Give as a gift
In this collection of short documentaries and narratives a variety of films come together in their shared use of food to explore the nuances of Asian American experiences. Questions of identity, grief, and diaspora are brought to light through recipes and shared meals.
This screening features 8 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
An Indonesian boy and his mother attend a church potluck and lie about their dish. An autobiographical, coming of age story.
Director Biography - Nick Hartanto
Nick Hartanto is an Indonesian-American filmmaker based in New York. His short film, “The Dishwasher,” which he co-directed, was awarded a Special Jury Mention at Tribeca 2019 and was then acquired by HBO Max. His next film, “Atrophy,” a genre bending story about his mother’s fight to recover from a stroke, premiered at Fantasia 2021 and toured the genre festival circuit, winning Best Performance at the Brooklyn Horror and North Bend Film Festival. Also a skilled Cinematographer, he shot the Adult Swim series “Hot Package.“ He was recently a guest speaker at the Asian American Arts Alliance Film & Media Town Hall and is currently touring festivals with his new film, "Daly City,” which was nominated for the Oscar qualifying Best Short Narrative Award at the Hawai'i International and Woodstock Film Festival.
Director Statement
I have always been drawn to making films that tell deeply personal stories based on my own lived experience. These truths, I believe, are what connect audiences to my stories and characters. It's also what has led to the success of my films: "The Dishwasher," which premiered at Tribeca 2019, and was awarded a Special Jury Mention, then acquired by HBO Max, was inspired by my experience working as a line cook in the kitchen of a New York fine dining restaurant.
My latest project, "Daly City," is an autobiographical story that draws from my experiences growing up as an Indonesian immigrant in the Bay Area. There is a sense of urgency for me to tell this story now. We are living in a moment of self-examination for the AANHPI community, and in recent years there has been much discourse about the idea of the "model minority myth,” a seemingly positive but damaging stereotype that exotifies Asian immigrants and attempts to define our sense of worth.
While this issue has historically been addressed in documentaries, it's rarely explored in fiction. In telling this story as a narrative film, I want the viewer to draw their own conclusions about the cost of assimilation, as told through the perspective of a young Indonesian-American boy straddling both cultures. For me, this story is about inspiring a new generation of immigrants so that we can both understand our parents' sacrifices in becoming the model minority and also transcend them.
In this collection of short documentaries and narratives a variety of films come together in their shared use of food to explore the nuances of Asian American experiences. Questions of identity, grief, and diaspora are brought to light through recipes and shared meals.
This screening features 8 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
An Indonesian boy and his mother attend a church potluck and lie about their dish. An autobiographical, coming of age story.
Director Biography - Nick Hartanto
Nick Hartanto is an Indonesian-American filmmaker based in New York. His short film, “The Dishwasher,” which he co-directed, was awarded a Special Jury Mention at Tribeca 2019 and was then acquired by HBO Max. His next film, “Atrophy,” a genre bending story about his mother’s fight to recover from a stroke, premiered at Fantasia 2021 and toured the genre festival circuit, winning Best Performance at the Brooklyn Horror and North Bend Film Festival. Also a skilled Cinematographer, he shot the Adult Swim series “Hot Package.“ He was recently a guest speaker at the Asian American Arts Alliance Film & Media Town Hall and is currently touring festivals with his new film, "Daly City,” which was nominated for the Oscar qualifying Best Short Narrative Award at the Hawai'i International and Woodstock Film Festival.
Director Statement
I have always been drawn to making films that tell deeply personal stories based on my own lived experience. These truths, I believe, are what connect audiences to my stories and characters. It's also what has led to the success of my films: "The Dishwasher," which premiered at Tribeca 2019, and was awarded a Special Jury Mention, then acquired by HBO Max, was inspired by my experience working as a line cook in the kitchen of a New York fine dining restaurant.
My latest project, "Daly City," is an autobiographical story that draws from my experiences growing up as an Indonesian immigrant in the Bay Area. There is a sense of urgency for me to tell this story now. We are living in a moment of self-examination for the AANHPI community, and in recent years there has been much discourse about the idea of the "model minority myth,” a seemingly positive but damaging stereotype that exotifies Asian immigrants and attempts to define our sense of worth.
While this issue has historically been addressed in documentaries, it's rarely explored in fiction. In telling this story as a narrative film, I want the viewer to draw their own conclusions about the cost of assimilation, as told through the perspective of a young Indonesian-American boy straddling both cultures. For me, this story is about inspiring a new generation of immigrants so that we can both understand our parents' sacrifices in becoming the model minority and also transcend them.
