This week David talks with writer and director, Soma Helmi, about the differences in the entertainment and film industries within Indonesia and the United States, why she was drawn to the story-shaping abilities of directing, finding peace with her mixed identity, and the powerful future of Indonesian and Indonesian American stories in Hollywood.
Podcast Show Notes
Guest Title: Soma Helmi
Recording Date: 29-07-2021
Episode Title: Expanding the Asian Diaspora w/ Soma Helmi
Topics Discussed:
Topic 1 - Upbringing in Bali
Topic 2 - Transitioning to different careers
Topic 3 - The story-shaping ability of directing
Topic 4 - Sustaining creativity during a pandemic
Topic 5 - The power of community and coming together
Topic 6 - First small production with Yoshi Sudarso and Miki Ishikawa
Topic 7 - Film industry in Indonesia vs. Los Angeles
Topic 8 - Power and universality of multicultural storytelling
Topic 9 - Being mixed race in Bali and feelings of being “othered”
Topic 10 - Finding peace with her mixed identity
Topic 11 - Indonesian stories in Western media
Topic 12 - The Weekend
Topic 13 - Southeast representation in the entertainment industry
Topic 14 - Closing thoughts
Mentioned Notes:
Future Women of TV of 2020
Yoshi Sudarso
Miki Ishikawa
Ryu Minami
Eat, Pray, Love (Film)
The Weekend Seed & Spark Campaign - www.theweekendshort.com
Links:
Handles:
Soma’s Instagram -
https://www.instagram.com/somahelmi/
Soma’s Twitter -
Soma’s Website -
David's Instagram -
https://www.instagram.com/davidmoriya/
SAL Links:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/strongasianlead_ /
Crowdfunding - https://strongasianlead.com/crowdfunding
SAL’s Feature in Feedspot’s Top 20 Asian Film Podcasts - https://blog.feedspot.com/asian_movies_podcasts/
SAL Podcast Team:
Project Manager - Sanjana DeSilva (www.theangryelephantproductions.com)
Podcast Producer - Kenna Tanouye (Connect with her on LinkedIn)
Episode Transcript: Transcript of the episode’s audio.
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