Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

Because We Are Strange Creatures is one of a series of 15 dance films for the project Films.Dance, a global dance platform founded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by LA dance company Jacob Jonas the Company. The project connects talented creators and dancers from different countries around the world to collaborate remotely on the creation of dance films. We, the TOKYO team, were paired with six highly-skilled Japanese dancers, including some at world champion level, known as Trickers.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

When starting the project, Asian Hate was intensifying in the US and internationally. I have lived in several different countries, and have, personally, felt Asian discrimination in each one. Yet, when discrimination was ever discussed, the conversation never once touched on the discrimination Asian people face. Though I’ve spent most of my life in Japan, my mother is Taiwanese and I speak Mandarin. Because of this, I have also always been aware of the discrimination of Asians towards other Asians. However, for a long time, I closed my eyes to this discrimination, so as not to notice it because I thought talking about these things was a kind of social taboo. The root of this issue is deep, complex and not easy to discuss. But, this film was the catalyst that made me realize that Asian Hate is an issue I want to continue discussing in the future.

Tell the jury anything relevant about the direction. Do not name the director.

I worked together with the dancers to create a film that confronted the issue of Asian Hate that was growing during the pandemic. It became clear that for them, who grew up in Japan’s mono-culture, Asian Hate was an elsewhere issue, completely unrelated to them. And, I was concerned about asking them to carry the weight of this issue which they hadn’t experienced. Needing to explore discrimination in a way that they could understand, I explained that I wanted to portray humans, as we try to live together as one, all the while struggling to comprehend, and suffering under, our own fates which were decided for us when we were born. I wrote my thoughts into lyrics, incorporating them as the musical element of the piece. It was exciting to be able to direct this film beyond the framework of a director’s role.