Young Filmmakers Who Rock

January 28, 2008

Both are 27 and their films made it to Sundance in the shorts category this year -- two of 83 selected, out of 5,100 entries in this category.

Tadashi's film, "Pilgrimage," documents the first pilgrimage to Manzanar. Both sides of his family were incarcerated in the camps, including his grandparents and his father. The film is beautifully done, tells an important story and also ties in current issues. I watched a screener copy of this film last year at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and was really impressed.

Tadashi, who is 27, has also made other films, including "Yellow Brotherhood," which I have seen. If "Pilgrimage" is a sign of things to come, then he's definitely a young Asian American filmmaker to watch.

The CNN segment also interviews Yasmin, who made "Bread Makers," about a community of learning disabled bakers in Edinburgh. I have not seen this film, but it sounds really interesting. I believe Yasmin is Lebanese-Candadian.

Congrats to both young filmmakers!!

Watch the segment here.

Contributor: 

Momo Chang

Senior Contributing Editor

Momo Chang is the Content Manager at the Center for Asian American Media, and freelances for magazines, online publications, and weeklies. Her writings focus on Asian American communities, communities of color, and youth culture. She is a former staff writer at the Oakland Tribune. Her stories range from uncovering working conditions in nail salons, to stories about “invisible minorities” like Tongan youth and Iu Mien farmers. She has freelances The New York Times, WIRED, and East Bay Express, among other publications.