Photo provided by Steven

How would you define “asian fetish” (a.k.a., crudely, “yellow fever”)? According to Urban Dictionary, it is “a term usually applied to white males who have a clear sexual preference for women of Asian descent, although it can also be used in reference to white females who prefer Asian men.” They follow with this example: “Every time we go to the club, Dave goes straight for the Asian women. I swear, that dude’s got a serious case of yellow fever.”

The cultural blogger Angry Asian Man defines it honestly: “To put it bluntly, that gross-out fetish when dudes have an unhealthy obsession with Asian women. Chances are, you’ve met or know someone like this.”

However, Seeking Asian Female puts a wrinkle in our idea of “asian fetish.” Director Debbie Lum was prepared to follow a variety characters with a major ick-factor and analyze the ins-and-outs of the cultural phenomenon. Instead, she found Steven and Sandy. Their hard-won romance — after nine months of online dating, a move across continents, jealousy, and ongoing cleaning of Steven’s Burlingame, Calif., apartment — has resulted in years of marriage. Through the documentary, we see Steven’s one-dimensional attraction to Sandy ripen into a complex relationship, built on discipline and sacrifice.

Steven emailed us about his reaction to seeing himself on the silver screen, his perspective on the problematic term “yellow fever,” and his advice on keeping a marriage strong.

Photo provided by Steven

How long have you and Sandy been together?

After meeting online and emailing and web camming daily for long hours into the night, I finally met Sandy in person nine months later on Valentine’s Day, 2008. That first visit was two weeks long of 24/7 time spent together. We got to know each other very well with the help of our electronics and hand gestures. We were quite sure we were the right thing for each other, so I made another short trip later just to meet her parents and tell them we were serious. Another 10-day visit in the fall to get to know each other even better. Then the following year the three-week visit to go to the US consulate to prove we were really a couple in order to get the marriage visa.

By the end of May 2009 we came to the USA, and on August 22 we got married. So as a couple we’ve been together six years, and as a married couple it will be four years in August.

Photo provided by Steven

With Sandy’s loving insistence I have eliminated much of my collection of stuff. She has rearranged things in the living room and it looks quite welcoming and warm now. We’ve had guests over for dinner and we look out the window from the dining table to the spirited colorful street down below. It is rather entertaining and they seem to like it.

The office is a work in progress. I’m remodeling it now while Sandy is visiting her parents. The bedroom too was reorganized and it’s working better. It is a small space, so you have to keep on top of it and can’t let things pileup. We both do our share of cleaning.

Photo provided by Steven

Has Sandy found work, or is she still in school?

We decided on a plan of Sandy going to school for a couple of years to improve her English and prepare for some type of business or office job. Her English is 3000% better than is shown in the film. She earned all A grades in her English essay writing class. I think when she is better prepared to enter the job market she will land a more rewarding career.

Steven, what is your current job?

I am still at the airport parking facility. Certain things have fallen into place there that make for a much more comfortable living. We aren’t rich, but it’s not a bad life. We take vacations, we travel, we eat well and we enjoy things. Next year we are planning for Paris. This job, while not glamorous, provides a lot of benefits for both of us. Medical, dental, optical, retirement and so on. It’s a Teamsters job so the benefits are good. And it seems to be a recession proof job, not subject to the sways of the economy.

But then it is not my life, it is just a job. I’m an entrepreneur at heart and have many back burner projects that I have been constantly working on. I have some e-commerce websites I have created, and I have a website design business on the side.

Photo provided by Steven

What is the key to finding a good spouse?

Some people have laughed at my methods, but I find that certain things were key for me. My searching was thorough and my vetting process took time. I did a lot of communication back and forth with many people and some seemed very nice while others were not in the running. With emails you can find out quite rapidly the character and level of education of the writer and her intent. But I was pragmatic and practical in my approach I thought.

When I finally connected with Sandy we communicated every night through emails and web cam, and photo exchanges. We knew about each other’s families long before we even met. You may laugh when I say communication because the movie shows us having a difficult time. But it only became difficult when there were some serious differences or arguments. And while it appears in the film that we were always that way, truthfully that was not the case. We get along wonderfully well, we have great chemistry.

Photo provided by Steven

Patience and understanding are very helpful, I feel. Empathy, always empathy. In short supply in many areas of society. Empathy is important.

Try to keep in mind the shining, attractive qualities that drew you to each other. When disagreements arise silence is better than yelling but communication should best be clear at these times, so think before speaking.

George Carlin said it succinctly: “Women are crazy. Men are stupid. Women are crazy because men are stupid.”

Bending is better than breaking. One Zen coach I had told me, “The teeth are hard and fall out, the tongue is soft and remains.”

Do you have “yellow fever”? Why or why not?

There are so many problems with that phrase “yellow fever.” Lightheartedly I could accept it, but in reality it sounds far more strange than how I view it. Like an affliction rather than a preference.

I had never thought about it before until 10 years after the disastrous end of my second marriage. I avoided any romance for that period. Then I saw my son find a beautiful Japanese girlfriend whom he later married. They seemed so happy and looked so nice together. She was very polite and amiable but definitely not a subservient type. She was a powerful go-getter for sure, with strong opinions, and high standards, and a sense of purpose.

I thought maybe this might be a new and better direction for my life as well. So I diligently searched for ones I might have chemistry with. Each nationality seems to have a personality of its own. Early on in my search and communications I discovered that the Chinese style of communication was what I enjoyed most.

Photo provided by Steven

It actually took me about a year to finally realize how I feel about it. In the five years of filming I never once saw a “rush” of the film nor saw the direction that Debbie was taking or how the story was shaped.

I volunteered for this film (without pay) for the sake of Art. I gave it all the open honesty I could. So it was with some surprise that I found the emphasis on creepiness.

The past year of the movie making its film festival circuit I’ve been reading comments and reviews from everywhere. Some reviews have been kind and generous. Some reviews have been ridiculously wrong. Almost all that have had their own preconceived opinions about me and my intentions and motivations but have never even talked to me nor asked me a question.

Sandy wound up not liking it much at all because it revealed too many personal things about herself. She’s actually quite shy and very private. I had told her it was going to be a movie on TV but that really doesn’t sink in when one woman shows up with one camera to talk. So she felt very exposed. Overexposed. Often in the movie she would be venting off steam about a problem or situation the way people do and say things off the top of their heads. It comes across as her desires verbatim or her secret plan. She felt disturbed about that.

What was it like to see yourself on the big screen at a film festival?

My first reaction to see seeing myself on the big screen was that I wish I had shaved.

Debbie liked to catch me in these awkward moments. She would all often come to film me in the morning after I had worked until 1 AM…That produced a continual haggard appearance.

Photo provided by Steven

Many misconceptions fade away with this film. Many seem to remain. Many arise anew. While it does capture some truths, it does not show the entire truth.

I was hoping to show that an everyday guy can find love and purpose from a connection to an everyday woman on the other side of the earth. That a solution to my invisibility and diminished choice in my own country is at hand with the modern tools of the internet.

That even a schlub such as me can find a soulmate with some diligence and desire with these tools.

Photo provided by Steven

Do you have any plans to add a new member to your family?

That might require a bit of surgery on my part, haha. If things keep going swimmingly, we might think of adoption later. Nothing on the horizon, however.

Filmmaker Debbie Lum

Reality is a slippery medium. Just when a documentary filmmaker thinks she understands a story, people surprise her. Such it was for Debbie Lum. When she first started filming Seeking Asian Female, Lum hoped to dissect a cultural phenomenon that had affected her — “yellow fever” — by objectively interviewing “afflicted” characters. Instead, she not only got sucked into the story of one couple, but also became a makeshift marriage counselor and a character in her film. We recently spoke with Lum about racial stereotypes, the difficulty of remaining “a fly on the wall,” and some hilarious outtakes of her film.

What impact do you hope this film will have?
I hope by touching audiences emotionally Seeking Asian Female will inspire individuals to reevaluate how stereotypes and expectations negatively impact human relationships, love and marriage. I hope the film will bring into wider discussion the objectification of Asian women by Western men and the real-life complications that grow out of their fantasies. I hope the film will offer alternative, three-dimensional portrait of an Asian woman who is neither a “victimized prey” nor a “ruthless opportunist.” I hope the film will raise awareness about interracial relationships, cross-cultural relationships, and Chinese immigrants. I hope the film also raises questions about how stereotyped thinking impacts all communities, including those who are being stereotyped (in this case Asian Americans and women).

Watch Coming to Independent Lens: Seeking Asian Female on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

What led you to make this film?

Steven and Sandy of Seeking Asian Female

In my life, I’ve encountered so many Western men who just like the main character of Seeking Asian Female have “Yellow Fever”, or an unusual attraction to Asian women. These men seem to fit a pattern: they tend to be older, white, and yes, creepy. Many Asian American women I know (I’m fourth-generation Chinese American on my father’s side) have also spent a lot of energy avoiding bad pick-up lines from these men, who will stare a little too long in our direction, approach, and then try complement our Asian heritage (even if it’s the wrong one) or perhaps attempt to complement us by butchering an Asian language (that we don’t speak). Within the Asian American community, these men are such a well-known and much-hated “type”, that there are all kinds disparaging labels for them such as “Asiaphile” (which rhymes with pedophile for a reason), “guys with “Yellow Fever” or “Rice Kings”. (In fact the term “Rice King” is derived from a label for the same “type” in the queer community: “Rice Queen”.) We hear stories about men like this who frequent sex tours in Thailand or go searching a young wives in rural Philippines, exploiting the inequities between “first world” and “third world” and preying on victimized women. Sometimes the negative stereotype carries over to the women who wind up marrying these men. These women from China, Thailand, Vietnam and all parts of Asia, are often thought to be marrying for money or a green card, or both.

So when I started out making Seeking Asian Female I initially wanted explore the objectification of Asian women as seen through the cultural phenomenon of “Yellow Fever.” I wanted to understand why certain Western men become fixated on Asian women and why this trend had not only persisted despite the continual objections of many in the Asian American community, but seemed to be growing, especially here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I intended to examine “Yellow Fever” head on by “turning the tables” on men who had stared at me. I thought pointing the camera in their direction and analyzing the causes, the consequences and the nature of their fantasies, would perhaps help dispel the trend. I also felt that dissecting how Western men see, think about and desire Asian women would perhaps say a lot about Asian American identity and women’s identity as well.

I never thought that what would emerge from immersing myself into the subject matter would be a nuanced, complex exploration into marriage, immigration, cross-cultural understanding, and the ways in which romance evolves into human relationship through language, communication and companionship. At the center of the story I found two human beings with limited options who were facing and confronting their expectations and fantasies not just about Asian women, but also about love and marriage, America and China and husband and wife. I never expected that while telling this story, the film would the tables back at my own stereotyped expectations as a filmmaker and an Asian American woman, to reveal how problematic it is to stereotype any individual, whether white or Asian, old or young, American or Chinese, or woman or man.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making this film?

Photo By Susan Monroe

Many of the challenges I faced in making the film became part of the story of the film itself. Originally I started out making an objective film about men with “Yellow Fever.” Similar to the self-consciousness I have around men who stare at me because they are interested in Asian women, I am very self-conscious about being the center of attention and never wanted to make a personal documentary. But whenever I filmed Steven, it was very clear that because I am an Asian American woman he gave me amazing access and could also never really ignore me as I filmed him. I would tell him, “Don’t talk to me. I’m a fly on a wall.” Instead he would constantly engage. I spent a lot of time in the very uncomfortable position of being keenly focused on the type of man who would make me extremely uncomfortable in my personal life. The more I filmed him, the more I realized that by including my story, I would be able to capture a story that is never shown on camera — how it feels to be objectified as an Asian American woman. The more I filmed him, the more I realized that I was beginning to understand his vulnerabilities and had to rethink why I had originally set out to make an “expose” of his search for an Asian wife. When his fiancée Sandy arrived in the US, I realized that even with my limited Mandarin, I could communicate better with either one of them than they could with each other. I also realized that Sandy was completely isolated and had not a single friend in America outside of Steven. Steven and Sandy began to call on me asking me to come over at every conflict. Although I shot the film with coverage in case I went back to telling an objective story, I eventually became so deeply pulled into their relationship drama that I couldn’t cut myself out. Even though the filmmaker in me was grateful to have their trust and access to such intimate moments in their life, the normal human being in me felt very awkward in the middle of their intense fights (I’m definitely not cut out for reality TV). I was a one-woman crew, learning how to shoot and record sound as I filmed them. Anyone else in the scene would have made shooting very stilted. I grew up learning Mandarin from college professors, not my parents who did not speak Chinese. Filming while translating between English and Chinese was extremely challenging, especially as their relationship drama intensified — and all of us became more and more exhausted. Perhaps the biggest hurdle, as expressed in the film, was realizing that by capturing their story, I had begun to play a role in the success or failure of their relationship, a relationship that I had always questioned. Ultimately, I had to get over my own prejudices before I could tell the story well.

How did you gain the trust of the subjects in your film?

Steven and Sandy

Early on, Steven perhaps trusted me because I am an Asian American woman who tends to smile a lot. He also found out that my husband is white and identified with me. At the same time, we watched previous documentaries that I had edited and co-produced and some of my short narrative comedies. Steven had a very trusting and open personality. He’s an ex-hippie who studied painting in college and is extremely open to the artistic process. His website reads, “Anonymity is for scaredy cats.” Despite other people telling him to be wary, he always wanted me to tell his story even while he knew he might be criticized. For Sandy, I think she initially trusted Steven and that is why she agreed to let me film. But upon initial meeting, she was deeply relieved to know that I could speak Mandarin (I did not grow up speaking Mandarin, but had just returned from living in Shanghai for two years and had been studying Chinese). The more I filmed and the more complicated their relationship became the more we all began to understand each other and appreciate each other. In that sense, because I had to take the process of capturing a well-rounded story seriously, I was forced to look at their story from their own point of view and therefore the compassion that I felt for both of them, including Steven, who proved that despite his rather questionable motives was willing to work very hard at being a good husband to Sandy, led us all to trust each other more.

What would you have liked to include in your film that didn’t make the cut?
Seeking Asian Female was shot over the course of 5 years, amassing over 200 hours of footage. We cut out many great scenes and countless interviews. There was an entire sequence around Sandy’s wedding dress that could not be included. The wife of Steven’s landlord (the man who said “You’ve got two of ‘em!”) used to own a bridal shop and when she found out that Steven could not afford to buy Sandy a wedding dress, she offered one from her old warehouse. The dress was a size 10 and Sandy was a size 1. She generously offered to do all the custom fitting over a period of several weeks. Janet and Wayne were ballroom dancers and collected porcelain dolls. They become two of Sandy’s early friends and early introduction to American culture, and also revealed Sandy’s genuine affection for seniors. Sandy and Steven have a very great sense of humor. We cut out many fights as well as many scenes of love and play. One night, Sandy snooped through Steven’s apartment looking for relics of past relationships with other Asian women to make sure he wasn’t hiding anything from her. The next day she forced him to throw out files and pictures, and pointed to his brain, saying “delete here”. She also made friends with two older Chinese American women. During one very painful misunderstanding these two “aunties” came to visit and tried to have a group counseling session, enlisting my help in an attempt to force reconciliation. During this “group fight” we all discovered that when Sandy is angry, her English suddenly got very good. Finally one favorite scene was an extremely revelatory scene where Steven and Sandy discuss why he only wanted to date younger women, with Sandy (and myself) grilling him until he was surprised to find out that he was the oldest suitor she had. She admitted, “The Internet changed my destiny.”

Tell us about a scene in the film that especially moved or resonated with you.
Chronologically, one of the first very moving scenes happened shortly after Sandy arrived in America to live with Steven. After the initial “honeymoon” phase, Sandy immediately stumbled upon old pictures and emails of Steven’s previous Chinese girlfriend that he had kept on his computer. While this scene marked the first time I outwardly “transgressed” the filmmaker subject boundary and became one part translator and one part relationship counselor, it was also the first time that Sandy revealed her true feelings for Steven — she wanted to be Steven’s “one and only” and was quite jealous of his ex-girlfriend. Throughout the film, no matter how many times other issues strained their relationship — from money issues, to wedding preparation stress, to cultural misunderstanding — Sandy continued to care about this one thing the most.

Debbie Lum at work

What has the audience response been so far? Have the people featured in the film seen it, and if so, what did they think?
Audience response has been really amazing so far. The film appeals to people from all backgrounds, genders, and age groups. Even Asian American audiences for whom the film’s subject matter hits a very sensitive nerve, have embraced the film and appreciated the unusual insights it brings to light. Silver-haired women from the Midwest have come up to me in tears identifying with Steven and Sandy’s story. Newly married couples have approached me to ask a question only to spontaneously break into a debate between themselves over the plight of the characters. The film provokes many conversations, particularly for anyone who has been in or tried to be in a relationship.

Steven and Sandy have seen the film. They came with me to the film’s premiere at SXSW Film Festival. Steven has always been extremely supportive of the film and would have perhaps been a better promoter of the film than I am! He said when he first saw it, “Phew, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” That said, the film depicts an early and tumultuous stage in Steven and Sandy’s relationship. For Chinese and Asian people in general, sharing intimate details of personal life is not something that is as culturally accepted as it is in the West. Even though she laughed at all the same points in the film that we did when she first saw the film, it’s very emotional film for Sandy. In contemporary Chinese culture face is very important and causes a lot of social pressures that we are relatively immune from in the US. Steven learned quite a lot about how to make her happy and respect her, and supports her wish to avoid press requests even though he would be happy to be in the limelight.

The independent film business is a difficult one. What keeps you motivated?
The chance to tell a story about a person or a subject that has never been told before.

Why did you choose to present your film on public television?
I think it’s wonderful to share this film with the diverse, engaged and inquisitive audiences who watch public television. It’s a great honor and great opportunity to beam into the living room of millions of Americans for whom the story most resonates.

What didn’t you get done when you were making your film?
Sleep very much.

What are your three favorite films?
I don’t have three favorites. Some of my favorite documentaries are:
Man on Wire, Intimate Stranger, and The Gleaners and I

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Be tenacious. Be honest. Be patient. Work on other people’s films. Find a great mentor and surround yourself with people who know more than you do. I could not have made this film without having worked for years as an editor for my mentor, Spencer Nakasako. My previous employer who hired me to edit one of his documentaries and became a great friend and colleague, S. Leo Chiang, gave me invaluable knowledge as I tenuously ventured out of the editing room to shoot the film. Having a great mother and partner who support your undying ambition also helps!

What do you think is the most inspirational food for making independent film?
Coffee.

Watch American Man Seeks Asian Dream Girl on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

Watch Seeking Asian Female premiering Monday May 6 at 10 p.m. (check local listings). 

US/Mexican border fence, Southern Arizona
Photo by Matt Nager

Juan Manuel, featured in The Undocumented (airing April 29 on Independent Lens), lived in the United States more than 15 years. Eventually, he was deported to Mexico, away from his children. He died crossing the U.S. border to see his kids again.

“I think Juan Manuel’s story is common for people that come from humble families,” said an attendee at Manuel’s funeral in The Undocumented. “They look to improve their lives by learning. They decide to go to the United States in search of something more. Instead they find themselves dead in the desert.”

A woman holds up a photo of a missing family member.
Photo by Marco Williams

Indeed, Juan Manuel is not alone. In the past decade, reinforcements to the U.S.-Mexico border have pushed immigrants to the Sonoran Desert, one of the most desolate and unforgiving sections of the border. Even though attempts to cross into the United States have dropped, deaths have risen. Here is a snapshot of border-crossing by the numbers:

• In 2000, the Border Patrol captured 1,636,883 Mexican citizens trying to cross the U.S. border illegally.
• By 2012, that number had plummeted to 265,755. According to The New York Times, “high rates of unemployment here and intensified border enforcement have discouraged many migrants from Mexico and Central America from attempting illegal crossings, officials said.”
• However, the number of border-crossing deaths rose 27 percent from from 375 deaths in 2011 to 477 in 2012, the second-highest number in over a decade.
• In addition, the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border has risen. In 2008, Border Patrol intercepted 8,041 unsupervised minors of all nationalities, and by 2012, that number skyrocketed to 24,481.
• 1539: The year a Spanish explorer penned the first written record of contact with Native Americans in the Sonoran Desert.
• The Sonoran Desert spreads out over 100,387 square miles between Arizona, California, and Mexico.
• The U.S.-Mexico border is 1,954 miles long.
• The Desert receives as much as 20 inches of yearly precipitation at higher elevations, but much of the low-lying landscape gets as little as 3 inches.
• In the Sonoran Desert’s extreme climate, temperatures reach as high as 118°F. After a summer monsoon, the temperature could suddenly drop to 50°F.

Although the Sonoran Desert is one of the deadliest stretches of land on the planet, economic needs and familial desires continue to beckon people to make the ultimate gamble. To learn more about the human rights organization featured in The Undocumented, visit Derechos Humanos.

Watch Forensics Cannot Explain Why Mother and Daughter Died Alone on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

Watch The Undocumented, premiering Monday, April 29 at 10pm (check local listings). Also, learn more about The Migrant Trail, a video game that introduces players to the hardships and perils of crossing the Sonoran Desert, coming in June.

Filmmaker Marco Williams, director of The Undocumented

Since 1998, more than two thousand dead bodies have been found in Arizona’s Sonora Desert — the remains of “border crossers” who perished en route to the United States from Mexico. In true cinéma vérité style, The Undocumented (premiering Monday, April 29, 2013 at 10pm) by acclaimed filmmaker Marco Williams, reveals the ongoing impact of immigration laws and economic policies on the very people who continue to be affected by them. By going beyond politics, the film also tells a story that is deeply personal. We recently spoke with Williams about the making of his film and the impact he hopes it will have on the national immigration debate.

What impact do you hope this film will have?
I hope that my film will raise awareness of a little known issue of the immigration narrative debate in our nation.

Watch Coming to Independent Lens: The Undocumented on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

What led you to make this film?
I feel that immigration is a civil rights issue, perhaps the civil rights issue of the early 21st century. I am concerned with injustice.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making this film?
I wanted to make a film about migrant deaths. I wanted their stories to be the primary narrative. I did not want Americans to be seen as heroes. However, how can you do this, given that the dead don’t talk?

Pathologist examines a body found in the desert. Photo by Matt Nager

How did you gain the trust of the subjects in your film?
I believe that the most important action in making a documentary is expressing one’s curiosity. I never told anyone at the outset, “I want to make a film about….” I began by asking questions. Once I met folks like the Chief Medical Examiner or the Consular General of the Mexican Consulate of Tucson and understood what they do and how they do it, then I was able to articulate what I wished to do. So, trust — as in any relationship — is developed, not given.

Watch A Family Endures the Tragic Side of the Immigration Debate on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

What would you have liked to include in your film that didn’t make the cut?
I wanted to make an observational documentary. I ultimately made compromises to this vision. But there is one sequence that when filming I was certain would not make it into the film and then in editing became my absolute favorite scene. It was with a woman in Mexico whose husband crossed and has not been seen or heard from since his crossing attempt. Her grief was so profound. She epitomizes what so many family members feel and experience. But, her story was a one-off story and in the film it detracted from the other stories.

Border Patrol agents help an ailing migrant border crosser. Photo by Matt Nager

Tell us about a scene in the film that especially moved or resonated with you.
Marcos Hernandez, whose father is missing, shares that there are so many things that he did not get to tell his father, such as how much he loved him. He cries. His honesty is compelling.

The independent film business is a difficult one. What keeps you motivated?
Belief in what I have to say is what keeps me motivated. However, I am not confident that I will be able to continue to raise the money to make films on the challenging topics about America.

Why did you choose to present your film on public television?
Public television allows me the best opportunity to reach the greatest number of Americans. It is an honor.

What are your three favorite films?
The Times of Harvey Milk, Killer of Sheep, Why We Fight

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Making documentaries is akin to going steady. It is not a one night stand.

Watch An Organization Reunites Undocumented Dead with Families on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

Watch The Undocumented premiering Monday, April 29 at 10pm (check local listings).

Director Rose Troche gave us this inside look at the inspiration behind the short film, which is currently streaming on futurestates.tv, PBS Video, and the PBS iPhone/iPad app:

The conversation of Elliot King began a long while back. I would say that the seed of this idea was formed over time and various places/events. Things like involvement in LGBTQ activism, casual conversations with friends over dinner, witnessing the changing political landscape of America – these were all important in the development of this story and the character of Elliot King.

We’re fortunate enough to live in a time and place where identity doesn’t stop at male or female and that gender and sexual identity is fluid across a large spectrum. That being said, how does one reconcile the difference between self-identification and when a government defines it for you? I’ve never believed in outing someone. It’s something that should happen when a person is ready.

Elliot King began as a question of giving other people the power to make those choices for you and the consequences of that. This film is an exploration of how pressure and time can be extremely transformative powers in a modern society.

In the script, Prop 98 begins as a protective law for trans people but quickly becomes the main form of discrimination for them. We were also interested in the idea of a hero and the acts that define heroism.

Through this story, I wanted to portray that living an authentic life can be a form of courage and heroism. It takes strength to live a life that is outside of mainstream society. Most of the time it is a silent struggle, lonely, and demands a force of character and sacrifice that many will not understand. It is, ultimately, worth it.

Read more about the making of Elliot King is Third on the FUTURESTATES website.

Beach reclamation project in the Maldives.

Scientists overwhelmingly agree that future generations will face serious challenges from climate change, and that human energy consumption plays a significant role in rising temperatures and sea levels globally. Yet despite the media attention this gets (especially around Earth Day), climate literacy rates are startlingly low in the United States. According to a recent NPR piece, two thirds of American students say they know little or nothing about the impacts of fossil fuel consumption on climate change. A recent report from the National Center for Science Education sounds the alarm, and makes clear that our schools desperately need new strategies and resources to address young people’s lack of knowledge about our world.

Climate education is largely ignored in science curricula, and mired in political debate. Professional development for teachers around these topics is almost non-existent, and quality educational resources are very hard to find. Teachers say they are often intimidated to teach about climate change due to the polarized political climate. The knowledge gap is unequal – private schools and wealthy school districts generally have more resources to teach science, while kids in the inner cities and rural areas fall far behind.

Good News

There is room for optimism in this dire scenario:  the newly released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) national science education standards aim to prepare young people to understand and respond to the climate and energy challenges of the 21st century. There are also innovative organizations mobilizing young people to take action – such as Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), which reaches nearly 2 million youth around the country through dynamic assemblies and student action teams.  Another great resource is the Climate Literacy and Awareness Network (CLEAN), which provides a clearinghouse of information, lesson plans, webinars and other tools to empower young people to make a difference. Data visualization has emerged as an effective way to drive home what’s happening with rising temperatures and ocean waters (See this New York Times feature). But there is still a need for greater collaboration and public awareness.

The Power of Storytelling

Former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed

Film can be a powerful medium to connect audiences to the severity of the problem, while also inspiring hope that there are solutions. The Independent Lens film The Island President, which broadcasts on Earth Day Monday, April 22nd, tells the story of Mohamed Nasheed – a young, charismatic leader from the Maldives: a small archipelago nation that faces extinction in the near future from the rising sea. The film chronicles Nasheed’s political struggles against a repressive dictatorship, his rise to power as President, and his journey to the 2009 Climate Summit in Copenhagen where he makes a passionate plea for the world’s most polluting nations to rescue the Maldives – and, ultimately all of us – from the effects of global warming. The film is being shown in more than 100 cities around the country through Community Cinema in April. Find a screening near you and join informative and proactive discussions about what we can all do.

ITVS’s Community Classroom also offers standards-aligned curriculum to bring the film into middle and high school classrooms and informal educational settings, free of charge. Two lesson plans and three short film modules explore the roots of the political debate around climate change, and ask students to connect the events in the Maldives to their own communities. They also examine the human rights situation in the Maldives, and how political repression is often connected to environmental devastation. The lessons ask critical questions about leadership and what are the small but crucial steps we can all take to slow the devastating impact of our energy use on the environment.

See one of the modules for The Island President, below.

Watch Mohamed Nasheed Confronts Climate Change Head-on in Maldives on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

The modules are also available to watch for free on PBS’s Video player and a full educational DVD package is available here.

Celebrate Earth Day and tune in to The Island President Monday, April 22 at 10pm (check local listings).

Filmmaker Jon Shenk

A world of change has happened since Jon Shenk filmed The Island President (airing April 22 on Independent Lens). After Shenk released the documentary in 2012, Maldivian leader Mohamed Nasheed was forced to resign and arrested twice on the campaign trail to reelection.

Below, Jon Shenk reacts to the chaos in the Maldives, followed by an interview with Independent Lens from last year in which he reveals his documentary filmmaking fuel — pizza and coffee.

Watch Coming to Independent Lens: The Island President on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

Can you give us an update on developments since the film was completed?
I was shocked to learn that President Nasheed was forced from office in a coup d’état. In early 2012, we were preparing for the theatrical release of The Island President when we got word from the Maldives that the normally spirited politics in the country had taken a violent turn. Throughout his presidency, Nasheed, who chose not to prosecute the former dictator Mamoon Gayoom, had been struggling with Gayoom and his supporters. Nasheed had (and continues to have) broad, popular support in The Maldives, but the democracy was hamstrung from the beginning by a loose-end that had not been tied up when the new constitution was written in 2008. At that time, as part of a compromise, Nasheed’s party agreed to not dissolve the judiciary which was largely comprised of judges (most of whom had never been to law school) who had been appointed by the former dictator to life-time positions presiding over institutions like The Supreme Court.

The judiciary tried to undermine Nasheed’s reforms throughout his presidency. Yet, while Nasheed often criticized the situation, he did not act until he discovered that Judge Abdulla Mohamed of the Criminal Court was using his position on the bench to squelch an investigation concerning his own corruption and that he was favoring Gayoom’s allies in the courtroom. Abdulla Mohamed, a notorious judge, had previously forced a young girl to reenact, in front of the court, the sex crime of which she was the victim. In late 2011, Nasheed, the father of two young girls himself, decided to arrest the judge for unlawful behavior.

In the aftermath of the arrest, the military and police led a violent demonstration which ended in a threat to Nasheed’s life. The president resigned and it’s been a roller coaster ride ever since. The new government has indicted Nasheed on charges that he abused his powers when he arrested Chief Judge Adbulla. Nasheed has been arrested twice since the coup and, though free as we speak today, has spent time recently in the same jails where he was formally tortured by Gayoom. The new government which is made up of many of Gayoom’s old cabinet ministers and supporters is clearly attempting to exclude Nasheed from the political process. Elections are scheduled for late 2013, and Nasheed maintains a great deal of popular support.

The international community, initially shy to support Nasheed after the coup, has recently come around. The European Union said last week it would be difficult to consider the Maldives elections credible unless Nasheed is free to contest and campaign. The U.S. wants to see ‘transparent and inclusive’ elections in the Maldives in which all participating parties are allowed to put forward candidates of their choice, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said in a Feb. 13, 2013 statement.

[Editor's note: For updates on developments in the Maldives, visit The Island President newsfeed].

What impact do you hope this film will have?
First and foremost, we hope The Island President entertains and excites the audience. One of the most exciting moments for me in showing the film to audiences has been the reaction of young people. We screened the film for a group of high school students in Telluride, and their intense, emotional response was palpable. It seems that young people who have grown up with an image of a planet under siege are full of fear, and they seem so relieved and inspired to find a hero in Mohamed Nasheed. We are working with 350.org, one of the great environmental organizations, throughout our theatrical, video, and television release to maximize the impact the film has on the climate conversation. We will also be creating an educator’s version of the film with tools for teachers to use the film in social studies, international relations, and climate change lessons. It’s a rich film that touches on so many issues. We are working to ensure a long life for it.

What led you to make this film?
I first heard about Mohamed Nasheed in October of 2008 when he had just won the presidency in the Maldives. When he stepped into office, he immediately took on the challenge of climate change with provocative, brutally honest statements such as “The Maldives will soon be looking for a new homeland” for its people because their island nation (the lowest lying in the world) would inevitably go under water. The lightbulb that went off in my mind was “the climate debate is not a boring story about science. It is actually one of the most profound, dramatic stories in the history of humankind!” What could be more exciting than a hero trying to save the planet from the impending apocalypse?

Former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed

Meeting Nasheed (or seeing him in The Island President), people are immediately struck by his wit, candor, and charisma. He is a man who has faced the most challenging situations — torture, solitary confinement — and refused to give up. He fights like a man who has nothing to lose. And therefore the story of this film becomes a David/Goliath tale.

Visually, one could not ask for a more beautiful backdrop than the Maldives. You take one look at those islands and you think to yourself, “this the absolutely gorgeous,” and a half-second later you think, “they are so vulnerable. There’s no place to go when the water rises!”

Nasheed is a one-in-a-billion person. At the young age of 44, he has spent 20 years fighting for truth, justice, and democracy in his home country of The Maldives. He has suffered for years as a political prisoner, became his country’s first democratically elected president, profoundly changed the international politics of climate change, and, most recently, has been evicted from office at gunpoint.

What were some of the challenges you faced in making this film?
The travel was insane — five trips to the Maldives, plus India, New York, England and Denmark mostly within an eight-month period.

Getting and maintaining access to cabinet meetings, meetings between heads-of- state, off-the-record conversations was also challenging. We realize now that there is a reason why you don’t see these kinds of things on TV! It’s really hard work and you have to be prepared to have your heart broken many times a day, everyday for weeks.

Helicopter cameraman Thomas Miller operates a camera over Male, the capital of the Maldives.

Shooting aerials of the Maldives proved to be quite difficult, and it literally ended being a military expedition. Near the end of our production period, the Indian military loaned a helicopter to the Maldives (mostly to be used for medical evacuations). It was the only helicopter in the Maldives. Our producer, Richard Berge, managed to convince the Maldivians and Indians to lend it to us for a few hours. We arranged for an aerial camera to be attached to the helicopter. The whole operation almost fell apart when we discovered an electrical incompatibility with our equipment. I thought Richard was going to have a heart-attack on the tarmac. Now, I cannot imagine the film without these shots. They really do speak a thousand words.

How did you gain the trust of the subjects in your film?
We proposed to Nasheed a no-holds-barred-access film. Yet — even as we pitched him on the idea — we realized that we were asking for something virtually unheard of. No other head-of-state has participated in such a movie.

The President agreed to do it, I think, because he himself had a background as an activist/journalist and had used writing and the Internet to move the Maldives toward good-governance and democracy. Also, later on (well into production) he told us (with a laugh), “I thought you would go away after a while.”

Jon Shenk filming Nasheed during boat trip between islands.

But we did not go away. We persisted. We negotiated to become part of the Maldivian delegation at Copenhagen so that our camera would not be held behind the press barricades. When faced with a bi-lateral meeting with another head-of-state, we tried to make our case, or simply continue filming, begging for understanding when asked what we were doing. It wasn’t easy, but Nasheed looked at me one day and said, “Jon, I like people who try to do impossible things,” and winked at me. I’ll never forget that. He is mischievous. He has a way of pushing people but never without a sense of humor.

In the end, I think Nasheed’s trust in us came from his gut. Those around him took a little more time. But it’s natural for people to trust you as you spend more time with them genuinely getting to know their story. It was a two-way street, and it was very satisfying.

Tell us about a scene in the film that especially moved or resonated with you.
There is a scene where President Nasheed is meeting with his most trusted advisors the night before he leaves for the Copenhagen Climate Summit. They are desperate to have an impact in Copenhagen and help save themselves from global warming. I love how you can see the intensity in their faces, and I love listening to their strategy. They come up with a plan to “make such a nuisance of themselves” in the press that the Danish Prime Minister will have to listen to them. Then we cut to Nasheed’s entrance into a huge rally in Copenhagen where he gives a rousing speech to a group of climate activists. It’s exiting to be on the inside and then watch the Maldivian delegation pull off their seemingly far-fetched plan.

Mohamed Nasheed at the final plenary of the Copenhagen Climate Summit, December 18, 2009.

What has the audience response been so far? Have the people featured in the film seen it, and if so, what did they think?
Audiences are moved, stunned, and inspired by The Island President. It is a surprising movie. This is a film about a unique leader on a journey to save his people. When people see the film, they see a man on a mission who refuses to give up. The film has won some great awards, including the People’s Choice Audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Nasheed saw the film for the first time at Toronto in public. He and his wife, Lila Ali, sat next to me. I was really nervous. But they really enjoyed themselves. It was felt like sitting in a living room watching home movies — they kept whispering to each other about things they noticed. The President very much appreciates the film. He probably views it in the context of his overall work, but he also respects us filmmakers as individuals with a vision of our own.

The independent film business is a difficult one. What keeps you motivated?
Documentary filmmaking is a truly inspiring and rich way to live. Each project is a new education, a series of new friendships, travel, adventure, and storytelling. All the money in the world could not buy the experiences that documentary filmmakers have when they go about their work.

During the filming of The Island President, we traveled the world, got to know a sitting head-of-state, met other Presidents and heads-of-state, and learned first-hand about international relations, climate science, and the anatomy of a non-violent uprising to create democracy in a 100 percent Muslim country.

When one project ends, we wonder, “How can we top that?”

Why did you choose to present your film on public television?
PBS is the best venue for independent films in the United States. We are so proud to be supported by ITVS and broadcast on PBS. ITVS believes in the importance of the independent voice in a democratic society. PBS ensures that the public sees the most exciting programs on television. Year after year, ITVS films and PBS programs are recognized by the Emmys, film festival awards, and the Oscars as guiding lights in documentary programming. PBS has consistently created programming that has celebrated diverse culture and investigated the tough questions. We are honored to be part of that tradition!

What didn’t you get done when you were making your film?
It is always very difficult to leave my family when I travel for work. Skype has helped.

What are your three favorite films?
The Thin Blue Line
Annie Hall
Crumb

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Don’t wait for somebody to help you make your own film because that is highly unlikely to happen. If you feel moved by a story, go for it. My father used to say, “Do something. Even if it’s wrong.”

What do you think is the most inspirational food for making independent film?
I am a pizza freak. Good pizza. I have been known to go way out of the way to get the real thing.

Coffee is crucial at the beginning of the day, and a beer is nice at night. In the Maldives, there are laws against alcohol on populated islands. Some nights, we would take a ferry to a nearby resort to have a drink.

The Island President premieres Monday, April 22, 2013 at 10pm (check local listings) in celebration of Earth Day. Community Classroom video modules and resources are also available from ITVS. For updates on developments in the Maldives, visit The Island President newsfeed.