A Conversation with Linda Mai Green
Photo credit: Nicole Ho
Introduce yourself to our readers! Also feel free to include any website and social media links you’d like included.
Hello! I’m a filmmaker based in San Francisco. I write, direct, produce, and edit film, and may occasionally do some production design or art department stuff. You can check out my work at www.lindamaigreen.com
What inspired you to get into filmmaking?
To me, film is one of the most accessible art forms around. Making a film requires collaboration and knowledge and imagination from so many fields, and I love interdisciplinary puzzles, so here I am.
What projects are you proudest of?
In the leadup to the 2020 election, I had the honor of directing a “Get out the Vote” video aimed at Vietnamese Americans. It starred musician Thao Nguyen, who wore a glitzy traditional ao dai, as she performed a Vietnamese-English bilingual song urging viewers to vote. Set to a nostalgic cha-cha-cha, the video referenced Paris by Night, a colorful variety show that many Vietnamese diaspora families watched on VHS tapes.
The response was overwhelming. Tens of thousands of people watched the video, and fellow Vietnamese Americans told me they felt seen and heard in a way they hadn’t before–from the 90s-era maximalism to the karaoke-like subtitles. By celebrating the immigrant/refugee experience, I saw firsthand the power of representation on screen, and the power of storytelling to help people feel a sense of belonging in America and the electoral process.
What are some challenging parts of your work?
Filmmaking is an endurance sport, and there are times where I am exhausted and want to give up. The rewards, however, are amazing!
How do you feel your cultural heritage influences your work?
As a biracial Vietnamese/Jewish American, I’ve often felt like an outsider. This has allowed me to play the observer in a lot of social situations, which leads to a lot of questions about why things are the way they are. I ask a lot of questions that start with “what if,” which is a great base for storytelling.
What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers?
Be curious, follow your gut, and be open to things not looking exactly as you planned but magical nonetheless.
As an Overachiever, it can be difficult to allow yourself - or even remember - to make time to relax. How do you take care of yourself?
I make time for exercise outdoors (and indoors) and make sure to allow myself to read and watch for pure joy and not only work.
What’s next for you?
In addition to planning a low-budget music video with friends, I’m currently developing a feature thriller about a Chinese American woman in 19th-century California, and a supernatural short about an Asian American painter struggling to overcome trauma who is visited by an ancestral deity/influencer.
Finally, we ask this question of every interviewee: what do you think the biggest problem facing Asian women and non-binary people today is?
Not being seen as full, nuanced human beings.