This week we welcome Hsuan Yu Pan, a Taiwanese American documentary filmmaker whose work explores themes of immigration, cultural memory, and identity through intimate, character-driven stories. Based in New York City, she was a producer at BRIC TV in Brooklyn from 2011 to 2020, creating community-centered documentaries. Pan has directed four short films highlighting immigrant voices across generations and regions. Her films have screened at festivals nationally and internationally, recognized for their emotional depth and nuanced storytelling. With a commitment to care and connection, Pan continues to document underrepresented communities with honesty, empathy and a sharp cinematic eye.
“‘KINAN’S VISION’ is a stand-alone short documentary film and a chapter of the feature-length film ‘HEAR, EAT, HOME’ (in production) that was created right after the pandemic lockdown lift in 2020. My motivation for creating ‘HEAR, EAT, HOME’ stemmed from my years as a producer at BRIC TV, where I regularly interviewed immigrant artists based in Brooklyn. Through their personal stories, I came to understand the richness and complexity of immigrant communities beyond my own experience. These encounters deepened my curiosity about how art serves as both a form of resistance and a bridge across cultures.
“The inspiration for this film began with two Syrian artists, Kinan Azmeh and Kevork Mourad, whose collaboration and worldview deeply moved me. Their ability to connect their homeland’s struggles to global concerns challenged me to think beyond national identity and to see displacement, memory, and resilience as universal threads. Over the years, ‘HEAR, EAT, HOME’ has evolved into a long-term, collaborative journey as more artists joined the story, each adding their own cultural and emotional layers. My worldview is rooted in a belief that storytelling can illuminate complexity and foster empathy, especially when fear and division threaten to close us off from one another.
“‘HEAR, EAT, HOME’ is my way of confronting disillusionment — by offering stories that refuse to disappear. I approach it not just as a filmmaker, but as someone who has learned to listen closely. I hope ‘HEAR, EAT, HOME’ can be a small light in moments when the world feels dark, reminding us of what connects us when we begin to lose faith in one another.”
See and learn more about Hsuan’s work on her website and Instagram.
Watch “Hear, Eat, Home: Kinan’s Vision” here.
