I worked on an independent production of a short documentary film SISTERS OUTSIDERS. I planned and proceeded in all three of the pre production, main production, and post production stages on my own in consultation of filmmaker and mentor Nathan Fitch. I conducted remote interviews with Tracy and Tumi, two black queer women living and working in South Korea. I took original footage of South Korean scenery with an emphasis on the traditional elements that are in connated relations to the overall narrative of the piece. The final product consists of four short chapters with distinct and interconnected themes.
I researched on the severe queerphobia in South Korea, where the majority of cisgender and heteronormative people live on in their bubbles of biases without even acknowledging the existence of the LGBTQIA people. Such ignorant violence of negligence is possible because the tradition, the government, and the mainstream media protects such prejudices and erasure of marginalized identities, and encourage discrimination and hate towards the said identities. I also discussed with my interviewees the critical issues of cultural appropriation in k-pop culture that frequently and almost habitually steal from the black pop-culture without crediting the very sources of such cultural elements. The problems of cultural appropriation are extremely significant considering how antiblack racism is still prevalent within South Korean society. Black individuals in South Korea experience daily acts of discrimination as well as blatant exclusion from institutions and organizations for reasons relating to critical matters such as job opportunities due to anti-blackness and racism in South Korea.
SISTERS OUTSIDERS allowed me to work through the critical issues of the various communities in South Korean society. The sense of community has already been too weak among the South Korean queer people, so their sense of inclusivity towards foreigners and other minorities have proved to be even lacking. Although the marginalized black queer women strive for better community and collectives, their already unstable residency in the society make it extremely hard for them to find solace. By organizing the various issues from multiple angles and spotlighting the most critical intersection of black queer womanhood, I learned how to navigate the much needed discussions of such issues and how to constructively create healthy environments for those who need them.
The creation of my short documentary project SISTERS OUTSIDERS has been a fantastic academic, production, and learning experience for me as a student, creative, and most importantly, as a person.