A creative nonfiction short film by Dewi Sungai and Jason Houston
MY NAME IS NOT AMY | Official Trailer from Déwi Sungai Marquis-Houston on Vimeo.
“I was angry that this community that adopted me and raised me and named me and sculpted me had been telling me the wrong damn story all this time. And then it all burned down.”
— Dewi Sungai, MY NAME IS NOT AMY
ABOUT THE FILM:
On December 30, 2021, the worst wildfire in Colorado history rages through filmmaker Dewi Sungai’s community. A fire has been raging inside Dewi, too. Born to a young single mother on Indonesian soil, Dewi was adopted by white American parents as an infant, renamed “Amy,” and raised in white suburbia in the U.S.— a story her parents framed as a simple, happy story. But Dewi is noticing the cracks in their narrative. She realizes she is not, never has been, the daughter they see.
Driven by a deep sense of loss of her culture, family, and land, Dewi discovers and reclaims her birth name, builds community with other transracial adoptees, and begins excavating stories from her Native Bornean ancestry. It pushes her relationship with her 83-year-old adoptive mother to the brink.
Weaving memory with present-day verité, visual metaphor, and an uprising of transracial adoptee voices with the visceral music of Hatis Noit, Kevin Richard Martin, and Yann Tiersen, this film is the second in a collection of shorts exploring indigeneity lost, then reclaimed, as Dewi and others correct the narratives of their past and seek ancestral knowledge critical to an Indigenous Future.
About the Filmmakers:
Dewi (day-wee) Sungai Marquis-Houston is a mixed-race Native Bornean mother, wife, and filmmaker who was born in Indonesia, adopted as an infant by white American parents, renamed “Amy,” and raised in the U.S. in white suburbia. Dewi’s experiences as a transracial and transnational adoptee led her to a filmmaking career that centers Indigenous voices and challenges narratives spun from white supremacy culture and colonialist worldviews. She and her life+creative partner, Jason Houston, founded eight16 creative, under which they produce creative nonfiction films and photography and champion sovereign storytelling in local and Native communities around the world.
We’re seeking partners who can offer financial support for this film’s music licensing ($5,000), so that we can make the film public; and our impact campaign ($50,000, see budget below), so we can realize this film as a tool for connection and healing with a broad intersection of viewers. We value relationships built on trust, reciprocity, respect, and a shared sense of urgency around art’s role in helping to restore balance in ourselves, with each other, and throughout the world.
Our impact producer Stephanie Sunata has committed to spearheading impact and outreach, and so our greatest need is funding to properly develop and implement the campaign. We are asking for $50,000 to cover a 12-month period from 2024-2025:
TOTAL: $50,000
We want to reach:
We want the film to screen:
Elements of our impact plan include:
For more, please visit our website, check us out on Instagram, or email us at eight16creative@gmail.com. Terima kasih banyak for your time and interest! We look forward to meeting you!
