Diversity On Screen -- Now What?
Diversity on screen – now what? A comparative perspective from the Asian diaspora in Germany
Friday, March 3 at 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Michelson Theater, 721 Broadway, 6th Floor
In-person event
The Asian Film and Media Initiative in the Cinema Studies department at NYU is delighted to invite you to a live discussion between two filmmakers from the Asian diaspora in Germany about how to survive and thrive in a white-majoritarian film and television industry. Screenwriter Viktoria So Hee Alz (PARA – We Are King) and director Dieu Hao Do (Hao Are You) visit from Berlin to reflect on their work experience as Asian identified cultural producers in the German legacy and online media industries. With a critical eye towards current industry trends to feature more diversity and BIPOC visibility on screen, Alz and Do discuss how representation continues to matter, but also why visibility alone is not enough. As well, they share creative and activist tactics to build alternative support networks and collaborative practices in ways that broaden the limited repertoire of stories that marginalized artists are allowed to and expected to tell and reimagine traditional notions of authorship.
The conversation will be moderated by Feng-Mei Heberer (NYU Cinema Studies) and is accompanied by an exemplary screening. There will also be time for a Q&A with the audience.
Free and open to the public. RSVP required.
About the Speakers
Viktoria So Hee Alz (she/her), born in Busan, South Korea, raised in Germany; is a screenwriter and activist based in Berlin. Working on various film and serial projects, she recently served as head writer of PARA – WE ARE KING, which will air on HBO Max this April. She advocates for structural changes in the film and television landscape and holds workshops, panels and mentoring sessions with a focus on gender & diversity. Both her creative and activist work is motivated by a decolonial, collaborative and collective mindset.
Dieu Hao Do (he/him) is a Chinese German writer and director. His films explore new perspectives on historical memory of the American War in Vietnam. He is a Berlinale Talent and a member of the non-profit initiative BERLIN ASIAN FILM NETWORK (BAFNET), which has advocated for differentiated representations of Asian German realities in film and television since 2012. He regularly leads workshops to increase diversity awareness and BIPOC empowerment in the German film industry.