In making the feature film Bitterroot, filmmaker Vera Brunner-Sung and producers Kazua Melissa Vang and Yeej used an apprenticeship model to bring Hmong community into various aspects of production. Though Bitterroot was shot in Missoula, people from the Twin Cities Hmong community were featured both in front of and behind the camera. Curated by Vang and Yeej, this screening showcase features local Hmong artists, highlighting the different ways they are using film to tell their own stories.
This program is part of Free Thursday Nights. Admission is free from 5 to 9 pm, and special programming takes place throughout the museum.
Program
Dhoua, Bored, 2020, digital, 4 min.
Gao Yer Thao, Story of Thidamat Patterson, 2024, digital, 2 min.
Neng Thao, Nyuj Sib Nraus, 2023, digital, 9 min.
Gregory Yang and Kang Vang, Modern Shaman (Pilot), 2024, digital, 15 min.
Joua Lee Grande, Teb Chaw (Land), 2025, digital, 11 min.
May Lee-Yang and Peter Yang, Hmong Organization (Episodes 7 & 8), 2024, digital, 24 min.
Accessibility
For more information about accessibility, visit our Access page.
For questions on accessibility or to request additional accommodations, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
Bios
Dhoua is a youth storyteller who has been telling stories through claymation, video, and photography since she was 3 years old. Her stories are mainly about her family experiences. Currently, Dhoua is learning how to podcast so that she can have more ways to share her stories.
Neng Thao is a practitioner and scholar of Hmong musical surrogate languages. He is a Harvard graduate, a Fulbright scholar, and a continuing researcher in linguistics and musicology. His work has allowed him to travel to over 100 countries across the world, speak and hundreds of venues, and has earned him recognition such as a Blue Chair Film Festival grant, a DANG! grant, a Doodle4Google finalist award, and the Hmong National Development Community Impact Award. In addition to filmmaking, he is the owner of Gaur Antiques, dedicated to reclaiming and returning Hmong antiques to the Hmong community.
Gregory Yang is a Hmong American actor, writer, and producer. His roots are both in Minnesota and Florida, but he now resides in Los Angeles. As an actor, he has had the privilege to work with many great Minnesota theater companies such as Theater Mu, Park Square Theatre, Full Circle Theater Company, and more. As a narrative filmmaker, he strives to tell his films through a Hmong American perspective—to highlight our communities, our complexities, and to push the boundaries on what it means to be Hmong. He is currently prepping for his next project, Our Curse.
Kang Vang is a filmmaker who has worked in the media arts field for over 20 years as an artist, teacher, and community leader, focusing on issues that affect communities of color. Since the early 2000s, he has completed six feature length films, with themes of domestic abuse, gang violence, identity and cross-generational family problems, and the refugee experience along with others. His films have been shown all over the country, and have been used as educational tools in schools and universities. Kang is the founder and Director of Team Chow Fa Productions for the past 15 years.
Joua Lee Grande is a filmmaker and community connector who tells compelling stories highlighting under-heard perspectives and experiences. Her work has aired on WORLD Channel and PBS and has screened at festivals across the nation. Her short film On All Fronts received an Honorable Mention for the Loni Ding Award for Social Justice Documentary and was the opening episode of a series nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Her fellowships include PBS Accelerator for Diverse Voices, True/False Confluence, Jerome, Kartemquin Diverse Voices, and MediaJustice. For more than a decade, she has served as a community worker, organizer, and educator supporting historically marginalized communities. She is currently a Waterer and participates in various other community groups and initiatives.
Peter Yang is a St. Paul–based Hmong American writer and filmmaker. His work has been published in Paj Ntaub Voice and Bamboo Among the Oaks: Contemporary Writing by Hmong Americans (MN Historical Society Press). He’s cowritten the TV web series Hmong Organization as well as directed some episodes from the series. His work has been supported by grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. He is currently working on a play about the friendship between four Hmong men.
Before Your Visit
Paid underground parking is available on-site. Enter the ramp on Vineland Place at Bryant Avenue. Biking or taking Metro Transit? Learn more.
Visiting the galleries? Enhance your experience by joining a public tour or with self-guided resources accessible for free on Bloomberg Connects.
Personal photography is permitted throughout the Walker and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, but please turn off the flash when visiting the galleries.
To help us promote future events and programs, this event may be photographed or recorded. By attending, you consent to appear in this documentation and its future use by the museum. Please let staff know upon arrival if you prefer not to be photographed.
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