‘That Got Weird’ Gets Animated About Microaggressions By Marissa Blahnik
“I worry all the time during my interviews if I’m being racist by asking certain questions to individuals,” filmmaker Sergio Mata’u Rapu said of his interview process for That Got Weird , a new animated digital series from Twin Cities PBS. “This is a good and really big learning voyage for me, making this series.” That Got Weird premieres this month as part of the Racism Unveiled digital storytelling project. The online series of short videos pairs audio interviews of Minnesota’s BIPOC community (Black, Indigenous, people of color) with animated characters to depict their experiences with tokenism, microaggressions and racism in general. Since the project launched in July 2020, Racism Unveiled has focused on the roots of racial injustice in Minnesota using video interviews, data journalism, articles, listening sessions and events. An animated series might not seem a natural extension of this work — especially one hoping to reach an adult BIPOC audience — but after an extensive period of research and development, Rapu and the Racism Unveiled team settled on the visual style for the anonymity it allows. “We wanted to hide the identity of the individuals that were sharing with us so that they felt open to share their true experiences without fear of backlash or embarrassment, or of others involved — or any of those things that comes with talking about the truth,” he said. Animation also introduces the opportunity for levity, which the team hopes will help make the subject matter more accessible.
“The goal behind it is for BIPOC individuals or people who have experienced racism in the past to connect with the series,” Rapu said, “but also to allow those who haven’t to empathize with those who have.”
Mychal Batson's characters bring levity to uncomfortable conversations.
Telling Stories That Matter
Rapu came to TPT last year to work with TPT producer Leya Hale on Bring Her Home , a feature-length project that revolves around three women who have been fighting for healing and resolution amidst the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. His work was previously seen on PBS in 2020 when Eating Up Easter , the film he created with his wife, Elena Rapu, premiered as part of Independent Lens . The film balances the history and culture of Rapa Nui, otherwise known as Easter Island, against the complications of a booming tourism industry – an intensely personal story to Rapu, who hails from Rapa Nui. But storytelling through emotion, he believes, is essential to break down barriers economically, socially and racially. By using film to highlight the diversity of life, he hopes to inspire resolutions.
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JANUARY 2022
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