Behind the Scenes Q&A of Making NISEI with Sierra Schlag
Behind the Scenes Q&A of Making NISEI with Sierra Schlag
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Behind the Scenes Q&A of Making NISEI with Sierra Schlag

Smartwool •

Tell us about yourself:
I like to call myself a skier and a storyteller. I grew up in Park City, UT and now live in Carbondale, CO outside of Aspen. I’ve been skiing since I was two and grew up competing in moguls and in college I transitioned to big mountain and backcountry skiing. In my ski career now, my main goal is to make the outdoor industry a more equitable place and one of those ways is through making ski films with deeper storytelling.

What does NISEI mean?
Nisei means child of Japanese immigrant parent(s) born in North America. My mom was born in Japan and immigrated to the US for college, she met my dad working in New York City and the rest is history!

The Inspiration Behind the Film

I was traveling in Japan in 2019 for work and I realized it was the first time I had been to Japan without my mom. My mom has always acted as our family’s tour guide and translator, amongst other things when we go to Japan to visit my grandparents. When traveling with my mom, we always had an “in” to Japanese culture, but this trip I didn’t have that. This was the first time I had a hard look at my biracial identity and questioned where I was at in that part of my self discovery. I wound up writing the narration to the film on that trip. 
 
Then 2020 happened and I was finally having conversations around racial identity with my peers that I never felt I could have before. I was reading books about the Asian-American experience and trying to dive deeper around how I understood myself as a Japanese-American. I came to the conclusion that when I’m in Japan, I am always seen as white and American, while when I’m in America, I am always seen as Japanese or just Asian. A confusing place to be, when both cultures I have deep connections to have told me that I am not fully one or the other. 

While this journey to understanding my identity might take my entire life, I feel as though I have gotten to a good place with it. I wanted to make a film that explores how confusing it is to be biracial. While also understanding that being mixed race opens up the doors to a beautiful culture that is different from what we experience day to day living in America. Plus, I feel very lucky that Japan has some of the best powder skiing in the world.

The Inspiration Behind the Film

I was traveling in Japan in 2019 for work and I realized it was the first time I had been to Japan without my mom. My mom has always acted as our family’s tour guide and translator, amongst other things when we go to Japan to visit my grandparents. When traveling with my mom, we always had an “in” to Japanese culture, but this trip I didn’t have that. This was the first time I had a hard look at my biracial identity and questioned where I was at in that part of my self discovery. I wound up writing the narration to the film on that trip. 
 
Then 2020 happened and I was finally having conversations around racial identity with my peers that I never felt I could have before. I was reading books about the Asian-American experience and trying to dive deeper around how I understood myself as a Japanese-American. I came to the conclusion that when I’m in Japan, I am always seen as white and American, while when I’m in America, I am always seen as Japanese or just Asian. A confusing place to be, when both cultures I have deep connections to have told me that I am not fully one or the other. 

While this journey to understanding my identity might take my entire life, I feel as though I have gotten to a good place with it. I wanted to make a film that explores how confusing it is to be biracial. While also understanding that being mixed race opens up the doors to a beautiful culture that is different from what we experience day to day living in America. Plus, I feel very lucky that Japan has some of the best powder skiing in the world.

What was the most memorable moment while filming?My favorite part of filming was getting to share it with the rest of the crew - Director, Iz La Motte and Photographer, Bianca Germain. I’m lucky that through various projects Iz and Bianca have grown to become really great friends. Japan is a place that I have typically only traveled with my family or by myself, so to show them this place that’s grown to be a home away from home throughout my life was really special. Oh, and all the ramen we got to eat! 

Where can we watch the film? You’ll be able to see the film at all evo stops this fall in their All Women's Film Festival and online to screen for free in January. 

What Smartwool gear was your favorite while making NISEI? I have owned Smartwool socks since I was a kid - I still have some going strong from Christmas 2010, that's how much I love Smartwool socks. The Targeted Cushion ski socks are my go to, since my feet are low volume and need a little bit of cushion to fill out my liners.  
One outfit you will see sprinkled through the film, and one that I lived in during filming and on hut trips is the Smartloft set. The set is the perfect layer for walking around town in the winter or just lounging by a fire after a day of skiing.