Rainier Valley Filmmaker Featured at the
Seattle Asian American Film Festival

 By Dominique Scalia, RVP Managing Editor

SEATTLE – From 2003 to 2007, Wes Kim directed the Northwest Asian American Film Festival in Seattle.  This year, co-Directors Kevin Bang and Vanessa Au are bringing it back under the name Seattle Asian American Film Festival, and it’s taking place January 25-27 at the Wing Luke Museum in the International District.

On opening night, sold-out audiences were treated to a viewing of A Lot Like You, an award-winning documentary by Rainier Valley-based filmmakerEliaichi Kimaro.

Kimaro is a first-generation American.  Her Tanzanian father and Korean mother were married shortly after interracial marriage became legal in the United States.  A Lot Like You began as a project to document Kimaro’s father and his journey back to Tanzania.  After many years of work, however, the film’s focused changed to Kimaro herself.  The story features interviews with Kimaro’s Aunts in Tanzania, and engages issues around racial identities, trauma, and gender violence.

A Lot Like You has received numerous awards since its world premiere at theSeattle International Film Festival two years ago, including Best Documentary Feature at the 2011 Montreal International Black Film Festival and Best Documentary at the 2012 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.  The documentary was also screened at the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence 2011 Annual Conference, where Kimaro delivered the closing keynote address, as well as a variety of other conferences and festivals. She’s even exploring the possibility of a Columbia City screening  this spring.

The ongoing project around A Lot Like You invites donations to fund a variety of efforts related to the themes of the film.  More information about those projects can be found on the film’s blog.  Thanks to a sponsorship by the non-profit NW Film Forum, donations over $50 are tax-deductible.