HKIFF Directors Series: Evan Jackson Leong
Evan Jackson Leong was already an award-winning documentarian and filmmaker when he began following Asian-American basketballer Jeremy Lin’s playing career at Harvard University. Fast forward to 2013: Lin is a household name after a breakout season in the NBA, and the film “Linsanity” has played Sundance and the HKIFF, slated for release later this year. Christopher Mellen sat down with Leong to discuss the documentary, its subject and his roots.
HK Magazine: What made you start following Jeremy Lin at Harvard?
EJ Leong: Well, I’ve known a lot of Asian-American role models and celebrities that made the news, and I’ve always been interested in any Asian-American anything. What he was doing at Harvard was making waves that we were hearing across the country in California. Here’s this kid. He’s winning games. He’s breaking records. He’s dunking.
HK: Hold on. He was dunking?
EJL: He’s tall. He’s was like 6’2” or 6’3” at that point. It wasn’t like he was dunking in the contest—he was dunking in the games. I was like, “wow, that’s cool,” you know? When you grow up, you have all these other role models. I’ve played basketball my whole life, and I’ve really never actually seen an Asian guy dominate against these other African-American and white players in the Ivy League. What he was doing and the way he was playing was so exciting and fascinating. At that point there was potential for him to get into the NBA. That story in itself was going to make a great documentary. He went that far and proved everyone wrong and won the State championship at his school.
HK: You are Chinese-American, and I’m wondering if you’ve ever faced some of the cultural scrutiny that Lin did from the Asian press when he became a star. Do you identify yourself as Chinese?
EJL: That’s a totally valid question. I don’t really consider myself American, because when I am in America people still ask me, “where are you from?” San Francisco. “Where were you born?” San Francisco. “Well, where are your parents from?” San Francisco!
HK: It’s because you don’t look [American]?
EJL: That’s the thing, right? The shell and the appearance are so important. In 1997, I did this year-long internship called “In Search of Roots,” where you learn about Chinese-American culture and history. Through this process you do all the genealogy research, and discover how your family roots got to America. In the summertime, at the peak of this project, you go back to your village in China. It was definitely a huge eye opening experience because I had this idea that I was American, but then I realized that white people don’t look at me the same way. I come [to Hong Kong] and I’m like, “I’m with my people,” and all that. And then you realize you don’t speak Cantonese. I’m like a foot taller than everyone in that village I went to. I’m totally different. I have totally different dreams and desires. Maybe we have one or two similarities in our faces, but we’re so very different.
HK: Was it hard to identify both sides of your roots?
EJL: No, no. Obviously there is a connection for me with both, but at the same time I came to the realization that I am Chinese-American. And that’s its own thing. Asian-American is its own thing. The thing about Asian-Americans is that it’s still a very new thing. It has really not existed for the last fifty years.
HK: What audience are you targeting with this documentary? Is it Asian-Americans?
EJL: Obviously the Asian-American audience is one that’s there; it’s the choir. But I feel like [Jeremy’s] story is so universal and so relatable that it transcends race. It goes beyond that. It’s an underdog story. If he was African-American, if he was white, then it would still be a story that anyone can connect with.