I have always been drawn to stories about people caught between worlds.

Sometimes those worlds are literal. A Thai-American boy growing up in rural Illinois. A grieving scientist searching through memory. A child discovering an ancient mythology hidden beneath everyday life. Other times, they are emotional. The space between who we were and who we hope to become. Between holding on and letting go.

As a filmmaker, I gravitate toward stories that blend grounded human emotion with elements of science fiction, fantasy, and wonder. Genre has never been an escape for me. It is a way of exploring truths that are difficult to express through realism alone. The impossible often reveals something deeply human.

Whether I'm directing a feature, a short film, or a documentary, my focus remains the same: authentic performances, meaningful collaboration, and visual storytelling that serves character above spectacle. I believe audiences connect most deeply when extraordinary events are experienced through ordinary people.

Outside of filmmaking, I earned a doctorate in education, studying creativity and strengths-based learning. Teaching has reinforced something I already believed as a director: every person has a story worth telling. My goal is to create environments, on set and in the classroom, where curiosity, trust, and collaboration allow those stories to emerge.

I don't make films to provide answers. I make them ask questions that stay with us long after the credits roll. Questions about identity, memory, family, belonging, forgiveness, and hope. If an audience leaves one of my films seeing themselves, or someone else, with a little more empathy than when they arrived, then I've done my job.