Some said they felt a calling to participate in Reel Voices, while others joined due to family encouragement.
What many left with were not only filmmaking skills, but a stronger sense of identity, community and culture.
The San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) offers much more than professionally produced films. Since 2005, local students have also been given a platform.
Reel Voices is an eight-week summer program created by Pacific Arts Movement that helps students become socially conscious storytellers, videographers, editors and directors. Participants pitch their own films, experience all stages of production and showcase the final product at the annual SDAFF.
For some of the filmmakers, cinematography skills came naturally, while for others, it was a brand-new experience.
"I felt like I was being called to it," said Coza Joy Mendoza, a 2022 Reel Voices student. "I had nothing going on in the summer, and so I thought it was time for me to start something completely different. I'm really glad that I found Reel Voices as a local program that was able to really help with the funding of creating a film."
Mendoza’s film featured the local San Diego chapter of Anakbayan, an organization of Filipino youth fighting for liberation and the national democratic movement in the Philippines. Mendoza worked with a videographer on the project.
"She got clips of just people in unity, people protesting against the same thing and really trying to collectively come together, fighting for the same thing, for the rights in the Philippines, rights for their own families, even far away at home here in San Diego," Mendoza said.
Audrey Song, a current Reel Voices student, also explored her cultural roots in her documentary film, "Small Hair 할머니."
"I've always felt a bit disconnected from my Korean heritage," Song said. My mom immigrated here when she was seven, and my dad was born here. Because of that, I don’t know Korean."
She added, "My documentary centers around my relationship, or lack thereof, with my grandmother."
The relationship between young filmmakers and their families, identities and communities is a recurring theme in an industry that has historically overlooked these narratives.
"In a lot of films growing up, representation wasn't a super huge thing unless it was like a specifically Asian film," said Michael Schaffer, a current Reel Voices student. "It wasn't (represented that) there's a huge variety of all these different types of Asians. Now, with this festival, this is great for all of us to bring together our ideas and our feelings and all of our cultures together."
Schaffer grew up involved in the local Lao community through his mother. He created "Untold Stories," a film about Lao refugees’ experiences and their connection to the Lao Food Festival.
"I thought this would be a great way for me to express my feelings and my journey, and the journey of many others through film," Schaffer said.
There is a growing number of filmmakers and actors who started their journeys in San Diego. Like the students in Reel Voices, they often began by making short films or participating in local dance or theater companies. That is also true for Ivan Leung.
Leung, who grew up in Mira Mesa, had his first kiss at the Edwards Cinema, the same theater showcasing his new film, "Extremely Unique Dynamic."
"It's amazing because it's not just my hometown," Leung said. "I saw my first movies there. I grew up there. It was just kind of insane that it's the same exact theater, in the same exact town, in the same exact city, so I feel really grateful."
"Extremely Unique Dynamic" is a meta-comedy that explores a bromance, queerness and Asian identity. Leung and Harrison Xu, who co-created the film, are friends in real life. The film mirrors their personalities and experiences when Xu moved to another city. The result is a film within a film: two friends decide to make a movie about two friends making a movie.
"It's very layered in that way. There are moments — without too many spoilers — like breaking the fourth wall that are very much on the nose," Xu said. “We talk about a lot of things head on, like about Asian representation and male friendship. So, we're able to discuss a lot of these things very openly, in a way that I feel like in a (typical) movie, you couldn’t."
For both filmmakers and actors, Leung and Xu wanted to show their films in their respective hometowns, starting with with Xu’s old stomping grounds in Vancouver.
"For me, Vancouver was really special and also really nerve-wracking because I went to an all guy school, and back then, there really wasn't conversation around being queer or what that meant," Xu said. "I think a lot of people really resonated with it because they were like, 'Wow, I wish I had this story while I was in high school.' When I was in high school, I could not even fathom me being on television or film, because there was no representation."
They recognized the contributions of actors like Jackie Chan but pointed out that Asian characters are often relegated to supporting roles instead of leading ones.
"We see our lines to feed information for the leads, and you don't really get much of an arc," Xu said. "This was the first time where we actually were able to experience that full arc — have comedic moments, have dramatic moments, have moments that were uncomfortable. We were able to sit in those …"
"And just feel human," Leung chimed in.
Festivals like SDAFF are shifting the tides of representation to include the vast diversity of experiences and identities within the term "Asian."
"It's kind of nice to be able to present this in San Diego," Leung said, "And hopefully young high schoolers or young people who are still kind of scared can actually see they're not alone."
Most SDAFF screenings of films will be held at Mira Mesa’s Edwards Cinema on Nov. 10. Reel Voices films will showcase at 12 p.m., and "Extremely Unique Dynamic" will follow at 12:30 p.m. All screenings are free for high school-aged youth and younger, with tickets available at the door only.
