Combatting stereotypes: The Albuquerque Chinese American Film Festival tells stories of the minority group on screen

It’s taken decades for Chinese Americans to be seen within cinema.

While there is much work still to do, the strides that have been made are being celebrated by The Albuquerque Chinese American Film Festival.

Festival director Paul Jew and his team work year round to put together a festival that represents the Chinese American dream in America.

Combatting stereotypes: The Albuquerque Chinese American Film Festival tells stories of the minority group on screen

“Like any other minority group in America, Chinese Americans want to see their stories on the screen,” Jew said. “This is our way to help that cause and showcase the plight of this group.”

The two-day festival kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building, where the festival will host Chinese American filmmakers. The event is free to attend.

Kenneth Eng, graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City and director, editor and producer of “Empowering a Community: The Story of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance,” will be part of the panel.

Eng received a Guggenheim Fellowship for “My Life In China,” which premiered nationally on the public TV series, “America Reframed” on World Channel.

Marc Anthony Liu is an Asian American K-pop recording artist, actor and founder of the Asian American company, AbnorMAL Verse ENT, which involves film, television, music, video games, festivals and live concerts. Liu has created a distribution Netflix streaming service, as well as “Malventures: Little Explorers,” a streaming series that teaches about Asian cultures and languages.

“Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story,” documents how Lee used his camera to highlight social injustice.

Jew said several of the creative talents behind the film will be appearing, including: Jennifer Takaki, director and producer; Linda Lew Woo, producer and community activist; and Linda Hattendorf, editor.

He said that CBS News correspondent, Adam Yamaguchi, will talk about his film, “Being Different in the Delta,” which documents how a new generation confronts anti-Asian racism in the Mississippi Delta.

Jew said Eng has been working on a documentary about the Chinese American Citizens Alliance — which is one of the oldest civil rights organizations.

“The alliance was formed over 100 years ago and there were several chapters formed throughout the country,” Jew said. “One of the chapters was formed in the late-1950s or early-1960s. I remember my father participating in the event. It’s an organization that I grew up in and we will be showing the film at the festival.”

Jew said that two UNM students will show their films.

Other feature films to be shown are “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story,” “Being Different in the Delta,” “Sight,” “Little Explorers” and “The Tiger’s Apprentice.”

The feature films will be screened beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the South Broadway Cultural Center.

The events are free and open to the public. Registration is recommended at artsandculture.cabq.gov

The festival is in its eighth iteration, and Jew said it’s important to keep the Chinese American story out there.

“Being able to showcase the stories that Chinese Americans are no different than any other group of people,” Jew said. “The festival got started to combat the negative stereotypes of Hollywood. We want to make sure that our stories are told accurately. There is always going to be racism and I can say from my own experience, I’ve experienced less racism now that I’m older.”