PARK CITY, Utah – For the actress Sherry Cola who mass shooting in her hometown from Monterey Park, California left her devastated ahead of the premiere of new movie Shortcomings Sundance Film Festival.
“I definitely cried myself to sleep, to be honest, because this is Monterey Park, California, like where I grew up, the 626, San Gabriel Valley,” Cola said. “Here is my Buddhist temple, you know? Like all my friends I grew up with, they were born in Monterey Park. It is this hometown that I am so proud to call my hometown.”
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“Shortcomings” is the story of three friends the Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) who live in the Bay Area and find themselves. Saturday night’s shooting left the cast — including Cola, Randall Park, Justin H. Min and Ally Maki — with the difficult task of mourning the victims as they discuss the film ahead of its Sunday premiere in Park City, Utah .
A gunman killed 10 people Saturday night in Monterey Park, a town of about 60,000 on the eastern edge of Los Angeles made up mostly of Asian immigrants from China or first-generation Asian Americans. The massacre derailed Lunar New Year celebrations and struck terror into Monterey Park and other nearby communities with large Asian-American populations.
Cola was still processing her feelings Sunday morning as limited information was available and a search for the shooter was still ongoing.
“It’s just a reminder that we’re premiering this film today and celebrating unabashed, authentic AAPI voices in a different way, it’s just a reminder that we still need to reclaim our validation as people in this country and in this industry ‘ Cola said.
“We have this beautiful film today that we still want to talk about,” added Cola. “And I think talking about it moves the culture and the community forward. I think showing grace to each other and having each other’s backs is all we can do, you know?”
Park, who directed the film, added, “No matter what information comes out, it’s just so, so upsetting.”
A minute’s silence was held for the victims at a nearby Sundance lounge.
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