2022 Short Films Showcase
#AsianAmResilience Microdocs
Saturday, March 5th, 2022
Denver Sie FilmCenter
#AsianAmResilience
Culture Highlighted: Asian American
Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond
This past year, Asian Americans have faced a double pandemic of COVID-19 and anti-Asian racism. This is a critical time to raise our voices. The tragic killings in Atlanta come after a year of increased violence against the Asian American community, fueled by racist and xenophobic political rhetoric. While we’ve seen the rise of anti-Asian racism, we’ve also seen the rise of solidarity efforts within Asian American communities, with Asian-Black solidarity movements, and with other BIPOC communities. On top of this, we are still emerging from the pandemic, finding ways to support our families, rebuild our lives, get vaccinated, and deal with the grief, pain and anger this has brought, as well as moments of joy, resilience, and hope.
As Asian American non-fiction storytellers, we have a unique perspective on these issues, and now is the time to amplify our voices. By leaning into our strengths as documentarians of the Asian diaspora, we want to record perspectives that can disrupt mainstream narratives about our communities. We believe that these short-form stories can contribute to much-needed representations of our communities at this critical moment as well as serve as a time capsule for future generations.
#AsianAmResilience #ADocGoesViral
Culture Highlighted: Asian American
Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond
This past year, Asian Americans have faced a double pandemic of COVID-19 and anti-Asian racism. This is a critical time to raise our voices. The tragic killings in Atlanta come after a year of increased violence against the Asian American community, fueled by racist and xenophobic political rhetoric. While we’ve seen the rise of anti-Asian racism, we’ve also seen the rise of solidarity efforts within Asian American communities, with Asian-Black solidarity movements, and with other BIPOC communities. On top of this, we are still emerging from the pandemic, finding ways to support our families, rebuild our lives, get vaccinated, and deal with the grief, pain and anger this has brought, as well as moments of joy, resilience, and hope.
As Asian American non-fiction storytellers, we have a unique perspective on these issues, and now is the time to amplify our voices. By leaning into our strengths as documentarians of the Asian diaspora, we want to record perspectives that can disrupt mainstream narratives about our communities. We believe that these short-form stories can contribute to much-needed representations of our communities at this critical moment as well as serve as a time capsule for future generations.
#AsianAmResilience #ADocGoesViral
Episodes from the Series
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Corinne Manabat Cueva “Keeping It Creative”
Topics: Filipino American, Filipinx, comics, artist, art, activism, solidarity Cesar Cueva (aka @artofthecartoon), is an essential worker at a print/shipping center who draws a weekly comic about his life, called “Buhay” which means life in Tagalog, to stay creative and to share his point of view and experiences that brings humor, joy, and community on social media. |
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Ash Goh Hua “People Unite!
”Topics: activism, solidarity, Asian Black solidarity, #StopAsianHate, #StopAAPIHate, protest, peace march, New York In the face of AAPI violence, an intergenerational coalition of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, People of Color organizers come together to organize a march across historic Washington Heights and Harlem, as a continuation of the historic and radical Black and Asian solidarity tradition. |
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Joyce Keokham’s “New Touches”
Topics: Quarantine, Poetry, Storytelling, Intimacy, LGBTQ+, Relationship A couple reflects fondly of their time together in lockdown in this short video poem. |
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Prerana Thakurdesai’s “The Essential Worker”
Topics: Muslim, funerals, COVID, Brooklyn, NYC, South Asian, Eid A Muslim cleric steps up to perform COVID funerals when few others were willing to risk their lives. |
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Andy Sarjahani’s “Iranian Hillbilly”
Topics: Rural America, Middle East, Iranian American, Christian Muslim The son of a Shiite Muslim Iranian immigrant and Southern Baptist from Alabama explores his dual identities, attempting to build understanding across vast divides. |
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Mahesh Pailoor’s “Turbulence”
Topics: Photography, Visual Storytelling, LA Times, Social Justice, Filipino American Luis Sinco, a Filipino American Pulitzer Prize finalist and staff photographer for the LA Times, seeks his subjects at the margins of society and reflects on a turbulent year in Los Angeles. |
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Devon Cupery’s “Seeds of Hope”
Topics: Refugees, Hmong, Myanmar, Gardening, Vaccinations, Southeast Asian A passionate Hmong community leader addresses the shifting needs of refugee families while planting seeds for a hopeful future. |
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Jing Feng’s “Middle Ground”
Topics: Pandemic, Journalism, Storytelling, US-China Relationship Caught in between her native China & her adopted home in the US, director Jing Feng is determined to find a place in the middle where she can belong. |
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Anula Shetty’s “Planting Resilience”
Topics: Cambodian American, Khmer Arts, Dance, Traditional Arts, Stop Asian Hate In a climate of violence against Asian Americans, a young Cambodian-American activist shares her passion for Khmer dance as a symbol of resistance and resilience. |
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Priyanka Suryaneni’s “Service Before Self”
Topics: Sikh American, Social Justice, Community After losing his restaurant during the pandemic, Rajinder Singh finds new life and livelihood by starting a food truck to serve those in need. |