"The Secret Lives of Asians at Night" is a short film featured in the 2019 Taipei Film Festival. Taiwanese-American director KEFF talks about his upbringing and the inspiration for the film.
The News Lens
Date: 2019/12/13
By: New Bloom editor Brian Hioe
Source: KEFF
BH: So what led you to make the film, The Secret Lives of Asians at Night? Do you think it has to do with your background?
KEFF: I moved to the U.S. when I was 10. When you’re an immigrant at that age, going to a new place, your greatest priority is fitting in. I moved to a neighborhood that was 95 percent white — in that context, it meant having to neglect and suppressing the Asian part of myself.
I remember when my Mom would speak Mandarin to me in public I would get upset at her. I would say, “We’re in America, speak English.” Or she would make luroufan for me and I would bring it to school and get made fun of. I’d ask her, “Why can't you just give me Lunchables or something standard like everyone else?”
As a result, I never really thought that much about being Asian growing up. I didn’t really think of it as a culture or heritage — just more of a statistic, like your height or eye color. [FULL INTERVIEW]
