Would you like to screen Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song at your festival or community gathering? Please, contact us at meimeifilm@gmail.com. We would love to share this film with you.
Mixing live action, animated visuals and historical and family archives, Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song brings to life the original Peabody-award-wining 1989 radio documentary in a full visual and aural experience. The timeless story of a parent and child crossing the divide that separates them speaks to the human experience in all cultures.
Synopsis:
Dmae Roberts created the half-hour film documentary, Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song, using the 1989 Peabody-winning audio documentary of the same name as the soundtrack. The radio documentary was the first Taiwanese-American radio documentary on public radio, and it was originally aired on NPR, BBC, CBC and ABC. “Mei Mei” tells the story of Dmae and her mother, Chu-Yin Roberts, as they travel to Taiwan together after a long absence. During their travels, Chu-Yin Roberts reveals the abuse she experienced after she was sold into servitude at the age of two and while she was growing up during World War Two. It soon becomes clear, the tensions Dmae and Chu-Yin experienced with each other came not only from the always-complicated mother/daughter relationship, but also from their being separated by differences of culture and language.
Recent reviews of “Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song”
“This piece leaves standard storytelling practices in the dust. Dmae’s production values are topnotch” — Salt Institute
“This is possibly the best audio work that has ever been recorded.” — Public Radio Exchange
After screening an excerpt from “Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song,” director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts read a portion of her memoir (work-in-progress) about her relationship with her mother.
Screening an excerpt from “Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song” at the Tell It Slant reading series at the Jade/APANO Multicultural Space (JAMS).
Left to right: Christopher Rose, Dmae Roberts, Simon Tam, and Natasha Moni at the Tell It Slant reading series at the Jade/APANO Multicultural Space (JAMS).
Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts with friends including Megan Jones, Susan Stone, Robynn Takayama, Catherine Stifter, Renee Geesler, Spencer Weisbroth, & Michael Johnson.Thank you to Robynn Takayama (in front row) for arranging this private event.
Radio colleagues discussed creating a film out of an audio documentary.
Thank you to the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality for donating their event space.
Mixed Remixed Festival at the Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, CA. June 13, 2015.
Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts at Mixed Remixed in Los Angeles with Jennifer Frappier, Aaron Samuels, Talon Gonzalez & Heidi Durrow.
Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts with Mixed Remixed Festival founder and “The Girl Who Fell from the Sky” author, Heidi Durrow.
Many Mixed Remixed Festival attendees were mixed-race people of different generations (though most were in their 20s and 30s.)
Talkback after screening.
Audience members spoke to director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts about how Mei Mei touched them; about the universal connections of isolation, displacement, and generational conflicts; and about the realities of being mixed race.
Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts at the Rainer Independent Film Festival.
Mei Mei was screened inside the intimate and quirky Cine-Yurt. Director Dmae Roberts led a talkback, sharing the stage with a faux mountain sheep.
Premiere at the Mei Mei 25th Anniversary Celebration at the Clinton Street Theatre, Portland, OR. November 21, 2014.
Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song was shown with Finding Home by T. Howard, a 10-minute short U.S. film in which a daughter learns of her mother’s painful memories as a Korean War survivor.
Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts greeting the audience.
Marquee at the Clinton Street Theater.
From the Orchid and Bamboo Ensemble, Dr. Yang on erhu and Stephanie on guzheng.
Display of Willow Zheng’s original artwork for “Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song.”
Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts.
Willow Zheng (right) greeting audience members.
Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts preparing to speak to the audience.
Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts giving major supporter and friend Ronnie Lacroute a painting by Willow Zheng.
Left: Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts. Right: T. Howard, editor for “Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song” and creator of “Finding Home.”
Major supporter Ronnie Lacroute, director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts, Elaine Low (who plays “Mom”), and Elaine’s husband Chung.
In the background of the photo, Chisao Hata (who plays Mei Mei’s stepmother) stands up to applause.
Wynee Hu (who plays Mei Mei) standing up for applause.
Samantha Choy (who plays young Dmae) standing up for applause.
Lauren Meyer and Elaine Chung who were in the original Mei Mei stage play in 1991 at the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC.)
Left: T. Howard, editor for “Mei Mei, A Daughter’s Song” and creator of “Finding Home.” Right: Samantha Choy who plays young Dmae Roberts.
Sarika Mehta and director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts.
Director/writer/producer Dmae Roberts giving major supporter Ronnie Lacroute a painting by Willow Zheng.
