"In The Heights" but it's Asian

Here's our recreation of the "In The Heights" opening but it's a little different.

Directing my friends in this project was an incredible experience. Although we were recklessly inspired fresh off of watching the movie, we sought out ways that we could really make the idea work. In The Heights is indisputably a story about Latino immigrants in the US, so rewriting the lyrics and shifting the narrative was an important step to respecting the source material and recognizing an opportunity for representation. From this, Usnavi became a second generation Chinese American who owns a boba shop.
AAPI stories and actors are among the most underrepresented in Hollywood, with exceptions that are more harmful than constructive: we are a main character's smart sidekick, a fetish, a quirky foreigner, a virus. So, while this video does not represent nearly as many groups as the title warrants (majority of the cast is Chinese), I hope that it would at least shed light on the community I've had the privilege of growing up with.

Original "In The Heights" Opening:    • In The Heights - First 8 Minutes  

Thanks for watching! I'm a filmmaker based in Chicago and Los Angeles, specializing in action design, visual effects, and storytelling. I also do editing, videography, programming, and dance. Check out my channel to see my work and shorts I've directed!

Instagram: zhang_films

Links: https://linktr.ee/dazhangniel