Eric Byler is in the business of inspiring change. At 34, the California-based director and writer spends much of his time promoting films in different cities nationwide. These days, however, he’s been crisscrossing town sticking signs in the ground and distributing campaign literature in the name of Virginian Jim Webb. Byler also spent the entire month completing a short film for the Senate candidate available online: http://www.generationwebb.com/.   

Byler supports Webb for his stance on the Iraq War, taxes and most recently, issues of race and ethnicity.

He isn’t alone. At press time, the Washington Post listed the close Senate race as a tossup: survey revealed that 49 percent of Virginian voters supported incumbent Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), while 47 percent supported Jim Webb. The Democrats need a net-gain of six seats to take control in the Senate.

In an attempt to counter the statistic, Byler helped organize APA community outreach and volunteer for a local grassroots coalition, “Real Virginians for Webb.” The group also offers Chinese and Taiwanese translations of Webb’s positions online.

“Anytime you want to make social change, you need something to rally people around,” Byler said. “George Allen has become an emblem of racial prejudice across the nation – not just in Virginia. I think that by addressing racial prejudice, the Asian American community can assume the kind of political power, relevance and visibility that we deserve.”

Byler and other Webb supporters were angered by Allen’s description of an Indian-American man in August. Before a mostly white audience, Allen used “macaca” – a term perceived as a racial slur. He went on to say, “Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia.” (See: YouTube or other video-sharing sites online).

“This is certainly not the real Virginia I know,” Byler said in response. “I see Virginia as a diverse and inclusive, modern society. I know for a fact we’re moving toward the Virginia I know and away from the Virginia implied by Senator Allen’s unfortunate words.”

Byler maintains close ties to the state – he grew up in the area from ages 7 to 12, and regularly returns to Gainesville, Va., where his parents reside. As a youngster, Byler said he struggled with his mixed-race identity. He later realized that he could use his half-white and half-Chinese background to tell a story.

“I encountered racism from time to time, and at that age I viewed my Asian heritage as a deficit I needed to overcome, unfortunately,” Byler said. “I’ve always had that sense of being isolated on the outside, and I think my films tend to focus on people who feel the same way.”

Fellow filmmaker and Webb volunteer Annabel Park shared Byler’s sense of honesty and purpose. 

“I really appreciate the fact that Eric sees politics as an extension of his work, and that he doesn’t feel like he has to keep them separate,” Park said. “To me, it’s really about expression and our desire to communicate our thoughts and opinions. We’re all part of the conversation, how do we live; who are we? I find politics interesting – not everyone does.”

These political undertones play important roles in his films. Byler’s first feature, Charlotte Sometimes, transposes personal narratives into a story about relationships and sexuality. Critics initially doubted the film’s appeal to the mainstream and frowned upon the idea of an all-Asian cast.

“In the spring of 2003, it was very difficult to sell a movie like Charlotte Sometimes.  This was a film about being human,” Byler said. “About universal themes, All-American themes, but expressed with Asian faces that had so recently been declared the ‘Axis of Evil.’ It was a very difficult and sticky proposition back then. This year, with Americanese, it’s been much easier, and I think that points to the fact that people in this country want to move back toward becoming one community again.”

The film later received six awards at festivals around the country. This year, Byler’s film Americanese opened the APA Film Festival in DC. His cinematic portrayal of American Knees, a novel by Shawn Wong, holds several marvels of its own.

“The characters (in the film) are not kung fu villains or gang leaders or any other Asian stereotypes that you see in the media,” said Chris Tashima, a lead actor. “These are just normal human beings worried about human issues … It’s important that Asian Americans are included in the American picture in general.”

IFC Films announced the theatrical acquisition of the movie at the Hamptons International Film Festival in New York. An itinerant director, Byler plans to travel the festival circuit once again. He’s also promoting television pilot, “My Life Disoriented,” an Asian American high school drama making its debut on PBS December 26^th.