About A Lot Like You: Film Screening & Discussion
Presented by Seattle filmmaker Eliaichi
Kimaro
Director/writer and Seattleite Eliaichi
Kimaro is a mixed-race, first-generation American with a Tanzanian father and
Korean mother. When her parents retire and move back to Tanzania, Kimaro
begins a film project that examines the intricate fabric of
multiracial identity, and grapples with the complex ties that children of
immigrants have to the lands and cultures of their parents.
Kimaro's film, A Lot Like You, premiered in 2011, and went on
to win 6 best documentary awards on the film festival circuit before airing
nationally on PBS. In 2016, she was invited to speak at the TEDxSeattle
Conference. In her talk, “Why the World Needs Your Story,” Kimaro reflects on
what her film has taught her about the power of story.
The filmmaker will introduce the film, and engage the audience in
a post-screening discussion. A Lot Like You raises questions about the
cultures we inherit and the cultures we choose to pass down. After screenings,
audience members often reflect on how the themes of identity, history,
contradiction and migration explored in the film have played out in their own
lives. The filmmaker will share what this film has taught her about the power of
stories to transform and heal not just the speaker, but the listener as well.
Website: http://alotlikeyoumovie.com
Film trailer: https://vimeo.com/23098957
About the Speaker:
ELIAICHI SADIKIEL KIMARO worked for 12 years as a trauma
counselor, supporting survivors of abuse, before turning to art. A
self-taught artist, Eliaichi will learn whatever medium it takes to tell the
story that is emerging. Over the past 40 years, she has used writing,
music, photography, film, storytelling, and now visual art to explore her
personal and family narratives.
For her work in film and art, she
has been the recipient of numerous grants, residencies and fellowships.
She has served on non-profit Boards, art grant panels, film festival juries,
and museum exhibition planning committees – all with the goal of elevating
diverse voices in art and media.
