Andrew Hamlin
Northwest Asia Weekly
Photo by Han Eckelberg
Seattle filmmaker and lion dancer Han Eckelberg is of Chinese and German ancestry and grew up in South Beacon Hill. So every aspect of his legacy left an indelible memory on him, starting with his Chinese side.
“My earliest memory of home, family and city is taking the subway line 106 to Chinatown with my Bobo (grandmother) and my sister,” recalls Eckberg, whose short film, “Inside Mai Fai,” about The Seattle Lion Dance, will be screened as part of the Seattle Film Festival in October.
“My Popo will let us know when to pull the rope to signal our stop. My sister and I will take turns pulling. We’ll have snacks and hang out around the neighborhood with Popo’s friends.”
“Among my Chinese ancestry, my fondest memory is performing martial arts and lion dances during Chinese New Year in Seattle. Of my German heritage, my fondest memory is visiting my German relatives in Wisconsin and being in I grew up learning a German nursery rhyme. The food was definitely different. I would eat Chinese food any time, any day. To reconnect with my Germans, I wanted a pretzel.”
Any Shaw Brothers movie inspired him to grow up, so does any Jet Li or Donnie Yen movie. He has also filmed TV series such as “Meteor Garden” in China and “Pearl in the Palace” in South Korea.
Photo by Han Eckelberg
“I remember my mom pointing out how powerful these Asian protagonists are in these different storylines and comparing it to the roles (weak/nerdy/subordinate/embarrassed) that Asians play in American media. Thankfully, I have Some childhood friends who didn’t want to be like those comics, we just made videos for fun or school. Nothing too serious. But it sparked my interest in video.”
Eckelbergs’ early film work was goofy, cheesy, and very rushed. However, he noted that the storyline of his first finished film was about how an Asian kid finds strength against a white bully. A subsequent study of video journalism at Cleveland High School, an undergraduate degree at the University of Washington, and then a master’s program at the University of Wisconsin led him to start shooting his films at film festivals.
The Mai Hui Kung Fu Dragon and Lion Club was established in 1974 under the guidance of Master Mai Xianhui. It is now overseen by Sifu Royal Tan.
Photo by Han Eckelberg
Eckelberg dealt with Mak Fai in 2016. “I joined because some of my friends were already part of the team. I had previous experience with martial arts and lion dances in community programs and after-school clubs, so a place like Mai Fai was really interesting to me. After high school , I put my heart and soul into the association.”
The initial class assignment called for a three-minute-long mini-documentary, but he felt he couldn’t really capture Mai Hui’s teaching and history. He completed the sprint in about sixteen and a half minutes.
“The biggest challenge with this film was finding a way to best explain to the general audience what we did. There are a lot of steps, details and nuances in our performance. I wanted to guide the audience to learn more about the performance of The Lions , as well as the choreography involved, the level of courage required, and the athleticism required to become a lion dancer.
“Every show is different. Certain shows have different storylines directly tied to dance. I decided to explain our process based on how new members come into our team; learn martial arts, learn lion dance, from practice to performance .”
When asked about future projects, Eckberg mentioned that he helps prepare his troupe’s annual highlights each Lunar New Year.
“I also plan to do more kung fu films, working with my master and teammates, maybe an action short. Outside of Mai Hui, I want to make more video stories for other local companies in the area, while producing my My own art that is still centered on my Chinese heritage and my hometown of South Seattle.”
“Mai Fai Insider” airs the Seattle Film Festival on October 2nd at the Grand Illusion Cinema at 1403 NE 50th Street in Seattle’s University District as part of the festival’s “Short Program 4.”For pricing, showtimes and other information visit grandillusioncinema.org/series/seattle-film-festival-2022.
Andrew is available at info@nwasianweekly.com.
