Newly founded Filipino-American creative collective A Bunch of Savages releases 'DEFY', a visual poem and tribute to AANHPI heritage, created by director Jon Jon “JJ” Augustavo and cinematographer Mego Lin.
'DEFY' is a film made in celebration of AANHPI heritage month and meant to unlock perspectives that many have never seen or understood. Here, voices across the diaspora share their words on inherent value, personal worth, and owning what it means to be AANHPI.
“We’ve been targets of violence, marginalization and xenophobia for so long while also remaining somewhat invisible in this country. And while we can’t change what’s happened to us, we can influence how we are seen from here on out. So with ‘DEFY’ we dared to show AANHPI folks as exquisite and not just worthy, but unapologetically ourselves, defying any and all expectations society has for us,” says JJ.
Featured folks span from creatives and entertainers to athletes and advocates. Familiar faces include Nina Yang Bongiovi, Yoshi Sudarso, Eunice Chang, Tim Granaderos, Tim Chantarangsu, Eugene Cordero, P-Lo and Maddy Park.
In addition to increasing visibility, 'DEFY' is meant to encourage people to support AANHPI communities and organizations. A Bunch of Savages is working with Maddy Park’s Cafe Maddy Cab, an organization that sends taxi rides to the vulnerable Asian community in NYC (Asian elderly, LGBTQ, and women), which was started as a response to Asian hate crimes in 2021.
JJ Augustavo is known for his commercial and music video directing and has helmed works for Sundance, Adidas, Jordan, Shawn Mendes, Eric Nam and Jay Park, with frequent collaborator Mego Lin. Lin has also worked on the feature In a New York Minute.
“We started this collective on the foundation of like-minded individuals coming together with a passion for versatile storytelling. ‘DEFY,’ a visual poem, is our first step in showcasing even intentional content created on a whim can be significant. It’s been truly inspiring to see Jon Jon and Mego grab a camera and go. No crew, no permits, we’re down with the cause,” says Byron Atienza, A Bunch of Savages.
The film was made with the support of producer Nina Yang Bongiovi, artist Lauren Fejarang, writer Tara Aquino and creative director Byron Atienza of A Bunch of Savages, with additional help provided by Brooklyn Based production company, M SS NG P ECES. The score was provided by DeadMono (Charlie Countryman), Christophe Beck (Frozen), and Nathan Matthew David (Tenet).