/PRNewswire/ A coalition of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community leaders and organizations including Center for Asian Americans United for Self.
At first, Kyoko Takenaka felt guilty about secretly recording men who approached in bars.
While grabbing drinks in Washington, D.C., and New York City over the course of about seven years, the roaming filmmaker, actor, model, musician and performance artist used any audio-recording device they had on them, usually a phone, to document the myriad racist comments strangers forced upon them in private conversation.
“Is this even OK for me to do?” Takenaka wondered at the time, knowing the men’s slurred, insensitive tangents would later be exposed in some way through their art. (“Your face is very beautiful and it’s very Oriental,” “I take you for sushi, if you like sushi?,” “Koreans have very puffy cheeks,” various men say in the soundbites.)
Otherly amplifies perspectives from a group of underexposed creators, namely women, non-binary and genderqueer identifying folx. It’s especially poignant during this time of enforced social distancing that the films are presented on this platform, one of the few spaces in which we’re able to stay connected.
“The NFB continues to explore creative non-fiction storytelling and to amplify new, diverse voices on new platforms,” said NFB executive producer Anita Lee. “We are thrilled to have worked with our likeminded partner POV Spark to create these thoughtful, original works that redefine and play with form, and reach audiences on Instagram Stories.”