Lady Filmmakers Film Festival 2018 - Dojo Girl
Yumi (half Caucasian and Japanese) is the teenage daughter of a Japanese karate sensei. Yumi struggles not only with the loss of her mother, but being bullied and labeled the derogatory name 'Dojo Girl' given by her predominantly white peer group.
Interview with Director Joy Millana
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
My body of narrative work demonstrates my commitment to producing films about relationships with ethnic, racial, sexual, gender, and generational conflict themes, including the contrast between contemporary lifestyles and traditional cultural conceptions and stereotyping. I am particularly interested in the culture clash between first generation Americans and their immigrant parents who hold conservative points-of-view and high expectations stemming from the traditions of the Motherland.
My social justice films have always been strongly influenced by my intersectionality of being born first-generation Filipino-American, female, and being a survivor of adolescence within an aggressive, predominantly White Anglo-Saxon Protestant Midwest community. In all my films, my protagonist will showcase a struggle of equity and diversity in her story.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Dojo Girl is the story of Yumi, (half Caucasian and Japanese) the teenage daughter of a Japanese karate sensei. Yumi struggles not only with the loss of her mother, but being bullied and labeled the derogatory name 'Dojo Girl' given by her predominantly white peer group.
Yumi’s story is relevant in today’s “Make America Great Again” racist antics. All my films have protagonist that have ongoing ‘identity’ and ‘acceptance’ issues.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I approach storytelling through investigation of culture, exploration of transformational moments, and curiosity about conventional paradigms. My current and future objectives - for my motion picture producing and directing bodies of work - are about emotional journeys, personal growth, and social movements. As a filmmaker my goal is to inspire, inform, and entertain audiences by incorporating universal themes within visual narratives about anthropology. I bring out the tension between cultural norms and what is usually hidden or untold. I aim to unveil potential connections to the characters or the story, creating a new view of their lives.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
In the early stages of development the script had more father daughter dynamics within the story. While structuring the edit in post, I found myself just giving super quick details of Yumi and her dad’s relationship, and rather concentrating more on Yumi’s conflict of not fitting in with her predominantly white peer group. The tangible conflict of her bully drives the story into more complex issues of possible integrated racism (self-hatred, due to shame of one’s own race, caused by confronting racism).
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I have been complimented on making Yumi, my protagonist, biracial (half Caucasian and half Japanese). People who are born biracial deal with a different type of exclusivity of belonging. Biracial people are underrepresented in storylines with identity or racist themes.
Another viewer recognized that because Yumi is without a mother, and is being raised by a conservative Japanese sensei, that she lacks the proper female adult mentor to help her get through her female teenage years (where the stage of superficial identity in general means the most).
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It came as a surprise to me, in understanding that one who is half Caucasian as a biracial person can also experience identity issues.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Films are made for audiences. Therefore I want to entertain and tell Yumi’s story to anyone who finds a little of themselves in my film.
Having more exposure on your website is allowing my work as a storyteller to be seen by more people. I’m always open to more opportunities with collaborative partnerships of filmmaking
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Any of the above would make a great impact to spread my message, as well as my longevity as a film producer and director.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would love this film to have a great impact. Another theme of this film is sisterhood. Yumi, my protagonist, ends up getting her female bully out of a sticky situation. Yumi chooses to not make enemies, and in the end she forgives her bully.
The story passes the Bechdel Test as well, which is what I really worked on a bit with my screenwriter in development.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why aren’t more Asians lead actors in American cinema? Why must we always cast Asian women as exotic and submissive?
Would you like to add anything else?
I would just like to thank you for this opportunity for the interview, and promoting my short film Dojo Girl. I appreciate it.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Joy Millana - Producer / Director: In preproduction for a short entitled It’s Time.
In development for a feature Hello. Goodbye.
Interview: September 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Dojo Girl
Yumi, (half Caucasian and Japanese) is the teenage daughter of a Japanese karate sensei. Yumi struggles not only with the loss of her mother, but being bullied and labeled the derogatory name 'Dojo Girl' given by her predominantly white peer group.
Length: 12:56
Director: Joy Millana
Producer: Joy Millana / Dave Mack / Alexis Michelle Cato
Writer: Anthony Chiles
About the writer, director and producer:
ANTHONY CHILES (writer) is a writer and actor. His most recent book is a collection of fifty-two motivational essays entitled Monday Motivation.
JOY MILLANA’s (director and producer) directorial feature, Profiled (2015), has received distribution through Redbox, Netflix, and Walmart. Bird (2019), a crime heist, Millana produced, has international distribution with selected theatrical release.
Key cast: Eiji Inoue, Brandi Taylor, Valerie Lohman
Looking for: All that can help spread my message and extend my longevity as a storyteller.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joy.millana
Instagram: @joysharebear
Funders: Missouri State University College of Art and Letters Faculty Research Summer Grant
Made in association with: Anti-Hero Studios and Subplot Entertainment
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Lady Filmmakers Film Festival (Official Selection)- September 29th, 2018; Moonfaze Feminist Film Journal (Official Selection)- October 2018; Post Alley Film Festival (Semi-Finalist)— October 13th, 2018