May is Asian-American/Pacific Islander Heritage month. Orange County launched its official celebration this week with performances, speeches, and cultural activities on the county administration building lawn.
Events throughout the month include the Fusion Fest MYGration AAPI Film Festival, featuring local short-film creators sharing their experiences through a cultural lens and discussions with the filmmakers. It’s happening May 13th at the South Trail Branch Library.
Arthur Ugalde is the library’s outreach specialist. We spoke at the county’s AAPI Month launch event about the importance of trying to understand our neighbors’ experiences.
Arthur Ugalde:
We're going to be displaying five short films made by directors that mostly circle around the Asian experience of actual people here in Central Florida. And they're called the MYgration Film Festival - FusionFest MYgration. And each story is a little bit about their migration experience and their cultural experience as an Asian American here in Central Florida. Afterwards, there's going to be a panel discussion about Asian representation in the media, as well as just general fun stuff – we're going to have book displays, we're going to have a section for kids if you want to bring the whole family, we're hoping it's a really enriching cultural event, not just for the Asian community, but for anyone who wants to come and just learn more about a culture that maybe is different from yours, or just expand your horizons at the library.
Nicole Darden Creston:
You mentioned a panel on Asian representation in the media. Do you have any thoughts on – let's broaden it and say minority representation in the media?
Arthur Ugalde:
You hear like the button catchphrase, “representation matters.” But it really, really does matter to talk about the way that culturally people are viewed, the way that culturally people are depicted, and the agency that different minorities have over their own stories. I've worked in a library for three years. I see lots of media, I see lots of books and movies. And even myself as a minority, as a Latin person, sometimes I see depictions of Latin people that I don't necessarily agree with, or don't resonate with me. And so events like these, especially local events like these, are really important because they provide the chance to really take hold of that narrative. And they empower the people that these stories are about to give their own perspectives and have their own agency over their stories, to share their own experiences. And you know, the Orange County Library, we're one of the biggest library systems in Florida, I think we are the biggest, and we have such a diverse populace that we serve. So getting the chance to do something for this group and for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and just give them a chance to utilize our resources and our space for I think a really worthy cause is really awesome. That's why I'm so excited about it. I've been here [at Orange County’s AAPI Heritage Month Celebration] telling everybody about it all morning trying to get to come – it'll be super fun!
Nicole Darden Creston:
Did you say that the filmmakers are all local to Central Florida?
Arthur Ugalde:
I believe most of them are. The subjects are. The films are set in Florida. It was really fun when I was viewing them, because I was like, “I've been there, that's my neighborhood!” So it really does hit close to home and show the power of the people in our community and the voices in our community that we can uplift, and that there are real leaders in Orange County. We’re happy to give them this platform at the library to come, display, and show how powerful and diverse our community really is. In a way that we can all learn from each other.
Nicole Darden Creston:
What would you like people to take away from this event?
Arthur Ugalde:
I want people to take away a couple of different things. I specialize in outreach, and to me, outreach is all about going into your community and really striving to find things that not just uplift people, but that make your community stronger and make the community more connected to each other. You know, I'm not of Asian descent. But the fact that I can go to an event like this and connect with people who are different than me and hear differing ideals and a differing perspective on life and experiences that I am not privy to, that can only really widen my perspective of the world. And I feel like people in our community having the chance to get together in a safe place in an open free environment like a library and connect to each other and share ideas and share information and their perspective in their lives…that can only create a stronger community. So that's why I'm really excited. I'm really hoping that all the people in attendance, even the people who just stumble in and don't even know that it's happening that day who just say, “Oh, there's a film festival, how cool, let me bring my kids, let's experience this and maybe broaden our horizons a little bit” – I hope they take away a new thirst for knowledge. And a new idea of, you know, “we're from different walks of life, but we're not necessarily that different.”
Nicole Darden Creston:
Are the people that are in the films, or the directors of the films going to be part of the panel?
Arthur Ugalde:
Yes, I believe most of the directors and a couple of [actors], since they are local, they're able to come, which is super cool to watch a movie and then immediately the person in the movie is right next to you. (laughter) But yes, I believe that the majority of them will be there. And then we'll have different leaders, like the Orange County Asian committee, Fusion Fest, and Shally Wong from the Mayor's Office will be there. She's helping me put it all together. And they'll be there to answer questions as well. And it'll be kind of a led discussion with the panel about, you know, different challenges of getting representation and depictions and media, and kind of their hopes for the future of what we could do to make Asian representation a lot stronger. You know, the mayor made a great point today, that we have one of the largest Asian communities in Florida, I believe. Orange County, seven percent of our population is of Asian descent. And so you know, it is important to give that group a voice and to give them agency over themselves.
Nicole Darden Creston:
Thank you very much for your time today.
Arthur Ugalde:
Of course, I had a great time – my first interview. Keep that part – that I'm excited about my first interview! (laughter). Thank you.
