Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

New documentary focuses on death of massage parlor owner in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – A documentary filmmaker with ties to New Mexico is looking at a horrific incident that happened in Albuquerque earlier this year.

Sihui Fang – a woman of Asian descent – was brutally gunned down at a massage business. This new documentary will highlight the tragedy and bravery of Fang’s death.

“She had an incredible life story and because of where she came from and her background, and where she was when this tragedy occurred, she had achieved so much. But she was really just beginning to blossom,” said Rod Honstein, Fang’s life partner.

And that’s the story documentary filmmaker, Charlie Minn is in town to tell.

“The Sihui Fang story has stayed with me since it happened, you rarely ever hear of Asians fighting back like that. We’re known to be very placid and very calm and nonconfrontational,” said Minn. “Sihui Fang won my respect with her guts, she was shot 10 times and murdered, and she hit the criminal four times.”

He hopes this film will create a serious discussion about the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes.

“Asians are being targeted, I am being targeted. It’s unbelievable the wave of crime going on not just in Albuquerque but all over the country, it’s shameless, it’s brutal, it needs awareness it needs activism,” Minn said.

And for Fang’s loved ones, it’s a way to share her courage on that tragic day.

“I thought it was important that the message that he is trying to put forth, how Asian hate has affected the Asian community in the United States and again an opportunity to tell the story of a remarkable woman who was brutally murdered but did fight back, said Honstein.

Minn has worked on several documentary films, including the unsolved bowling alley massacre from Las Cruces.

The new documentary is set to come out in February 2023.

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