I'm so honored to be featured/interviewed in SAN FRANCISCO Magazine for the month of October which is the intersection of #FilipinoAmericanHistoryMonth and #LGBTHistoryMonth. It me!!!
From Kyrie Sismaet:
Film director, writer, musician, award-winner, H.P. Mendoza is undoubtedly a visionary powerhouse. And a local one at that! Hailing right from San Francisco, the 45 year-old luminary is renowned globally for masterful work in his essential local films like Fruit Fly (2010), I Am a Ghost (2012), and Bitter Melon (2018), many of which critically center on themes of queerness, cultural identity, and sense of place, often with sardonic, yet tender reflections.
Such authentic ideas generate from his own upbringing as a gay Filipino American, particularly with how his intersectional identity interplays with healing generational trauma, navigating familial prejudices, and fostering kind personal acceptance and growth.
Using cinema as his critical lens to expose, examine, and potentially ameliorate typically unspoken toxic behaviors, his creative prolific works have effortlessly garnered him multiple awards, such as his most recent Stubbornly Independent Award for his newest film, Attack, Decay, Release, at the Tallgrass Film Festival.
We had the immense pleasure of talking with legendary icon H.P. himself and discussing his poignant impact on both the Filipino and queer communities, his view on proper Hollywood representations, and of course, his favorite local SF Bay Area spots.