAS AS A DIRECTOR, WRITER AND PERFORMER.”

The Boston Cultural Council works under the umbrella of the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture Boston and distributes funds annually from the City of Boston and Mass Cultural Council that support innovative arts, humanities, and interpretive sciences programming with the goal of enhancing the quality of life in Boston.