Eunice Lau: A Conversation on Artistry and Identity in Film around Hyphenated Realities

In this episode, join host, nationally and internationally acclaimed choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess, in a captivating conversation with filmmaker and former journalist Eunice Lau.

Eunice Lau's latest documentary delves deep into the lives of rebellious sons of Asian immigrants entangled in the allure of gang life amidst the streets of Atlanta. Nominated for an AMPAS Student Academy Award and recipient of a Spike Lee Fellowship, Lau brings her expertise in storytelling to shed light on the struggle against racism and the weight of unrealistic expectations faced by Asian Americans.

Set against the backdrop of Atlanta's rap scene, Lau's film explores themes of identity, belonging, and the clash between cultural heritage and societal pressures. Officially selected for the New York Asian Film Festival in 2023, her documentary offers a raw and unfiltered glimpse into the lives of hyphenated individuals navigating the complexities of their existence.

Join us as Burgess and Lau delve into the nuances of artistry and the experiences of those straddling multiple cultural identities. Tune in to Slant Podcast for an insightful exploration of creativity, representation, and the power of storytelling.

Find us on www.slantpodcast.com and follow us on social media @theslantpodcast

Transcript

Dana 0:26

Welcome to Slant Podcast. This is your host, Dana Tassoon Burgess. This podcast is an ongoing conversation around the Asian American experience through the lens of artists and luminaries. Thank you for tuning in. Today's guest is Eunice Lau, a New York based director, writer, and producer. Ms. Lau is a former journalist and a descendant of immigrants displaced by conflict. She is drawn to stories about the journey of migrants and the profundity of hyphenated identities. Her feature documentary, Accept the Call, set in Minnesota's Somali community, explores the impact of inherited trauma. It aired on PBS and Canal Plus after screening at acclaimed film festivals such as Human Rights Watch and Woodstock. Her second feature documentary, A Town Boys, explores the struggles of growing up Asian American in the South and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi. Her work is supported by eminent organizations, including the Jerome Foundation, the Tribeca Film Institute, and Women Make Movies among others. Ms. Lau earned a Master's of Fine Arts in Film from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, philosophy and Economics from the University of York. Welcome, Eunice. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Eunice 1:57

Thank you, Dana.

Dana 1:59

I'd like to start at the beginning, with our guests and I'd like to ask how and where did you grow up?

Eunice 2:08

I grew up in Singapore. And I came to the United States 15 years ago. My grandparents and great grandparents are from China. and also came down to Southeast Asia and, married to local women. So I do have also origins of, street sporn Chinese blood. But I identify as Chinese.

Dana 2:30

And was there anyone who was a documentarian or a journalist within the realm of storytelling within your family?

Eunice 2:42

No, but you know, my mom is a teacher, but she also used to write Chinese, children's stories. And I grew up with a lot of books and my grandmother's way of babysitting me was to put me in front of TV. We watched lots of movies together, we'll go to the cinema and I'll sit on her lap and if there's no one next to her she would just put me on the seat next to her. That's how I basically grew up watching a lot of TV and movies.

Dana 3:10

You're moving from, where you were born, where you grew up, to America. What was that experience like?...

Eunice 3:20

I came here for film school and I kind of eventually stayed because I found my community here. And in many ways, I felt like America reminded me of Singapore, in the sense that, we're both immigrant societies. And, we have a lot of different cultures and races coming together and also evolving on their own. And I think what really resonated with me was how this definition of. What it means to be American, what it means to be Singaporean, national identity is continuously evolving because of the new immigrants who bring their own experiences, their own culture into it. And so a lot of the stories that I do sort of touch on that immigrant experience because I think it's something that is deeply part of my search, my own journey to understand what it means to be who I am and to also unpack some of the trauma that came with that, that I inherited unknowingly. And there's this process of discovery and listening to stories and sort of telling them. I'm here in America as a filmmaker that, I got in touch with my own emotions and, find answers for myself.

Dana 4:34

Your work often focuses on hyphenated identities. It's sort of this place in between varying worlds, in between socioeconomic realities and generational beliefs, and it seems like this hyphenated place for you is where trauma resides. Do you think that's a good assessment of how you see the struggles of hyphenated identities?

Eunice 4:57

Yes, absolutely. I think, when you have this, The confluence of two societies or multiple societies, the influences in which, we inherited and, sort of competing for the influences that, inform us in our present lives. And it's from the collision of two. Sometimes they compliment each other and sometimes they don't. And I think that exists a lot of confusion and a lot of tension. Within ourselves as well as with our families, who also, sometimes find it hard for them to come to terms with the fact that we will evolve differently from them. I think when I was growing up, I was often told that I'm not Chinese enough. I'm not this and that enough. And, I think when our elders tell us things like that, they want us to do better. they're so afraid that they'll lose us, you know, our culture touchstone. It was their way of trying to draw us closer to them, but at the same time, I think it's also negative, because it's the sort of way of not allowing us to grow and also to understand what are the things that influence us. But also I think that is the unspoken what brought them there and what created us to be in this space is also part of that trauma. Because I had a curious mind that I would ask my grandmother to tell me stories about the past. Even then, it's not easy for them to unpack a lot of the painful past of how they were adopted or rejected. So a lot of that is the silence. And then it sort of translate into the ways of interacting with you. Not to say that we need to hop on our past, but I think it's that understanding of what you inherited and how you can move forward with it.

Dana 6:57

Right.

Eunice 6:58

also what actually compelled them to leave the country's, the trauma that they bring with them. And when they do not confronted or address it. it does. somehow, translate down to the next generation and it will just carry on until we sort of deal with it. It's generally what I experienced as what we call, intergenerational trauma.

Dana 7:24

Yeah, it's this question of whether the hyphen between two things connects or actually disconnects. Right? Whether it's a barrier or whether it's a connector. It's very interesting.

Eunice 7:35

I'm actually really interested in your work. In a way we do explore, similar, themes, you a lot of your work also talks about, this, hyphenated identity. Through these years of, trying to portray that and what you have uncovered.

Dana 7:51

Because I'm Korean, half American background, but, my Korean side is this old plantation family. they all worked on a plantation in Hawaii, picking sugar cane and pineapple. There's this sort of built in trauma of that American experience, right? that's built in. And then I grew up in Santa Fe in New Mexico, which was, a completely different community of cultures that would clash at times. So I think that all of those things made me See the world from a very voyeuristic perspective, where I'm constantly sitting back and listening to stories and seeing, how people's lives unfold and trying to figure out what the commonality is between them all. Because I'm a big believer that we really only have a few stories in terms of humanity's stories, right? We have stories of love, of redemption, of loss, and that these just keep unfolding and retelling themselves through different individuals, through different, cultural stories. That's what I'm interested in, is like finding these common storylines and trying to figure out how to retell them through different perspectives, different people's, viewpoints.

Eunice 9:15

Yeah. I think, the journey of making a film or, a production really is, never easy. And sometimes you wonder like at some point, what is the point, but when you see the reaction of the audience and you have people coming up to you and they are with tears in their eyes saying. You know, I'm not Asian, but this resonates so much with me, and it just that is the reason why we tell stories, right? Then you go, Oh, wow, it has moved people, not just my people, quote unquote. And that is because we are telling stories that so universal that it has that solve. Like you said, the same love and redemption that we're all searching for. It resonates. So, and then you're so grateful to be having this privilege of, being an artist and doing what we love.

Dana 10:05

Definitely. I think we understand deeply the transformative power of art. And also, how important allowing people to have a safe place to call home, to be accepted in, to have a place in which they can dream freely of their own futures, right. Is really important.

Eunice 10:26

Yeah. It's when I was filming Accept the Call, I do remember at one point when I was behind the camera saying, I heard this story before I seen this before. And it was, what I meant was that it reminded me of, A Town Boys cause I worked on it before. And I felt like it was the same pain and anger that I was like experiencing when I was interviewing them and they were sharing their story with me and I was like, it's the same feeling of displacement, the same confusion.

Dana 11:04

It's sort of detective work, isn't it? In order to understand how an individual can self actualize to sort of move forward and evolve from those very personal histories.

Eunice 11:18

And it takes a lot of work. It's easier to ignore them and to just, tell yourself that it don't matter, but of course it does. It's easier for us to just move forward and ignore, what we do not know, I come back to this, this example of, Zachariah, Abdul Rahman, who is one of the main characters in my film, Accept the Call. He's a Somali. American born in Minnesota. And part of, the work that I did, in my interaction over the three and a half years, we're filming together. We started a book club and I'll send him books when, while he was still in prison. And one of the, books that I sent him was The Refugee by Viet. Um. And he loved it. He was so amazed. And he said, I never knew that, the Vietnamese American experience is so similar to the Somali American. In how they, they fled the conflict, how they came to the country, how much, Trauma they brought with them. I was that there is actually so much shared experiences between, the different, ethnic groups, and races. It's actually the commonality of what we went through, even though it's different conflict, but it is what enables us to understand each other in the way that, I felt very close to a lot of things that Zachariah was saying. And felt because those were also in many ways my experience. And so unpacking all of that, together with him using literature and films. brings us, two persons from different culture together. So, this is the reason why I became an artist and filmmaker, to be able to enable us to heal using art and to find answers and to bring us closer together.

Dana 13:05

Can you tell us how your feature documentary, Accept the Call, came into being and where it took you?

Eunice 13:15

It started a few years before I started filming Accept the Call. I went to Somalia, and I made a short documentary and from there, I was so inspired by the making of the story, seeing, the courageous people and how they're trying to rebuild their, their country, but at the same time, it makes me wonder about their descendants or the diaspora. It made me think about my own journey back to China to understand my ancestors. I took a year out of the university and I did that. I taught English in China. But at the same time, I was thinking about the kids who were born outside, of Somalia and how they were doing. I guess. I'm always curious to see from that point of view because I'm one of them, you know, one of the displaced. And so I told myself that when I go back to America that, I would love to make a film, to look into that. And the opportunity came upon, in 2016, there was this big FBI investigation

Dana 14:15

right,

Eunice 14:16

Yeah, 10 kids were caught up in that sting Minnesota. I thought this is a terrible thing that happened. But at the same time, I kind of have a hypothesis that the genesis of, the anger and the discontent and with them attempting to leave the country to join ISIS. Was due to the fall off, 911 and how the Islamophobia in the country have pushed these kids to think that they're not wanted by, their own country. So I thought this is maybe a way for me to, tell this story. So I went down to Minnesota and I sought permission with their families and, eventually a few of their families agree for me to film them and I decided, that was best for me to just follow one family to tell the story through. So I stayed with them for like three and a half years.

Dana 15:02

How do you build trust within a community without changing its natural dynamics?

Eunice 15:08

I think that, trust has to be earned. I think it's a process of always showing up and always being there and also you have to always put their interest first and foremostly. If they're not comfortable with certain things, then you have to put down the camera and not film it on it. So I think that to begin with, you always tell them that whatever you feel uncomfortable, that you don't want to say, you don't have to. I will always ask you questions, but you can choose to tell me as much as you do want to. But, it's also about opening up, your own experience and being honest with them. And I think honestly, it's just like the most important thing that you need in order to earn trust. It took me more than A year before Zachariah actually, agreed to be interviewed. Before that his dad and his sister and his family were happy to speak with me. But, I had to earn his trust. It took me a longer time.

Dana 16:08

And of course he was very displaced from his own family for a period of time as well. Yeah. Let's fast forward. Your latest feature documentary, A Town Boys, explores the struggles of growing up Asian American in the South through the lives of two aspiring young rappers and a Korean gang leader. how did this project come about?

Eunice 16:34

actually it started way before I set the call. I was a graduate student at NYU, Tisch School of the Arts. I met an actress, and we became very good friends. She came from Georgia, and really this is in a way her story, and she told me about her, the gang leader, Eugene, I was so fascinated with it. And then I asked her could you Bring me, can I meet Eugene? Can I film him? And so she said, I don't know. I can ask him. He said, yes. And then the both of us flew to Atlanta to meet him, I just recorded my first interview with him. And from there, it evolved and I managed to get, funding from Spike Lee, my professor.

Dana 17:17

Amazing.

Eunice 17:18

He was very supportive of, me telling this story, but he was also, looking at the work sample, he say, it's not about the gangs, and reminding me that the story is much more than that. I said, absolutely, it is a way for us to understand why, there are all this, young men and women who are joining gangs to find themselves. So there felt like lies a lot of pain make them feel so marginalized that they need Join gangs in order to sort of find love and empathy.

Dana 17:48

And A Town Boys, has elements of danger and yet also elements of sentimentality. And I was touched by how both of these are very fragile things to capture on film. Can you tell us how you did that? Hmm. Mm

Eunice 18:05

Being a former journalist, I guess, I know, how to, deal with hostile environment, but I would not say that this was very hostile in the sense that what we were used to, but there were still elements of danger because, we're following people who walk around with guns. So we always have to think about if something goes down, what is plan B and how do we protect ourselves? So that basically allowed me to solve plan ahead and also not to shy away from certain elements, in their story, which, I think that, I'm not here to solve, make them look good. I'm here to capture their reality. So we didn't shy away from it. But at the same time, I do empathize and their stories resonate with me. You come to love these characters that are in the story that you tell. And that, you may not agree with some of the decisions they make, but there is a lot of tenderness in approaching and trying to understand where they're coming from.

Dana 19:07

It seems like that non judgmental quality that you bring to your projects allows for a certain truth to shine through.

Eunice 19:18

Yeah, I think that's really important because you were not here to judge anyone, and I think that we need to remember that and we need to understand. There is always obviously a lot causation, that creates it. And so we must be sensitive to it because if we don't try to, understand and to empathize, then what is the point in telling stories or doing anything really. And how do we even find, love and peace. Not to say that always has to be the motivation, but I think that for us to coexist, as human beings, we gotta find reasons that brings us together more than what tears us apart. And I think a lot of us as artists, we, you know, strive towards that.

Dana 20:08

Has the resurgence of anti Asian violence affected you and your loved ones?

Eunice 20:14

Yeah, absolutely. One of the, documentary that was working on when the pandemic happened, centers on understanding the rise of white supremacy, in this country from the story of a Jewish American mom in Montana, who was the target of neo Nazi who launched a troll storm against her. And in the midst of that, and the anti Asian hate happened. She actually called me and asked me whether I was okay. I was really moved that, she was thinking about me when, she had gone through a lot worse before. But I said, I'm not surprised why this is happening, because I have seen, it happened to you. I feel like a lot of these, hate, elements, Asian hate elements, they all come from the same source, of the same bigotry. And so I feel even more reasons that, we should come together and resist it and fight back. And a way for us to do that is by telling our stories. But at the same time, I'm not going to walk around, being a walking target or something, so I do think about how I can protect myself and my crew. For us, we look out for each other. We protect each other, we're not alone. And I think we have to, be grateful for that, that sense of solidarity and unity, when we can find it.

Dana 21:39

Definitely.

Eunice 21:40

Yeah,

Dana 21:41

Definitely. Did you have a mentor?

Eunice 21:45

Did I have a mentor? Oh yeah. I mean, I have several mentors. And they are all, great filmmakers, and mostly women, and mostly, minority as well. They have been guiding me throughout my life. I must acknowledge them for paving the way to allow, minority female filmmakers like me to do the work that I do today, largely because they paved the way for us.

Dana 22:13

Great. What is your golden dream as an artist? If you could fast forward 10 years into the future, where and what would you be doing?

Eunice 22:23

Um, I think I'll still be making films and telling stories, at least that's what I hope to do. Do we ever stop working, perfecting our craft, right, Tina? Um,

Dana 22:34

exactly.

Eunice 22:35

yeah, just like you, you're writing, you're still running a company. So the same thing that I hope, that I will continue to do is, not just telling stories and making more films both narrative and nonfiction and documentaries, but also I hope to be able to, mentor and pave the way forward for other young, aspiring filmmakers.

Dana 23:03

That's great. What is next for you? What should we be looking out for in the near future?

Eunice 23:11

I have a couple of projects, you know, they're working on. One is actually premiering, next February. It's called Trollstorm. And it is, a story about, a Montana Jewish American mom who was the target of, a troll storm that was launched by Neo Nazi and through her story we try to understand, the rise of white supremacy in America. Present day America.

Dana 23:38

Will you tell us again where we can watch A Town Boys?

Eunice 23:44

Yes, you can catch A Town Boys on Amazon or Tubi. For Trollstorm, it's actually premiering at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. So if you're in Missoula, please, Join us for the screening. The two other films, two other projects that I'm working on. One of them is about climate change. And it's set here in New York city. to the life of, A compost champion, Domingo. Morales and how he struggles to solve. Popularized composting, after the suicide of his mentor, David buckle.

Dana 24:22

We'll definitely look forward to that and wish you the very best of luck in the future. I was truly moved by your documentaries and I'm a fan, so I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing more.

Eunice 24:35

Thank you.

Dana 24:36

Yeah, thank you for joining us today.

Eunice 24:38

Thank you, Dana.

Dana 24:40

Thank you for tuning in today. Please rate the podcast on your listening platform and tell your friends. Feel free to contact me at slantpodcast. com. It's always great to hear from you, our listeners. A special thanks to our sponsors, the Dana Tassun Burgess Dance Company, the Cherry Blossom Giving Circle, and the Deddy Liam Gunawan Hickory Legacy Fund.