A Rare Showing

Last night, an independent filmmaker treated our little town to a showing of his award-winning thesis movie, Doki-Doki, along with approximately twenty minutes of his award-winning upcoming feature, August Evening. The filmmaker, Chris Eska, grew up near my hometown and is the brother of my good friend from high school.

When we were growing up, Chris excelled in math classes and math competitions, so it surprised me when I learned that he was heading to UCLA Film School. But the same focus that he formerly dedicated to math has now spilled over into his movies, which he writes, directs, and edits.

His unique movies tell cultural stories about love and family. The stories are so compelling that the subtitles aren't a necessity but rather aid the audience in grasping some of the subtleties, like portions of the humor in Doki-Doki.

Chris showed the movies as part of a fundraiser for the community's learning center. And based on the well-attended showings, the community is clamoring for more cultural events like this one. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing the full-length version of August Evening in theaters this spring.