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kata_jin — Sat, 8 Aug 2015 03:33:00 GMT

Red Factory, Guangdong, China

God Helps He Who Wakes With the Sun

kata_jin — Sat, 8 Aug 2015 03:27:52 GMT

Raised by an immigrant family in diverse working-class communities, I have learned the art of story-telling from the journeys of my elders. From a young age, my heroes have been those so often unheard or unseen that defy our world's limits, be they national borders, geographical feats or societal norms.

Today I have had the opportunity to travel myself, always with camera and microphone in hand to document the humble sacrifices of those who make up the complicated, heavy-beating heart of our world. My own parents who fled communist China in pursuit of an American dream, Muslim community leaders in suburban Paris who inspired a network of openly religious high schools, office-boy Guarací who traverses the sprawling countryside of Rio de Janeiro daily to provide for his family. And now, this opportunity to capture the Colombian Pacific, a region that I studied in college and long dreamed of filming with its geographical and ethnic diversity. Fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese (as well as French and Mandarin Chinese), I am ready to engage with the local population through their own perspectives.

I strongly believe that this documentary scholarship with mentor Brian Rapsey will sharpen my filmmaking skills within a challenging, deeply beautiful context. I have much to learn before I can call myself a professional documentary filmmaker, but my determination to capture the stories hidden throughout our world with honest clarity keeps me in pursuit of the next journey.

Through the Working Heart of Rio

Photos: Profile Picture

God Helps He Who Wakes With the Sun