A Reminder to Love Everyday

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June is over and we are excited to show love to our LGBTQIA+ artists and organizations who continue to share their work and experiences with us year-round. We recognize the importance of LGBTQIA+ representation and inclusion in the film industry and are committed to amplifying the voices of these communities.

We are honored to showcase a group of artists and their films that highlight the experiences and perspectives of LGBTQIA+ individuals and celebrate their contributions to the industry. This is a reminder to love and to show gratitude to folks who bravely continue to empower communities through their stories. We encourage everyone to watch these films and to continue supporting these artists and organizations.

Emory Chao Johnson (they/them)

Emory Chao Johnson (they/them) is an artist settled on the land of the Tongva whose work centers on the real and abstract forces that charge queer trans lifeworlds. Chao Johnson’s current short film 默 (To Write From Memory) had its world premiere at Berlinale 2023 and was recognized with the Golden Reel: Best Documentary Short at the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Their prior short F1-100 has screened at numerous festivals and received awards, including the Loni Ding Award for Social Issue Documentary from CAAMFest and the Linda Mabalot New Directors/New Visions Award from the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Chao Johnson was also a production fellow on the Netflix Original Documentary Disclosure (dir. Sam Feder). They received an MFA in Film and Television from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT). From former staffer to general member of the Asian American Documentary Network (A-Doc), Chao Johnson received invaluable support and mentorship from the A-Doc community on their 2020 short documentary, Shu Mai Online, produced as part of A-Doc's "Asian American Stories in the Time of Coronavirus" series.

Shu Mai Online (2020) by Emory Chao Johnson
With gigs canceled by the coronavirus, Miss Shu Mai finds new ways to make a living.

Kitty Hu (she/he/they) is a queer Chinese diasporic documentary filmmaker and co-founder/head of development at Shoes Off Media, an intergenerational Asian women-led production co-centering storytellers with lived experiences both in front of and behind the lens. As the daughter of immigrants, Kitty’s work applies community-centered documentary tactics to amplify stories at the intersection of justice and human relationships, looking at topics like labor, housing, culture, migration and climate. Her work has been featured on HBO Max, Hulu, CNN+, PBS and her personal short, Golden Boy, played in festivals nationally including DOC NYC and LAAPFF (her fave). She also supports impact and advocacy opportunities at Brown Girls Doc Mafia and is a proud member of the Asian American Documentary Network.

hey there (2022) by Kitty Hu
as we grow older, we can better meet our inner children where they are and understand their memories, triggers and emotions. over time, this gives us a softer version of ourselves to hold and grants us more agency in the narratives we create about ourselves. hey there premiered at the 38th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival as part of the Armed With a Camera Vol. 2022 program

What’s Kitty working on next?
Kitty is currently working on a feature documentary about one of the first school shootings in the United States.
“It’s a documentary about a mass school shooting that happened in 1989. Before Uvalde, Sandy Hook, and Columbine, there was Cleveland Elementary. 32 were injured and 5 deceased. The deceased, all children age 9 and under, were children of refugees and/or immigrants themselves fleeing from the Vietnam War and Khmer Rouge genocide. The incident has never been reported as a hate crime despite authorities finding out that it was motivated by the gunman's hatred of "boat people" and that he specifically targeted a school that serviced the Southeast Asian community. There has never been a documentary about this event. 

With the ongoing school shootings that seem to be more of the norm and a lack of media representation of what happens in the aftermath, we hope this film can amplify the stories of the survivors and the families of the deceased. This film is centering their healing, the way that the survivors and the community have moved forward, and the incredible community they have built together in the aftermath.  We’re hoping this manifests visually as well in the way the story is told, through intentionally not incorporating imagery of death/violence and being culturally sensitive about the images, music, etc., included.”

If you are interested in supporting this project, connect with Kitty via email [kitty@shoesoffmedia.com]

Quyên Nguyen-Le (they/them)

Quyên Nguyen-Le is a queer Vietnamese filmmaker born to refugee parents in the place where Chumash and Tongva lands meet (San Fernando Valley, Los Ángeles). Quyên's work focuses on the ways histories are deeply felt in the quotidian everyday. Their short films Nước (Water/Homeland) (2016) and Hoài (Ongoing, Memory) (2018) have screened in film festivals, art galleries, libraries, and community spaces worldwide. The Morning Passing on El Cajón Boulevard (2019) opened the 20th San Diego Asian Film Festival. In Living Memory (2022) is available to stream on PBS and World Channel. Check out their AWC film Nước (Water/Homeland) (2016) and their most recent film In Living Memory (2022) below!

 

Nước (Water/Homeland) (2016) by Quyên Nguyen-Le
A Vietnamese American teen attempts to piece together and understand their mother's experience as a Vietnam War refugee. The journey pulls us into a fantastical series of iconic historical photographs and images, ultimately highlighting the complexity of fully understanding others' experiences — and opens up possibilities for building relationships based on presence and co-existence.

 

In Living Memory (2022) by Quyên Nguyen-Le
After the closure of their mother’s nail salon at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a queer filmmaker works with their mother to recover and articulate the legacy of the salon for their refugee family.

Founded in 2014, Okaeri’s mission is to create visibility, compassionate spaces, and transformation for LGBTQ+ Nikkei and their families by sharing our stories and providing culturally-rooted support, education, community-building, and advocacy. Okaeri is an opportunity for you to connect with LGBTQ+ Japanese/Japanese Americans and allies, find support, resources and information and learn how Nikkei have embraced their LGBTQ family members.

Okaeri Voices
Okaeri Voices is an oral history project featuring LGBTQ+ and allied Japanese Americans who share their journeys of heartbreak, self-discovery, and triumph, inspiring us to believe in an inclusive future for our Nikkei LGBTQ+ community. Season one features Mia Yamamoto, Bill Tashima, George Takei, Harold & Ellen Kameya, Dean Goishi, Desiree Thompson, and Gary Hayashi. Check out Mia Yamamoto’s episode of Okaeri Voices below!

Mia Yamamoto: A Life Changing Decision at 60
At an age when most people are settling into the closing phases of their lives, Mia was, in many ways, just beginning her life. She explains making the momentous decision to transition so she can live authentically as her true self. She shares her personal journey and discusses her work as a civil rights attorney.

 

Queer Nikkei Stories: Intergenerational Conversations
What was it like to be gay and Japanese American decades ago? What is it like now? In collaboration with Okaeri and JANM in 2020, we presented multi-generational conversations between actor and activist George Takei and USC student Justin Kawaguchi; and June Lagmay, a founder of Asian/Pacific Lesbians and Gays, with Aya Tasaki, a bicultural advocate and organizer.