D O C U M E N TA R Y S P O T L I G H T
I N –T HEA T RE S C REEN I N G
TRY HARD E R!
LI V E
DEBBIE LUM
I V - C I N EP LEX OD E O N T HEAT RE 10
F R I NOV 5 , 4PM D I REC TOR Q&A
San Francisco’s Lowell High, one of the best public schools in the country, draws high achievers--nearly 70% Asian Americans--from across the city into a fiercely competitive universe. The camera follows seniors through the hallways and into classrooms as the pressure intensifies to impress admissions officers at elite universities with their report cards, test scores, and overall awesomeness. The students proudly own their identity as nerds and tell their stories with candor and humor despite the stress. Will they achieve their dreams? What happens if they fail?
Based in San Francisco and educated at Brown University and San Francisco State University, DEBBIE LUM is an award-winning filmmaker who got her start as a film editor for documentary filmmaker Spencer Nakasako. She is the director of the short film “CHINESE BEAUTY” (2005) and the feature documentary SEEKING ASIAN FEMALE (2012). TRY HARDER! (2021) is her most recent film.
CA N A DI A N PR EMI ER E 85 minutes • USA • 2021 • English • Documentary
DIRECTOR Debbie Lum COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS
RECLAIM YOUR NAME CAMPAIGN: ZAHIDA RAHEMTULLA
5 minutes
Zahida Rahemtulla talks about her personal experiences and pressures growing up with her traditional birth name in a Western society.
DIRECTOR Gary Singh Chatha
13
