Can one good samaritan prevent anti-AAPI violence? No– but the COLLECTIVE STRENGTH of the Chinatown community can.
Son of Paper (SOP) enjoys a peaceful meal in the hustle and bustle of San Francisco Chinatown. Suddenly, the warm atmosphere is broken by a trio of goons who steal a family heirloom from the restaurant. Adrenaline pumping, SOP uses his amateur martial arts skills to confront the thieves, with Chinatown behind him. This conflict emphasizes the strength of the AAPI community to take a stand against violence and uplift each other in the face of hate.
MR. CHINATOWN started as a rap song but has turned into a community lead movement to Stop Anti-Asian hate crimes and rhetoric. Surprisingly and unsurprisingly, many of these crimes have happened in San Francisco, the home of many Asian elderly people. By taking a stand through MR. CHINATOWN VIDEO, we can begin to change the online discourse in film and music.
Director Biography - Kenny Dzib, Leonard Caoili
LEONARD CAOILI (he/him) is a Filipino-American filmmaker from San Francisco, currently in his fourth year of studying Cinema at San Francisco State University. He also works in other mediums such as photography and drawing. Currently, Leonard is passionate about exploring the complexities of culture and human relationships through his cinematography.
KENNY DZIB (he/him) is a Mexican-American photographer and filmmaker based in San Francisco. He’s had a camera in his hand since he was in high school. After gaining experience in photography, he decided to transition into filmmaking because he saw the opportunity to uplift underrepresented communities by creating diverse content. He hopes to use his skills to amplify historically excluded stories to make a social impact in the film industry.
Can one good samaritan prevent anti-AAPI violence? No– but the COLLECTIVE STRENGTH of the Chinatown community can.
Son of Paper (SOP) enjoys a peaceful meal in the hustle and bustle of San Francisco Chinatown. Suddenly, the warm atmosphere is broken by a trio of goons who steal a family heirloom from the restaurant. Adrenaline pumping, SOP uses his amateur martial arts skills to confront the thieves, with Chinatown behind him. This conflict emphasizes the strength of the AAPI community to take a stand against violence and uplift each other in the face of hate.
MR. CHINATOWN started as a rap song but has turned into a community lead movement to Stop Anti-Asian hate crimes and rhetoric. Surprisingly and unsurprisingly, many of these crimes have happened in San Francisco, the home of many Asian elderly people. By taking a stand through MR. CHINATOWN VIDEO, we can begin to change the online discourse in film and music.
Director Biography - Kenny Dzib, Leonard Caoili
LEONARD CAOILI (he/him) is a Filipino-American filmmaker from San Francisco, currently in his fourth year of studying Cinema at San Francisco State University. He also works in other mediums such as photography and drawing. Currently, Leonard is passionate about exploring the complexities of culture and human relationships through his cinematography.
KENNY DZIB (he/him) is a Mexican-American photographer and filmmaker based in San Francisco. He’s had a camera in his hand since he was in high school. After gaining experience in photography, he decided to transition into filmmaking because he saw the opportunity to uplift underrepresented communities by creating diverse content. He hopes to use his skills to amplify historically excluded stories to make a social impact in the film industry.