Hapa 2011.

The short-film Hapa is my latest collaboration with my good friend photographer Daniel Urhøj.

The title is taken from the Hawaiian language term used to describe a person of mixed heritage.

Our film Hapa is an intimate portrait of how prejudice and stereotypes can affect the individual.

The film is a mix of drama and documentary. The text being based on both my own experiences and stories from other minorities growing up in a clash of Eastern and Western culture.

Hapa recently premiered at The Nordisk Film Festival in Denmark and was to our sincere surprise awarded the Go Visual Prize of the evening.

We are very grateful for the recognition given to us at the festival and glad to hear our message was met with enthusiasm and positivity!

Video: http://youtu.be/AhqcnPsitFs Part of my inspiration for Hapa was built from following the work or ongoing fight of many Asian American artists, who I discovered came from a background very close to my own. An identification with being an individual of East and West and working within those terms.

I guess Hawaii couldn't be further away from Denmark, but we are introducing the term to the Danes now!

Thank you for the inspiration!