A Conversation with Filmmaker Alexander Bocchieri

Mixed Asian Media - August 12, 2022

By Erica Ito

Alexander Bocchieri is a narrative and documentary filmmaker with a passion for telling the unique stories of Hawai’i. His first directorial feature, Go For Broke (2018), told the story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Now he’s part of the coveted Disney Launchpad program. I was lucky enough to sit down for a video chat with Alex amidst pre-production work on his upcoming Disney+ short film. Read on for a small segment of what ended up being a very long and special conversation on filmmaking, combating brain drain, and owning your heritage.

Hi Alex, nice to meet you! I have to ask, did you grow up in Hawai’i? 

So, I didn't. I was born in the Bay Area, and I grew up in the Bay Area until I was 17, and then moved to Hawai’i. I've lived there half my life at this point. My mother was born in Hawai’i. Growing up, we'd visit Hawai’i and my mom's family.

This is a personal question just for me. When your family moved, did you move to the East Side of O’ahu? I noticed a lot of your work is set on the East Side.

It is! Yeah, we live in Maunawili.

Oh, great! I grew up in Olomana. 

Oh my god, OK, literally the neighborhood over!

I was watching your short film No More Aloha, and I was like, “This is crazy because that’s literally my street.”

What's even crazier about that is how much Kailua has changed. I made that film in 2009 or 2010. It's so different over there now. Like they planted trees all in the middle of those roads. And then even when we filmed, like along the marsh and stuff, it's just completely been redone. So you go to those spots now and they look completely different. Kinda interesting, like a little time capsule in a way.

So what was your pathway into filmmaking?

I studied Creative Media at University of Hawai’i. Before that I wasn't sure I wanted to. It was actually my family who was like, “You spend all your time making videos. Why don't you just do that?”

How would you define the role, or the kuleana, of a director?

You know, with documentary, it's almost easier to define because you've got the burden of truth on you. By definition, documentaries are journalistic. So you are directing in that you're setting up situations, but really, it's when you edit it and you put it together that you're directing what the movie ends up being, right?

Directing a documentary involves a lot of listening, a lot of being able to roll with the punches and being able to quickly adjust, and then being open to looking at all the material afterward and seeing a movie within hours and hours of footage. It's fun, but in a way, the limitations of having to tell a true story make it almost easier, at least for me. 

Whereas directing narrative film, you're the end of the line for all the questions that come up. Your responsibility is to be that singular voice, so that all these different departments and artists and actors and performers that are working on the movie contribute to something that ends up being consistent. You know, one consistent piece of art.

My film Go For Broke from a couple years ago is a narrative film that is fiction, but based on real, lived experiences. And on set, the costume designer, production designer, props person and then some — they can't also be responsible for making sure it's true to the history. So that also ends up being my job as a director.

I'm gonna use that also as a segue to ask you more about Go For Broke, which was a film about the creation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team — the most decorated infantry in United States History, composed almost completely of Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans) who fought during World War II. The premiere was a total rave on O’ahu, perhaps because everybody on O’ahu participated in its creation. Even my dad was an extra on the set! He's not an actor at all, but he was so excited to be a part of telling this story. Do you remember when you first learned about the 442nd? 

Yeah, I learned about it through just looking at Senator Inouye’s background, the first senator from Hawai’i who ended up being the longest running senator in all of Congress by the time he passed away. He's also a medal of honor recipient who very famously fought with the 442nd overseas. I was like a teenager when I first heard the story, and I always thought it was really interesting. Then I was working on a documentary right out of college, and one of the producers was working on trying to get Go For Broke made. She was like, “If you're interested, do you wanna help me interview these veterans?”

Is this Stacey? 

Yeah, this is Stacy Hayashi. She wrote the script, and she had written like a little comic book for kids about the 442nd. So I got to know a bunch of the veterans who are represented in the film. Ted Tsukiyama was one of the main characters, and I drove him around and brought him to, like, the Pearl Harbor 75th anniversary. When it came time, Stacey said, “Well, you know the story as well as anyone. Why don't you direct it?” I was young, you know? I was like 26, and I'd only done short films at that point. It was a life changing experience. For me, wanting to give back to Hawai’i and the community that really embraced me, I felt like this was a great way to do it.

I just remember Go For Broke being such a victory for the community of artists and filmmakers in Hawai’i. It showed how we can tell the stories of the islands here in the islands. And now you’re a part of Disney's Launchpad program!

Yeah! I'm so grateful, and honestly it still doesn't feel quite real that I'm a part of this program. It's essentially like an incubator for talent for Disney+. I've since learned that there were like almost 2,000 or something applicants. I just applied as a director, and I was able to submit my short film, The Pit Where We Were Born, as a sample, and they loved it, and I was chosen.

I'm so grateful to be working with this writer, Adam Parker, who is an affiliated tribe member from the Northern Cheyenne Indian reservation. He's got a very different lived experience from mine, but Disney paired us together and said, “Adam, you write the movie. Alex, you direct the movie, and we will help you.”

Does Disney pay to put you up in L.A. while you're working in the program? 

They do. They relocated me out here for the duration of the program, but I told them when it's done, I'm going home. I'm not gonna be in L.A. I have no desire to live out here and try to work my way up through whatever ranks exist. I'm happy where I am, and I'll keep creating films and making films regardless of what happens next in Hawai’i. 

You have to do what you have to do to survive, but I feel like we can make movies in Hawai’i and make a life for ourselves there. You don't have to leave. And if you do have to leave to educate yourself, please go do that and reach that point of success where you can come back. The plan should always be to come back. Because brain drain is real, you know? It's very real.

As an actor who dreams of moving back home to Hawai’i, you’re gonna make me cry.

Oh, by the way, did you need to know about my background at all? Like ethnically?

Since this is a safe space where we can kind of ask each other those questions, I’d love to know.

Yeah! It wasn't trick. So my mom's from Hawai’i — all mixed, Filipino, Hawaiian, and a million other things. And my dad's Italian. So I've always been, like, super ambiguous. Having Hawaiian ancestry and acknowledging that has become very important to me. I don't have a Hawaiian name, I don't speak the language, and I don't enter a space and have people look at me in that certain way. So for me to claim my Hawaiian ancestry comes with a commitment to live the values of this place and to express those values in how I walk on this planet and the decisions I make for my life.

I think it's something that as a mixed person, you do have to do. You have to acknowledge there's a certain amount of privilege that comes from being mixed and choose to be someone who embraces that responsibility. I feel just so blessed that my community in Hawai’i really did embrace me. And I feel more connected to the people in that place than anywhere else. So yeah, it's an easy promise to make to my ancestors and those that come before me. I feel like it’s part of my purpose, and it's very fulfilling.

I don't have any Hawaiian blood, but I think that’s a relatable experience for a lot of people who are mixed. At a certain point in your life, you have to make that decision of owning your heritage, while knowing not everyone has the privilege to decide. To say, “Hey, this is my community. I'm gonna do what I can to help preserve this community and help it grow.”

Totally. I encourage anyone who has Native Hawaiian ancestry to make that commitment and not feel ashamed. Just know that if you do say it, you now have responsibility to live it. We are weaker as a community if we exclude those who wanna help the community. If we exclude those people, then the colonizers win. They accomplished what they wanted, which was to divide.

Period. One final question, do you have any advice for young filmmakers?

So, I was a lecturer at University of Hawai'i as well for a couple semesters, doing an introduction to filmmaking class. One thing I would always remind people is that it’s truly the easiest time to make a movie in terms of access to equipment and the technology. Like, if you've got an idea, you can do it. 

But I think a lot of young filmmakers make this mistake: they see a movie that they love and they say, “I wanna do something like that.” They try to emulate that. I think the key is to ask yourself, “What is some unique thing that I have in my life?” and make that the foundation. What is something that I have that nobody else has? And I don't mean that emotionally. I mean that literally. Let's say my uncle, he builds custom trucks, and he completely modded out this F150 and it now, like, drags on the ground it's so low. OK, you're the only one in the world that has that. Make your movie around that. And the story, the plot, the characters, the emotions can be, you know, whatever's true to you. You can steal it from your favorite movies, whatever. But if you center the plot around that, I guarantee you, no one else will have seen it before, and you get a ton of free production value.

Wow, I feel like I just got a masterclass in filmmaking. Thank you, Alex. I can't wait to see your Disney Launchpad short!

Born and raised on the east side of O’ahu, Erica learned about improv comedy in 7th grade, and has been a public menace ever since. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan and can be found yelling about coming of age love stories, pop culture, and mythology with her genius co-host/best friend on their podcast Seaweed Brain. Check it out @SeaweedBrainPodcast. www.ericaito.com