By: Kyrie Sismaet By: Kyrie Sismaet | October 11, 2022 | People, Restaurants, Culture, Celebrity, Interviews, Awards, Television, Movies, Entertainment, Local, Community, Creators,
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Film director, writer, musician, award-winner, H.P. Mendoza is undoubtedly a visionary powerhouse. And a local one at that! Hailing right from San Francisco, the 45 year-old luminary is renowned globally for masterful work in his essential local films like Fruit Fly (2010), I Am a Ghost (2012), and Bitter Melon (2018), many of which critically center on themes of queerness, cultural identity, and sense of place, often with sardonic, yet tender reflections.
Such authentic ideas generate from his own upbringing as a gay Filipino American, particularly with how his intersectional identity interplays with healing generational trauma, navigating familial prejudices, and fostering kind personal acceptance and growth.
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Using cinema as his critical lens to expose, examine, and potentially ameliorate typically unspoken toxic behaviors, his creative prolific works have effortlessly garnered him multiple awards, such as his most recent Stubbornly Independent Award for his newest film, Attack, Decay, Release, at the Tallgrass Film Festival.
We had the immense pleasure of talking with legendary icon H.P. himself and discussing his poignant impact on both the Filipino and queer communities, his view on proper Hollywood representations, and of course, his favorite local SF Bay Area spots.
See also: 5 Filipino-American Movies Set In The SF Bay Area If You Liked Jo Koy's "Easter Sunday"
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Hi H.P., thank you so much for taking the time to chat today! OK first things first, I have to know: what are some of your favorite Filipino eateries or businesses in the Bay Area?
Pampanguena Cuisine is awesome and it's in my old neighborhood, but now that I'm in the Mission? I'd say that Irma's Pampanga is the neighborhood mainstay for me, especially since none of the newer Filipino restaurants want to do dinuguan.
Love all of those too! Do you have any favorite hangout spots?
There's a good cross-cultural mix that I can create by asking folks to join me for a Tosilog burrito at Señor Sisig.
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Now, as a queer Filipino filmmaker, much of your work centers on showcasing the intersections the diasporic Filipino identity has with queerness, intergenerational trauma, feminism, etc. Why do you feel that accurately representing these narratives is vital, particularly with exposing and hopefully ameliorating toxic behaviors?
It's tricky because I think I'm often too Filipino for gays and too gay for Filipinos, and too dorky for Gay Filipinos - so I'm just outside of all of my identities. I don't feel the need to make "respectability media" that either aims to show America that we're"just like them" nor do I want to make media that encapsulates "my people" as a whole, whether it's Filipino people or queer folk. That's why I'll always satirize the misogyny, transphobia and racism in gay culture as well as the toxic masculinity in Filipino culture.
We ALL talk about it amongst ourselves, like ALL the time. And being "just outside" of each of my identities allows me to explore my stories with nuance, so when people tell me that my execution is problematic I just remind them that there are like HELLA streaming services where they can find thousands of other pieces that suit their narrative far better than mine.
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A comedic conversation between mother and son from Bitter Melon (2018) set in the Mission District.
Acknowledging the fraught history Hollywood has with Asians and representation, how do you feel about the current proliferation of Asian Americans, particularly Filipinos, in mainstream media, with the recent Easter Sunday, Fabulous Filipino Brothers, Crazy Rich Asians, Bling Empire, etc.? What do you hope for Hollywood with this movement?
Say what you will about Crazy Rich Asians, if that movie inspired Ke Huy Quan to get back into acting, that's a win for us all. My hope is that movies like Easter Sunday and The Fabulous Filipino Brothers reminds Filipino people that we're not side characters in a white narrative. That there IS an existing landscape of Filipino-American cinema. And that they should support it with their dollars.
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Bitter Melon was inspired by your own familial experiences, particularly with seeing abusive situations involving women. Has there been a specific positive or emotional reaction/message from someone that you've received about any of your work that really impacted/reaffirmed to you that these are stories that need to be told?
Since we released theatrically in 2018, I've heard from so many Filipino and Filipino-American people of all genders and ages and orientations that the movie hit dangerously close to home for them, not just the darker elements but the comedy as well.
But just last week I was in Wichita, Kansas for the Tallgrass Film Festival and an audience member came up to me to tell me that back in 2018 he was in the audience for Bitter Melon and that it hit him so hard because he was in the exact same situation with his brother. This guy is not Filipino. And that meant something to me. Because me telling my stories and having them reach people outside of the obvious "target demographic" is the American experience I've been craving.
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Do you have any advice for LGBTQ+ Filipinx/Asian youth or artists on accepting their identity without losing their culture or family?
This is hardly a hot take, but I'm sure some folks will find this controversial and I'm like whatevs. You will have people tell you about how unapologetic you should be in your identity, and I agree. However, there are many ways to fight a battle and when people tell me "it's not your job to educate people" - I kinda bristle. Because...it's also not anyone's job to tell me what MY job is, you know?
As a storyteller, if I choose to reach across the aisle and educate, then that's my choice. Any older relative of mine whose second language is English and came here in the 60s might have trouble with pronouns or understanding the plight of any marginalized culture that might not be their own - am I supposed to sit there and say "well, if you don't know then I'm not going to teach you?" To me that just sounds like the bratty response of a well-tuitioned academe. Sometimes the amount of energy spent on expressing that sentiment is way more exhausting than just kindly explaining. So if you're really trying to navigate your multiple cultures and not lose family, my advice is this: defend yourself, but when you can...choose kindness.
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That is truly so vital. Thank you so much H.P., and we can't wait to see what you have in store for us viewers next!
You can stay up to date with H.P.'s happenings on his site's vlog.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Photography by:
