PRAISE + REVIEWS

  • SO TO SPEAK explores art as both personal ritual and social inquiry. Morena doesn’t find her voice; she draws it, breathes it into being, and dares to share it. I saw echoes of every student who ever walked into a studio not knowing they had power. It reminded me why we teach, why we make films, and why it’s vital to stay alive as artists.

    — RICK CARTER
    Legendary Academy-Award winning Production Designer and Art Director, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, Avatar

  • SO TO SPEAK takes me some somewhere I've never been before, it’s an intense personal and social journey with a magical emotional destination.

    — KEVIN NOLTING
    Legendary Editor

  • This is a film like no other — Clearly the work of a filmmaker who is fearless in their powerful depiction of Asian American female sexuality. Through chronicling intergenerational trauma, love, and female camaraderie, SO TO SPEAK presents a unique perspective around timely issues that people need to see right now.

    — CHERYL DUNYE
    Renowned filmmaker of WATERMELON WOMAN

  • In a story that takes place in the realm of poetic cinema, multiple characters distinct in their metaphoric and colorful wardrobe/costumes recognize their glowing light as living entities. The film SO TO SPEAK emanates a deep trust that energizes the creative process so clearly transmitted in the final picture on the screen.

    — GUSTAVO VAZQUEZ
    Professor of Film and Digital Media. UC Santa Cruz. Film Director of Los Guardianes del Maíz / The Keepers of Corn

  • Dazzling! Daring! Exhilarating! Celine Parreñas Shimizu's new film explores sexuality, conceived at Berkeley, realized in Santa Cruz--a heartfelt gift co-created with the community. SO TO SPEAK is a film of power and beauty. The world will become better with this film.

    — YIMAN WANG
    Professor of Film and Digital Media. UC Santa Cruz. Author of To Be an Actress: Labor and Performance in Anna May Wong's Cross-Media World

  • This visually captivating and poetic film beautifully captures the heartache and euphoria of queer diasporic solidarities and desire.

    — IGGY CORTEZ
    Professor of Film, UC Berkeley. Co-Editor of Performative Opacity in the Work of Isabelle Huppert