Podcasts about sf film

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Host Miko Lee celebrates AAPINH Month by interviewing Filmmakers: Sara Kambe Holland, Alleluiah Panis, and Kyle Casey Chu, also known as Panda Dulce. We also cover a bunch of AAPINH month events happening throughout the Bay Area.   Calendar of Events Community Calendar May 3 2-6pm Daly City AAPI Fest celebrating local Asian American & Pacific Islander culture in Daly City and the Greater San Francisco Bay Area     May 10 10am-12pm PT Our Heritage 5K 2025  a FREE, family-friendly 5K fun walk/run honoring the rich history and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in San Francisco. This scenic route winds through the heart of the city, passing by over 16+ historic AAPI landmarks—featuring goodies, resources, and fun facts about its cultural significance. Expect cheer stations, photo ops, sweet treats, and entertainment along the route to keep the energy high! May 10th is also AAPI Mental Health Day! The Our Wellness Festival, will celebrate mental health, community, and joy. The festival will feature family-friendly activities, carnival-style games, music, dancing, wellness resources, and more! May 23 at 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm Asian American and Pacific Islander LGBTQ2S+ Mixer NJAHS Peace Gallery 1684 Post Street, San Francisco Children's Fairyland in Oakland, and Stanford's Asian American studies department host a series of events throughout the month that we will post in the show notes for you to check out.  Bay Area Public Libraries AAPI Month Oakland public libraries feature reading lists for all ages, a grab and grow seedling kit and events like watermelon kimchi making!San Francisco Public Libraries There will be events for all ages at Library locations throughout the City, including free author talks, book clubs, film screenings, crafts, food programs and musical and dance performances. San Jose Public libraries host a series of events with a highlights being Tapa Cloth making on May 6 and Vegan Filipino Cooking with Astig Vegan on May 7 Berkeley public libraries   CAAMFest 2025 United States of Asian America Through June 1    Transcript: Filmmakers Exploring Boundaries   Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:00:57] Welcome to Apex Express and happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Even though the Trump administration has eliminated recognizing cultural heritage months, we are still celebrating diversity and inclusion. Here at Apex Express and KPFA, we believe in lifting up people's voices. And tonight on Apex Express, we are focusing on Asian American filmmakers exploring boundaries. Host Mika Lee talks with filmmakers, creators, writers Sarah Kambe Holland, Alleluiah Panis, and Kyle Casey Chu, also known as Panda Dulce. Join us on Apex Express.    Miko Lee: [00:01:51] Welcome, Sarah Kambe Holland, the amazing young filmmaker, writer, director, here to talk about your very first film, egghead and Twinkie. Welcome to Apex Express.    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:02:04] Thanks so much for having me.   Miko Lee: [00:02:06] So first I'm gonna start with a personal question, which is an adaptation from the amazing poet Chinaka Hodges. And my first question is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:02:19] Oh wow. What a great question. , I think that I represent my family and my heritage. I'm mixed, so I'm half Japanese and half British. I grew up partially in Japan and partially in the States. I feel like those experiences, my family, they make up who I am and the stories that I wanna tell.   Miko Lee: [00:02:41] And what legacy do you carry with you?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:02:45] I think the legacy of my family, my grandparents on both sides have overcome so much, and, , they're a big inspiration to me. Funny enough, my grandparents play kind of a secret role in this film. My grandparents on my mom's side were incarcerated in the Japanese American camps. My grandmom, my British side overcame a lot of adversity as well in her life. , I think that's the legacy that I carry.    Miko Lee: [00:03:09] Thank you. Tell me a little more, what secret role do your grandparents play in the film?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:03:14] all my grandparents have always been very supportive of, my art and my filmmaking. But my grandparents on my mom's side, they passed away ahead of the making of this film. And I inherited my grandfather's car. And that car is the car in the movie that, Egghead Twinkie drive cross country. So I like to think that this is their way of supporting me. I think that they would get a kick out of the fact that their car is like a main character in the film,    Miko Lee: [00:03:41] literally carrying you on your journey. I had so much fun watching the film. Can you share with our audience a little bit about what the film is about and what inspired you to create this?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:03:52] So the film is called Egghead and Twinkie, and it's about this mixed Asian teenage lesbian named Twinkie who's coming out and her best friend Egghead, who unfortunately is in love with her and she does not feel the same. , and they end up going on this cross country road trip to meet Twinkie Online love interest IRL for the very first time. So it's kind of like a buddy comedy road trip movie. Coming of age queer story, , and it's one that's very personal to me, I think is a mixed Asian queer person. This was a story I was drawn to tell because it was a story that I didn't really see on screen when I was growing up.   Miko Lee: [00:04:30] Can you talk to me a little bit more about the use of the name Twinkie, which for many folks in the A API community is seen as a slur, and I know she talks about it a little in the film, but can you share more how you came up with that?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:04:44] Yes, it's a very nuanced thing and it's something I was kind of nervous to tackle, especially like in a comedy film. , but really with the creation of Twinkie's character, , I feel like she's going on this journey to embrace herself as a lesbian, as a gay woman, but then also I think that she's searching for herself as a mixed Asian person. I feel like within the Asian American community, if you're raised here in the US or if you're mixed or if you're adopted, I think that there can be this feeling of not feeling Asian enough. I think the word Twinkie was something that was kind of weaponized against her. Like, oh, you know, you're not Asian enough, you're a Twinkie. And her way of coping with that is to kind of reclaim that word and kind of own that. As her own name.    Miko Lee: [00:05:31] Thank you so much for sharing. I read online that this is the very first feature film to be crowdfunded on TikTok. Can you talk a little bit about, I know your background is in as a social media creator. Can you talk about that journey from social media creator to filmmaker?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:05:51] Yes. Yeah. TikTok and social media was such a big part of getting this film made. Uh, so for myself, yeah. I was a YouTuber before I was a filmmaker. I should be clear, I wasn't like PewDiePie or anything like that. I had like 40,000 followers. Um, but for me at that time when I was like 15, 16, that felt like the whole world. Um, and I think that YouTube was really my first introduction to. Storytelling, but also to making friends with people through the internet. And that ended up being a really big influence on this film because Twinkie is traveling cross country to meet a girl that she meets online. And I think that that is such a common story nowadays. Like people make friends online all the time. Um, and the ways that we find love and community has changed.Because of the internet. Um, so it felt very appropriate that we turned to TikTok turned to social media as a means to raise money for this film. Uh, we did a whole targeted crowdfunding campaign on TikTok and we raised over $20,000 from a lot of strangers that I will never meet, but I owe a lot of thanks to.   Miko Lee: [00:06:53] So now that the film has been going out to different festivals and being screened at different places, have any of those that participated in the crowdfund, have you met any of those kind of anonymous supporters?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:07:05] Yes. And that was crazy. it was awesome. We screened it over 40 festivals all around the world. Our international premiere was at the British Film Institute in London. And it was at that screening that someone raised their hand during the q and a and they were like, I just wanted you to know that I backed your movie, uh, and I found you on TikTok. And that just blew my mind that someone on the other side of the world, you know, had donated whatever, you know, 10, 20 bucks to making this thing a reality.   Miko Lee: [00:07:31] Oh, I love that when the anonymous becomes real like a person in front of you that you can actually meet. How fun. I'm wondering if your use of animation is, , been influenced by your social media background.    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:07:45] Not really. Actually. I think the animation part of this film is just because I'm a total nerd. I really love animation, I love comics. And so that kind of bled into Twinkies character. You know, she loves comics, she wants to be an animator. And, uh, I think I've always been interested in the idea of combining 2D animation with live action footage. I feel like that's something that we see a lot in like children's movies or, um.Music videos, but it's not something that you really see in like, feature films all that often. So I was kind of excited to explore that, and it was a really fun collaboration with myself and our lead animator, Dylan Ello, who did most of the animations in the movie.   Miko Lee: [00:08:28] Oh, thank you for that. I, I, it was very delightful. Um, I'm wondering, because we're, our world right now is incredibly complicated and so conflicted. How do you feel filmmaking can make a difference?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:08:44] I feel like art is more important now than ever because I see even in just this film's journey how art literature and movies, it can change people's minds and they don't even realize that their minds are changing.I think especially with this film, 'cause it's so lighthearted and funny and silly, you'd be like, oh, it's just, you know, a good laugh and that's it. But, but not really. I've seen this film. Open doors and open conversations. And I think that that's really my hope is that maybe, you know, parents who have a queer kid and they're not sure what to do about it, maybe they'll watch this film and they'll be able to talk to their kid about things that maybe they're afraid to talk about. I think that art really has the power to, to change people's minds.    Miko Lee: [00:09:29] Have you experienced that with somebody that has actually seen your film, that you've had a conversation with them where they walked away, changed from seeing it?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:09:38] Well, on a very personal level, um, my parents, uh, are conservative and I think when I first came out to them, it was an adjustment for sure. Um, I. When I initially kind of pitched the idea of Egghead and Twinkie to them years, years ago, uh, as a short film, they were confused. They were like, why do you wanna make this film about being gay? Like, why do you have to make everything about being gay? And that's not really what it was. I just wanted to tell this story.  And it's been such an amazing journey to see my parents like fully embrace this movie. Like they are egghead and Twinkie biggest fans. They might love this movie more than me. Uh, so that has been really amazing to be able to kind of talk to them about queer issues in my identity through the making of this movie.   Miko Lee: [00:10:24] I love that. So let our audience know how they can see your film, egghead and Twinkie.    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:10:31] So Egg and Twinkie is coming out on streaming platforms on April 29th. It'll be on Apple tv, Amazon Prime, uh, any video on demand streaming platform in North America.    Miko Lee: [00:10:43] Yay. And Sarah, what are you working on next?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:10:46] Oh boy, have a big question. Uh, I have a few screenplays in the works, one of which is a time traveling lesbian rom-com. So, uh, I'm waiting for when I get the big bucks so I can make my first period piece.    Miko Lee: [00:10:59] Love it. Sounds fun. , thank you so much for sharing with us. It was such a delight to see your film and I look forward to seeing more of your work.   Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:11:08] Thanks so much for having me, Miko. This was great.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:11:11] Listen to Kushimoto Bushi by Minyo crusaders, a Japanese cumbia band    MUSIC   Welcome back. This is the Powerleegirls on apex express, and that was Kushimoto Bushi by Minyo Crusaders    Miko Lee: [00:15:24] Welcome, Alleluia Panis, the Executive Director of Kularts to Apex Express.    Alleluia Panis: [00:15:30] Thank you. I'm so honored to be here.    Miko Lee: [00:15:34] I wanna talk with you about your film, but first I wanna start with a personal question, which is an adaptation from the amazing poet Chinaka Hodges. And that is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?   Alleluia Panis: [00:15:49] Wow, that's deep who are my people? My people is my community. And so it is here in, in the diaspora, Filipino Americans, Asian Americans, and folks of color. And then of course the indigenous people in the Philippines. . What I carry with me and continues to inspire me on the daily is the knowing that we have been here for a long time. Our ancestors have survived eons of whether it's, good times and bad times. And so that keeps me going.   Miko Lee: [00:16:28] Thank you so much for sharing. you have been working in the field for a long time. You're really, , a trailblazer in terms of putting Filipino arts on the map and really lifting up the culture. Can you talk about your new film Memories of Mindanao, where that came from, what it's all about?   Alleluia Panis: [00:16:49] Is a leg of, , Tribo tour, which began in 2002. But actually inspired by my first trip to, , then the wild and being with in 1989 , and, , basically traveling and. Setting myself and my, my, my music and dance company at the time to just be with indigenous people. ,and how profoundly that particular experience really impacted me. For years I've been wanting to like, how can I bring this? Experience or share the experience with other diasporic folks. Fortunately I was able to connect with Carlo Abeo in the Philippines, who's been my tour manager, in 2001. And then in 2002 we embarked on the first, Tribo tour.   Miko Lee: [00:17:50] So this was an effort to really share this powerful kind of artistic travel journey with more folks. Is that right?    Alleluia Panis: [00:17:57] Yes. And it's actually beyond artistic. It's really about recognizing something deeper, right? Because our history of colonization is pretty intense. 500 years and or is it 400 years? Give or take, a century. And so there are a lot of things that had been co-opted. It has been erased, it has been gaslit. And fortunately, I feel like within the culture of the archipelago, there are, and even those. That are, of the, what is considered the colonized people or the Christianized people. there are practices that exist today that might have a different name, um, or but actually is indigenous and so, and only. Could I say that because I was able to really experience and be with folks and, uh, and it's years, you know, it's years of kind of like assessing and looking at you know, different, uh, practices. And so that is so I don't know. It's beyond gratifying. It's connecting. I mean, it seems so cliche. It's connecting with something so deep, you know, it's like connecting to, you know, to Mother Earth in, in that way our, our Mama Ocean. And recognizing yourself that, that you are bigger and have, and has agency, you know, in terms of just. What you are connected to, uh, what we are connected to. Um, and so it's, it's it, of course within the cultural practices, which is artistic practices that we see that connection.    Miko Lee: [00:19:40] You were looking at, the impact of colonization and how arts and culture has really spoke to that or fought back against that in the Philippines. Can you talk about bringing that over to our colonized United States and how you see that playing out?    Alleluia Panis: [00:19:58] Well, I think first of all as, um, as folks of color. And as former subjects of the United States, you know, 40 years of the US and still, still, um, you know, in some ways kind of soft power over the people of the Archipelago. It's, it's really, um, first and foremost knowing or getting that sense of connection and confidence and, um, self-identity. That leads, that would lead us to create, um, in the diaspora. And so what, what this pro with this project, this particular program does and, and I continue to prove it with so many folks, is that it's really. Kind of finding yourself, I mean, that, that seems so cliche and knowing your place in the world and how you are connected so deeply despite all the, you know, like all the brainwashing that you don't know anything. Everything is, uh, you know, everything that, that, that, um, that exists in terms of the cultural practices of the arch of the people of the archipelago are borrowed or, or, um. Basically borrowed or taken from another culture, um, really kind of diminishes that, that colonized thinking. And so I think the power of it is finding your stepping into your own power in this way. Um, and, and, um, you know, it is also not just the current, like in, in once lifetime do you get that abuse or trauma, but it's also all the. You know, the, the, the inheritance from our, you know, from our parents, from our grandparents, right? Great. Passed down the generation and, um, oftentimes construed as the real deal, unt true. And so, aside from the form. Aside from, um, the practices, because this trip is really a little, is is focused more on not learning or like, you know, we don't go to learn like dance music or. Weaving or, you know, design or anything like that. Yes, that happens. We do, we do have workshops, but you know, it's not like it's, it's more like opening the ice of each, you know, individual. I. To the, to the, the whole, the whole thing. What, what is the, the presence of nature is, are they water people? Well, how does the water impact the cultural practices and therefore the artistic practices, um, and understanding sort of like, oh, they, they do that kind of steps with the, you know, flat feet or whatever. Because the sound of the bamboo slats is just. Amazing, you know, uh, under their feet. And so it's not so much that I'm gonna learn, you know, x, y, Z dance or x, y, z music, music or gongs, or, but it's more like w. Through those practices, how do we see the people, how do they mirror our own existence? And what, what we can remember really is remembering, um, what my, what, what we have forgotten or what we know it's true, but we're not sure. So I dunno if I'm answering your question. It's a roundabout response.    Miko Lee:[00:23:26]  I feel like you're talking about how we step into our ancestral wisdom and power.    Alleluia Panis: [00:23:33] Correct.    Miko Lee: [00:23:33] And I'm wondering if you can expand on that,, to talk a little bit more about this time of oligarchy we are living in, which is really built in colonization. How do we both as artists use our superpowers to fight back against that and then encourage other people? How do we use our artist beings to encourage other people to fight back against the world that we're living in right now?  Alleluia Panis: [00:24:00] One of the most powerful impact on me , in experiencing, indigenous practices and culture is the practice of spirituality, the rituals, the ceremonies. There's one specific ceremony from Ana as a magana on ceremony, um, that really, It was just such a profound experience in opening up, my senses and my sense of connection to something larger than this. And, and the EPO and, um, there's several, um. Ritual practices with different names. It's basically similar, uh, practice, uh, is the connection to the five elements and the basic, um, um, and fundamental elements of life. You know, water, earth, wind, fire, and the darkness. The, there's a transcendence. Um. And that that discovery is a, or that connection, um, is something that's, it sounds really woo woo, right? I mean, um, but it really becomes kind of a, a, an experience, an embodiment experience, a belief in your own kind of intuition, your gut feeling. My, uh, my. Um, response, you know, to it, a physical response. And, um, that, that's become like a, a guide for, for everything that I do. And so, um, to me that that is the grounding that, um, has allowed me to continue the work that that. That I've been doing, continue living, period. And so it's really, I think the, a matter of really kind of like, knowing yourself, it just sounds all so cliche, you know? And, and, the power of, Really understanding that you have or I have a depth of connection, that I can draw from in terms of energy and spirit and love, that is beyond kind of the physical, but also the physical. And so for me, that sense of knowing. Is what is allowing me to continue doing what I do despite all the, you know, challenges and difficulties and, you know, the insanity of these times or any time. and having kind of that grounding, I mean, you, you, the, the, clarity, is everything. it allows me to. follow what seems to be the correct route to wherever I was going. it doesn't mean that it's, it's, I'm, I'm not working on it, you know, but I'm also not, not pushing in a way that, you know, I'm, I'm gonna make you believe in me and I'll, you know, like, sort of like, I will tell you what is the right thing and, and, and I will make you, um, agree with me. It, it's, it's not that. Um, I is, I dunno. Is that making any sense? Do you have any other,    Miko Lee: [00:27:24] you totally make sense to me. I'm wondering how people can find out how, how can people find out more about your film and about all of your work?    Alleluia Panis: [00:27:34] Oh, sure. people can find out about, my work and the film through, um, the website. It's, uh, KulArts SF dot org and, most of, if not all of my work, uh, and the work of others, are actually on there. There's a lot of information there. the, the film is gonna be shown at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific, film Festival May 3rd at, uh, a MC. Eight or 14 or is it in, Monterey Park and, folks can actually just find that information on our website as well.    Miko Lee: [00:28:13] And what would you like audience to walk away from your film with an understanding of?   Alleluia Panis: [00:28:21] I want the audience to feel the. Power of being there in TT T is the southernness most islands of, of the Philippines. And, not too many people actually go there. If you have seen the Sam Baja, um, you know, divers, uh, where they can dive for, I think they can stay from five to 15 minutes underwater without any, you know, oxygen or assistance. These are, these are the people who, who, uh, these islands belong to. and as usual, their, you know, their live livelihood is being challenged by everything that's happening in the world. And what the, the film itself, itself, is really trying to put, put the audience within the, you know, like the, I guess the, the shoe of the there and how, you know, their experiences. there's not a lot of explanation to it because we really want it to be a more visceral experience. for the audience,    Miko Lee: [00:29:22] is there anything else you'd like to share with us?    Alleluia Panis: [00:29:26] Let's keep on going. Let's, you know, we, we all, we all need to be in community to uplift each other and keep hope alive.    Miko Lee: [00:29:38] Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing a little bit more about your film and about your work and your connection to the ancestors and the need to move forward.   Alleluia Panis: [00:29:47] Appreciate you. Thank you, Miko.   Miko Lee: [00:29:51] Welcome Kyle Casey, Chu, also known as Panda Dulce to Apex Express.    Kyle Casey Chu: [00:29:57] Hi so much for having me.    Miko Lee: [00:29:59] We're so happy to have you back here, onto Apex Express Land and you have a bunch of new things happening, not just a new film, but also a new book. First off, I'm gonna just start with a personal question, which I ask everyone. Who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?    Kyle Casey Chu: [00:30:16] Ooh, that's a juicy one. Um, my people, I would say my people are the weirdos and the art freaks of the world. Uh, queer and trans people, Asian Americans, queer and trans Asian Americans, people of color, people from the Bay Area. Um, people who have noticed the boxes that they're in and are pushing the walls and the boundaries of that. I feel like these are the people who really inspire me the most. In terms of the legacy I bring, I am a fourth generation Chinese American, uh, queer and trans femme person living in the San Francisco Bay area where I was born and raised.   Miko Lee: [00:30:56] Thanks so much for sharing. , first let's start with just finding out more about your film, which was based on a true story called After What Happened at the Library. This was a national story, I remember hearing about it, but for folks that don't know, can you describe the real incident that inspired the film?    Kyle Casey Chu: [00:31:14] So, I'm one of the founders of Drag Story Hour, which is exactly what it sounds like., drag queens reading stories to, , children and their families and libraries, bookstores and schools. In 2022, I took a gig in Pride Month at San Lorenzo Public Library, , where I was doing a drag story hour and the Proud Boys stormed in. They called me a tranny, a groomer and an it. They wore shirts saying, kill your local pedophile and I had to retreat to the back and lock myself in the back room. They scoured the premises looking for me. , the authorities showed up and didn't get any of their names or information, um, and just. Dispersed them. And after the incident, I came back to the reading room where the children and families were there, but shaken and I completed the reading.    Miko Lee: [00:32:05] Incredibly traumatic. What happened after that in real life?    Kyle Casey Chu: [00:32:10] It's funny that you, uh, because the short film is called After What Happened at the Library, uh, for a reason because I feel like it's natural as social creatures for humans to focus on the incident itself. We want to approach people with empathy and we want to, really put ourselves in their shoes, uh, to kind of be there as a support for them. What I wasn't prepared for was the gauntlet of media attention, how people would be coming out of the woodwork to ask me about the situation. They would send gushing praise, hate mail, death threats, love letters, care packages, and this wave of attention. Almost added to the overwhelm of the experience and the fact that I had suddenly become a figure and a lightning rod in a culture war when I just wanted to read a book in a library. 'cause that's what I was doing. Um, and not only this, but in the coverage of the event. Because the authorities were so slow to act on this and only started investigating it as a hate crime after it blew up on Instagram and they suddenly felt the heat of media attention. Um, I felt the, my only recourse was to go to the media and was to talk, and especially as a writer and a storyteller, I felt I needed to kind of sound the alarm because it was pride month.  This was the first, this was the inciting incident of a national, even international anti-D drag wave of right wing extremism. Um, it was a couple days later that the oath keepers were found planning some kind of resistance, like violent insurrection in before Ohio Pride. And so I would talk to these journalists and. I felt in the beginning I trusted them because, you know, I trusted that they wanted to get the word out, that they had the same intentions that I did in protecting my people. And what I found instead was that they kind of almost, they tried to elicit the most emotional response from me, which often involved asking me to relive the most excruciating aspects of that time and that experience. So I had to go back and revisit it over and over again. And when the stories actually came out, I'd found that my story was edited to suit another preconceived formula that they had already pitched a certain idea for how the story was would go. That painted me as this static monolithic victim. And they would just plug in one tearful soundbite and the rest of the story, they could just say whatever they wanted with.And there's a certain violence in that. There's a certain. Greater injustice to going through something like that, number one. But number two, telling your story and having that be distorted to suit other political aims or to, you know, buttress a call for public safety. And that specific dynamic of the direct aftermath of notoriety is what the short film gets at.   Miko Lee: [00:35:11] Oh so you're taking back your own story.    Kyle Casey Chu: [00:35:14] Absolutely. So after what happened at the library, the short film is a very much a radical reclamation of my own voice and my own story. Um, prying it back from the hands of the media and telling it on my own terms.    Miko Lee: [00:35:26] Thank you for that. And how has it been received   Kyle Casey Chu: [00:35:29] So far it's been received very well. The short film World premiered at Florida Film Festival in Orlando. Received a special jury prize for courageous voice in a time of great need, which is incredible. It's our first screening and we already got an award, which is so exciting. It just screened at SF Film on April 23rd as part of the shorts block. SF film is an Academy Award qualifying festival, and it is going to screen again at Can Fest, one of my favorite local festivals, the world's largest Asian and Asian American film showcase it's screening on Friday, May 9th at Kabuki and tickets are on sale.   Miko Lee: [00:36:11] Thank you for that. And can you tell us about your new book? This is very exciting. You have a coming of age story, the Queen Bees of Tybee County. Can you tell us about your book?   Kyle Casey Chu: [00:36:22] Absolutely. When it rains, it pours in creative worlds. I had a lot of irons on the fire and it just so happened that all of them were exhibiting or debuting or hitting shelves in the same week of April, which is last week. The Queen Bees of Tybee County is my debut novel. It's middle grade, so for ages eight through 12, though like a Pixar movie, it's for all ages really. Um, and it is a hopeful drag coming out story about a queer Chinese American seventh grade basketball star. Derek Chan, who is unceremoniously shipped off to his grandma Claudia's in rural Georgia, and she is volunteering for a local pageant. And so he. Explores his queer identity and his love for drag via Southern pageant culture.    Miko Lee: [00:37:09] Ooh, do we see a film of this in the future?    Kyle Casey Chu: [00:37:12] Actually, Queen Bees of Tybee County was optioned by Lambert Productions, which put on the Hardy Boys on Hulu. So it is on its way to becoming a TV show if every, if all the stars align, it'll be on TVs in the uk. Fingers and toes crossed for that.    Miko Lee: [00:37:27] Amazing. I'm looking forward to that. Can we pull ourselves out a little bit and talk about the times that we're living in right now and how artists use our super powers to fight back against the oligarchy that we're living in?    Kyle Casey Chu: [00:37:43] We all know, or perhaps should know that the beginnings of fascism involve suppressing intellectuals and artistic voices, increasing police presence and trying to maintain a stiff and consistent lid on the voices of the people. And so this type of suppression is happening right now. There are book bans across the country. , there are state and federal efforts legislatively to curtail the rights of trans kids and trans athletes, and Intellectuals, diplomats and scholars are all being expelled or suppressed, and I think something that I've learned is that, and it sounds really cheesy, but that quote is so real where it's like being brave isn't the absence of fear, but it's doing things in spite of it. I know it feels very scary to speak out right now, but now is the exact time to speak out because any. Ground that is seated cannot be taken back. And so holding of the line by way of protest, by way of publication, by way of dissenting is how we crack this. The armor of fascism.    Miko Lee: [00:38:55] And can you talk a little bit about the moment of joy or celebrating joy within the context of the strife that we're living in? I bring that up because , you've given me much joy as part of the rice rocketts and a lot of the work that you do. So I wonder if you could just talk about what does joy mean in the moment like this?    Kyle Casey Chu: [00:39:16] Yeah. I think. I have a background in social work and one of the first things that we learned is this is hard work. It is hard to always start on your back foot and to have to argue your own humanity and justify your existence as an artist or as a person. I found myself doing that when coverage of the library incident was happening and. One of the things that they tell you is the way that you do your best work and the way that you best serve your communities is by keeping your own self afloat. And what this means is maintaining a balance. When you have hard work, you also need to reward yourself. You also need to take care of yourself. And I don't think it's enough to just say self-care. You need to expose yourself, and you need to fully embrace the full spectrum of human emotion, which necessarily includes joy. And so. After completing such an intense project, like after what happened at the library, I knew that I needed to engage in something that was hopeful and that really struck the cord of why community is so vital and important, and why social support is integral to all of us thriving. And so the Queen Bees of Tubby County, I was told by a reviewer, and this is my favorite review, they said that it's like Chapel R'S Pink Pony Club. If it were a book. Um, and I'm going with that 'cause I love that. But this story is really just about hope. It's about friendship, it's about, it's about dancing towards the future we want. And I don't think it is enough for us to react. I don't think it's enough for us to strike down. Terrible and horrifying regimes. We also must have a vision for the future that includes ourselves thriving and enjoying ourselves. And I think a part of that practice for me is making art and scaffolding a vision for the future that is positive.    Miko Lee: [00:41:20] And what would you like people to walk away from after either reading your book or seeing your short film?   Kyle Casey Chu: [00:41:29] I think after seeing the short film. What this gets at is whenever there's a flashpoint of a culture war and it's localized on one person, whenever a culture war is personified in one singular person, like for example, ma Moon kil. There's only so much of his life that we get to see, and it's through the headlines and this viral moment of like a flash on the pan. And I want people to realize that the way that you interact with these people in that fleeting moment is going to stick with them long after this moment of notoriety passes. And. To be conscientious and aware of what impact you're bringing to that person because it may just be a moment or a blip in your feed, but the impact is enduring for the person who's living it. And I also want us to be critical of how we consume trauma and violence in the media, and to ask ourselves if. We really, truly need to get all the details if we really, truly need to be put, put that victim in the position of reliving their experience just so we can relive it for a moment. Whereas they will have to relive it for the rest of their lives. And I think survivor narratives and victim narratives are way more messy and complicated and sometimes funny than people give it credit for or realize. And to realize that when you are reading something. That is just one dimension in one shade. Uh, yeah. So that was a lot, sorry. But, um, the other thing is for the Queen Bees of Tybee County. And the reason why I wanted to end on that is because it's uplifting is as dark as the world can be. It can also be as dazzling and bright and hopeful, and that the future that we are fighting for is worth fighting for. And we need to remind ourselves of that. Especially in times like these, and I know it might seem counterintuitive for us to celebrate or to be around each other when it feels earth shatteringly bleak, but it is essential to our survival, and don't be afraid to embrace that.   Miko Lee: [00:44:00] Kyle, thank you so much. Kyle, Casey Chu, thank you so much for joining us on Apex Express. I encourage people to check the film out and the book out and we appreciate chatting with you.    Kyle Casey Chu: [00:44:11] Thanks so much.    Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:44:14] Kyle's film will be showcased at Cam Fest, the nation's largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, which runs from May 8th to 11th in San Francisco at a time when it feels particularly fraught to express stories from communities of color. Cam is doing what we've done for over 40 years, sharing films from Asian America to a wide array of audiences. It says, Cam's, director of programs, Dawn Young. Watching these stories in a theater full of friends and neighbors is an opportunity to laugh and cry, and ultimately to celebrate human experiences that transcend bounds. This year's festival will return to the A MC Kabuki in San Francisco's Japan town for opening night, and a total of four days of screenings in the historic neighborhood that is undergoing its own resurgence with new restaurants, cafes, and boutiques, highlighting both traditional and youth oriented culture. The Roxy Theater will also host three days of screenings. Cam Fest continues to strengthen ties with other local arts institutions with the Asian Art Museum hosting the Cam Fest gala. Following the opening night film on Thursday May 8th and SF M Om a opening the Phyllis Wa Theater for Mother's Day programming on Sunday, May 10th. Turning a lens on history, whether it's the end of the Vietnam War or the trailblazing women in the Bay Area, offers a chance to reconsider the stories through which we come to understand ourselves. Says Cam Fest program Manager Del Holton, ranging from intimate narratives of family and memory to experimental work that bends the conventions of storytelling. These films illuminate the many perspectives of Asian America.    CAAM Fest 2025 wraps up on Mother's Day with dedicated events that highlight strength and visionary artistry of Asian American women. You can also catch my sister Jalena Keane-Lee's film Standing Above the Clouds at 5:00 PM at the Kabuki. Honoring Mothering also includes celebrating the nurturing of community and pioneering of aesthetics. Cam's final day reflects on the contributions of Asian American women's work while looking to the future of storytelling. Another major multimedia arts, dance and music festival to check out is the annual United States of Asian America which runs through June 1st at venues around the Bay Area. This year's theme Critical Refuge asks us to reflect on our journey as immigrants, refugees, and generations of descendants and or mixed raced people in the diaspora as we seek necessary sanctuary within ourselves and in our communities in times of unrest and uncertainty. The festival will honor a API Arts and Culture, reflecting on where we have been, where we are now, and what our collective future holds, while acknowledging our roots as immigrants, refugees, and mixed race descendants. Also check out the 42nd annual Himalayan Fair in Berkeley's Live Oak Park happening May 17th and 18th. There will be Himalayan Food, handicrafts, music, and Dance. There are so many events happening in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Check out our show notes for links to all the wheelchair accessible events In addition to the films we featured tonight, camp Fest and United States of Asian America, there is also May 3rd, two to 6:00 PM daily city AAPI fest celebrating local Asian American and Pacific Islander culture in daily city in the greater San Francisco Bay area.    May 10th, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Our heritage, 5K 2025. A free family friendly, 5K fun walk slash run. Honoring the rich history and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in San Francisco. This scenic route winds through the heart of the city. Passing by over 16 plus historic A API Landmarks featuring goodies, resources, and fun facts about its cultural significance. Expect cheer stations, photo ops, sweet treats, and entertainment along the route to keep the energy high. May 10th is also a API Mental Health Day. The Our Wellness Festival will celebrate mental health, community and joy. The festival will feature family friendly activities, carnival style games, music, dancing, wellness resources, and more. May 23rd at 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM Asian American and Pacific Islander, LGBT Q2 s plus Mixer, NJAHS, peace Gallery 1684 Post Street in San Francisco. Children's Fairyland in Oakland and Stanford's Asian American Studies apartment will also host a series of events throughout the month that we will post in the show notes for you to check out in Bay Area Public Library News. Oakland Public Libraries feature reading lists for all ages, a grab and grow seedling kit and events like Watermelon Kimchi making. San Francisco Public Libraries will have events for all ages at library locations throughout the city, including free author talks, book clubs, film screenings, crafts, food programs, and musical and dance performances. Highlights for adults include the launch of Corky Lee's Asian America at the main library on May 23rd. The new book features over 200 breathtaking photos celebrating the history and cultural impact of the Asian American Social Justice movement. We've covered Corky Lee's work in multiple previous Apex episodes.    Additionally, four members of the Asian American Journalist Association, AAJA, who cover the Asian American and Pacific Islander News beat will discuss how authentic local reporting happens, important stories they've reported recently, and how having reporters dedicated to the BEAT impacts the A API community on May 8th, moderated by the interim president of the AAJA-SF Bay Area chapter Harry Mock. The panel features Ko Lyn Chang from the San Francisco Chronicle, Han Lee from the San Francisco Standard, and Ravi Kapoor, CEO of Dia, TV on May 25th. The library partners with the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco to welcome Curtis Chin, author of everything I Learned, I learned in a Chinese restaurant for a book talk and library popup. For youth on May 25th, join June Jo Lee Food ethnographer and award-winning children's book author for a kimchi demo. Read aloud and krautchy making activity. Experience a read aloud of New Picture Storybooks for Children and participate in a drawing workshop on comics with illustrators mini fan and Sophie Dialo on May 23rd at Excelsior Branch Library. Katie Kwan, who has been featured on Apex dives into the world of comics and zines through the lens of an Asian American artist and educator, and teaches the community how to make their own comics and zines at multiple locations throughout May. San Jose Public Libraries host a series of events with highlights being top of cloth making on May 6th and vegan Filipino cooking with Aztec Vegan on May 7th. Once again, happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month from us at Apex Express. Please do checkout CAAM Fest. May 8th through 11th in San Francisco. If you get the chance and you'll be able to see Kyle's film. As well as many other incredible AAPI, histories and stories. You can check out all of that community calendar info in our show notes, as well as information on all of the guests you heard from tonight.   Miko Lee: [00:51:55] Please check out our website, kpfa.org to find out more about our show tonight. We think all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. APEX Express is created by Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar, Anuj Vaidya, Swati Rayasam, Aisa Villarosa, Estella Owoimaha-Church, Gabriel Tangloao, Cheryl Truong and Ayame Keane-Lee.        The post APEX Express – 5.1.25 – Filmmakers Exploring Boundaries appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Return is the theme for APEX Express as Host Miko Lee talks with artists from  APAture, Kearny Street Workshops annual celebration of emerging artists from the Bay Area. Miko also speaks with exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law about the new documentary film “Who's Afraid of Nathan Law.” Special Thanks to Jose Ng for insight into the Hong Kong movement for democracy. For more information about the subjects in tonight's show: APAture, KSW – October 13 to November 9th venues throughout the Bay Area Jalena Keane-Lee and her film: Standing Above the Clouds playing October 12 Mill Valley Film Festival October 22 Roxie Cinema – APAture Ian Santillano playing October 13, DNA Lounge – APAture Kim Requesto performing November 3, Joe Goode Anex – APAture Who's Afraid of Nathan Law playing on POV   Return Show Transcript Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   Miko Lee: [00:00:38] Welcome to Apex Express. I'm your host Miko Lee and tonight our subject is return, which is the theme of the 25th annual APAture Kearny Street Workshop Annual Festival. It's running October 13th through November 9th, and there's going to be six showcases in venues across San Francisco. We're going to put a link in our show notes at kpfa.com backslash program apex. We're going to hear from three of the featured artists; filmmaker, Jalena Keane-Lee, dancer, Kim Requesto, and musician, Ian Santillano. Then we speak with someone who cannot return to his Homeland, exiled Hong Kong activist, Nathan Law. First off, we're going to check in with my usual co-host as PowerLeeGirls and my always daughter, filmmaker Jalena Keane-Lee. Good evening and welcome to Apex Express. Tonight On Apex Express, we're talking with my daughter, Jalena Keane-Lee, and usual co host, but tonight we're going to be talking with Jalena as a filmmaker. Welcome, Jalena, to Apex Express as a guest.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:01:48] Thank you so much for having me.   Miko Lee: [00:01:50] And I would like to talk with you about APAture, Kearny Street Workshop's annual festival. This year, you're one of several artists that are getting a showcase. The theme for this year is around Return. Can you tell us what return means to you and what you will be presenting at APAture?   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:02:11] Yes, so the theme for Kearny Street Workshop's APAture festival this year is Return and I am the featured artist for the film showcase, which is such an honor and I'm really excited about that. And I've screened previous work there in the past—short films, but it was really yeah, such an honor and privilege to be asked to be the featured artist this year. And I'll be playing my first feature documentary, which is called Standing Above the Clouds. And it follows native Hawai'ian mother-daughter activists that are standing to protect their sacred mountain called Mauna Kea from the building of a massive 30 meter telescope. And the film chronicles intergenerational healing and how to build and sustain a movement. And so I hope people come to see it and it will also be playing with a series of short films from other Asian American and Pacific Islander filmmakers. And the film showcase is October 22nd at 6 PM at the Roxy Theater in the Mission. To me, the theme of return, it's, it reminds me a lot of, I think last year's theme too, which I think was homecoming. And just thinking about, you know, returning to yourself, returning to your ancestors, returning to your sacred land. Standing Above the Clouds is all about the movement to protect Mauna Kea, which is one of the most sacred places in all of Oceania. And the highest peak in the world from the seafloor. And the summit of the mountain stands at 14,000 feet and it's also tied to Native Hawai'ian genealogy and seen as the ancestor of the people. And so the film is really all about that place that you want to return to, that place that represents, you know, home and spirituality and is an anchor and a training ground and a teacher and a leader and so many other things that, you know, our sacred places are and that they teach us. And really about, you know, protecting that space and making sure that that's a place that future generations will be able to return to. And also reflecting and processing all the ways and all the times that you have returned there and what that has taught you and brought into your life.   Miko Lee: [00:04:26] So this festival runs for multiple weeks. It actually is at the Roxy and at DNA Lounge and at the Joe Goode Annex and at Arc Gallery and Studios. We're also in the show featuring Kim Requesto, who is one of the performing artists that's featured, and then music by, the musical guest, which is Ian Santillano. And Jalena, tell me about, are you getting a chance to communicate with all the other artists and to be able to work with the other artists that are part of this festival?   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:04:58] It's the 25th year of the APAture Festival and there's a lot of really cool events for artists. I know they had a kind of orientation event and they had headshot opportunity to like get your headshot taken there. I unfortunately was out of town, so I was not able to make it and have that opportunity to mix and mingle with the other artists. But I'm excited to go to some of the events, as they happen. And there's a bunch of different showcases for, like, each different discipline. Mine is film, and then there's visual arts, music, performing arts, I believe.   Miko Lee: [00:05:33] Were you at Kearny Street Workshop last year as well? You were part of APAture last year as well.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:05:38] Yes, I was.   Miko Lee: [00:05:40] How many years have you participated?   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:05:43] I think I've participated three years, but yeah, as I said before, this is my first time being a featured artist, so that's very special. And I know it's the 25th year of the APAture Arts Showcase, and that it's the oldest running Asian American arts showcase in the US.   Miko Lee: [00:06:03] And if folks aren't able to make this amazing APAture event, where else can they see your film Standing Above the Clouds?   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:06:10] My film will also be available through the Mill Valley Film Festival on October 12th, and it's going to play at the San Rafael Film Center at 3pm on the 12th, and then I'll also be leading a workshop on October 19th. It's a teen documentary filmmaking and activism workshop, which should be really fun. And that's with SF Film, and we'll be at their location, Filmhouse, on, yeah, October 19th. And we should be having more screenings coming up, so if you're interested in, you know, following along with the film, you can find us at Standing Above the Clouds on Instagram and Facebook, and standingabovetheclouds.com. And we'll post our screenings and different opportunities. You can also request a screening for your organization or group or school. And we'll be implementing our screening tour and impact plans in the next few years as well. And you can follow me at Jalena.KL on Instagram and other platforms as well and I post about it too. And you can also follow at Protect Mauna Kea, if you want to keep up to date with the movement to protect Mauna Kea. And there is a petition, a change.org petition to sign to push for the stopping of the telescope, which is currently still trying to be built, even though there has been over a decade of indigenous resistance and resistance that we see as successful because they have been able to stall the telescope up until this point. But yes, there's a change.org petition that you can sign that is @protectmaunakea and also @standingabovetheclouds in both of their linkinbios.   Miko Lee: [00:07:46] Thank you. And we'll put links to all of those in the show notes for Apex Express. So I know that you've been touring with the film to different cities and indeed different countries. And I'm wondering if you have felt a different reception based on the places you've been to from Toronto to Seattle to Los Angeles. What has been, what has stood out to you as you've toured this film to different locations?   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:08:06] Yeah, it's been such a blessing to be able to bring the film across the world. And I think we're really excited to we're bringing the film home to Hawai'i with the Hawai'i International Film Festival, and then also home to the Bay Area with APAture and Mill Valley. So it's really nice to have this, you know, homecoming and return, so to speak, to the places where, you know, the film is from. And touring it around, I think it's been really beautiful just seeing all the like resonance and the connections across other lines of difference with different activists, different local activists, whether it is in Toronto, or Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, or Seattle, And one thing that has been a really beautiful reflection from audiences is that the film is a representation of hope and that, you know, it's a realistic portrait of organizing and movement building, which certainly is not, you know, always glamorous or easy, but one that shows the beauty of the struggle and the beauty of being in community and pushing towards something and how being in movement spaces, you know, can shape and heal and revive different parts of who you are.   Miko Lee: [00:09:16] Can you talk a little bit about what healing means to you in relationship with social justice work?   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:09:22] Standing Above the Clouds, it is about, you know, healing. And Havane, who's one of the main protagonists of the film, she has a really great line in the film, that is we don't just have to heal from this work, we heal through it too. And I think that speaks a lot to what it means to heal in movement spaces and part of the intergenerational healing that we show in the film is, you know, our, our parents generation, and this kind of older generation of women who really paved the way, and who didn't have the opportunity to really take breaks or care for themselves and their own bodies, oftentimes, and there just wasn't really any other option or it wasn't really a choice. And in the film we can see passing down to the next generation and wanting people to be able to have the opportunity to care for themselves and to, you know, have boundaries around their time and their energy and show up in these spaces when they feel completely ready and that being something that the kind of mother generation wants to pass down to the younger generation and also something that the younger generation is able to point out. In the older generation and see for themselves and I think that really plays into movement sustainability and healing is such an important part of creating movements that can be sustainable and that won't just burn people out and then kind of, you know, fizzle and fall away. So making sure that we have the space to heal and in all the different ways, like through tears, through laughter, through joy. I think is such an important part and also letting movements and work for social justice heal us and have, you know, a positive impact on us and teach us about ourselves.   Miko Lee: [00:11:19] Thank you for sharing that. I just finished reading the amazing Healing Justice Lineages book by Erica Woodard and Cara Page, and you and I just went to see Cara's exhibit about the impact of the medical industrial complex. And one of the things both Cara and Erica talk about in the book is ancestral technologies and the impact that ancestral technologies can have on healing us and the next generation. And I resonated with that so much being the mother age obviously of you, but also of the women in Standing Above the Clouds. And I'm wondering if you have thoughts on ancestral technologies that you grew up with, or that you felt like you learned from being involved with this filmmaking process for so long.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:12:08] That's a really, ooh that's such an interesting point. I think in the film, the ancestral technology that comes to mind immediately is oli or chanting, and that is like, you know, an ancient Hawai'ian way of recording knowledge and passing down information and also praying. And, in the film, it's talked about in a few different places, how that is an ancient technology and how we only know the things that we know today, because someone passed it down orally as an oli or as a chant. And a really, a really beautiful thing about the process of making the film was being able to, to witness that and also to learn oli myself, and also to learn that Havane and Auntie Pua, who are two of the main protagonists in the film, they both write a lot of oli too. So it's an ancestral technology that's still very much alive and breathing in the present day. And I think that's so beautiful and that yeah, I hope with, you know, all of our different ancestral technologies that we access and learn about at different times that we also can see them as things that are like ever changing and kept current in the present.   Miko Lee: [00:13:29] And what would you like people to walk away with after seeing Standing Above the Clouds?   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:13:34] I want people to walk away feeling and believing that collective liberation is possible. And that the worlds that we want to create that are centered on care, that don't discriminate based on, you know, any lines of difference, are possible. And it's our responsibility to enact those worlds and protect the things that are sacred to us and important to us. And I want people to walk away thinking about, you know, their own mom and thinking about the importance of sisterhood and community. And I want people to walk away wanting to call their best friend or their mom or reconnect with someone and talk about how it made them feel and what they want to do and what they want to stand for in their own communities. Yeah, I also want people to walk away, you know, fired up about protecting Mauna Kea and other sacred places and signing the petition to stop the 30 meter telescope, which we'll link in the show notes.   Miko Lee: [00:14:44] Thank you so much for joining us.   Next up, listen to APAture feature musician, Ian Santillano. Ian is a Filipino American singer songwriter multi-instrumentalist and producer from Hayward, California. So check out his song, “End of the Earf.”   MUSIC   That was APAture featured musician Ian Santillano with “End of the Earf.”  Now let's check in with dancer Kim Requesto. Kim, welcome to Apex Express.   Kim Requesto: [00:18:12] Hi Miko, thank you so much for having me.   Miko Lee: [00:18:20] I'm starting first with my question I love asking all people: Kim, tell me about who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?   Kim Requesto: [00:18:26] I was born in the Philippines and I immigrated to the US when I was three years old, but my entire life has been in the Bay Area. A lot of it has been informed by my family and what we've brought over from the Philippines, and that is a lot of dance and specifically Philippine folk dance, because both of my parents were actually dancers. I continue to share Philippine folkloric dance. And I've gotten deeper into that practice by doing research with different indigenous communities in the Philippines. My legacy, I feel, has expanded beyond just the stories of my family and the stories that I come from, but also, the dances and music and culture of the different indigenous communities that I've created connections and relationships with in the Philippines. And then of course, how I've been able to share that with the community here in the Bay Area, and also in the diaspora.   Miko Lee: [00:19:32] Thank you. Kim, you're a multidisciplinary artist. I know you do dance and photography and music and sharing this cultural traditions. Can you tell us a little bit about what you'll be sharing during APAture?   Kim Requesto: [00:19:45] Yes, of course. So what I hope to share during APAture is more of my performance work. Showcasing movement that I've learned while doing research in the Philippines and honing in on Philippine dance and the various traditional dance styles from the different communities in the Philippines. But also, a lot of my work is also involving my experience as someone who's grown up in the Bay area. The work that I'm presenting is really around my experience as a Filipinx American and sharing that through movement that is not just traditional, not necessarily contemporary, but a mixture and a fusion of both. I also do hope to share specifically traditional movement, just because to honor the people I've worked with in the Philippines they requested, you know, before people see this fusion part, it's important that they know what the traditional part looks like as well. I'm really excited to share dance and also some music and I'm part of the Performing Diaspora residency at CounterPulse so I'll be previewing a small work in progress that'll be showcased in December. But I'm really looking forward to just sharing movement with others, and also sharing the stage with the other artists who's part of the festival.   Miko Lee: [00:21:09] I love that. I used to study traditional Japanese noh and kyogen, and I remember one of the things that the elders used to talk about is you're not allowed to derivate from the form until you have the traditional forms down absolutely and understand what they are in your bones. And I feel like that's what your elders are saying, too. Showcase the traditional work so that the fusion work makes sense to other folks.   Kim Requesto: [00:21:34] Mhmm. And it's also, I think, just to honor the cultures back in the Philippines, just to honor them as well.  Because within, in my work, I do feel that it's important that there's a way for me to also uplift what they've taught me and then not just like what I've been doing. [Laughs] So yeah, I guess similar to, to what your elders said too, or I guess in this sense, both of our elders.   Miko Lee: [00:22:02] Yeah, I'm wondering how this fits with the theme of APAture this year, which is Return. Kearny Street Workshop says, from the Palestinian right to return, the call for the indigenous land back movement, the various migrant histories and struggles for justice in our Pacific Islander and Asian communities, and the returns we face in our personal lives. So what does return mean to you? And how is this going to showcase in the work that you're presenting?   Kim Requesto: [00:22:28] For myself, returning means finding our truth. At least to me in this present day and age [laughs] of my life, it's really finding that truth or finding our truth and being able to also share and connect with others. The theme of returning also is being able to connect and understand, not just the histories that we've experienced, but also the histories that our bodies have experienced. I guess the way we'll be seeing it in what I'm going to be sharing with everyone is really looking through the lens of movement and how I fuse my experiences as someone who is Filipino, but also who is positioned here in the Bay Area. And being able to also find my truth in that movement, because even though a lot of the movement I'll be showcasing is from the southern part of the Philippines, I'm sharing it here in the Bay Area. And also to fuse it with my experience as someone who has grown up in San Francisco. There's a different positionalities in that. My movement is also different. I think in that idea of fusion and in the idea of also learning traditional movement, but also understanding my positionality and my body and my identity and fusing that together. It's the idea of finding, going back to finding my truth and you know, for me, it's like finding that in movement.   Miko Lee: [00:24:01] Thank you so much. My last question is, what are you reading, watching, or listening to? Is there something that is sparking your imagination right now?   Kim Requesto: [00:24:11] What I'm listening to, it's a lot of like melodic, soft, instrumental music. I'm back at a period of wanting to listen to jazz or to even like classical music. And it's just been helping me breathe and I think breathing, being able to find rest, being able to find like calm. Especially since I think for my personal life, I'm getting busy. Being able to rest gives me a lot of like opportunity to be creative after I've rested. So yeah. I think listening to music that makes me happy has been really great for me finding calmness and happiness. If I had to name an artist, it would be Olivia Dean grooves. Yes.   Miko Lee: [00:25:01] Thank you. Is there anything else you'd like to add?   Kim Requesto: [00:25:04] I'm just really looking forward to APAture this year and seeing everything from all the different artists and disciplines. I think having a space in APAture with Kearny Street Workshop and just being able to continue to share art with, like, the community. The greater Bay Area community is such a privilege because it really does feel like a place where people can connect with other artists and also audience members, and I'm just really thankful to APAture and to KSW and also just thank you, Miko, for talking with me.   Miko Lee: [00:25:37] Thanks so much. I look forward to seeing your work at APAture this year. Thanks, Kim.   Kim Requesto: [00:25:42] Thanks, Miko.   Miko Lee: [00:25:43] You're listening to apex express on 94.1, KPFA Berkeley, 89.3, KPF B in Berkeley, 88.1 KFCF in Fresno and online@kpfa.org. Once again, we hear from APAture featured musician Ian Ian Santillano with “Movin' Nowhere.”   MUSIC   That was APAture featured musician Ian Santillano with “Movin' Nowhere.” Finally tonight, I speak with the person who is unable to return to his Homeland, Hong Kong activist, Nathan Law. And I also speak with filmmaker Joe Piscatella. Nathan Law was one of the student leaders during the 79 day Umbrella Movement in 2014. He is also the founder and former chair of Demosisto a new political party derived from the 2014 protests. And now he is an exile in London. I speak with both Nathan Law and documentary filmmaker, Joe Piscatella. Today we're speaking about the documentary film Who's Afraid of Nathan Law, and I'm so thrilled that we have with us both the filmmaker and Nathan Law himself. So Nathan, I want to start with you. First off, this is a question I ask many guests. Can you please tell me who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?   Nathan Law: [00:31:26] Yeah, thank you so much for the invitation, Miko. This movie is about the struggle of Hong Kong's democratic movement. As we all know, there's been decades of the Hong Kong democratic movement, in which we fight for the right to elect our leaders and universal suffrage. And this is deeply embedded into our culture because we often see Hong Kong as somewhere the East meets the West. The East is of course, the Chinese heritage, our culture, our languages. But, the Western part is that there's a big part of it that's about freedom, liberty, and the democratic way of life. So, the fight for democracy in Hong Kong has been deeply ingrained in our culture and becomes essential part of who we are. So this movie is about my story, but it's also a reflection of the way of life of Hong Kong people and what are the struggles and difficulties that they've been through and how the city of Hong Kong is being demolished by the authoritarian regime, Chinese Communist Party.   Miko Lee: [00:32:29] Nathan thanks so much. I love that you gave a little blip about what the film is about, which is powerful. I was lucky to have a chance to be able to see it, but Nathan, I'm wondering about you personally, who are your people and for you, what do you carry? Like, what's your earliest memory of social justice?   Nathan Law: [00:32:47] For me, I grew up in Hong Kong, but I was born in mainland China. So I moved to Hong Kong when I was six. I lived in the most blue collar neighborhood. I lived in public housing. My father was a construction worker and my mother was a cleaner. So when I grew up, I was not taught about social justice or democracy. My parents had the mentality that I call refugee mentality, which they only want their kids to get into a good school and get a good job and don't rock the boat. So I've not been encouraged to do anything that I'm currently doing. But, in my high school, I had a political enlightenment moment, which inspired me to get into the arena of activism in college. So when I was in high school, I learned about Liu Xiaobo the Chinese human rights activist who got the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, and the stories of Tiananmen Massacre, which was a tragedy in 1989 when there were so many workers and students, they fought for China's democracy, and then they were brutally massacred, and there were hundreds to thousands of people died because of the crackdown. So all these moments make me feel like, as a college student and as a half intellectual, I had responsibility to engage in social affairs and be involved in social activism. So that was the start of my story and the people, my people, certainly people of Hong Kong and those people who have the pursuit of freedom and democracy.   Miko Lee: [00:34:33] Thanks, Nathan. And filmmaker Joe Piscatella, can you tell us how you got the first inspiration to create this documentary around the Umbrella Movement and around Nathan?   Joe Piscatella: [00:34:44] Sure. So, in 2017 my team and I made a film prior to this called Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower and that film documents the rise of Joshua Wong in the national education movement and then through the Umbrella movement and that film won Sundance in 2017 and is still currently on Netflix. And when we were looking to do our next film we realized one, the story of Hong Kong was, was continuing. There was more story to tell as the 2019 anti extradition protests were happening, and we wanted to be able to tell that story until the next chapter. And we also were so impressed. When we were making the Joshua Wong film, we were so impressed with Nathan. We were moved by his story, we were moved by his passion, we were all inspired by what he was doing. And we realized, hey, Nathan has a phenomenal story to tell in his own right. Let's tell the story of Hong Kong through the lens of Nathan Law.   Miko Lee: [00:35:48] Thank you. And Nathan, what was the decision making factor that you decided to go along with being part of this documentary film?   Nathan Law: [00:35:58] First of all, Joe and I and the other film crew, we had a connection when the Joshua Wong documentary, uh, was being produced. So I had already had the opportunity to work with them. I think, for the team, they're not only just producing, like, a documentary, But they genuinely do care about human rights and the story of Hong Kong and the struggles. So I think that gave a huge confidence to me and my fellow Hong Kong activists that they're definitely going to tell a story that make more people to understand what we are struggling and the fight for democracy. So I think this is a great collaboration and I think this documentary encapsulates past 10 years of my life and pretty much, the struggles to democracy and I think that that has a lot of reflection on it, but also like a lot of Hong Kong people would echo what was being covered in the documentary, because my life is pretty much also the lives of many other Hong Kong people being through all these big times, democratic struggles and ending up needing to leave their hometown and to resettle in somewhere else.   Miko Lee: [00:37:14] Thank you. It's really enlightening, especially for someone like me who is fifth generation Chinese American, does not speak Chinese, and it's very hard to actually get any kind of, you know, quote unquote, accurate information about what's happening in Hong Kong and the activist movement. How would you suggest people get accurate news of what's happening in Hong Kong?   Nathan Law: [00:37:37] For now, it's extremely difficult because the press freedom in Hong Kong is being squashed. There have been a multiple actions taken by the government that they disbanded, the most free and crowd sourced and critical news outlets to the Chinese regime. And for now, most of the media in Hong Kong have to follow the orders of the government and only express certain point of view that do not upset Beijing. So we don't have much room, but still we have some very small independent media that they can still operate with a very limited resources, for example, Hong Kong Free Press. This is one channel that we can get more impartial news. But at the end of the day, there has been a vacuum of independent journalism, and that is in, like, intentionally made by the government because the government doesn't want information to be circulated. They want to control the narratives and the information that people know. And by controlling it, they can effectively push forward the propaganda. So that is a predicament of Hong Kong people. And we do want more genuine independent journalism, but the reality of Hong Kong doesn't allow.   Miko Lee: [00:39:04] And Joe, how is this film being released in Asia? What's the reception to this film in Asia?   Joe Piscatella: [00:39:12] The film has not been released yet in Asia. it is about to, it actually premieres tonight, on PBS, on, POV on PBS, and then it'll stream at pbs.org/POV for the foreseeable future. So I have not gotten what the reaction is yet in Asia to this film.   Miko Lee: [00:39:33] Okay, we'll have to wait and see. It is exciting that people can have easy access to be able to see the film on public broadcasting, at least in the United States, and we'll wait and see what happens in Asia. Nathan, you are now, with Political Asylum living in London, and I'm wondering how you practice activism there in Hong Kong when you are living in London.   Nathan Law: [00:39:56] When the political crackdown in Hong Kong took place. The activism in the diaspora community becomes much more important because we can say something that you cannot say in Hong Kong and we can raise awareness by interacting with foreign government officials and international NGOs. If you do it in Hong Kong under the restriction of the national security law now, by meeting, for example, a congressman in the US, you can easily be incarcerated and be sentenced to years of imprisonment in Hong Kong. That is how strict the political sentiment there. And also if you speak about critical things towards the government or express supportive statement to the 2019, protest, you will also be targeted, sentenced, and maybe ended up in months or years in the prison. So we've had all these court cases where people only do peaceful advocacy work without inciting violence or committing violence, but they are being thrown to jail because of speech. And it's common to have speech crime in Hong Kong. So the diaspora community shoulders certain responsibility to speak out all those demands and, and the push for Hong Kong and China's democracy. So for me, in London, there's been a growing population of Hong Kong people because of the fact that people voted with their feet, there has been a exodus of Hong Kong people for now that's already been more than 200,000 of them that have come to the UK because of the worsening liberty situation in Hong Kong. And with that many amounts of people we have a lot of community and cultural events. One of the biggest goal is to preserve the story and the history and the identity of Hong Kong people, which is being erased in Hong Kong actively by the government.   Miko Lee: [00:42:02] And what's going on with the Umbrella Movement now? Like I said, it's very hard for us outside of your film to get information about what is happening right now. Can you give us an update?   Nathan Law: [00:42:14] Yeah, the Umbrella Movement was the occupation movement 10 years ago in pursuit for democracy. It's been 10 years, but I think its legacy is still impacting Hong Kong. It's the very first civil disobedience movement in a massive scale in Hong Kong. There were hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people camping in the BCS runway in order to fight for a free and democratic society. Fast forward five years ago, there was a big, anti extradition law protest in Hong Kong in 2019 to 2020. It was the latest big uprising of Hong Kong people where you encounter much more ferocious and militant protests. And of course, it triggered a series of response from the government, which includes the implementation of the national security law, which in effect curtailed the city's freedom and civil society. So, it's been 10 years. We had more optimistic outlook of Hong Kong 10 years ago. But for now, the situation in Hong Kong is really bad, as I mentioned. Speech crime is in place, civil liberties and individual freedoms are being heavily restricted, civil society is disbanded. Some of the interviewees in the documentary, including my dearest friend, Joshua Wong, and Gwyneth Ho, they are now being in jail for more than three and a half years just because of joining a primary election, which is the thing that all democratic countries do, but in Hong Kong, it becomes a crime. And they are expecting to be sentenced, at the end of this year, to up to five to ten years of imprisonment just because they do, they do the exact same thing that other politicians in democratic countries do. So this is a really sad reality that we've put up so much effort, so much sacrifices to the democratic movement, but for now, as the Chinese regime is just so powerful. So it's difficult for us to get some progress in our democracy.   Miko Lee: [00:44:32] Is there anything that folks over here that believe and want to support the movement? Is there anything that we can do to help support the folks that are incarcerated or support the movement?   Nathan Law: [00:44:44] First of all, attention and support is really important. So by spreading words of the theme or the current situation of Hong Kong, it helps a lot. And of course we need more representative in the hill to push over Hong Kong agenda and there are a few bills about advancing Hong Kong's advocacy in the hill that's being discussed. Those are the things that we can write to our representative and ask them for support. But at the end of the day, it's also that the struggle of Hong Kong is a puzzle, a piece of puzzle in a broad picture of the struggles against authoritarianism and autocracy. We've been through a decade or two of democratic decline around the world and Hong Kong was part of it. So one thing to raise awareness of the issue of Hong Kong is also to protect your democracy. We are in an election year and you should do your homework, be educated, and be decided to come out to vote. This is an act of safeguarding our democracy.   Miko Lee: [00:45:52] And from your perspective as a Hong Kong person who's now living in London, do you have thoughts on the upcoming American presidential campaign?   Nathan Law: [00:46:03] Well, of course, this is a particularly important, election as the world has been, in like a chaotic situation as we've seen the warfare in Ukraine, in Gaza, and also all the political crackdowns in Hong Kong and around China, and also the threat to Taiwan. So for me, as a person who dedicated myself into the fight for human rights and democracy, definitely, I do hope that people can, American people can elect someone who upholds the values that we share and is very determined to, to support Taiwan and the struggle of Hong Kong. So that would be my parameter when it comes to the US election, but at the end of the day, I'm not a US citizen, so I don't really have a stake in this. campaign. But, yeah, I think we we need a leader that that can lead the free world and to do good things   Miko Lee: [00:47:06] And Nathan I know as an activist as a leader, you've gotten a lot of attention. And I know that there have been personal attacks against you for both yourself and people that are close to you, including your family members. How do you persevere through that?   Nathan Law: [00:47:26] It's difficult to cope with the harms that that's exerted, not only to you, but to your family, because they actually have nothing to do with everything I do. This collective punishment is evil, and it's intentionally used to hurt you. So it's difficult to persevere and navigate myself in these attacks, including personal attacks and also collective punishment to my family and my former colleagues. So, yeah, I think for me, it takes a lot of time to digest and to find a way to balance it. And it's not easy. One thing that I think is great to be portrayed in the film is that for us, we are activists, we are leaders, but we're not, we're not invincible. We're not without any pains and struggles. So as an activist, I think most of my time is actually being used to cope with anxiety, cope with fear, and how I can maintain as mentally healthy as possible in these political storms.   Miko Lee: [00:49:04] And how do you do that?   Nathan Law: [00:49:05] It's not easy, yeah.   Miko Lee: [00:49:06] How do you do that, Nathan? How do you cope with the anxiety and the fear? What's do you have a process that helps you?   Nathan Law: [00:49:16] I think first of all, you have to recognize that is it's normal to have these emotions. This these are definitely emotions that disturb your lives, your work, but they're normal because you are situated in an extraordinary situation and people from all corners, they want a piece of you or they want to attack you to achieve their purpose. And I think as long as you recognize it, as you, as, as long as you know that you are suffering from it, first of all, having a support group is really important for those people who understand who you are and who support you unconditionally, and also seeking professional help, no matter if it's a therapist or a psychiatrist, those who can listen to you and, and just try out. I don't think there is a one set of measures that fit for all, and that there is such a rich combination of how you can deal with anxiety and pressure. But I think the very first thing is you, you have to recognize that it's normal to have these emotion. You need to seek help and you need to try them out.  Otherwise, it's difficult for the others to help you, and those who love you would also be hurt, seeing you suffering from all these negative emotions.   Miko Lee: [00:50:47] Thank you for sharing. My last question for you, Nathan, is what was it like the first time you saw the finished documentary, seeing yourself up there on the big screen? What did that feel like for you?   Nathan Law: [00:50:58] It feels extremely weird. I still cannot get around the idea that, yeah, there's a big screen and there's my face and there's my voice. Even though I've been doing all these interviews and, and like video-taking for the past decades, it is still difficult to kind of get used to it. But also I'm, I'm glad that Joe and the team have produced a wonderful documentary. That's been a really good reception and people are understand more about Hong Kong through the lens of my story, and I'm grateful for that. So, yeah, as long as I can introduce that film to the others, go to Q&A and chat about it, I would love to do it, and I'm really proud of the result.   Miko Lee: [00:51:52] Thank you so much. And Joe, for you as the filmmaker, what is it that you want people to understand about this film?   Joe Piscatella: [00:52:01] What I want the audiences to take away is that, yes, this is the story of Hong Kong. Yes, this is the story of Nathan Law and other activists fighting for Hong Kong. But in so many ways, this is also a story for the rest of the world. Right now, we are at a point where, you know, democracy is in peril in many parts of the world. And what I want audiences to take away from this film is, if you don't participate in your democracy, if you do not do what you can to fight for and safeguard your freedoms. They can disappear very, very quickly.   Miko Lee: [00:52:37] Thank you very much, filmmaker Joe Piscatella and Nathan Law for talking with me about the new documentary film, Who's Afraid of Nathan Law?, which people can catch on POV PBS. We are so happy to see the film, to see that it's out there. I look forward to hearing more about the world's response to this powerful work. Thank you so much.   Nathan Law: [00:53:03] Yeah, thank you, Miko.   Joe Piscatella: [00:53:05] Thank you.   Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:53:07] Let's listen to one more song from APAture's 2024 featured musician Ian Santillano. This is “Overthinkings.”   MUSIC   You just listen to Ian Santillano and Āish's “Overthinkings.” You can check out Ian on Sunday, October 13th at the DNA Lounge for the APAture Music Showcase.   Miko Lee: [00:56:53] Please check out our website, kpfa.org to find out more about our show tonight. We think all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. APEX Express is created by Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar, Anuj Vaidya, Swati Rayasam, Aisa Villarosa, Estella Owoimaha-Church, Gabriel Tangloao, Cheryl Truong and Ayame Keane-Lee.  Tonight's show was produced by Miko Lee and edited by Ayame Keane-Lee. Have a great night.   The post APEX Express – 10.10.24 – Return appeared first on KPFA.

Tonight we're chatting with SK Dale, director of the new film SUBSERVIENCE. Dale teams up again with Megan Fox, who starred in Dale's thriller TIL DEATH. Here, Fox plays an artificial person hired to help around the house while a man's wife is sick in the hospital. And naturally that goes great. SUBSERVIENCE was directed by S.K. Dale (Till Death) and written by  Will Honley (Bloodline) and April Maguire (#Zombie). It stars Megan Fox (Transformers), Michele Morrone (365 Days), and Madeline Zima ("Californication"). In SUBSERVIENCE, Megan Fox stars as Alice, a lifelike artificially intelligent android, who has the ability to take care of any family and home. Looking for help with the housework, a struggling father (Michele Morrone) purchases Alice after his wife becomes sick. Alice suddenly becomes self-aware and wants everything her new family has to offer, starting with the affection of her owner – and she'll kill to get it. XYZ Films will release SUBSERVIENCE on Digital and on Demand on September 13th, 2024.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/castle-of-horror-podcast--4268760/support.

This episode of our OGs and Young Guns Series features three incredibly driven and culturally-minded filmmakers: Sophie Constantinou, Sam Ball, and Osinachi Ibe. Sophie and Sam are two of the three Founders of Citizen Film, a non-profit documentary production company in SF. They create compelling documentary stories that bring communities together to engage with each other's cultures. Osinachi Ibe is an SF-based Nigerian-American Filmmaker who creates intimate, feminine portraits that meditate on the complexities of the spirit, heart, and the divine. She is the current Filmmaker in Residence at SF Film and manages the Mill Valley Film Festival's equity and inclusion program Mind the Gap. We felt very lucky to hear Sophie, Sam and Osinachi's inspiring stories. Listen in to get to know them more! Meet Sophie Constantinou, Sam Ball, and Osinachi Ibe! For more information about Citizen Film, please visit: https://citizenfilm.org/about For more information about Osinachi Ibe, please visit: https://www.osinachiibe.com/about

Hello again from SFFilm Festival 2023! Today's episode brings you director/writer Lorena Padilla and producer Georgina Gonzalez from the film Martinez.  In her directorial debut, Lorena has written and brought to life a beautiful story about an aging man who has mostly frowned at life and after a female neighbor around his age passes away, he picks up the remnants of her life  and starts to live.  Erin sits down to talk with Lorena about the personal story connected to this script, the brilliant casting of the lead actor (played by Francisco Reyes), how they shot in Mexico during the height of the pandemic, and more.If you'd like to support SFFilm all year long you can do so hereFollow Lorena Padilla here Follow Georgina Gonzalez hereSupport your local film festivals, y'all! --Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of The Bay Best Podcast without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal.--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

It's our final BONUS episode for Gifted, Talented & Neurodiversity Awareness Week; and we've been Bringing Joy & Equity in Focus all week with seven podcasts! As a proud partner of The G Word, Our Gifted Kids is delighted to raise awareness once again as we talk about #gifted joy & equity! Enjoyed the podcasts? Our online communities are currently open until midnight Thursday 3 November! Find out more here! Or subscribe, join our online community or get freebies, say thanks at ourgiftedkids.com Please leave a review on your podcast player and help parents find us! Resources Subscribe to Our Gifted Kids Sign up for Our Gifted Kids Online Communities Marc Smolowitz & The G Word Bio Marc Smolowitz Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ independent films. The combined footprint of his works has touched 250+ film festivals & markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His credits include films that have screened at the world's top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Locarno, Chicago, Palm Springs, SF FILM, AFI Docs, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, Jerusalem, among others. In 2009, Marc founded 13th Gen, a San Francisco-based boutique film and entertainment company (see: https://www.13thgenfilm.com/) that works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. The company has successfully advanced Marc's career-long focus on powerful social issue filmmaking across all genres. In 2016, he received one of the prestigious Gotham Media Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival's Producers Network marking him as one of the USA's most influential independent film producers. In 2022, Marc is currently in post-production on THE G WORD -- a feature-length documentary that aims to be the most comprehensive film ever made on the topics of gifted, talented, and neurodiverse education across the United States. The film asks the urgent equity question -- In the 21st century, who gets to be Gifted in America and Why?. Learn more at: https://www.thegwordfilm.com/ Hit play and let's get started!

For today's episode, I'm bringing multi-award-winning director, producer and executive film producer, Marc Smolowitz, back on the podcast. It was four years ago that Marc first came on the show to talk about a movie he was working on called The G Word, a feature-length documentary about giftedness that asks the urgent equity question – In the 21st century, who gets to be Gifted in America and Why? Marc is currently working on the post-production of the movie so I wanted to invite him back to talk about what the last 4 years have been like in the giftedness community. What has changed? What are the things we need to be looking out for and what initiatives have been created?AND, I also wanted this show to be a part of celebrating the 2nd annual Gifted / Talented / Neurodiversity Awareness Week, a week-long celebration created by Marc and which is happening this very week. The theme for this year's awareness week is Gifted JOY, and I really love the idea of connecting the concept of joy and empowerment to the conversation surrounding giftedness.Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ independent films. His films have been screened at the world's top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Locarno, Chicago, Palm Springs, SF FILM, AFI Docs, IDFA, and DOC NYC, among others. In 2009, Marc founded 13th Gen, a San Francisco-based company that works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. In 2022, Marc is currently in post-production on THE G WORD – a feature-length documentary about giftedness that asks the urgent equity question – In the 21st century, who gets to be Gifted in America and Why?Things you'll learn from this episodeHow the conversation surrounding giftedness and neurodivergence have changed in recent years and how those have impacted the direction fo The G WordWhy it's so important to include the concept of neurodivergence in the broader conversation about gifted and talented populationsHow we can intentionally use joy to explore and ease pain/trauma narratives, especially for gifted and neurodiverse populationsHow parents can lean into the joy of raising their gifted children and get involved in celebrating GTN Awareness WeekResources mentioned:13th Gen, Marc's production companyThe G Word FilmG/T/N Awareness WeekSupporting Black, Gifted Students with Dr. Joy Lawson Davis (Tilt Parenting podcast interview)Support the showConnect with Tilt Parenting Visit Tilt Parenting Take the free 7-Day Challenge Read a chapter of Differently Wired Follow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram

It's Gifted, Talented & Neurodiversity Awareness Week; and we're Bringing Joy & Equity in Focus with this year's theme. As a proud partner of The G Word, Our Gifted Kids is delighted to raise awareness once again with a whole week of podcasts. Actually, 6 episodes! Where we talk about #gifted joy! GTN Awareness Week Podcast Line Up Marc Smolowitz introduces the week with - #064 Gifted Talented & Neurodiversity Awareness Week does #giftedjoy Monday #065 Gifted Joy & Gifted Play; Why it's Different w/ Kate Donohue Tuesday #066 Why Gifted Folk Need Board Games! w/ Justin Ratcliff Wednesday #067 How to Express Your Gifted Self with Digital Music & Art w/ Johannes Dreyer Thursday #068 A Higher Skate of Mind for Gifted Kids w/ Josh Smith Friday #069 Why Dungeons & Dragons is Gifted Bliss w/ Sam Young Enjoyed the podcasts? Our online community is currently open until midnight Thursday 3 November! Find out more here! Or subscribe, join our online community or get freebies, say thanks at ourgiftedkids.com Please leave a review on your podcast player and help parents find us! Our GTN Awareness Week Guest Links Sign up for free virtual events at Gifted Talented Neurodiversity Awareness Week Marc Smolowitz & The G Word Kate Donohue & Dynamic Parenting Johannes Dreyer & Beat Frequency Mentoring Josh Smith & Free Mind Skate School Sam Young & Young Scholars Academy Bio Marc Smolowitz Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ independent films. The combined footprint of his works has touched 250+ film festivals & markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His credits include films that have screened at the world's top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Locarno, Chicago, Palm Springs, SF FILM, AFI Docs, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, Jerusalem, among others. In 2009, Marc founded 13th Gen, a San Francisco-based boutique film and entertainment company (see: https://www.13thgenfilm.com/) that works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. The company has successfully advanced Marc's career-long focus on powerful social issue filmmaking across all genres. In 2016, he received one of the prestigious Gotham Media Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival's Producers Network marking him as one of the USA's most influential independent film producers. In 2022, Marc is currently in post-production on THE G WORD -- a feature-length documentary that aims to be the most comprehensive film ever made on the topics of gifted, talented, and neurodiverse education across the United States. The film asks the urgent equity question -- In the 21st century, who gets to be Gifted in America and Why?. Learn more at: https://www.thegwordfilm.com/ Hit play and let's get started!

1 Film – 2 Generationen Laura (*1994) und Jürgen (*1971) haben sich für diese Folge einen Film ausgesucht, der noch vor Jürgens Geburt in die Lichtspielhäuser kam. Von Laura ganz zu schweigen... Es handelt sich dabei um einen SF-Film aus dem Jahre 1968 mit Charlton Heston in der Hauptrolle. Dieser wiederum strandet mit seinem Raumschiff auf dem PLANET DER AFFEN. Beim nächsten Mal geht es um zwei Cowboys, die sich monatelang in den Bergen um eine Schafherde kümmern... Folge direkt herunterladen

Welcome to SF IndieFest! We're happy to participate in this festival that celebrates stories told by people from the Bay, and shot in the Bay. We covered two films, one short, and one feature, that share an intimate look at two different sides of city life.In the short film Sammy & Quinn, we follow Sammy as he tries to convince his older brother, Quinn, who has been missing for five years and is suffering from mental illness, to join the family for Thanksgiving dinner. Director Christopher Coppola, and his son/actor, Bailey Coppola, discuss mental health, what it was like to film all over San Francisco during the heart of the quarantine, and the pros and cons of working with family.The narrative feature Love Letter Templates has a truly unique style that blends music, film, and animation to tell the story of loving and partying in San Francisco in the early 2000's. Director/writer/producer Joselito Sering explains how his first feature length film came to be, and the years of hard work and focus it took to get it done. Of course we have fun reminiscing about our “young” and carefree days in San Francisco, and we're pretty sure we've crossed paths at a party or club on more than one occasion.You can follow director Christopher Coppola on IG & Twitter & FBYou can follow Love Letter Templates on IG  & FB & SpotifyYou can follow director Joselito Sering on IG & Twitter & FB--Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 600 episodes without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for being vaxxed and masked!--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

In this episode, Ben chats with return guest (see episode 11) Marc Smolowitz for timely updates on The G-Word film and movement, including the Gifted, Talented, and Neurodiverse Awareness Week programming. They go deep on the connection between identity and giftedness, and grapple with the term "gifted" itself. Does the term "neurodiverse" solve many of the image problems associated with "gifted"? Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ independent films. The combined footprint of his works has touched 250+ film festivals & markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His credits include films that have screened at the world's top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Chicago, Palm Springs, SF FILM, AFI Docs, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, Jerusalem, among others. In 2009, Marc founded 13th Gen, a San Francisco-based boutique film and entertainment company (see: https://www.13thgenfilm.com/) that works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. The company has successfully advanced Marc's career-long focus on powerful social issue filmmaking across all genres. In 2016, he received one of the prestigious Gotham Media Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival's Producers Network marking him as one of the USA's most influential independent film producers. In 2021, Marc is currently in post-production on THE G WORD -- a feature-length documentary that aims to be the most comprehensive film ever made on the topics of gifted, talented, and neurodiverse education across the United States. The film asks the urgent equity question -- In the 21st century, who gets to be Gifted in America and Why?, and is poised to premiere in 2022. Learn more at: https://www.thegwordfilm.com/ Marc's entertainment company The G Word Film Website More From NuMinds and Ben Ben's Website NuMinds Website --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/numinds-enrichment/support

Ik wilde met een goede vriend naar de bioscoop naar Dune. Maar het was precies op de dag dat je voor het eerst moet identificeren als gezond mens. Dat ging dus helemaal mis, maar het kwam toch nog goed. Overigens moet ik erbij vermelden dat Dune een verrassende twist had op een filmcliché. Ik zag onvoorwaardelijke liefde! Dat heb ik niet eerder gezien in zulke testosteron films. Ik had ook niets anders verwacht van Denis Villeneuve. Mijn favoriete regisseur.  Er komt een nieuw boek aan! Lieve vreemdeling is de titel. Voorverkoop start woensdag 17 november. Boek komt 1 december uit. Ga naar http://www.tomsondarko.nl/, laat je e-mailadres achter en ik houd je op de hoogte. Support the show (https://www.petje.af/tomsondarko)

Doug has the opportunity to sit down with director and producer, Marc Smolowitz to discuss equity in education when it comes to gifted programs in America. This important yet rarely discussed aspect in education is the premise of Marc's upcoming documentary, THE G WORD. Marc is currently in post-production on THE G WORD -- a feature-length documentary that aims to be the most comprehensive film ever made on the topics of gifted, talented, and neurodiverse education across the United States. The film asks the urgent equity question -- In the 21st century, who gets to be Gifted in America and Why? and is scheduled to premiere in late 2022. Some links to check out: THE G WORD Short Film Vimeo Gallery: https://vimeo.com/showcase/5341657 GTN Awareness Week (Oct. 25-29): https://www.thegwordfilm.com/gtn-awareness-week Global Partnership Network: https://www.thegwordfilm.com/partnership-network Impact Manifesto: https://www.thegwordfilm.com/impact-manifesto #MyGiftedStory: https://www.thegwordfilm.com/my-gifted-story How to Donate: https://www.thegwordfilm.com/donate BIO: Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer, and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ independent films. The combined footprint of his works has touched 250+ film festivals & markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television, and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His credits include films that have screened at the world's top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Chicago, Palm Springs, SF FILM, AFI Docs, IDFA, DOC NYC, CPH: DOX, Tokyo, Melbourne, Viennale, Jerusalem, among others. In 2009, Marc founded 13th Gen, a San Francisco-based boutique film and entertainment company (see: https://www.13thgenfilm.com/) that works with a dynamic range of independent film partners globally to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. The company has successfully advanced Marc's career-long focus on powerful social issue filmmaking across all genres. In 2016, he received one of the prestigious Gotham Media Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival's Producers Network marking him as one of the USA's most influential independent film producers. In 2021,

Welcome to Flash Back Friday! With 600+ episodes, we're excited to revisit some of our favorites with our new listeners (and maybe new to our regular listeners). This week we're excited to highlight a film that's streaming and available in select theaters nationwide, Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam.Seyran Ates is a bisexual human rights activist, lawyer, and female imam who is fighting the patriarchy and changing the face of Islam toward a more just and equal world. Sounds easy, right? We sit down with director/writer Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen about why she felt compelled to share this story, some interesting challenges she had along the way, what a sexual revolution really means, and our ability to create change. Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam is a powerful documentary that is certain to both inspire you, and show you what a more equitable world can look like.You can follow director/writer Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen on IG & Twitter & FBFollow Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam at Integral FilmThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 600 episodes without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for being vaxxed!--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Marc Smolowitz a multi-award-winning independent filmmaker based in San Francisco talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ about his company 13TH GEN. 13TH GEN is an entrepreneurial boutique company with a current slate of some 10-15 high quality projects both fiction and nonfiction all at different stages. 13TH GEN works with a dynamic range of independent film partners to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. Recently his documentary “Being BeBe” directed by Emily Branham was showcased at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be the closing film at the Provincetown International Film Festival on June 24th. “Being BeBe” is about Marshall Ngwa (a.k.a. renowned drag performer BeBe Zahara Benet) who travels to the United States from homophobic Cameroon with dreams of a better life and became the first winner of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2009. With over 15 years of unfettered and intimate access to Marshall's story, the film presents his unique love affair with performance alongside his unstoppable sense of persistence and purpose, offering an unprecedented portrait of an artist who chooses to live a creative life against all odds. Smolowitz's career focuses on powerful social issue films and filmmaking across all genres. We talked to Marc about what he hopes to accomplish with his company 13TH GEN and his commitment to our LGBTQ issues.  Marc Smolowitz is a director, producer and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films wearing many hats across the entertainment industry. The combined footprint of his works has touched 200+ film festivals and markets on 5 continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts and numerous awards and nominations. His long list of credits includes films that have screened at top-tier festivals including Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, Venice, Chicago, SF FILM, Palm Springs to name a few. In 2016 he received one of the prestigious IFP Fellowships to attend the Cannes Film Festival's Producers Network and Marche du Film marking him as one of the USA's most influential independent film producers. 13TH GEN believes strongly in the power and potential of beautifully produced social issue films to speak to every generation. For More Info…  LISTEN: 500+ LGBTQ Chats @OUTTAKE VOICES 

Seyran Ates is a bisexual human rights activist, lawyer, and female imam who is fighting the patriarchy and changing the face of Islam toward a more just and equal world. Sounds easy, right? We sit down with director/writer Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen about why she felt compelled to share this story, some interesting challenges she had along the way, what a sexual revolution really means, and our ability to create change. Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam is a powerful documentary that is certain to both inspire you, and show you what a more equitable world can look like.You can follow director/writer Nefise Ozkal Lorentzen on IG & Twitter & FBFollow Seyran Ates: Sex, Revolution and Islam at Integral Film--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions  

In 2018 Mexico had  a presidential election and saw a new type of candidate in Maria de Jesus Patricio Martinez aka Marichuy who was appointed by the National Indigenous Council  to run for office. Their approach was not singular, it was community driven and headed by a woman who was a doctor and a long time activist.  In this interview, we speak with director Luciana Kaplan who captured this inspired story  called The Spokeswoman  . The film not only focuses on the candidate but the adversity she faces as well as the overwhelming support for the bigger issues at hand that she represents.  The story is universal and Marichuy is a force to be reckoned with.  Much love to SFFilm for screening this film. We're encouraged by this beautiful story. You can follow Luciana Kaplan on Twitter and on Instagram--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Anyone out there remember the Whole Earth Catalog?  We did too but didn't know who produced it. His name is Stewart Brand and not only did he create, along with his first wife Lois Jennings, this  counterculture magazine that started in 1968 and ran sporadically until 1998, he's credited in helping to be a co-founder of the environmental movement, as well as being one of the first adapters of computer technology as we know it (he was in the garage with Jobs and The Woz folks!), campaigning to see a photograph of the earth on the streets of San Francisco, and is now trying to bring back the woolly mammoth. Yep, you read that right. In the film We Are As Gods, we speak with  co-director Jason Sussberg about the man, the myth,  and the legend about his documentary about the real life Forrest Gump aka Stewart Brand and how does one capture this persons life and work in one film.  If you never heard of Stewart Brand before this podcast, it's totally ok, but now, he's going to be in your universe forever. You're welcome.You can follow Jason Sussberg on Twitter, and at his website Structure Films--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions 

Coming in all the way from Nairobi, we welcome actors Wakio Mzenge and Mercy Mutisya on the show to talk about the film Tales of the Accidental City streaming during this years SFFIlm Festival!  We spoke with Wakio and Mercy about how this film was made during their Covid lockdown in Nairobi, how it was adapted from a play to a short film, and how thankful we are to have them on our podcast (YESSSSS, we got a little teary eyed again on our show. SORRY!) Grab your headphones and thanks so much for listening!You can follow Wakio Mzenge on IG and TwitterYou can follow Mercy Mutisya on IG--Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions  

The San Francisco Film Festival is streaming online this year, showing films from around the globe. We talk to the Suzannah Mirghani, the director of a short film about child marriage. Then, Tongan-American singer Aisea Taimani talks about how spirituality and culture co-exist in his music. And, San Francisco author Roberto Lovato reads from his new memoir.

To say we loved Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma is an understatement. East coast hip-hop artist Topaz Jones has updated  the Black ABC's, fifty years after its inception. And the result is this beautiful film that feels like you're watching both a music video and the most engaging history lesson ever. We get into the beginning of their creative friendship, how they came up with the concept of this film, how they landed their incredible special guests, and our mutual love for sour belts. Make sure you listen all the way to the end when they discuss their favorite letters, and see why we love these guys just as much as we love their film.Follow Topaz Jones on IG & Twitter & FBFollow Jason Sondock on  IG Follow Simon Davis on IG & Twitter Follow Rubberband  on IG & Twitter --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and thank you for wearing a mask. --Buy us a cup of coffee!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Listen every other Thursday 9:30 - 10 am on BFF.FMPOWERED BY GO-TO Productions  

Da vi tilbage i august 2020 fik besøg af Ulrich Thomsen, havde I lyttere så mange gode spørgsmål til ham, at vi blev nødt til at springe en masse af dem over. En hel gruppe af disse spørgsmål omhandlede Ulrichs relativt nye erfaringer som instruktør. Vi aftalte efterfølgende, at, når filmen blev tilgængeligt for det danske publikum, skulle han komme forbi igen, så vi kunne tage en hel samtale kun om instruktion og kunsten at fortælle historier på film.  Sol, måne og stjerne så ud til at stå helt rigtigt, da SF Film i efteråret besluttede at distribuerer filmen, og en hel lille Danmarksturné blev planlagt. Ulrich skulle rejse rundt med sin film og holde talks og foredrag i forbindelse med visningerne, men... Nærmest på dagen, hvor filmen skulle ha' haft premiere, trådte anden omgang corona-nedlukning i gang. Igen-igen blev filmens udbredelse forhindret af corona, men det kan I høre meget mere om i episoden. Nu er Gutterbee omsider blevet gjort tilgængeligt for det danske publikum, og vi kan omsider udgive vores interview om instruktion med Ulrich Thomsen. Samtalen baserer sig på spørgsmål fra lytterne, men begrænser sig absolut ikke kun til dem. Vi kommer rundt i mange hjørner, og til tider skal man holde tungen lige i munden for at følge med, men spænd hjelmen. Det er nemlig en fornøjelse at få chancen for at diskutere instruktion, filmkultur, fortællemetoder og rent praktiske erfaringer med en af Danmarks største skuespillere, der bare ikke kan holde sig foran kameraet. Rigtig god fornøjelse! Med venlig hilsen, Casper & Ulrich

Kræs portrætterer med denne serie unge, kunstneriske talenter. Hvad er det, der har formet dem som kunstnere – og hvordan vil den her unge generation af kunstnere forme os som samfund og som publikum? I dag kan du møde skuespiller og dramatiker Nanna Cecilie Bang. Hun har modtaget en talent-Reumert, arbejdet som huskunstner på Aarhus Teater, og så bliver hun kaldt ”sin generations stemme”, fordi hun vellykket skildrer en ensom, tvivlende og stresset ungdom på scenen. Og så får den amerikanske film Queen & Slim, der er blevet kaldt en kontemporær udgave af Bonnie and Clyde ikke bred biografdistribution i Danmark - men nu sætter uafhængige aktører filmen op til enkelte biografvisninger alligevel. Kræs får besøg i studiet af Naima Yasin, der har været med til at få en visning af filmen til Danmark, og så fortæller Frederik Juul, distributionschef i SF Film, om hvilke kriterier distributørerne har, når de vælger film - og hvad man som biografgænger selv kan gøre, hvis film, man ønsker at se i biografen, i første omgang ikke får premiere.

LRC 09-17-19 SF Film Fest, Mexico Independence Day by Cronicas de la Raza

Can you name any African American Female Scientists?  High School student filmmaker, Michaela Olabisi asked this question to her peers in the docu-short, The Missing Element.  This film won a special Jury Award for Best Student Documentary Short in the 2019 Kids with S.T.E.A.M. Sci-fi Film Festival!  Michaela is today's guest on a special podcast series. Ms. Olabisi is a recent graduate of , and the , where she completed her documentary short.   She also received a full scholarship to in New York.   In this interview, she shares her reasons for creating this docu-short and her plans to add her name to the growing list of African American Women in STEAM!

Erin chatted with W. Kamau Bell on the SF Film Festival red carpet prior to his fourth season premiere of United Shades of America at the historical Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. We hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did and if you want to listen to a longer episode with Kamau, head back to episode 300 of this podcast and enjoy.     Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.   

Produced by Miguel Guerrero

Welcome to Episode 5, with Maria Judice. Maria is an award-winning writer and director, who also founded INDIGO IMPACT in 2016 with a mission to bring left of center stories and creators to global audiences as an Impact Producer. She worked for such titles like DREAMSTATES starring Saul Williams, Haiti’s first Oscar selection called AYITI MON AMOUR, and SXSW breakout JINN by Oakland native Nijla Mumin. She brings affordable music, literature, art, and performance to the Bay Area as a Co-Curator of the MATATU FESTIVAL. She sits on the Diversity Board of SF FILM and Advisory Board of Code Tenderloin. WIRED magazine called Maria a “filmmaker provocateur” bridging technology thinking with art making. Here she talks about the decolonization of docs, how to build relationships with audiences and communities and about what an Oscar campaign entails.   Show notes: Thinking about your strategy before you enter the festival circuit is crucial. Even if you get into a top festival, it's about marketing your screening to fill the room with the right people who can amplify your message. You can get into a top festival and have very few people attend your premiere if you dont promote it properly ahead of time ! Depending on your goals, strategy will vary. If a film is meant for impact, or to screen widely, or to be a career milestone, all this will determine your priorities and the people you should meet. Oscar campaigns: Ayiti Mon Amour was the first Haitian Oscar nominee ever (short-listed for the final nominations), and just getting the pre-selection in was a huge deal as most films selected have a lot of money for marketing campaigns. Their team used this campaign to connect with the Haitian diaspora and make people think about Haiti in a new way, away from the poverty porn. The goal was also to put the director Guetty Felin on the map for her next career opportunities, which was a success. Very important to be realistic: if you don't have the money or star power, you need to take a step back and have realistic goals and do all the outreach necessary to cut through the clutter.  Until you're rich or famous, you do the work for people to come to you.  Maria has very real conversations with filmmakers who approach her about connecting with a specific community. If you're a white man who made a film about people of color, as is often the case, you might not be the right person to have those dialogues and might have to take a backseat during screenings, and let people from the community lead the conversation. You also can't expect people of color to want to embrace your film. Always ask yourself: Am I the right person to tell this story ? Do I have a genuine connection to the community I am filming ? How can I make them participants and not just subjects? It's a constant checking in. Once we turn the camera on, we have impacted their world, and can't pretend we are not participating with another person, and with that comes accountability and responsibility. If you made a film about or for underserved audiences, don't think of them as a pipeline to get your film seen. It's a complex relationship that takes time, especially for films about hard topics. Figure out early on and in-person how that audience is connected and rooted into the subject matter. It's "Holistic filmmaking" - treating your audiences as participants who help you curate and lead those conversations and the path of the film. When you do engage with audiences at screenings, it's also about creating a genuine connection and serving your audiences. They will always sniff out dishonesty and lack of authenticity. Treat your audiences with respect and intelligence. They are also your number one ambassadors ! Partnership building advice: look at what is around you, what partners do you already have in your community, the groups you already belong to, are involved in or who have invested in you ? Look at the low hanging fruits first. Relationships: show up to other filmmakers' stuff, be there for your community, remind yourself aboutt he support you do have around you and nurture those relationships.

It's SF Film Festival time in and around San Francisco and we thought we'd share a conversation we had back at the Sundance Film Festival with a few folks from SF Film. We had Lauren Kushner and Caroline von Kuhn from SF Film as well as filmmakers Suzanne Correa Andrews, Luke Lorentzen, and Kellen Quinn on the mic. SF Film supports so many filmmakers across different genres we hope that you will go out and support their festival and the artists involved.      Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.   

San Francisco film programmer and luminary Joel Shepard sits in studio with the boys and talks about his background in film and what he sees for future filmgoers. The boys also welcome back Madeleine Koestner aka Marbles. She was in town for a few days and was gracious enough to drop in before going back to dumb New York. A lot of films are discussed. Just listen, okay. We good? Good. And get your tickets to Sleaze Apocalypse here: https://www.roxie.com/ai1ec_event/sleaze-apocalypse-exploitation-trailer-trash-35mm/?instance_id=28272 If you'd like to get in contact with us, you can reach us at Podcast@TheOverlookTheatre.com, on Instagram (@theoverlooktheatre), Facebook (theoverlookhour/theoverlooktheatre), or Twitter (@OverlookTheatre/@OverlookHour).

Der er dømt franchise-amok i dette 3. afsnit. Først afprøver Jakob og Frederik et nyt koncept med anmeldelser på 30 sekunder af Kong: Skull Island. Derudover får de besøg af Niels Kristian Bonde Jensen, som hjælper dem med at anmelde Logan før de som sædvanlig også giver deres bud på de bedste nye tilbud i streamingjunglen. Timecodes: 0:00-5:30: Introduktion af Niels ved en film 5:30-11:45: Lynanmeldelse af Kong: Skull Island 11:45-31:40: Dybdegående anmelde af Logan 31:40-38:47: Streamingtjenesten 38:47-48:12: Spoilersnak om Logan og afslutning Tak til Uniradioen, Niels Kristian Bonde Jensen, SF-Film og Fox

Der er dømt franchise-amok i dette 3. afsnit. Først afprøver Jakob og Frederik et nyt koncept med anmeldelser på 30 sekunder af Kong: Skull Island. Derudover får de besøg af Niels Kristian Bonde Jensen, som hjælper dem med at anmelde Logan før de som sædvanlig også giver deres bud på de bedste nye tilbud i streamingjunglen.Timecodes: 0:00-5:30: Introduktion af Niels ved en film 5:30-11:45: Lynanmeldelse af Kong: Skull Island 11:45-31:40: Dybdegående anmelde af Logan 31:40-38:47: Streamingtjenesten 38:47-48:12: Spoilersnak om Logan og afslutningTak til Uniradioen, Niels Kristian Bonde Jensen, SF-Film og Fox

Annika Lantz bjuder på jultabberas med Marianne Hasslow, Camilla Kvartoft, Anders G Carlsson, Johar Bendjelloul och Sara Lövestam. På juldagen är det äntligen dags att länsa nyhetsklipp-förråden på Lantzkampen-redaktionen. Allt som finns kvar av "Hur slutar det" och "Vilket ord saknas" ska användas upp i sann återvinningsanda. Och när det är tabberas på alla fat så återstår ändå Kungens jultal som Lantzkampen klipper mitt i en mening och så ska lagen fylla i slutet.Och hur ska det gå? Kommer den hittills obesegrade duon Marianne Hasslow och Johar Bendjelloul från Ekot att gå hem som segrare igen eller blir SVT-duon Anders G Carlsson och Camilla Kvartoft för svåra?Knappljuden idag är lånade av SF Film som gett Lantzkampen tillåtelse att använda ljuden. Även Saltkråkan AB har gett sin välsignelse. Ljuden kommer från filmen Nya hyss av Emil i Lönneberga.

Death as a theme in The Fountain, Jacob's Ladder, Bonjour Galaxy Express 999, AI: Artificial Intelligence, and Blade Runner

Elysium - Bester-Film.de Ausgabe 228 (Henry und Arne) - Guter Regisseur, gute Schauspieler, guter SF-Film?

Podcast 67 byder ikke bare på en tonse lang opvarmning til og anmeldelse af Hobbitten - En uventet rejse. Det er også en podcast der er lavet ret impulsivt. Vi har ikke direkte forberedt os til den, men sætter os bare ned og snakker så godt vi kan. Det hele startede med at vi mødtes mandag d. 10. december kl. 08 om morgenen. Kaffen var klar og søvnen ikke ude af øjnene endnu, da vi gik i gang med at varme op til Peter Jacksons returbillet til Middle-earth. Kl. 09 gik vi så ind og så filmen i 3D HFR og straks derefter stormede vi hjem og anmeldte den. Redigeringen foregik i hujende hast derefter, så den kunne få premiere d. 12/12/12 kl. 00.01, så vi ikke overtrådte de sirligt udstukne regler fra SF Film, der forbød alle at anmelde filmen inden premieredagen. Resultatet er indkapslet i denne podcast og det er måske ikke pænt, men det er aktuelt og sjovt. Vi fik også lige presset anmeldelser af Hypnotisøren og Killing Them Softly ind, men lad dig ikke snyde af den grund. Dette er først og fremmest en Hobbitcast. ADVARSEL: Du skal naturligvis stoppe med aflytningen af 67'eren når du kommer til anmeldelsen, hvis du endnu ikke har set filmen og gerne vil have lov at danne dit eget indtryk, uden at være under indflydelse af vores hypnotiske overbevisninger. Rigtig god fornøjelse! Med venlig hilsen, Casper og Brie

Bester-Film Ausgabe 49: Star Trek - Die Zukunft hat begonnen (Henry und Arne) - Ein klasse SF-Film