14 years ago, I was lucky enough to take part of a little film called Gran Torino starring Clint Eastwood. During the shoot here in the Metro Detroit, a friend and I decided to capture the Hmong actors’ experience.

For Hmong Americans, Gran Torino would mark a cinematic debut - the first time that they would participate as characters, cast and crew in a major Hollywood motion picture. The short documentary, Gran Torino: Next Door, produced by yours truly would later be featured on the Blue Ray release of the film.