Kazua Melissa Vang

There’s something beautiful about being Hmong and bringing this value of Hmong...it is something that is innate to my nature and how I grew up and how I was nurtured that I bring to my sets, that I bring to the people I work with.Kazua Melissa Vang is a Hmong American multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, photographer, visual artist, cultural producer, and public artist based in Minnesota. A graduate of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities with a BA in Art, Vang expanded her storytelling practice into filmmaking through her involvement with the Qhia Dab Neeg Film Festival. Her creative work draws from her experiences as a Hmong American woman and explores memory, identity, family, language, and the often underrepresented experiences of Hmong and Asian American communities. As a filmmaker and producer, she is committed to creating collaborative and culturally grounded spaces where artists can develop and tell their own stories. Vang is also co-founder of the APIA Minnesota Film Collective and works to support the growth of Hmong American, Asian American, and Midwestern filmmakers.