Read synopses (and check out clips) of many of the films & videos
that have come through the Media Lab in the past 15 years
a.k.a. Don Bonus (1995, 55 mins.) Cambodian-born Sokly "Don Bonus" Ny struggles to graduate from high school and survive the realities of San Francisco's housing projects. Don shares these experiences, his personal feelings, and his hopes as the year progresses. Ultimately, the film becomes a story of triumph and survival from the perspective of one of America's newest arrivals.
Express Lane (1996, 13 mins) An adrenaline-laced and technically dynamic thriller centered around a chase through urban San Francisco.
Freedom on the Block? (2004, 6 mins) Members of the Tenderloin community share their views on what it means to be free. (Commissioned by the Japanese American National Museum).
Get Off Your Koot! (1996, 14 mins) A complex story of money, friendship, and ambition that shows how breakdancing is alive and kicking.
Homegirls Can Have Fun Too! (1992, 10 mins) Two sisters defy their old-fashioned father for a day at the mall... Will their cover be blown?
Just Deal Wit' It (1996, 13 mins) This dramatic story revolves around a mysterious death and interweaves tales of family, work, and personal crisis.
Kelly Loves Tony (1998, 57 mins) Oakland, California... She's a straight-A student with dreams of college, he's trying to leave gang life behind. Together this young Mien couple creates a video diary of their struggles with parenthood, jobs, school, family, and the law.
The Lost Doll (1992, 6 mins) A view of the Tenderloin you've surely never seen-from the eyes of a discarded doll...
Point... We're Not Aliens (1993, 14 mins) A multi-genre piece that takes on Asian stereotypes while showing the true lives of Asian American youths.
Private (1992, 7 mins) A young man dreams of escaping his overbearing girlfriend by joining the Army... But which is the real nightmare?
Punk (1992, 7 mins) In this video/animation piece a young man comes to terms with his inner demons. (Don Bonus' first video)
Refugee (2002, 60 mins) For Mike Siv, the trip begins innocently enough... "Me and my homies, David and Paul, we're going to Cambodia. We'll see the sights, visit family, have some fun." But a simple reunion becomes a journey of self-discovery, maturation and acceptance, against a backdrop of war, broken families, and long separation.
School Daze (excerpt) (1999, 6 mins) A sobering portrait of the lives of two recent high school dropouts. (Commissioned by the San Francisco Unified School District)
The Seven of Us (1996, 11 mins) A documentary of a day (and night) in the life of the director and her six fun-seeking girlfriends.
Table for Thu (1994, 6 mins) A behind-the-scenes documentary look at a Vietnamese coffee shop in the Tenderloin.
The Tenderloin, Just Another 'hood? (1994, 6 mins) An investigation of truancy in the Tenderloin.
TL Style (2000, 11 mins) Sophal and David hit the streets of the TL (Tenderloin) to find what styles are poppin' in the new millennium.
TL Xmas (2000, 20 mins) What does Christmas mean in the Tenderloin? Is it any more than toy giveaways and a handful of Santa suits?
Who I Became (2003, 20 mins) This documentary follows Ponnleou Chea, a 21 year old Cambodian American man facing impending fatherhood, deportation, and the pull of street life. (Featured as part of the nationally broadcast PBS series Matters of Race).
