“Home Court,” a moving portrait of local basketball star Ashley Chea, makes its world debut May 5 at the VC Film Fest.

Filmmaker Erica Tanamachi was already familiar with the legacy of local Japanese American basketball leagues; her husband and his family, including former USC star Jamie Hagiya, played in these leagues as well as in high school.

“Two years ago, fellow filmmaker Jenn Lee Smith asked if I knew anything about the Asian American basketball leagues. She had recently learned about the rich history of these leagues when her daughter was invited to join,” Tanamachi explained.

“Jenn and I understood quickly that this was the story we wanted to tell—one of holding space for joy and heartache that explores the high stakes of following the American dream.”

Their desire to tell the story led them to Flintridge Prep co-head girls’ basketball coach Jayme Kiyomura Chan and one of her players who was showing tremendous promise: Ashley Chea.

More than three years of following Chea’s progress – and challenges – became the documentary “Home Court,” tracing the ascent of Chea, a Cambodian American prodigy whose life intensifies amid recruitment, injury, and triumph throughout her high school career. Her story and her life serve as a beacon of inspiration to those deeply chasing their dreams against all odds.

The film will have its world premiere on Sunday, May 5, as part of the 2024 VC Film Fest. The screening is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo, and will feature Tanamachi and Chea taking part in a post-screening discussion.

Chea is a country music-loving point guard, the youngest player ever recruited to play on Nike Team Taurasi and a Division 1 top pick. Her natural talent and tenacity make coaches and family want to support her even when they don’t always know how. Filmed over three years, “Home Court” is a coming-of-age story that follows Ashley’s family dynamics, both tender and tragic, as she navigates being one of the top basketball recruits in the country.

Baov Chea, Ashley’s father, came to America as a refugee in 1994 when he was 12 years old with his mother, brother, and sister. Lida, Ashley’s mother, arrived about five years later. Both Baov and Lida’s families were devastatingly impacted during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1979 when millions of Cambodians were brutally killed.

Anti-Asian racism and xenophobia that were prominent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries resulted in Asian Americans forming sports leagues of their own. In the 1930s and ’40s, Asian American women began playing for coed teams, helping to pave the way for women like Jamie Hagiya, Natalie Nakase, and now Chea to thrive in these spaces.

“Home Court” draws from the intricate history of Asian Americans and their relationships with sports, community, and the interweaving of the two.

Describing herself as “5-foot-1 on a good day and people don’t think I have any business in basketball,” Kiyomura Chan grew up playing in the Asian American leagues. Her father founded Yonsei Basketball, a Japanese American basketball organization that provides a Japanese cultural exchange through basketball for AAPI youth.

In trying to find the right voices, Tanamachi said she and her team were led to the coach and player at the center of the film, and were immediately intrigued and inspired.

“The contemporary story became so much more than what we could have imagined that there was a moment where we almost weren’t sure if we could even fit the history of the JA leagues into our film,” Tanamachi recalled. “Through many attempts, we finally were able to beautifully intertwine these two stories together.”

For more information and tickets, visit https://festival.vcmedia.org

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