A Story Deserving of Being Told: Sarah Kambe Holland and The Journey of Egghead & Twinkie

Interviewed by Kenna Tanouye

TikTok’s algorithm is something I personally will never be able to fully comprehend, and if I’m being completely honest, maybe it’s for the best that I never do. It curates a perfectly tailored ‘For You Page’ for me to mindlessly scroll through, even when I should really get off my phone and study for my exams. However, as fate would have it, one day I came across a very colorful video promoting an upcoming coming-of-age comedy centered on coming out (love the puns). Maybe it was the beautiful editing or the amazing parallels to cult classic movies that caught my initial attention, but soon I realized what had really captivated me about that minute-long TikTok video: the woman in the middle of the screen narrating the entire thing. 

I don’t know if this is an unsaid understanding amongst mixed-race people, or in my case mixed-Asian individuals, but I feel like there’s some sort of sixth sense when it comes to recognizing others who look and identify like you. So, my so-called spidey senses were off the charts that day when I saw writer and director Sarah Kambe Holland pop up on my iPhone screen for the first time. Lucky for me, I was able to snag an interview with her.

Sarah Kambe Holland

After spending her early childhood in Japan, Sarah's parents decided to move their family to Austin, Texas when she was nine years old. Having moved to a white majority community, people often identified her strictly as Asian. For the longest time, Sarah chose to conform to what they saw and self-identified as solely Asian as well. But once Sarah left the state to attend the University of Central Florida, that experience began to change.

“Suddenly people started saying, ‘Oh, you look mixed, or you look mixed-race,’ and I was like, what? I had always been told that I was Asian,” Sarah explained. At first, she didn’t know what to do with this new perception of herself, but ultimately it opened up an entirely new perspective. “It’s a weird thing when you’re mixed. I feel like your identity is partially how you self-identify, but also how other people perceive you. So then I went through this thing where I was like, oh, how do I identify?”

With conversation of representation becoming more prevalent in mainstream media, Sarah talked about how difficult it was not seeing mixed-Asian representation in her favorite television shows or movies. Mulan, of course, was one of the first popular children’s films to feature an Asian storyline, but it remained more representative of the umbrella of mainland Asian folks and not Asian Americans or mixed-Asian diaspora. As a result, she instead, found solidarity in those closest to her. Sarah explained, “With the mixed race experience, it’s different for everybody, and for my siblings, I feel like they’re the closest to what I could understand. There were some things growing up, that honestly, neither of our parents sometimes could relate to, so I’m really grateful for them.” 

The power of media stereotypes also don’t make the mixed experience easier. But, something as small and simple as a last name can make all the difference. Wanting to continue the legacy of both sides of her family and usher in more avenues of mixed individual representation, she now does so with the name Sarah Kambe Holland.

When asked about her full name, she said, “It’s something that I’ve adopted recently, so it’s cool that we’re talking about this. I was thinking about how do I want to identify myself in a creative space? So I decided to take on Kambe, my mother’s maiden name, as a middle name and have the ability to honor both sides of my heritage”. 

Ultimately, her experiences growing up and not being able to see herself authentically portrayed were a major driving force in wanting to take initiative and create the representation she needed and craved for new audiences. 

Enter, Egghead & Twinkie.

With the original idea stemming from her own coming out experience, Sarah wanted to emphasize the importance of making a comedy about coming out. “It was a few months after I had come out of the closet to my own parents, so I think that the experience was very fresh in my mind.” Incorporating elements of 2-D animation and vibrant colors, the story is told from the perspective of Twinkie, an aspiring animator, and helps the audience to better understand Twinkie and how she views the world. 

After coming out to her parents, an Asian American teenage girl takes off on a roadtrip to meet her online crush with the help of her nerdy best friend.

Originally debuting as a short film, Egghead & Twinkie is now set to become a full-length feature film. With a team comprised mainly of women, production was originally scheduled for February 2020 before production and filming was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Re-scheduling has now slated the film to come out (all the puns intended) in 2022. 

With the concept of the film, it's incredible LGBTQ+ storyline, and brilliant marketing, it’s a no-brainer as to why this movie blew up and has become a Gen-Z fan favorite on TikTok. “I feel like I’ve been watching TikTok for so long, it’s just been a very surreal experience. It’s been so encouraging to get this kind of response about a feature film that doesn’t even exist yet,” she gushed. And that isn’t the film’s only connection to the social media platform. One of the characters in the movie is portrayed by none other than popular content creator Maihua Lee. “I should give my girlfriend credit,” laughed Sarah. “She watches a lot of TikTok and she told me about this content creator and aspiring actor who is huge in the LGBTQ+ TikTok community”. Surprisingly, Maihua didn’t originally audition for the role she was ultimately cast in. “It’s funny, because at first, I was actually considering her for another role. I don’t know why I didn’t put two and two together, but I’m so glad that I did, because when she did the audition for BD, an LGBTQ+ social media influencer, it was perfect,” said Sarah. 

Along with Maihua, the main character of Twinkie is also being played by mixed-Asian actor, Sabrina Jieafa. “When I wrote Twinkie in the short film, I didn't really touch on it because it’s really short, only nine minutes total, but she was written as Asian. Then, in the feature, that’s something that we delve into more and we find that Twinkie as a character is actually mixed. [Sabrina] and I were able to collaborate on and then work that into Twinkie as a character and how that would be portrayed from her experiences being mixed.” 

Surrounded by inspiring creatives on her own team, Sarah now has pertinent advice for the next generation of young mixed creatives who are interested in breaking into the film industry. “It’s hard to look at an industry where you feel like you aren’t represented, but you have to believe that your story is important”, she urged. Acknowledging the internal and external doubts she’s faced throughout her journey, Sarah also talked about the negativity experienced from some individuals in her life. “I had some people that were not supportive in my life that told me that [Egghead & Twinkie] was too specific or too niche, and they were worried about people not being able to relate with [Egghead & Twinkie].” She continued, “I decided to proceed anyway, and I’m so glad that I did. It’s resonated so much with people and they can tell that it’s personal to me.” 

Having trailblazers, such as Sarah, document their journey on social media and forming a digital connection with up-and-coming creatives is a wonderful step toward encouraging more mixed folks to see working in the film industry as a viable career option. The thoughts, stories, creations, concerns and questions of mixed-race individuals are needed and desired, and Egghead & Twinkie is only the beginning. “You have to believe that your story deserves to be told,” Sarah concluded.

If you would like to donate to the film production, please visit this link to find all of the necessary information you need.