Meet the local filmmakers featured in Colorado’s only all-Asian film festival
DENVER — Awards season at large has come to an end, but for local filmmakers in Denver, the excitement is just getting started. The Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival, which centers Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander filmmakers, heads to the Sie FilmCenter this weekend.
The three-day event is Colorado’s only all-AANHPI film event, featuring screenings of 30 films, community conversations and special events like food tastings and networking events. Sara Moore, executive director of Colorado Dragon Boat, said the organization is thrilled to once again bring Coloradans domestically and internationally-made films that highlight the talents within the community.
“Our mission is to uplift the cinematic contributions and accomplishments coming from the AANHPI communities,” Moore said.
Moore said film was a great way for the organization to expand its efforts, as many are only familiar with the Dragon Boat Festival which takes over Sloan’s Lake every summer. The AANHPI community in Colorado makes up 4-5% of the state’s population, according to Moore, which is why Colorado Dragon Boat works year-round to maintain visibility through collaborating with local vendors and small businesses, partnering with arts and cultural organizations and supporting fellow nonprofits.
“We’ve seen the festival positively impact the community in many ways,” Moore said. “The continued growth each year is one indicator, along with the increasing number of submissions we receive from local filmmakers and the growing interest from larger distributors who want their films showcased at our festival.”
Moore also cites the ongoing support from organizations like Denver Film, which helps make the festival possible. Kevin Smith, CEO of Denver Film, says the Dragon Boat Film Festival supports the overall mission of the Colorado film community to uplift marginalized voices.
“Being able to learn about so many different cultures within the AANHPI community has helped me grow as a leader and gain so much perspective,” Smith said. “It's also been wonderful to see the impact we are making by sharing films that likely wouldn't be shown here otherwise.”
Rocky Mountain PBS sat down with four of the local filmmakers who are showing their films in the festival to find out more about how they got here, what makes film important to them and the ongoing journey to a more inclusive industry.
Hanah Chang — Director, writer, actor
Film: "I Wish I Were Pretty"
Premise: When old resentments against her beautiful best friend threaten to boil over, an insecure Korean-American woman struggles to overcome the impossible beauty standards that caused them.
Hanah Chang does not recommend writing, directing and starring in your own film.
“It’s too much,” Chang said, laughing as she recalled the journey of “I Wish I Were Pretty.” “I love this film and I’m proud of it, but just know if you’re trying to wear that many hats on a film set, you’ll be exhausted.”
Chang, who has lived in Denver for three years, said a career in film was always on her radar but not encouraged in childhood. Her parents wanted her to get a job with benefits and a reliable paycheck; film is notoriously unreliable. It wasn’t until Chang quit grad school that she decided to take a leap of faith and explore acting classes. Those classes gave her the confidence to begin actively pursuing not only acting, but screenwriting as well.
“I started writing and found a screenwriting competition for Asian-American women,” Chang said. “When we didn’t win that one, I decided I was just going to keep trying and here we are now”
This is the 12th festival where “I Wish I Were Pretty ” is showing. Dragon Boat is a particularly special moment for Chang because it was the first festival she attended after moving to Colorado. This full-circle moment solidified the importance of festivals like this for her and other filmmakers like herself who often struggle to see themselves in film.
“Representation is terrible 99% of the time in this industry,” Chang said. “Humans want to see some version of themselves reflected out in the world, we want proof that we exist and that’s something that motivates me.”
Chang compares the experience of participating in the Dragon Boat Film Festival to finally finding other people who love the niche, weird thing that you love. Meeting and working with other AANHPI filmmakers mean that Chang does not feel alone in her efforts, getting to share her unique experience with others who are going through the same things.
“That’s what this festival is,” Chang said. “Finding each other’s people.”
Meta Sarmiento — Director, producer
Film: "A Thin Veil"
Premise: While a documentary crew follows a Filipino artist, they are visited by an ancestor who leaves them with a powerful message.
Don’t be fooled by the premise of “A Thin Veil” — this is a mockumentary, according to director Meta Sarmiento.
“We got to be super creative doing a mockumentary format, and this film has a real ghost story feel to it,” Sarmiento said.
Sarmiento — director of “A Thin Veil”, as well as a poet and rapper — was born and raised on the island of Guam and has lived in Denver for 10 years. It wasn’t until recently that Sarmiento gave himself permission to call himself a filmmaker, but the love of the craft had been in the works since he was a child.
“I used to save all of my allowance that my mom would give me to buy a disposable Kodak camera and take pictures,” Sarmiento said. “My family didn’t come from a lot of money, so I would always buy cameras, take pictures, and then we'd never have money to develop the film.”
Sarmiento has discovered a passion for multiple aspects of the creative industry, both behind and in front of the camera. Whether he’s planning shoots for a short film, filming and editing and music video, or writing scripts and poetry, Sarmiento knows that being a storyteller is a part of who he is. Showing a film in the Dragon Boat Film Festival is just another extension of that.
“'I’ve been a fan of the Dragon Ball Film Festival for a while now, and I always walk out feeling inspired,” Sarmiento said. “I want my work to inspire collective movement, and having this platform in order to do that is amazing.”
Sarmiento’s message for those who want to pursue a career in the creative field but don’t see a path for themselves? Take the leap and know that there are communities waiting to accept you, even if that isn’t always reflected.
“The stereotypical understanding of Asian communities is that we should be quiet and submissive and follow the rules,” Sarmiento said. “I think film and art in general has taught me that when you break the rules, you can transcend them entirely.”
Bruce Tetsuya — Director, co-writer, producer
Film: "I Love You and I Am Going to Fix You"
Premise: Based on true events in 1990s Denver, a young couple uncovers a disturbing anomaly inside a sushi restaurant.
Every film Bruce Tetsuya makes is a ghost story. Not so much in a ‘scare you’ way, but more in a Twilight Zone way.
“I’m fascinated by the beyond,” Tetsuya said. “Anything that has to do with the afterlife or existential thinking is right up my alley.”
Tetsuya, born and raised in Denver, is the first full-time artist in his family — most of them are doctors or teachers. After attending film school and gaining professional representation for filmmaking after graduating, Tetsuya and his production partner started their own production company, House of Kodo. They are currently in development for their first feature, set to film in Japan this fall. Commercial work often helps pay the bills, but Tetsuya’s heart lies in the art of narrative storytelling.
“Even with commercials, I try to approach them as if they’re films and try to inject something personal into them,” Tetsuya said.
Tetsuya cites the quote “rising tides raise all ships” to describe the Denver film scene. The more people create original work, the more opportunities there are for the community. He cites that while many of his friends have made big moves to Los Angeles and New York, most of his most successful colleagues are living in Colorado or the Midwest. This acts as proof that opportunities in the modern film industry are where you make them and less-so based on where you live.
“Opportunities aren’t going to come knocking,” Tetsuya said. “We have to make them for ourselves and prove that there is a scene here worth investing in.”
As a father of two, Tetsuya knows how important it is to continue working toward a more inclusive industry. If that can be the case, his daughter might envision a career for herself in film just like her father did.
“Movies are my wife and I’s language, and our daughter is already growing up to be the same way,” Tetsuya said. “I want them to feel seen and represented on screen.”
Gabriella Marinace-Lee — Director, writer
Film: "Bummer Ending"
Premise: A woman is faced with a divorce in a pivotal time in her life, putting her on a journey to reimagine her reality.
Gabriella Marinace-Lee is only a junior in high school at Denver School of the Arts, but this is her second appearance at the Dragon Boat Film Festival.
“I’ve known I wanted to do film since sixth grade,” Marinace-Lee said. “Film interacts with identity and personality in a way that nothing else does, and I realized it’s a way for me to understand myself and others better.”
Marinace-Lee, who cites “Everything Everywhere All At Once” as a major inspiration for her as an aspiring filmmaker, says Denver remains an underrated film destination. Although she is at the very beginning of her career, she feels fortunate to be engrossed in such a lively community. Thanks to initiatives like the Dragon Boat Film Festival (and Sundance's impending arrival), Marinace-Lee believes Denver will soon be on the national radar for a rich pool of talent.
“I just really want my films to make people feel understood in the same way my favorite films make me feel understood,” Marinace-Lee said. “I think Denver has the ability to do that because there are so many different types of people making film here.”
Marinace-Lee feels grateful to Dragon Boat for making this film festival possible, as she has (even as a high school student) felt the impact of racism, sexism and other prejudices that keep people like her out of the spotlight in the film industry.
“If there's only one group of people making movies, that means not everyone is being understood by film and not everyone is connecting with film,” Marinace-Lee said. “That’s a shame because film is one of the most like beautiful ways.”
Tickets for the Dragon Boat Film Festival are available online, where you can also find a complete schedule of events and screenings. The above films are included in the Local Short Films Showcase, as well as the Emerging Artists Showcase.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.
