Bowl of Burritos

“Bowl of Burritos” will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first real production that I lead with a team that I cannot thank enough. This film is based around an East Asian family (which was surprisingly difficult to cast in the grand city of Chicago) but dedicated to any immigrant family demographic, living their lives out in this true melting pot of a country we call the United States.
The initial concept for this film was created during a peak time of political turbulence and divide throughout the country. Therefore, as a minority myself, the goal was to create a film that provided representation of American citizens that fell into my demographic, but also show the integration of our different cultures into Western society. We may not represent the conventional experience that Western cinema often portrays, but still a very real experience to many that are presently in this country.
As a dual citizen of South Korea and the United States, I was required to serve the ROK Army for two years, although having only lived in the country prior for two years during preschool. During my time away from what I believed was my “real” home, I struggled to assimilate into South Korean society and conventions. To many, I was “too American” or “not Korean enough.” However, thinking back, I was met with the same outlook from my Western counterparts for being “too Korean” or “not American enough.” Without a doubt, it took some time, but I have come to embrace both aspects of my origins, upbringing, and identity, which helped pave the way this story was written and designed to be told.
Embracing these aspects of being an Asian American in the 21st century, a key element I wanted to make clear to the actors was that there was no need to exaggerate accents to portray these characters. Whether or not you had an accent was completely fine, since many immigrant families have mixed levels of English pronunciation within their household, without it affecting communication. Therefore, there was no need to create an accent one did not already have to help viewers understand a character’s identity- a convention often overused by Hollywood to adhere to Western standards of foreign representation.
We speak the language fine, eat the food, work, participate in different communities, and raise families here. We are here to stay, since it is our home as well.

Thank you again to my incredible Cast & Crew! I am forever grateful to have shared this experience with you all.