Kyle Chu

Meet Kyle Chu

Film Festival Intern, Center for Asian American Media

Representing Center for Asian American Media

Address: 145 9th Street, Ste. 350, San Francisco, CA, 94103

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing and exhibiting works in film, television and digital media.

How are you Mr. Hyphen material?

As a filmmaker and aspiring teacher, I am passionate about cultivating political awareness and community pride through educational and artistic means.  I believe a community’s strength comes from solidarity, and solidarity comes from a strong sense of collective pride and purpose.  I want to nurture and educate the community through teaching about and producing media, so we can realize our full potential as a strong, unified political entity. 

I didn’t have the opportunity to pursue Asian-American Studies until I went to college.  Asian-Americans literally comprised a page in my high school U.S. history textbook, and assumed similar proportions on television.  Growing up, all I had to substantiate my identity were dated Hollywood images that seemed and appeared nothing like me.  Truth be told, whenever I saw an Asian actor/actress onscreen, I felt shameful and embarrassed.  

Through Asian-American Studies, I realized my racial identity was something to be proud of- what a radical thought!  What I want now is to ensure the Kyles of the next generation do not experience the same shame I did- that they don’t have to wait until they’re adults to learn about their history in an academic setting.  Knowledge of our past should be a right.

Education is one way of conveying information, but I believe film and television media can be the most viable method for coming generations.  Through media arts, I want to cultivate the same passionate interest in one’s heritage that I experienced in my Asian-American Studies classes.  Pride is Power, and I know we all have the power to shed light on what it means to be Asian-American.