Thoughts About Identifying as a Filmmaker

It happened again this week. I mean, I guess it would make sense for why I’ve been asked about this more than once by now. When your day job oversees funding, distributing, and occasionally producing films (and a film festival), I can see how it would only be natural one would ask if you have any filmmaking aspirations of your own. So when a visitor asked if I am a filmmaker, I said no, but I did say that I am a screenwriter. He argued in saying that a screenwriter is a type of a filmmaker. But is it?

What Did I Miss?: December 2019

Appearances

Long Distance Calls Vol. 1 | Long Distance Radio – I was one of many listeners whose voice messages appear in this first volume of Long Distance calls about our experiences in the Filipino diaspora (mine starts around 19:00).

Published Works

Review of Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater History by Walter Ang – For Goodreads, I give a brief overview on my thoughts on this heavily detailed account about a part of theater history that hasn’t been as thoroughly explored before.

CAAMFest Alumnus Edwin Chang Explores Immigration and Family in Pixar Directorial Debut “Wind” – For the Center for Asian American Media, I speak with the writer and director of the latest release from Pixar’s SparkShorts program.

Review of I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story by Anthony Daniels – For Goodreads, I provide a brief rundown on my thoughts about this insightful account into the making of all nine Skywalker saga films from the one person who has been in all of them.

Some Things are Thicker than Blood: The Core Theme of ‘Star Wars’ – For The Nerds of Color, I provide a counter for one of many arguments being made about the latest “Star Wars” film.

Force Healing and Its (Re-)Emergence in ‘Star Wars’ – For The Nerds of Color, I dive into a fan theory I have about the first live-action appearances of Force healing in two recent “Star Wars” productions.

6 Years of Lola By the Bay and My 2019 Year in Review

Another year has come and gone by on a whim, and here I am once more, looking back on the past eleven months of writing on this blog, on other spaces of the Internet, and beyond. Although this will be a reflection on the year, I sense a weight to it that hasn’t been there the previous times I’ve done one of these, likely because this is the last retrospect for the decade.

Legacies, Individuality, and Hope: About “Star Wars”

Every now and then, I expand my dialogue about storytelling by going beyond the boundaries of books and out into the mediums of TV and film. I do so by doing these analysis pieces once in a while about a TV show or film that has reached a significant time in its history (i.e. series premiere, series finale, film release, anniversary of a release, etc.). Previously, I shared my thoughts about the beloved Studio Ghibli film, “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” Today, to commemorate the final entry into the Skywalker saga, I shall discuss my latest takeaways from this beloved space opera, “Star Wars.“

WARNING: There will be SPOILERS from “The Rise of Skywalker.” Stop reading now if you haven’t seen the film yet and do not want it spoiled for you.

Present Day Writing and Insight into the Future

It’s a time of reflection of the past, and it’s also a time of insight over what we anticipate in the future; both in the coming year and the coming decade. What I’ve chosen to do instead in this case scenario is focus on the writings I am doing or plotting in the present; writings that, ultimately, will continue to take form in the future.

Writing Accomplishments of the 2010’s

In January 2010, I was still in high school. I was chief editor of the school paper, editor of the school literary magazine, member of the slam poetry club, with a bunch of other writing constantly happening on the side. I began the decade doing writing that either or may not have amounted to something, and whenever it was the former, it was frequently to the small audience of my high school and hometown.

What Did I Miss?: November 2019

Published Works

Doug Jung’s Screenwriting Debut Will Be Available on Disney+ – For The Nerds of Color, I dive into an early work from this “Star Trek” screenwriter, ahead of its availability on Disney’s new streaming service.

‘Jojo Rabbit’ Sends a Timely Message via Satire, Fascism, and War – For The Nerds of Color, I provide my non-spoilery thoughts about the latest feature film from director Taika Waititi.

Review of From Rufio to Zuko by Dante Basco – For Goodreads, I give my input on this informative memoir from someone who’s seen and done a lot in the entertainment industry for over three decades.

The Director and Producer of Pixar’s “Float” Discuss Filipino American Representation and Bringing a Personal Story to Life – For the Center for Asian American Media, I go behind-the-scenes of this groundbreaking short film from Pixar Animation Studio by talking to two of the people that made it what it is today.

Review of Cyber Shogun Revolution by Peter Tieryas – For Goodreads, ahead of its 2020 release, I give a rundown on what I make of this latest entry into the United States of Japan series.

Appearances

About Tita | TFAL Podcast – Over two years after its initial release, an audio essay I did for the This Filipino American Life podcast is now available on their YouTube channel.

A Love Letter to the Hard-Working Millennial: Recommended Viewing

In the midst of Disney+ taking over everyone’s lives (and time), today I want to take some time to shed light on and recommend a short film that just came out this week, and not from the House of Mouse. It’s a touching film from a creative force I have hailed multiple times in my little corner of the Internet: Wong Fu Productions. For Recommended Analyzing, today I am recommending their latest short film, “A Difference Between.”

3 Years of “An Absolute Mind”

Yes, it’s hard to believe it’s that time of year already. As of yesterday, it has been three years since the release of my second novel, An Absolute Mind. In a weird way, I can definitely believe it. At the same time though, it feels like it has been even longer than that.

Thoughts About NaNoWriMo REVISITED

I’ve touched on a lot of topics on this blog within my first year. In the five years since, it’s only right that my thoughts and opinions have changed and shifted overtime. Already, I previously revisited the topic of young adult fiction. Now, I want to do the same for NaNoWriMo. I feel it’s only right, especially since this year is the 20th anniversary since it was started.