2008 Woodie Awards
Hip-hop love is in the air
Tamara Hahn
Issue date: 5/27/08 Section: Features
Quiet laughter, whispers from the peanut gallery and a Q & A session with film director Joe Doughrity were the order of the day when close to 60 students packed into Forum 1 to watch the romantic comedy short "Akira's Hip Hop Shop."
De Anza College student Nathalie Hyland, the driving force behind the screening, discovered this independent film about the romance between a Japanese record store owner and a black culinary student while doing research online.
"[The] movie goes beyond the love story," said Hyland, who thought the film would be a great opportunity for students to discuss interracial communication.
Terell Sterling, a De Anza student in the audience, said he was happy to see that in today's society, dating patterns have become more diverse.
The students in attendance, some of whom had been offered extra credit by teachers from the social sciences and art departments, chuckled at the comedic bits peppered throughout the film, such as a scene where Akira, the record store owner, bursts out about how his friend Natto "smells like ass."
Also, the love-making scene, which Hyland said was too steamy for her, earned some animated whispers from the back seats.
Alex Lin, vice president of student rights and campus relations, said he had rarely seen movies about interracial dating between blacks and Asians. Doughrity believes that this is due to the idea that investors have little knowledge about the market for such films. "They're not sure who the audience is," he said.
Lin liked the fact that there was a film that touched on the topic because "it raises discussion."
Discussion, Doughrity said, is what he is looking for.
"I'm not looking for a [politically correct] reaction," he said. "I want to know why these stereotypes exist."
On the film's YouTube trailer, reactions "run the gambit" from applause to open racism, he said. However, Doughrity thinks that younger audiences are more aware and less surprised by interracial dating.
De Anza College student Nathalie Hyland, the driving force behind the screening, discovered this independent film about the romance between a Japanese record store owner and a black culinary student while doing research online.
"[The] movie goes beyond the love story," said Hyland, who thought the film would be a great opportunity for students to discuss interracial communication.
Terell Sterling, a De Anza student in the audience, said he was happy to see that in today's society, dating patterns have become more diverse.
The students in attendance, some of whom had been offered extra credit by teachers from the social sciences and art departments, chuckled at the comedic bits peppered throughout the film, such as a scene where Akira, the record store owner, bursts out about how his friend Natto "smells like ass."
Also, the love-making scene, which Hyland said was too steamy for her, earned some animated whispers from the back seats.
Alex Lin, vice president of student rights and campus relations, said he had rarely seen movies about interracial dating between blacks and Asians. Doughrity believes that this is due to the idea that investors have little knowledge about the market for such films. "They're not sure who the audience is," he said.
Lin liked the fact that there was a film that touched on the topic because "it raises discussion."
Discussion, Doughrity said, is what he is looking for.
"I'm not looking for a [politically correct] reaction," he said. "I want to know why these stereotypes exist."
On the film's YouTube trailer, reactions "run the gambit" from applause to open racism, he said. However, Doughrity thinks that younger audiences are more aware and less surprised by interracial dating.
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