Robert Lee Smith lives in Tacoma. I live in Olalla. We are 30 miles apart in distance and 30 years apart in age. We have one thing in common; that is, a place on the earth we both are connected to in our own intimate way: Taiwan.
As a veteran filmmaker, originally from Taiwan, I wanted to bring to life a Chinese saying: Every senior is a treasure. What I try to achieve is to help seniors tell their stories in order to increase younger generations’ understanding of those before us who help us be who we are.
When Robert and I met in November 2012, he knew right away that he wanted to revisit his beloved memories of the beautiful small island that I came from.
Since leaving Taiwan, Robert has never tired of telling people how he loved the years he spent there as an aircraft electrician with the American Air Force, but this time his story would be told in a different style. He would be in a short film photographed and directed by me.
On filming day, I allowed Muffin to be the silent character that played against Robert because I wanted to capture the lovely partnership between this gentleman and his 12-year-old dog. Robert was well prepared for the interview and eloquently expressed his fond memories in front of my camera. After finishing the editing, the film is 15 minutes in length, more than twice as long as planned.
I call my films “MCM/M,” short for “Memory Community Movie/Memoir.” I started Memory Community, a non-profit organization, in April 2011 in order to “film” rather than “write” memoirs for older adults. This innovative project immediately caught the interest of Terri Vickery, Assistant Director of Development & Volunteer Coordinator at Franke Tobey Jones in Tacoma. Since then, Memory Community has served more than 20 seniors in Seattle and Tacoma.
Celebrities publish biographies to tell their stories. What about ordinary people? I believe that they should have memoirs too because everyone has a story and because our sense of history is enriched by hearing about the life experiences of everyday people. The senior population is growing rapidly, but is often neglected and regarded as having nothing more to contribute to society. In fact, many of them have untold and fascinating stories, and Memory Community aims to encourage them to share so that the generations after them can benefit from this priceless and vast reservoir of knowledge.
I have long been interested in working with the elderly, especially those who are disadvantaged and have very few resources. I regret not taking enough time to record my parents’ stories because I was too busy and kept putting it off. Like my parents, many elders do not feel their stories are worth telling and do not feel comfortable displaying their emotions in front of a camera. However, I have found this population to be very eager to share and pass on their life experiences, if only we are willing to ask and listen. Since the passing of my mother six years ago, my desire to collect life stories from the elders has intensified, and I am now dedicating time, energy, and skills to help preserve memories and family histories for seniors, and our communities.
MCM/M welcomes donations of any amount to cover the production fees (suggested donation $100). Until now, I haven’t charged for my interviewees, but donations to the non-profit organization will enable me to continue.
Deyung Chou holds a Cinema Studies Master degree at NYU and immigrated to the USA in 2010. To view Robert’s film and details on Memory Community please go to: http://www.memorycommunity.org
