Kazua Melissa Vang

Photographer || Filmmaker

Kazua Melissa Vang

Photographer || Filmmaker

Films

Showcase1. First Death (Short Documentary)
Role: Writer, Director, and DP2. BURIED (Visual Poem)
Role: Director and Editor3. RHAUB (Short Sample)
Role: Writer and Director4. River Monster (Comedy Short)
Role: Writer, Director, DP, and Editor

RHAUB, (Short)Shoua returns to her hometown only to relive the memories of a lost loved one.Written and Directed by Kazua Melissa Vang

The Chaperones (Concept)The Chaperone is a semi-autobiographical comedy that follows Ghiana and PaDee, two younger siblings, who have to accompany their older sister Hlee Anne when they are out of the house. Ghiana and PaDee serve as the chaperone while Hlee Anne rendezvous with her boyfriend in the park.Written and Directed by Kazua Melissa Vang

Hmong Ephemera (Experimental Short)Ephemeras are “things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time.”The project title, “Hmong Ephemeras,” stems from my personal experience and history being a caregiver, which dates back to 1999 when my father had a stroke. I became aware of the changes in my relationship with both my parents. As complex as it is, my experience as a caregiver continues to change my understanding of my role as an individual, a Hmong daughter, and an artist. The term ephemera highlights the day-to-day shifts of roles and feelings I, and others experience.Created, directed, and edited by Kazua Melissa Vang

Kazua Melissa Vang

Photographer || Filmmaker

About Me

Kazua Melissa Vang is a Hmong-American multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, photographer, and cultural producer based in Minnesota. Vang has exhibited her photography at In Progress, Second Shift Studio Space, Indigenous Roots, Quarter Gallery at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery, The Gordon Parks Gallery at Metro State University, and Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her current photography work, PRESERVES, focuses on the grief and loss of her father and her reflection as a caregiver for over 21 years.Vang co-founded the Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Minnesota Film Collective to create, promote, and empower underrepresented MN filmmakers. Vang has worked as a production manager for an independent pilot titled NICE, an independent pilot, an official selection under Indie Episodic Category at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. Her first short film, RHAUB, was an official selection at the 2018 Qhia Dab Neeg Film Festival in Saint Paul, MN. Vang has received the Forecast Public Art Early-Career Project grant and developed a short experimental film, HMONG EPHEMERA. She is a producer for the comedic web series HMONG ORGANIZATION and has recently produced THE WIND ALWAYS STRIKES THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN, a Yeej Moua film that was featured at the Northern Sparks Festival 2021. Vang has also won multiple grants and fellowships from the Jerome Foundation, Saint Paul Foundation, and more. Currently, she is developing her feature film and a documentary and portrait series, HMOOB DUBBERS. She is in pre-production for the documentary, a working title, HMONG FUNERALS.