2:17 PM - "Hybrid Identity Crisis" -- "Tre" DVD Release
A journalist named Ben Hamamoto is writing a piece about my latest film "Tre" being a first with its hapa romantic leads (Kim and Daniel), and hapa writers/director (Kim and me). This clip from the DVD bonus features is the best I have ever done explaining how mixed-race identity folds into the layers of meaning in this film and in others like "Charlotte Sometimes" and "Americanese" that deal with sex, race, and relationships. It was actually said in response to a post-screening question about the "raw" sex scenes in "Tre." I talked about "hybrid identity" and then worked my way back to answering the question.
This is one of seven chapters in the Director Q&A bonus feature on the recently released DVD, available here.
Other bonus features include a behind-the-scenes documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Reuben Aaronson, and my student film, "Kenji's Faith."
Also this is another clip from the Director Q&A feature on the DVD:
TRE directed by Eric Byler written by Kimberly-Rose Wolter & Eric Byler Daniel Cariaga, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Erik McDowel, and Alix Koromzay. with Teddy Chen Culver, Eric Hackett, and Jackie O'Brien Cinematography by Rob Humphreys Music by Michael Brook www.TreTheMovie.com
10:40 AM - Obama K.O.’s Clinton Again / Sceening of TRE tonight in NYC
In a few minutes, Annabel and I are driving to New York City for a screening of one of my films tonight (35 mm print of Tre screens tonight, May 7th, at 7 PM at the ImagineAsian theater, lead actress/co-writer Kimberly-Rose Wolter "actors studio" q/a afterwards with Yours Truly, more info below).
If you've been reading this blog, you know I love two things as much as standing up to prejudice (1) baseball, and (2) the new generation of leaders being ushered in by Barack Obama.
That's why, although I have not been blogging about the Democratic Primary since it became mathematically impossible for Clinton to win two months ago, I couldn't help but respond when Terry Mcauliffe, a top Clinton campaign adviser, used a baseball analogy to explain why Clinton is still in the race.
Mcauliffe, said: "You can't give up in the seventh game of the World Series."
The problem is, This isn't the seventh game, this is the fourth game and you've lost the first three, and you're losing the elimination game 30 to 1 in the 9th inning.
Anyone who knows the nomination process and how delegates are apportioned in the Democratic Party has also known that Clinton was mathematically eliminated on Super Tuesday Jr., March 4th, 2008. But those who casually turn on the news once in a while have been falling prey to Clinton's desperate tactics of "fear and smear" designed to appeal to the less informed and more easily influenced.
Last night, after a long day of shooting our 9500 Liberty documentary, I watched MSNBC and CNN as experts, newsmen, and pundits broke down every little detail of possibility as to whether Clinton or Obama would squeak out a victory in Indiana (after Obama had won a decisive blow-out victory in North Carolina obliterating Clinton's gains in Pennsylvania). One of the commentators reminded the viewers that all of this may be interesting, but indeed we are talking about a difference of one delegate, while Obama's insurmountable delegate lead is over 150.
I'm not going to make fun of myself and others who stayed up late last night until it was clear that Clinton had won a 51-49% victory in Indiana. I'm not going to say it doesn't matter, because it does. It's fascinating, and it's what the democratic process is all about. In fact, the entire 3-hour marathon reminded me of the most important reason why I have not, until now, criticized Sen. Clinton for insisting that the nine inning game be extended to 40 innings "just in case." Why? Because it's good for our democracy.
The fact that every single state in the Union, as well as places like American Samoa, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico, will have gone through the process of registering to vote, organizing, and participating in the most historic Democratic Party Primary in history -- all with at least some belief that the outcome will make a difference (and it does, just not in the nomination process) is good for America. More people are registered to vote, more people have organized and formed networks for organizing again, and more people will have participated because Sen. Clinton has been brave enough to withstand the criticism and the ridicule, and push on-ward raising money and spending her own money as if she still had a chance. You might even call it an act of patriotism.
Except for one problem. The tactics.
Sen. Clinton's tragic and humiliating three-month swan song has been painful to watch because it has tainted her image and that of her husband in the minds of people like me, who had formerly viewed them as heroes. It's been painful to watch her pandering (i.e. the gas tax, the alcohol abuse, the small town girl routine). It's been painful to watch her attack Obama in ways that insult our intelligence (he's a Muslim, he's not ready, he's got a former Pastor who says offensive things, he once attended a party with another scary Black guy, etc,) with no sense of shame and no deference to truth or integrity.
But I have refrained for the most part because I was hoping that Senator Clinton would redeem herself and bow out gracefully and with dignity. Also, I didn't want to be confused with others who, out of concern that Clinton was hurting Obama's chances of defeating John McCain in the general election, were calling for her to drop out of the race.
In the same interview last night, Mcauliffe compared Sen. Clinton to a boxer named George Foreman who in the 1990's returned to boxing at the age of 40, having underachieved in the 70's as a contemporary of Muhammad Ali. In the mid 90's, Foreman defeated a man 15 years his junior with a single, knock-out punch to become the oldest Heavyweight Champion in boxing history.
The difference is, in the Democratic Primary, there is no such thing as a lucky punch.
The tragedy is that Sen. Clinton isn't even in a championship match. She has made herself into a sparing partner, one who, like her washed-up counterparts in professional boxing, mimics the offensive tactics of the champion's next opponent. It's sad but true. For Hillary Clinton, a combination of desperation, myopia, and egotism has turned her campaign into a facsimile of the shameless, slanderous, misleading Karl Rove political machine that awaits Obama in the general election. In fact, if John McCain can be taken at his word, Clinton's tactics have been worse.
Overall, I do think it's good for our Democracy. Perhaps it's necessary to mislead voters with easily disprovable sports analogies in order to keep the campaign going. But it would be nice if, from here on out, the Clinton campaign would refrain from using the tactics of a candidate Karl Rove might get behind, one with no ideas and nothing of substance to offer.
Anyway, here's the info on the screening tonight: Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Eric Byler, and Pooja Kumar at a screening of
Screening of Tre Tonight in NYC Wednesday, May 7th, 7 PM ImaginAsian Theater 239 E. 59th Street Party to follow at Mint. 10 bucks but buy-one-get-one free if you RSVP to events@krpamedia.com
5:22 PM - One Night Only With Lovely Kimberly-Rose Wolter and Pooja Kumar (screening of
I have been too absorbed in Virginia's immigration madness to know for sure, but according to this postcard, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, the star and co-writer of Tre will be at the DVD Release Party screening in New York City on Wednesday. I'll be driving up from Virginia for the screening and the q/a to follow.
Wednesday, May 7th, 7 PM ImaginAsian Theater 239 E. 59th Street
I guess it's 10 bucks but buy-one-get-one free if you RSVP to events@krpamedia.com
The night will be hosted by Pooja Kumar, the star of one of my favorite films: Flavors and the producer and star of 101 Auditions.
Tomorrow is the release date for the Tre DVD, but I'll be thinking a lot more about the Primary races in North Carolina and Indiana (go Barack!) and the town elections in Herndon, VA -- a wonderful little historic town, infected with racial tension over the immigration issue for the past several years.
2:12 PM - DVD release Tuesday May 6th for my latest film "Tre"
With all the hubbub over tonight's CNN coverage on the Wolf Blitzer show, I've almost forgotten to be excited about the release of my film "Tre" on DVD this coming Tuesday!
I'm really proud of the bonus features, which include my student film "Kenji's Faith," deleted scenes, and a behind-the-scenes documentary. You can pre-order the DVD at order the DVD. at www.familyvideo.com. On Wednesday in New York City, ImaginAsian TV is hosting a one-night-only screening on 35 mm -- May 7, 2008 at the ImaginAsian Theatre at 7 PM. 'll be there and DVD's will be on sale. I'll post more info during the weekend. I
10:01 PM - Is Diversity a "Must" for Economic Growth?
SecondAlamo said on 27 Apr 2008 at 1:37 pm: Eric, What the hell does diversity have to do with economic growth? That makes no sense at all. Basically you're saying that any country without diversity is doomed to economic failure. How did the US become an economic power house when the majority of business people were 'white' rather than 'diverse' as the minorities are always quick to point out? Many countries are extremely less diverse than the US. As a matter of fact, as they endure huge influxes of immigrants they are beginning to suffer the consequences. England and France are two examples of countries with recent problems dealing with immigration.
In looking back to see what I said on AntiBVBL to upset Second Alamo, I've decided it must be the word "must." I should have said diversity is an "advantage." But I will say that Prince William County must look for advantages, and try not to lose them, if we are to compete with other counties in this region and avoid becoming the ugly duckling of the DC Metro economy (as we are currently in the DC Metro housing market).
One of the many new things I learned from Dr. Fuller is that this region has the healthiest economy in the U.S., and as a result, Virginia is consistently ranked the best to state to do business. While the rest of the nation slips into recession, Virginia will not — we will see a slow down, but not a recession, he predicts.
In this region where so many new businesses and new capital investment are flowing in from around the globe, it would be to our advantage as a county to maintain the level of diversity we have, because companies look for diversity as one of the criteria in deciding where to break ground. In fact, the international diversity of the DC area population is one of the reasons why businesses hoping to succeed in the global economy are drawn here.
In addition, we have a job shortage in this area. We are competing with the other counties for workers. And, once again, immigrants and migrants from other parts of this country look for diversity when they decide where to settle in this area. I'm not sure if I included this in the video, but Dr. Fuller pointed out something that has long been obvious to me — that the most creative people, and those who tend to be in the highest income bracket, prefer to live in diverse, stimulating dynamic communities. One example he gave was they like to eat at different kinds of restaurants. But I have noticed that people from rural, once exposed to a diverse college campus or urban environment, are "hooked" on diversity, and are hard pressed to return to the homogeneous areas from whence they came.
If Prince William County is known, fairly or unfairly, as a place that is not tolerant of diverse populations, we will not only lose out on the economic benefit of those immigrants who provide the working-class engine, added tax base, and added jobs (a net benefit, Dr. Fuller argues, contrary to what FAIR or Greg Letiecq might tell you). We also lose out on more skilled, more educated immigrants who are looking for diversity when they decide where in this region to settle. And, we lose out on highly-skilled American workers who come here from other parts of the country.
The short term effect on the housing market is already obvious. But also, this stigma effects our long term prospects for attracting new businesses and investment. Our economy depends on "idea" people. We need the types of people who are drawn to the diversity associated with metro areas, and usually turned off by the kind of intolerance that is currently our reputation. If we are a county with less "idea" people, we have yet another disadvantage when companies decide where to locate themselves.
So, with that said, HERE IS THE NEW VIDEO, which turned out to be a contrast in world views between Dr. Fuller, and Michael Hethmon of FAIR, one of the principle authors of the Immigration (Rule of Law) Resolution.
12:11 PM - Two Days From Showdown -- New Immigration Video
This is a new Dr. Fuller video addressing the housing market in a little more detail.
Meanwhile, I wrote to Dr. Fuller to ask about Greg Letiecq's point at Citizens' Time Tuesday that there was a spike in home sales in PWC last month. Here is Dr. Fuller's reply:
Eric, it is true that the number of sales increased sharply in March but what the speaker did not say is that prices were dramatically lower. Two things are working here. First, foreclosure sales are contributing to the higher number of sales and that prices have come down so much in the County that its housing stock is the most affordable in the region; low prices are generating increased sales. Still, the county has a 15 month excess backlog of unsold houses and the highest foreclosure rate in Northern Virginia, and possibly the state.
Stephen S. Fuller, Ph.D. Dwight Schar Faculty Chair and University Professor Director, Center for Regional Analysis School of Public Policy George Mason University
12:04 PM - Immigration Insanity Update From Virginia
So, the Immigration Crackdown HURTS Our Economy video is blowing up, with 7,000 hits already since I posted it yesterday. Today I posted a video that has more to do with the under-belly of politics.
This is a redo of a video (now removed) looking back at events in Prince William County, Virginia in October 2007, leading up to the passage of the historic "Immigration Resolution" on October 16th, and the Virginia State Election on November 6th.
This video digs a bit deeper than the original video, invoking the name of Chairman Corey Stewart. Chairman Stewart recently distanced himself from the primary subject of this video, Greg Letiecq. Letiecq is the President of Help Save Manassas, the blogger/admin of Black Velvet Bruce Li, and the chief advocate of the Immigration Resolution, which Stewart supported.
The primary revelation in the first video was that Letiecq collaborated with NumbersUSA to generate faxes and emails from a national list serve to lobby the Board of Supervisors prior to the October 16th vote.
The additional revelation in this video is that Chairman Corey Stewart and Greg Letiecq may have communicated on October 2nd in the hours before the Board's meeting.
I decided to remove the old video rather than keep both up because there was a lot of overlap, and because, if seen without its companion, it would cause viewers to mistakenly believe that Washington Post reporter Nick Miroff "tipped off" Letiecq and/or Stewart that the Board was having second thoughts about passing the Resolution. This is completely false. Miroff was simply conducting a phone interview which is, naturally, an important aspect of his job. Miroff had no information that Supervisors Caddigan, Covington, May, Nohe, and Barg (since retired) did not plan to support the Resolution -- the false claim that Letiecq made in his "Help Save Manassas Alert." According to Miroff, Stewart became very worried when asked whether he indeed had the votes. Minutes later, Letiecq's alert went out and the Board was bombarded with emails.
This "flashback" is relevant today because a similar storm is being created for the Board of Supervisors meeting on April 29th.
This Washington Post article by Kristen Mack from April 23, is what touched off the firestorm.
Go to this AntiBVBL blog thread to see how the controversy is ongoing in PWC.
10:09 PM - BIG News on Immigration Battle in Virginia
Below is my latest 9500 Liberty video, followed by the comment I just posted on this morning's surprising Washington Post article saying one of the Supervisors is seeking to have the Immigration Resolution overturned. I'm sure deranged and inarticulate threats and insults will soon follow, but I'll be too busy editing a follow-up video featuring renowned economist Dr. Stephen Fuller, PhD...
Please watch the first of a series of YouTube videos featuring Dr. Stephen Fuller. With Dr. Fuller's impeccable credentials, I think this one will finally wake people up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oiwJ-_BipU
Below are the points I made this morning to the Board of Supervisors through email:
I feel very strongly that we cannot afford to pay for the expensive Probable Cause aspect of the Immigration Resolution, even if we wanted to. While it provides limited benefits, and are NO LIMITS to the legal fees our county will incur due to charges of racial profiling (especially without cameras in patrol cars), and the economic impact, while difficult to estimate in terms of dollars, Fuller said, is that we will be the handicapped county compared to our neighbors for years to come, mostly due to negative perception in the marketplace.
I support funding 287G. But my not-so-old parents and everyone else in Prince William County will be less safe if our Police Officers are burdened with the legal conundrum of Probable Cause. During a time when budget constraints bar us from attaining an officer-to-citizen ratio that compares favorably with other Virginia counties, I feel very uneasy about a policy that could potentially take an Officer off the streets each time he or she detains or questions someone not carrying an I.D.
I do sympathize with concerns about neighborhood issues. But the Immigration Resolution has already proven to provide only temporary benefits to a small minority of residents who would prefer to have empty houses rather than neighbors who appear to be undocumented and/or indigent. I've now come to realize that even this will not be worth the cost. The vacancies and foreclosures this policy is causing will push these neighborhoods into further deterioration, devalue both residential and commercial property, reduce our tax base, and thus require more reductions in county services in coming years.
4:32 PM - Obama Video Tops 300,000 hits / Racism Video Bombarded With Hate Messages
The good news is our music video topped 300,000 hits today:
The bad news is our "Stop Your Racism" video some how got caught up in the anti-immigrant internet jet stream:
The most recent comments are quite disturbing. Anyone care to refute these lunatics for me? All you have to do is sign up for a YouTube account and choose a screen name/password.
United for Obama, my heart is with you in Pennsylvania tomorrow, but my duty right now is to defend civil rights and the future of my home turf, Prince William County, Virginia.
