Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival Goes Virtual, Sense Of Community More Essential Than Ever

DENVER (CBS4)- The sixth annual Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival has gone virtual but the sense of community it helps to create has never been more essential. Viewers can get a festival pass to watch more than a dozen films exploring stories from the U.S. and abroad at a time when concerns about anti-Asian sentiment are growing across the country.

"This year we are boldly highlighting the amazing accomplishments that come out our Asian and AAPI community in Colorado and around the world," said Sara Moore, the executive director of Colorado Dragon Boat, the nonprofit that oversees the film festival.

The festival usually takes place at the Sie Film Center on Colfax but Denver Film has created an experience that mirrors a streaming service where festival pass holders can start, stop, and remind films all weekend. Organizers also chose one film to open the festival and another just to view on closing night. Conversations that would have taken place in person at the theater have been recreated in a virtual setting. Moore says the online audience should be prepared for those same deep discussions on a variety of themes from this year's selection.

"We need to have represent-ASIAN in the media," Moore said about the issues facing AAPIs. "In front of us, as a community, to uplift the communities that have been too often unheard."

Hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are on the rise nationally according to the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernadino. While overall the trend is down seven percent in 2020 nationally, for this community is up 149%. There were three cases in Denver last year specifically, compared to zero cases reported in 2019.

"I think one of the main reasons it holds a special place in my heart is we have so many refugees here in Colorado," Moore said about one selection. "It's such a unique experience to immerse ourselves in and try and understand."

"Mu and the Vanishing World" is just one a few Moore highly recommends from the selections available online. After you view that film, you can hear a discussion about refugees in Colorado. The theme this year for the film festival is "RepresentASIAN" and each film highlight the various stories from this community. "The Celine Archive" explores a murder mystery of a woman who may have been buried alive by her community of Filipino Americans. Moore also appreciated "Far East Deep South," which connects the dots for families with a long history in the U.S. and the impact the Chinese Exclusion Act had on their lives.

"We're hoping to just let everybody hear our stories and learn from them," she said.

Last year would have been the 20th anniversary of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, which is the other major event the nonprofit hosts locally. It can draw 150,000 over a weekend at Sloan's Lake Park but had to become virtual in 2020. Moore says they are hoping to have some sort of in-person gathering in September this year instead of their usual July gathering. Beyond the two events, Moore hopes people will tap into the resources available to help improve visibility for Asian Americans in Colorado.

A festival pass will give you access to 13 films for the weekend including one screened exclusively on closing night.

LINKS: Festival Pass for Colorado Dragon Boat Film Festival | Asian Pacific Development Center | Asian Chamber of Commerce