On Saturday, July 26, Viet Voices is hosting its inaugural one-day performance art festival, which features the works of fellows selected for the first AAPI Emerging Artist Fellowship, co-founded by Viet Voices and local artist and curator hamsa fae. the land we carry will take place at El Salon, a repurposed Catholic church in San Ysidro near the U.S.–Mexico border. A meditation on the intersections of diasporic memory, queerness, and spiritual inheritance, artists will express live and non-live performances that offer portals to worlds re-imagined–where the subconscious reveals truth for community activation. hamsa fae, who will also be offering a performance workshop during the festival that engages the audience in creative expression, shared some insight into what we can look forward to this upcoming weekend. 

francene rouelle writes pop songs like personal letters—vulnerable, emotionally layered, and steeped in reflection. Based in Austin and signed to indie Asian American label mhart, her work blends confessional songwriting with moody, stylized visuals that feel equal parts stage production and diary entry. With her upcoming sophomore release off the carousel, she delivers her most cohesive and self-assured statement yet: a body of work that lives at the intersection of heartbreak and healing.

Constance Tsang’s directorial feature debut is a collection of intimate, swaying close-ups and static, long uninterrupted shots which together paint a tender picture of the Chinese migrant community in Flushing, Queens. The world is big, but this community is tight-knit. Blue Sun Palace follows Didi (Xu Haipeng) and Amy (Wu Ke-Xi) who both work at the same massage parlor.

Festivals like the Pacific Arts Movement’s San Diego Asian Film Festival offer a beautiful space that connects local audiences with minority-created independent films. With the space to create stories that challenge the typical box office narratives, they present an opportunity to share narratives that minority audiences resonate deeply with. In our generation, young creatives are challenging stereotypes by aiming for authenticity and creating work that sparks dialogue and pushes us to understand different experiences, with stories of celebration, adversity, and more. Many of these young filmmakers are exploring complex themes, niche narratives, and novel techniques that push the cutting edge.