KPFA - APEX Express

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KPFA - APEX Express

Apex Express is a proud collective member of AACRE, Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality. AACRE focuses on long-term movement building, capacity infrastructure, and leadership support for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders committed to social justice.

  1. 6 NGÀY TRƯỚC

    APEX Express – 6.12.25 Obbligato

    A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Tonight on APEX Express, Host Isabel Li broadcasts her first show Obbligato, centered on music by contemporary classical composers who identify as Asian American Pacific Islander. Tonight’s show features music by Grammy nominated Chinese American composer Zhou Tian, who blends musical inspiration from different cultures and mixes them seamlessly into a musically satisfying combination for performers and audiences alike. The Wall Street Journal states that his works accomplish 2 important things. They remind us of how we got from there to here, and they refine that history by paying belated tribute to contributors who might otherwise be forgotten. Obbligato Transcript Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It’s time to get on board the Apex Express.   Isabel Li [00:00:50 ] Good evening and thank you for tuning in to APEX Express on KPFA, 94.1 FM. We are bringing you an Asian and Asian American view from the Bay and around the world. Isabel Li [00:01:00] I’m your host, Isabel Li, and tonight is my first Apex Express show that I’ve named Obbligato, a show centered on music by contemporary classical composers who identify as Asian American Pacific Islander. Tonight’s show features music by Grammy nominated Chinese American composer Zhou Tian, who blends musical inspiration from different cultures and mixes them seamlessly into a musically satisfying combination for performers and audiences alike. The Wall Street Journal states that his works accomplish 2 important things. They remind us of how we got from there to here, and they refine that history by paying belated tribute to contributors who might otherwise be forgotten. Isabel Li [00:01:45] Before we get into the music of Zhou Tian, because this is my first time on Apex Express, I’ll briefly introduce myself. I’m Isabel Li, a second generation Chinese American violinist, writer, filmmaker and researcher, and I strive to amplify the works of AAPI artists and musicians, especially in relation to classical music. My senior thesis film in undergrad, for example, was a short narrative film about a Chinese American cellist who bridges intergenerational divides through music. I believe that Asian and Asian American identities in the world of classical music, which is usually associated with whiteness, European culture and elitism, are especially interesting to study. Isabel Li [00:02:28] Because there is a considerable proportion of classical musicians and composers who do identify as Asian American, there’s a great book that talks about this, actually called Musicians from a Different Shore: Asians and Asian Americans in Classical Music by author Mari Yoshihara, which I read while researching for my film. Through this show, I hope to highlight works by some of these AAPI identifying musicians and composers, and further discussions about this intersection of Asian identities and classical music. Isabel Li [00:02:59] I’m really excited to get into the music of composer Zhou Tian, described as a prime example of 21st century global multiculturalism. Born into a musical family in Hangzhou, China, Zhou moved to the US when he was 19. Trained at Curtis, Juilliard and USC, he studied with some of America’s finest composers, such as Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Rouse and Stephen Hartke. His music has been performed by leading performers and orchestras, Including to name a few, Jaap van Zweden, Yuja Wang, Manfred Honeck, Long Yu, Noah Bendix-Balgley, the New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony. Pittsburgh Symphony. The Dover Quartet, as well as the Shanghai Symphony, where he recently served as artist in residence. He is currently professor of composition at Michigan State University. 00:03:54 Isabel Li Starting off today’s show is an orchestral piece by Zhou Tian composed in 2019, that was commissioned by the Shanghai Symphony titled Gift or 《禮獻》 in Chinese gift pays tribute to traditional Chinese poetry and music, specifically inspired by a poem titled Music as a Gift of decency by Shen Yue, from the northern and Southern dynasties, circa the year 400. Here is Joe Tiene’s gift, performed by the Shanghai Symphony, conducted by Long Yu. 04:10                     Comp Music – Gift 00:13:20 Isabel Li That was a resplendent orchestral piece to start off today’s show that was Zhou Tian’s Gift performed by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Long Yu. 00:13:31 Isabel Li I really appreciate how this orchestral piece enmeshes folk tune sounding melodies with more contemporary sounding frenzied rhythms, especially with the syncopations that occur throughout the magnificent melodies. In fact, in one of the sections we actually hear this series of high pitched repeated dotted rhythms in Gift. 00:13:51 Isabel Li And it actually reminded me of how I got to know Zhou’s work in the first place. A few years ago I had been introduced to him as a composer through one of his other compositions, which unfortunately we will not be listening to today, but it is definitely worth listening at some point. It’s called Transcend and Zhou had written this in commemoration and in acknowledgement of the work of Chinese immigrant laborers who worked on the transcontinental railroad who, if you remember the photo of the final spike, there was not a single Chinese immigrant labor in sight in the photo and in that third movement of that Symphony of Transcend, we actually hear this rhythmic motif that signals DONE. It’s a Morse code rhythmic tapping of done. And it was very interesting to me because it’s also kind of historically informed when the transcontinental railroad was completed. 00:14:47 Isabel Li They actually signaled its completion by tapping DONE, this rhythm, and Joe had recaptured that and expressed that in a very artistic way through his compositional work, and I really appreciate this consistency in rhythmic, artistic musicality that he applies throughout all of his different works. 00:15:09 Isabel Li Coming up next is a piano solo performed by Zhou Tian himself. This is the 2022 piece that he wrote, inspired directly from the resonant bells of Buddhist temples called majestic bells, or in Chinese, 《輝煌的鐘聲》. Here is majestic bells performed by Zhou Tian on piano. 15:30                     Comp Music – Majestic Bells 00:20:53 Isabel Li That was composer Zhou Tian himself on piano playing the piano solo piece called Majestic Bells. What I really love about this piece is how Joe seems to combine influences from composers of the late 19th century and 20th century, especially if you observe with the parallel intervals parallel fifths especially and free flowing melodic forms. It kind of reminds me of the music of Bartok and Debussy, and how it’s both introspective and grandiose at the same time. Just as a reminder, thank you so much for listening to Apex Express on this Thursday evening on tonight’s edition of Obbligato on Apex Express, which focuses on work by contemporary AAPI, classical composers and musicians. 00:21:42 Isabel Li We’re focusing on the works of Grammy nominated Chinese American composer Zhou Tian. 00:21:48 Isabel Li Our next piece of music that we’ll be listening to is based on the Chinese proverb 《千年善禱》, which translates to A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. And that was the title of Zhou Tian’s orchestral piece. Composed in 2009, Zhou wanted to highlight the spiritual blessing in a very timeless way. Because this proverb stretches back to ancient times. Through his use of expanded orchestration and his various layers of percussion of orchestral melodies throughout this piece, here is A Thousand Years of Good Prayers performed by the USC Thornton Symphony, conducted by Donald Crockett. 22:00                      Comp Music – A Thousand Years of Good Prayers 00:31:11 Isabel Li An incredibly moving, sweeping piece of music for orchestra. 00:31:16 Isabel Li That was Zhou Tian’s A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, which is based on the story of the proverb The Chinese proverb 《千年善禱》, and the story goes, or perhaps I should say the legend goes, that good relationships really take 1000 years of good prayers to bring about and Zhou Tian was really tapping into the spiritual element of this proverb. And I think he really accomplished that feeling. 00:31:47 Isabel Li What I really appreciate about classical music in general, and why the show exists, is because classical music taps into the ineffable, the universal in all of us. What we don’t really have the language to communicate can be communicated through music. And Zhou Tian’s music is an example of how we can use this particular musical language to express these deeper meanings that can transcend linguistic, social, and even national boundaries. For this next piece. Now, because I’m a violinist, I couldn’t help but choose a piece that features the violin. 00:32:26 Isabel Li We’ll be hearing Zhou Tian’s Double Concerto for violin, Viola and orchestra, and it features 3 movements titled Play, Aria, and Rendezvous. However, because of time, we will only be hearing one of these movements and I picked the first movement where we hear the two instruments, the solo instruments, violin and viola, engage in an energetic dialogue, shifting between moments of cooperation and playful rivalry. 00:32:55 Isabel Li This is performed by Noah Bendix-Balgley on violin, Shanshan Yao on Viola, and the Hangzhou Philharmonic conducted by Yang Yang. 33:10

    1 giờ

  2. 5 THG 6

    APEX Express – June 5, 2025

    A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. The post APEX Express – June 5, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    1 giờ

  3. 29 THG 5

    APEX Express – 5.29.25 AAPI Children’s Books

    A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Happy Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Even though the Trump Administration has eliminated recognizing cultural heritage months, we are still celebrating diversity and inclusion here at APEX Express and KPFA. We believe in lifting up people’s voices and tonight on APEX Express the Powerleegirls are focusing on “Asian American Children’s book authors”. Powerleegirl hosts Miko Lee and daughter Jalena Keane-Lee speak with: Michele Wong McSween, Gloria Huang, and Andrea Wang   AAPINH Month Children’s Books part 1 transcript Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It’s time to get on board the Apex Express.   Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:00:49] Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Even though the Trump administration has eliminated recognizing cultural heritage months, we are still celebrating diversity and inclusion. Here at Apex Express and KPFA, we believe in lifting up people’s voices. And tonight on Apex Express, the PowerLeeGirls are focusing on Asian American Children’s book authors. PowerLeeGirl hosts Miko Lee and daughter Jalena Keane-Lee. Speak with Michele Wong McSween, Gloria Huang and Andrea Wang. Thanks for joining us tonight on Apex Express. Enjoy the show.   Miko Lee: [00:01:21] Welcome, Michele Wong McSween to Apex Express.    Michele Wong McSween: [00:01:26] Thank you, Miko. It’s nice to be here.    Miko Lee: [00:01:28] I’m really happy to talk with you about your whole children’s series, Gordon & Li Li, which is absolutely adorable. I wanna start very first with a personal question that I ask all of my guests, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?   Michele Wong McSween: [00:01:45] I would say my people are really my family starting with, my great, great grandparents who came here down to my grandparents, my parents, and onto my children because, to me family is. The reason why I created Gordon & Li Li in the first place, it was really to bridge that connection for my children. I didn’t grow up feeling that connected with my culture because as a fourth generation Chinese American, I was really in the belief that I’m American. Why do I need to know anything about my culture? Why do I need to speak Chinese? I never learned. As a sidebar to that, I never learned to speak Chinese and it didn’t really hit me until I had my own kids that I was really doing a disservice to not only my kids, but to myself. my people are my family. I do this for my kids. I do this to almost apologize to my parents for being so, Disrespectful to my amazing culture and I do it for the families who really want to connect and bridge that gap for their own children and for themselves.    Miko Lee: [00:02:53] And what legacy do you carry with you?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:02:55] Again, my family. My, great grandparents. Really. Started our family’s legacy with the hard work and the prejudices and all the things that they endured so that we could have a better life. And I’ve always felt that it is my responsibility to teach my own kids about the sacrifices that were made and not to make them feel guilty, but to just make them appreciate that we are here. Because of the the blood, sweat, and tears that their ancestors did for them. And so we are, eternally grateful for that. I think it’s important for us to continue that legacy of always doing our best, being kind and doing what we can do to further the experience of not just our family, but the people in our community that we connect with and to the greater world.    Miko Lee: [00:03:43] when you were growing up, were your parents speaking with you in Chinese and did you hear about your great grandparents and their legacy? Was that part of your upbringing?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:03:52] I heard about my great grandparents in the stories that my mom told us, but to be quite honest, I wasn’t receptive to really digging deep in my cultural understanding of. my great-grandfather and what he went through. I know mom, I know he came over in 19 whatever. I know he brought over all these young sons from his village, but I really didn’t fully take it in and. No, I didn’t hear Chinese spoken in the house much. The only time my parents spoke it was to each other so that we didn’t know what they were talking about. They had like this secret code, language. My experience with my language was not, That positive. we did attempt to go to Chinese school only to be teased by all the other kids because we didn’t speak it. It didn’t end up well. my mom ended up pulling us out and so no, we were really not connected all that much to the language.   Miko Lee: [00:04:48] I can really relate to what you’re saying. As a fifth generation Chinese American, and my parents their ancestors came from different provinces, so their dialects were so different that they even spoke to each other in English. ’cause they couldn’t understand each other in Chinese. So it happens so often. Yeah. Yeah. And so I really relate to that. I’m wondering if there was an epiphany in your life or a time where you thought, oh, I. I wish I knew more of those stories about my ancestors or was there some catalyst for you that changed?   Michele Wong McSween: [00:05:17] All of this really kind of happened when I moved to New York. I, you know, raised in Sacramento, went to college in the Bay Area, lived in San Francisco for a while with a job, and then I eventually moved to New York. And it wasn’t until I came to New York and I met Asians or Chinese Americans like me that actually spoke Chinese and they knew about cool stuff to do in Chinatown. It really opened my eyes to this new cool world of the Chinese culture because I really experienced Chinatown for the first time when I moved to New York. And it was just so incredible to see all these people, living together in this community. And they all looked the same. But here’s the thing, they all spoke Chinese, or the majority of them spoke Chinese. So when I went to Chinatown and they would look at me and speak to me in Chinese and I would give them this blank stare. They would just look at me like, oh my gosh, she doesn’t even speak her own language. And it kind of made me feel bad. And this was really the first time that it dawned on me that, oh wow, I, I kind of feel like something’s missing. And then it really hit me when I had my kids, because they’re half Chinese and I thought, oh my gosh, wait a minute, if I’m their last connection to the Chinese culture and I don’t speak the language. They have no chance of learning anything about their language they couldn’t go that deep into their culture if I didn’t learn about it. So that really sparked this whole, Gordon & Li Li journey of learning and discovering language and culture for my kids.    Miko Lee: [00:06:51] Share more about that. How, what happened actually, what was the inspiration for creating the Children’s book series?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:06:58] It was really my children, I really felt that it was my responsibility to teach them about their culture and language and, if I didn’t know the language, then I better learn it. So I enrolled all of us in different Mandarin courses. They had this, I found this really cute kids’ Mandarin class. I went to adult Mandarin classes and I chose Mandarin because that was the approved official language in China. I am from Taishan, My parents spoke Taishanese, but I thought, well, if Mandarin’s the official language, I should choose that one probably so that my kids will have at least a better chance at maybe some better jobs in the future or connecting with, the billion people that speak it. I thought Mandarin would be the way to go. When I started going to these classes and I just realized, wow, this is really hard, not just to learn the language, but to learn Mandarin Chinese, because we’re not just talking about learning how to say the four different tones. We’re talking about reading these characters that if you look at a Chinese character, you have absolutely no idea what it sounds like if you’re, if you’re learning Spanish or French or German, you can see the letters and kind of sound it out a little bit. But with Chinese characters. No chance. So I found it extremely difficult and I realized, wow, I really need to support my kids more because if I am going to be the one that’s going to be bridging this connection for them, I need to learn more and I need to find some more resources to help us. when we would have bedtime story time, that whole routine. That was always the favorite time of my kids to be really, quiet and they would really absorb what I was saying, or we would talk about our days or just talk about funny things and I realized, wow, these books that they love and we have to read over and over and over again. this is the way that they’re going to get the information. And I started searching high and low for these books. back in 2006, they didn’t exist. and so I realized if they didn’t exist and I really wanted them for my kids, then I needed to create them. That’s the impetus, is there was nothing out there and I really wanted it so badly that I had to create it myself.   Miko Lee: [00:09:09] Oh, I love that. And I understand you started out self-publishing. Can you talk a little bit about that journey?    Michele Wong McSween: [00:09:15] I’m glad I didn’t know what I know today because it was really hard. luckily I had, A friend who used to work for a toy company, it was all through connections. there

    1 giờ

  4. 22 THG 5

    Special Spring Fund Drive Programming: Josh Jackson on California’s Little-Known Public Wilderness

    Today’s episode of APEX Express is preempted by special programming for KPFA’s 2025 Spring Fund Drive. Brian Edwards-Tiekert speaks with photographer and author Josh Jackson, an advocate for public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Through his Forgotten Lands Project, he employs storytelling and visual narratives to inspire engagement with California’s unknown landscapes. His latest book is The Enduring Wild: A Journey Into California’s Public Lands. To support our mission and receive Josh Jackson’s book The Enduring Wild as a thank-you gift, please donate here or call (800) 439-5732 (800-HEY-KPFA).   The post Special Spring Fund Drive Programming: Josh Jackson on California’s Little-Known Public Wilderness appeared first on KPFA.

    1 giờ

  5. 15 THG 5

    Special Spring Fund Drive Programming: Norma Wong on a Zen and Indigenous Perspective

    Today’s episodes of Our World As We See It and Education Today are preempted by special programming for KPFA’s 2025 Spring Fund Drive. C.S. Soong speaks with Norma Wong about her book When No Thing Works: A Zen and Indigenous Perspective on Resilience, Shared Purpose, and Leadership in the Timeplace of Collapse. To support our mission and receive Norma Wong’s book When No Thing Works as a thank-you gift, please donate here or call (800) 439-5732 (800-HEY-KPFA).   The post Special Spring Fund Drive Programming: Norma Wong on a Zen and Indigenous Perspective appeared first on KPFA.

    1 giờ

  6. 8 THG 5

    Special Spring Fund Drive Programming: Richard Walker on the Role of Industry in Building Cities

    Today’s episode of APEX Express is preempted by special programming for KPFA’s 2025 Spring Fund Drive. Liam O’Donoghue speaks with renown geographer and author Richard Walker about his view of cities as living organisms and the role industry plays in development and ongoing health of cities. This live event which took place in Berkeley, California on March 27, 2025. To support our mission and receive Richard Walker’s book Pictures of a Gone City: Tech and the Dark Side of Prosperity in the San Francisco Bay Area as a thank-you gift, please donate here or call (800) 439-5732 (800-HEY-KPFA).   The post Special Spring Fund Drive Programming: Richard Walker on the Role of Industry in Building Cities appeared first on KPFA.

    1 giờ

  7. 1 THG 5

    APEX Express – 5.1.25 – Filmmakers Exploring Boundaries

    A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Host Miko Lee celebrates AAPINH Month by interviewing Filmmakers: Sara Kambe Holland, Alleluiah Panis, and Kyle Casey Chu, also known as Panda Dulce. We also cover a bunch of AAPINH month events happening throughout the Bay Area.   Calendar of Events Community Calendar May 3 2-6pm Daly City AAPI Fest celebrating local Asian American & Pacific Islander culture in Daly City and the Greater San Francisco Bay Area     May 10 10am-12pm PT Our Heritage 5K 2025  a FREE, family-friendly 5K fun walk/run honoring the rich history and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in San Francisco. This scenic route winds through the heart of the city, passing by over 16+ historic AAPI landmarks—featuring goodies, resources, and fun facts about its cultural significance. Expect cheer stations, photo ops, sweet treats, and entertainment along the route to keep the energy high! May 10th is also AAPI Mental Health Day! The Our Wellness Festival, will celebrate mental health, community, and joy. The festival will feature family-friendly activities, carnival-style games, music, dancing, wellness resources, and more! May 23 at 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm Asian American and Pacific Islander LGBTQ2S+ Mixer NJAHS Peace Gallery 1684 Post Street, San Francisco Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, and Stanford’s Asian American studies department host a series of events throughout the month that we will post in the show notes for you to check out.  Bay Area Public Libraries AAPI Month Oakland public libraries feature reading lists for all ages, a grab and grow seedling kit and events like watermelon kimchi making!San Francisco Public Libraries There will be events for all ages at Library locations throughout the City, including free author talks, book clubs, film screenings, crafts, food programs and musical and dance performances. San Jose Public libraries host a series of events with a highlights being Tapa Cloth making on May 6 and Vegan Filipino Cooking with Astig Vegan on May 7 Berkeley public libraries   CAAMFest 2025 United States of Asian America Through June 1    Transcript: Filmmakers Exploring Boundaries   Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It’s time to get on board the Apex Express.   Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:00:57] Welcome to Apex Express and happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Even though the Trump administration has eliminated recognizing cultural heritage months, we are still celebrating diversity and inclusion. Here at Apex Express and KPFA, we believe in lifting up people’s voices. And tonight on Apex Express, we are focusing on Asian American filmmakers exploring boundaries. Host Mika Lee talks with filmmakers, creators, writers Sarah Kambe Holland, Alleluiah Panis, and Kyle Casey Chu, also known as Panda Dulce. Join us on Apex Express.    Miko Lee: [00:01:51] Welcome, Sarah Kambe Holland, the amazing young filmmaker, writer, director, here to talk about your very first film, egghead and Twinkie. Welcome to Apex Express.    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:02:04] Thanks so much for having me.   Miko Lee: [00:02:06] So first I’m gonna start with a personal question, which is an adaptation from the amazing poet Chinaka Hodges. And my first question is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:02:19] Oh wow. What a great question. , I think that I represent my family and my heritage. I’m mixed, so I’m half Japanese and half British. I grew up partially in Japan and partially in the States. I feel like those experiences, my family, they make up who I am and the stories that I wanna tell.   Miko Lee: [00:02:41] And what legacy do you carry with you?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:02:45] I think the legacy of my family, my grandparents on both sides have overcome so much, and, , they’re a big inspiration to me. Funny enough, my grandparents play kind of a secret role in this film. My grandparents on my mom’s side were incarcerated in the Japanese American camps. My grandmom, my British side overcame a lot of adversity as well in her life. , I think that’s the legacy that I carry.    Miko Lee: [00:03:09] Thank you. Tell me a little more, what secret role do your grandparents play in the film?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:03:14] all my grandparents have always been very supportive of, my art and my filmmaking. But my grandparents on my mom’s side, they passed away ahead of the making of this film. And I inherited my grandfather’s car. And that car is the car in the movie that, Egghead Twinkie drive cross country. So I like to think that this is their way of supporting me. I think that they would get a kick out of the fact that their car is like a main character in the film,    Miko Lee: [00:03:41] literally carrying you on your journey. I had so much fun watching the film. Can you share with our audience a little bit about what the film is about and what inspired you to create this?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:03:52] So the film is called Egghead and Twinkie, and it’s about this mixed Asian teenage lesbian named Twinkie who’s coming out and her best friend Egghead, who unfortunately is in love with her and she does not feel the same. , and they end up going on this cross country road trip to meet Twinkie Online love interest IRL for the very first time. So it’s kind of like a buddy comedy road trip movie. Coming of age queer story, , and it’s one that’s very personal to me, I think is a mixed Asian queer person. This was a story I was drawn to tell because it was a story that I didn’t really see on screen when I was growing up.   Miko Lee: [00:04:30] Can you talk to me a little bit more about the use of the name Twinkie, which for many folks in the A API community is seen as a slur, and I know she talks about it a little in the film, but can you share more how you came up with that?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:04:44] Yes, it’s a very nuanced thing and it’s something I was kind of nervous to tackle, especially like in a comedy film. , but really with the creation of Twinkie’s character, , I feel like she’s going on this journey to embrace herself as a lesbian, as a gay woman, but then also I think that she’s searching for herself as a mixed Asian person. I feel like within the Asian American community, if you’re raised here in the US or if you’re mixed or if you’re adopted, I think that there can be this feeling of not feeling Asian enough. I think the word Twinkie was something that was kind of weaponized against her. Like, oh, you know, you’re not Asian enough, you’re a Twinkie. And her way of coping with that is to kind of reclaim that word and kind of own that. As her own name.    Miko Lee: [00:05:31] Thank you so much for sharing. I read online that this is the very first feature film to be crowdfunded on TikTok. Can you talk a little bit about, I know your background is in as a social media creator. Can you talk about that journey from social media creator to filmmaker?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:05:51] Yes. Yeah. TikTok and social media was such a big part of getting this film made. Uh, so for myself, yeah. I was a YouTuber before I was a filmmaker. I should be clear, I wasn’t like PewDiePie or anything like that. I had like 40,000 followers. Um, but for me at that time when I was like 15, 16, that felt like the whole world. Um, and I think that YouTube was really my first introduction to. Storytelling, but also to making friends with people through the internet. And that ended up being a really big influence on this film because Twinkie is traveling cross country to meet a girl that she meets online. And I think that that is such a common story nowadays. Like people make friends online all the time. Um, and the ways that we find love and community has changed.Because of the internet. Um, so it felt very appropriate that we turned to TikTok turned to social media as a means to raise money for this film. Uh, we did a whole targeted crowdfunding campaign on TikTok and we raised over $20,000 from a lot of strangers that I will never meet, but I owe a lot of thanks to.   Miko Lee: [00:06:53] So now that the film has been going out to different festivals and being screened at different places, have any of those that participated in the crowdfund, have you met any of those kind of anonymous supporters?    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:07:05] Yes. And that was crazy. it was awesome. We screened it over 40 festivals all around the world. Our international premiere was at the British Film Institute in London. And it was at that screening that someone raised their hand during the q and a and they were like, I just wanted you to know that I backed your movie, uh, and I found you on TikTok. And that just blew my mind that someone on the other side of the world, you know, had donated whatever, you know, 10, 20 bucks to making this thing a reality.   Miko Lee: [00:07:31] Oh, I love that when the anonymous becomes real like a person in front of you that you can actually meet. How fun. I’m wondering if your use of animation is, , been influenced by your social media background.    Sarah Kambe Holland: [00:07:45] Not really. Actually. I think the animation part of this film is just because I’m a total nerd. I really love animation, I love comics. And so that kind of bled into Twinkies character. You know, she loves comics, she wants to be an animator. And, uh, I think I’ve always been interested in the idea of combining 2D animation with live action footage. I feel like that’s something that we see a

    1 giờ

  8. 24 THG 4

    APEX Express – April 24, 2025

    A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. The post APEX Express – April 24, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

    1 giờ
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Apex Express is a proud collective member of AACRE, Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality. AACRE focuses on long-term movement building, capacity infrastructure, and leadership support for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders committed to social justice.

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