Zahida Rahemtulla

TRY HARDER!

DEBBIE LUM

IN–THEATRE SCREENING IV - CINEPLEX ODEON THEATRE 10

LIVE FRI NOV 5, 4PM

DIRECTOR 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?

CANADIAN PREMIERE 85 minutes • USA • 2021 • English • Documentary

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 .

Zahida Rahemtulla talks about her personal experiences and pressures growing up with her traditional birth name in a Western society .

RECLAIM YOUR NAME CAMPAIGN: ZAHIDA RAHEMTULLA

DIRECTOR Debbie Lum

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