This film makes me think about my past, my history. Where am I from. I don’t even know. My parents never talk about our ancestors, who they are, where they live, and how do they connect to me. Now seeing this film, I hope I can talk to my parents about where they came from. It evoked the questions “Who Am I?“ I always thought that who I was only had to do with what I did and my actions, but after the film I realize that maybe finding out who I was had to do with finding out more about the people that came before me.
(8th grade student)
I just read an article in the New York Times by Bruce Feiler — The Family Stories That Bind Us — which explores the importance of developing “a strong family narrative”.
One study found that the “more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned.” In fact, this turned out to be the best single predictor of children’s emotional health, resilience and happiness…because they had a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves, and had a strong “inter-generational” sense of self.
What: SEEDArts Cinema Series “Made in Seattle: Homegrown Documentaries”
When: April 5 & 6, 2013 Where: Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S Alaska St, Seattle, WA 98118 Contact: Kathy Fowells, kfowells@seedseattle.org, 206.760.9843
*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***
Seattle, WA – Indie music lovers, reformed juvenile delinquents, off-the-grid hippies and a mixed race woman searching for identity are just some of the compelling characters you’ll meet during the inaugural SEEDArts Cinema Series, “Made in Seattle: Homegrown Documentaries”. The two-day series, April 5 & 6, is comprised of four dynamic, award-winning, locally made documentaries to be screened at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S Alaska St, Seattle, WA 98118. Each film will be followed by a community conversation with the filmmakers and moderated by Rustin Thompson, The Restless Critic.
The Cinema Series opens on Friday, April 5 at 7pm with a screening of “A Lot Like You,” in which Rainier Valley based filmmaker Eliaichi Kimaro, a mixed-race, first-generation American with a Tanzanian father and Korean mother, travels to Tanzania in search of identity. Eliaichi Kimaro will be in attendance.
The Series continues on Saturday, April 6, with a matinee and an evening double feature. At 3 pm, “Minor Differences” by director Heather Dew Oaksen, chronicles the eighteen-year journey of five former juvenile offenders from their mid-teens to adulthood. Several of the local men will be in attendance with Heather Dew Oaksen (Director) and Caroline Cumming (Producer). “Back to the Garden: Flower Power Comes Full Circle” screens at 5pm. Filmmaker Kevin Tomlinson and producer Judy Kaplan will be in attendance. The series concludes with “Welcome to Doe Bay” at 7 pm. This film chronicles how innovative, resourceful and creative individuals can band together to create a truly unique musical experience. Producer Sarah Crowe will be in attendance.
Admission to the Cinema Series is $5 per film or $15 for a series pass at the door. For more information and updates, call 206.760.4285 or visit SEEDArts Cinema.
On 3/7/2013, I was invited to speak at API Chaya’s 18th Annual Candlelight Vigil. Given time constraints, I took the talk in a slightly different direction. And so I thought I’d share the talk I originally planned to give. What follows is Part 2 of 2. (Click here to read Part 1.) ……………………………………………
Thoughts for the API Chaya Vigil (Part 2)
So the film I set out to make was about the challenges Dad faced as he tried to fit back in with the family and culture he’d left behind 40 years earlier. The working title was “Worlds Apart”. And for 7 years, this was the story I was trying to tell.
But several things got in the way. Most significantly was my bearing witness to my aunts’ stories. My aunts and I weren’t particularly close. So when their stories started pouring out, all I could do was hold on. My Aunts sitting in that hut, on the same coffee farm on Mt Kilimanjaro where my dad was born and raised, were bearing their souls and sharing truth about their lives for the first time, stories they’d never even shared with each other as sisters.
All I could was sit and listen, because I LITERALLY didn’t have the words in Swahili to support them. I was just a silent person bearing witness to a lifetime of unspeakable pain and suffering.
Because of my 12 years of supporting survivors of violence and abuse, I was fortunate enough to have the tools I needed to bare witness to my Aunts’ pain without needing to minimize it or make light of it. I made the space for their stories, and just allowed their stories to be. And in that moment of vulnerability, of openness and connection, new paths were laid out before us.
These stills were taken 24 hours apart…before my Aunt spoke her truth, and after.
On screen, we witness the transformation that takes place in my Aunts as they find the words to finally speak their truth. And the Power of their story compelled me, albeit years later, to deeply consider the hidden truths in my own life.
But now I was stuck. I was still clinging to Dad’s story…but I couldn’t let go of my Aunts’ commandment: “Now that we’ve shared our stories with you, what are you going to do about it?”
It took me 7 years to realize the story I was meant to tell was my own–not my Dad’s. And in the process, this film was forcing me to come to terms with some deeply hidden truths–stories I’d never intended to share.
It was my plan never to tell my father about my own experiences of abuse, because ‘7 year old me’ believed that knowing this would destroy him. And I was getting by just fine, doing my own work on my own healing on my own time. But I knew, if I was going to do right by my Aunts, I had to tell my own story, and that meant bringing this secret out into the open. And so I did.
I’m thrilled to join Eli and the A Lot Like You [ALLY] Project. This film and project cover a huge breadth of subject matter familiar to me, having participated in anti-racism and social work, and studying International Development; race, social empowerment, cultural relativism, women’s rights, and more. The heart of it to me, however, is wrapped up in the question of home. Language doesn’t make it easy for us to claim an identity or to say precisely where we are from. Most of the time, we must fumble through labels and superficial introductions in order to define ourselves and in the process, lose some of the meaning of what’s actually behind what we’re called. To me, ALLY really highlighted that beautiful struggle we all face encountering ourselves: where we come from and where we want to go.
Whether it is a character trait embedded in my DNA or a function of my environment, I have always enjoyed seeing the other side of the story. A relentless devil’s advocate and true Gemini, It has always been easy for me to see or illuminate another’s perspective. I have spent less time, however, on fleshing out my own. Eli and her movie highlighted what I already knew; this task is more daunting than it seems. Continue reading →
-Funny family dinners -Women go through a lot, and carry on. -We all share experiences -We need to let go of money -Money doesn’t buy happiness -People should treat each other better -Everyone is different but we still are very much alike -I feel sad, but happy. As human beings, we do great things and terrible things because other people are different. We need to stop.
My original intent for this blog was to create a space where we (the A.L.L.Y. team) could reflect on our evolving journey with this film, and hopefully invite readers to share their own ideas and experiences. But lately, I feel this blog has lost its way because I just haven’t found the time to write. Or so I thought.
And then I realized that’s simply not true…I’m writing all the time. With every speech or grant I write, I get the joy of rediscovering this film. (That’s right. I’m re-purposing Journey.)
Moving this film out into the world, we’re constantly exploring new opportunities to reach and engage with our audience. And if what we’re learning along the way–about fundraising, marketing, distribution, outreach and community engagement– can be of benefit to some, then Dayenu!
So in this renewed spirit of our blog…
I was invited to speak at API Chaya’s 18th Annual Candlelight Vigil this past week. I prepared the following talk…but given time constraints, I abandoned my “script” early on and just spoke off the cuff–which worked surprisingly well! But reading this over, there are a few ideas still worth sharing…
w/Manpreet Kaur Sandhu at API Chaya Vigil. Photo by Derek Orbiso Dizon
Thoughts for the API Chaya Vigil March 7, 2013 (Part 1)
~ reaffirming our shared commitment to ensure that all people are able to live their lives with dignity and respect, free from violence and abuse, and
~ recognizing the power of story to mobilize our community and contribute to this groundswell that can lead to change.
I’m honored to be invited to participate in today’s vigil. As an activist-turned filmmaker, I love that the theme this year — Breaking the Silence Through Art — invites us to consider the change that is possible when we allow our Art to be informed by our Activism, and vice versa. Continue reading →
This made me think about how in one culture something they do as a tradition can feel so wrong to another culture.
It also made me think about how many people in our world are abused emotionally and physically and not tell anyone because of various reasons. Whether that is because of shame, anger, sadness, or culture it doesn’t matter. (8th grade student)
In celebration of women and girls around the world…
a day for us to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that all people everywhere are able to live their lives with dignity and respect, free from violence and abuse.
“Who we are–our well-being, our suffering, our triumphs–who we are and how we live on this Earth Matters. Our Stories Matter. Our words and actions set forth a ripple effect that can impact the whole world.”
I was delighted to be invited to share A Lot Like You with Lake Washington Girls Middle School today. Their 8th grade class is about to launch into a memoir writing unit–which is just the context I needed for this screening/discussion, given that the seeds of this film were planted in my 12th grade memoir writing class (at an all-girls school, no less).
Immediately following the screening, the girls took a moment share their stories/feelings/reflections. To help them get started, I suggested they reflect on the meaning behind our title or our tagline (“The truth has no borders.”)
The 45-minute conversation that followed covered so much ground, including:
my surprising, and unlikely, film journey
the power of personal storytelling, and how it can change the world
how oppression compromises the humanity in us all
the concept of Ubuntu
the emergent tension between cultural relativism and global human rights
the story of what happened when my Tanzanian family saw the film
realizing that while Mom, Dad and I all skirt the line of cultural insider/outsider, it manifests differently for each of us
reflecting on whether I ultimately achieved my goal of understanding who I am and what I’m passing down…
The girls were so engaged and compassionate in their consideration of my story. What an honor to get to be a part of their journey as they prepare to do some serious soul-searching and deep introspection of their own…
from National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (NAMAC):
Engaging Audiences: Two Brief Case Studies
Author: Tracey Quezada
Last month, I participated in an online, social engagement chat around the documentary film A Lot Like You. The chat, hosted by AfroPop/Black Public Media and the Center for Asian American Media, was held on ITVS’ OVEE platform. OVEE is a new social screening platform for watching your favorite PBS and local public television programs. People from everywhere, locally, nationally, internationally, can join OVEE chats to watch films collectively, share responses, or even pose questions via live chat to the filmmakers or producers in attendance.
A Lot Like You (ALLY) shares the story of Eliaichi Kimaro, a mixed-race, first-generation American with a Tanzanian father and Korean mother who is searching for a stronger connection to her African roots. I was drawn to director Eliaichi Kimaros’ film because of the complexities of the issues raised, and because of the ways her team is engaging audiences around these issues. The interactive component on ALLY’s website allows people from everywhere to join the conversation around the sensitive subjects of interpersonal violence and racial and cultural identities. Users are invited to download this picture, write on it reflections inspired by the film, take a photo of what they wrote, and mail it in to the site admin. Together, these personal images populate a gallery on the website, that due to its aesthetic design, looks something like Instagram with a message. The images and text are also uploaded to the ALLY blog, which helps to make the handwriting clear and the message pop. ALLY’s website is a clear example of how communities can engage in virtual conversation that helps support one another.
In my experience, I’ve found storytelling satisfies the human need for connection. People want to share and be heard, so what better way to activate people about important social issues than to connect to one another through shared experiences, creative expression, and resources. Continue reading →
