CENTERPIECE: BITTERROOT

Vera Brunner-Sung’s second feature, after 2014’s Bella Vista, stars a predominantly Hmong cast and crew and offers a rare glimpse into Missoula’s Hmong community against the breathtaking backdrop of Montana’s vast landscapes. Lue (Wa Yang) is a recent divorcee caretaking for his aging mother, a refugee from Laos, while helping her harvest and sell mushrooms from their family farm. His mother’s incisive critiques are quiet but pack an emotional punch, and without an emotional outlet, he copes by singing dramatic ‘80s power ballads at karaoke. Lue’s sister May is played by NBC Bay Area news anchor/reporter, Gia Vang.

The community-supported film features both Hmong and English dialogue and was inspired by Yeej, the film’s Hmong American film producer who’d grown up in Missoula and yearned for a second-generation story like his onscreen.

Bitterroot premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and this Centerpiece Narrative presentation is the Bay Area premiere.

Preceded By

WHY MY DAD LOVES

Directed by Nkaujoua Xiona

A daughter explores her father’s experiences – before he left his homeland of Laos and after – and how they shape his understanding of love.