Filmmaker Corinne Manabat creates visual poetry with Excuse my Gangsta Ways

March 25, 1:58 AMLA Asian American Movie ExaminerEd Moy

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In Excuse My Gangsta Ways, filmmaker Corinne Manabat creates a "visually poetic" documentary portrait of Davina Wan, a 25-year-old, Chinese American woman, who was a former gang member from the 1990s Lower East Side. Through interviews with Wan's grandmother and godfather, Manabat explores the life of the person Wan was and the person Wan has become today.

What inspired you to make Excuse My Gangsta Ways?

I was looking to do a documentary portrait on a native New Yorker (since I'm a native New Yorker myself), and it being my first directed film, I wanted it to be intimate. Two main criteria that came to mind were to portray someone who defied the Asian stereotype that I constantly see in mainstream media and also who represented more of the strong unconventional women that surrounded my own life, Davina, being one of those women. Davina Wan is a good friend of mine whom I've always admired and felt inspired by her life story, and it only came natural to do my first documentary on her.

Corinne Manabat on location

You describe the film as being "visually poetic." Tell us about how you developed the story and your cinematic style.

From interviewing Davina and what she has told me about her life, I knew that it was very personal, raw, and emotional. I wanted to avoid the common method of documentary verite style, and wanted to give the audience a visual emotion of what she, her godfather, and grandmother were telling me in their interviews. I wanted the viewer to feel like they were watching a hybrid of documentary and a narrative. The simple fact that most of the story already happened in the past, I had to think of innovative ways to portray that (most of the shots I took were on the fly when I'd be on a location) because I refused to do re-enactments, which is totally not my style. The still simple shots were to show that contrast of the raw grittiness of New York City but shown in a beautiful way to represent Davina's internal and external struggle of her past, her memory, and her growth/change. The  selected shots of New York City were areas where she used to hang out at when she was in a gang. In a way I was also avoiding to have the film look like a typical gang film. Also the shots of the tattoo were intended to be closeup and you hear the sounds of the needle because the tattoo to me represented one of the themes:  from pain, something can be beautiful, and can symbolize Davina's growth as a person, but also to defy the stigma that getting a tattoo is a bad thing (once again trying to defy a preconception just like how people in a gang are bad people).

As a TWN Workshop production and part of the Call for Change Series, what kind of support did your receive for the film?
 
Third World Newsreel is an amazing media organization (www.twn.org) that supported me throughout the making of this film. The story idea and the pre production first came out of the production workshop I was in, and then evolved in which they picked up my film for distribution. Their mentorship and encouragement really helped me become a better filmmaker and am so grateful to be involved with them. The organization continues to run by its many grants by funders, and by a domino effect, since my film was part of their TWN workshop produciton, my film had the support of their funders such as NYSCA, the Ford Foundation, etc.

Tell us about your relationship with Davina Wan.  How did you two meet?

It all started in upstate New York at my undergrad college in 2000, where Davina and I became friends. From there, we clicked instantly sharing our city stories, love of hip hop culture, music, poetry, and our pride of always "keeping it real" and being atypical Asian American women. I've known her for over 8 years now, and making this film together has made our friendship stronger.

Davina Wan riding the train

 Was it difficult getting Davina to open up her life on camera?

In general it usually takes a while for anyone to open up in front of a camera. I tested things out by having pre recordings of us in conversation while I put a camera on her in the room just so she would get used to it. I think after the 3rd time, she didn't even notice it.

Did her family approve of the project?  What kind of support did they offer?

Her grandmother and godfather were so gracious to participate in the film, but her mother and father on the other hand were too shy and did not want to be interviewed, but were willing to give archival pics.

What challenges did you face during production?

Some challenges I faced during production were: schlepping heavy camera and sound equipment in the busy streets and subways of New York City because I was trying to cut costs. On average I was either by myself or with one or two other crew members. During rush hour, no one would help you carry equipment up the stairs when the elevators didn't work. Shooting outside in cold weather by the water was not always fun. I was living on Staten Island at the time which is about a two hour public transportation commute into Manhattan (so total of four hours of traveling time back and forth), and I shot most of the film in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Due to the long commute, there were many nights where I had to sleep on friends' couches and store equipment at their apartments. Besides making this film, I was also crewing on three other short documentaries at the same time, so scheduling and time management were key. One of the shorts I was helping out on during that time happened to also be in the SFIAAFF as well, "Parallel Adele."

Did you encounter any problems with gangs as a youth?

I did not encounter any problems with gangs as a youth, but I probably would have joined a gang if there was one in my neighborhood when I was young.

What message do you hope audiences will take away from watching the film?

If they had preconceived notions of people in gangs, I'd hope that it has changed. I hope that any thoughts of the model minority stereotype has also changed. I hope that audiences got to feel the emotions, and feel inspired by Davina's story, and to think about their own lives. We all are human and make mistakes in our lives. There is a cause and an effect in everything. From struggle, beautiful things come out of it, and that this film is proof that you can make something positive out of something negative in one’s life.

What's next for you?

I am currently in the research & development phase for an experimental video project about her grandfather, a former labor union organizer in the Philippines and WWII veteran and is in post production for a documentary short, "Lupita" (working title) about a NYC street performer who dances with mannequins.

Is there any advice you'd like to share with aspiring filmmakers?

Despite what some people around you might say, if you love what you do, and that love is filmmaking, continue to do it. It will be hard, and there will be ups and downs, but the support and encouragement from fellow filmmakers, family, friends, and colleagues will help you along the way. Try to meet other filmmakers and colleagues because I'm pretty sure they understand what you're going through and plus, you never know what opportunities that may arise. Just stay positive and always follow your gut. Be assertive, focus, and good luck!

For more about the film, please visit:  www.myspace.com/gangstawaysfilm

Excuse My Gangsta Ways Trailer from Corinne Manabat on Vimeo.