THE ARTS SHOULD BE A CELEBRATION OF CULTURE
I recently came back from visiting the Los Angeles Asian Film Festival and CAAMFest, formerly the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, where I connected with other community and arts organizers throughout the state and experienced some amazing films. I laughed, I cried, and, yes, I even thought heartbreak feels good in a place like this.
One of the films I saw in San Francisco was “Nurse Unseen” by filmmaker Michele Josue, a featurelength documentary that showcases the lives and struggles of Filipino nurses and a film that we presented at the 2022 San Diego Asian Film Festival. This production does a fantastic job of uplifting and centering the Filipino community’s best — our grandmas, moms, aunties and sisters. The documentary also sheds light on a narrative too common in the Asian Pacific Islander community in recent years: Our communities have grappeled with dual pandemics — the profound impact of COVID-19 and a surge in xenophobic hate, which has incited violence.
As the film and news covered, Filipino American nurses were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and died at an alarming rate. We were losing our matriarchs. In the film, Filipina activist Ninotchka Rosca asked a question that so many of us have been asking for a long time: “Why do we have to die to be seen?”
We’ve all borne witness to our community being attacked — from our elders being brutally beaten on the streets to the 2021 Atlantaarea spa shootings, the shootings at Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay during this past Lunar New Year, and most recently the outlet mall shooting in Allen, Texas. With each tragedy comes an outpouring of support that includes solidarity statements and calls for action as well as thoughts and prayers. But we need more than that. We need to stand in solidarity with other communities to stop the hate and end the violence.
While there are many paths forward, nothing can happen without love and compassion. We have to find a way for folks to understand us, know our struggles and celebrate our diversity. That’s where arts and culture plays a vital and unique role in our movements. It’s the perfect medium to convey a message, tell a story and spark emotion. We have all been inspired, overcome with joy, or moved to tears through the arts.
With film specifically, viewers have the chance to enter a world that isn’t their own and to grow from that. At the San Diego Asian Film Festival, we encourage attendees to watch something they normally wouldn’t have in order to learn and to change, and our storytellers have the opportunity to captivate their audience and create conversation.
In recent years, the Asian and Pacific Islander community has seen an increase in representation in both movies and television. Films like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Crazy Rich Asians” were huge and deserving of all the awards and praise, but it shouldn’t stop there. I hope folks continue to seek out more diverse storylines from many communities other than their own, attend a film festival (maybe ours) to watch a film surrounded by others experiencing it for the first time, and even attend a panel or discussion with the cast and crew to understand what drives them.
As we continue to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we know that heritage goes hand in hand with arts and culture because our stories matter. We are individuals and families with rich histories and diverse cultures and the arts has always been a stronghold especially for those who often feel unseen or unheard. It is not just about entertainment. The arts offer an opportunity for education, understanding and connection.
Media and the arts become essential tools for change that can extend to our schools, workplaces and neighborhoods. They can be a tool to fight against stereotypes, to promote inclusion and belonging in our workplaces, and to advocate for our histories to be part of the curriculum. It means acknowledging the sacrifices and contributions of our elders, honoring their legacy, and ensuring their stories are told and remembered.
In this context, the question posed by Rosca takes on a poignant resonance. We should not have to die to be seen. We should not have to endure violence and discrimination to be acknowledged. We should not have to scream at the top of our lungs for our voices to be heard. We should be celebrated, allowed to dance and sing with our stories told and our humanity revered.
Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Media and the arts become essential tools for change that can extend to our schools, workplaces and neighborhoods. They can be a tool to fight against stereotypes and to promote inclusion.
Villafuerte is the executive director of Pacific Arts Movement and lives in Chula Vista.