“What does America mean to you?”
This is the question at the heart of filmmaker Tian Liu’s newest documentary, 100 Stories, 100 Seconds, which premiers Saturday as part of the Imagine Museum’s Asian Cinema and Cultural Experience. The film features 100 Asian Americans living in the Tampa Bay region who are each given 100 seconds to respond to this simple yet profound inquiry.
Why such a short amount of time for such a dense question? Liu, who emigrated from China in her 20s to study film, explains the intentionality behind this decision:
“One hundred seconds can’t tell a person’s life story, but it’s a good way to know somebody because I want to know the people around us in our neighborhoods. Everyone has a unique story, so I want to give them a chance to share it. It is not only an Asian story but also an American story.”
The film, which clocks in at three hours, covers a lot of ground. It showcases Asian Americans from over 10 countries across Asia, including individuals of mixed heritages like Thai-Laotian, Filipino-Chinese and Korean-American. Their relocation stories are as varied as their ethnicities, and include tales of escape via boat during wartime, being adopted into a new country and culture, emigrating through government sponsorship programs, and falling in love and relocating.
There’s the story of Minh-Anh Truong-Nguyen, a Vietnamese American who escaped by boat in 1983, was rescued by the U.S. Navy, and resettled in Tampa through a sponsorship by the Lutheran church. And there’s Lisa Reeves, born in Korea and adopted by an American family. Seeing herself in the face of her newborn son offered a moment of connection and belonging that she lacked growing up.
Yasaharu Okuda, a Japanese American who emigrated to the U.S. as a child, gives voice to the complexities of growing up between two cultures while also acknowledging the incredible opportunities and success he’s been offered in America.
These vignettes, each told in under two minutes, offer a raw look into the Asian American experience.
“I will say that everyone’s stories are different, and our lives are different,” said Liu. “But we share many hopes: love, family, sacrifice, and fighting for a better future. I think that is the whole tone of this film.”
Liu is also the founder and executive director of Tampa Bay’s annual Tigertail Asian Film Festival (TAFF). The fest, which will celebrate its fourth anniversary in February, pays tribute to “the vibrant and diverse storytelling of Asian cinema” and “promote[s] cultural exchange and artistic collaboration.”
Liu, who has over 50 short films under her belt, including a movie that was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, says her entry point into the film industry was through the festival circuit. She wanted to offer this same opportunity to aspiring filmmakers in the Tampa area.
“I benefited so much from film festivals. That’s why I want to build a film festival here to benefit the next generation of filmmakers, and also bring people together through Asian film and culture.”
100 Stories, 100 Seconds premieres Saturday at the Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg. A second free community screening takes place Nov. 17 at Green Bench Brewing (5-9 p.m.).
Liu stresses that a Creative Pinellas grant, through Pinellas County arts tourism funding, made the screening possible. “Without them, we couldn’t do these two free community events.”
Saturday’s event (12-9 p.m.) will feature Asian food vendors, museum art and cultural performances, in addition to the film screening. Find all information at the Imagine Museum website.
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