Jesa Chiro - the Wood Nymph

Jesa was born in 2001 in Seattle, Washington. Jesa was the impetus for this film being made. One day, she donned a gift of a red hooded jacket that was slightly too large. Her mother clapped her hands and declared, “Oh! You look just like Little Red Riding Hood!” for which she received a blank stare. Jesa’s mother had not gone in for repeating Eurocentric fairy tales with questionable images of young girls and their abilities to take care of themselves. Forgetting this and caught up in the moment, her mother launched into the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Jesa listened intently, rapt in the story. Jesa’s mother was just uttering the words, “Grandmother, what big teeth you have!” when she suddenly came to her senses and realized what she was doing.  Looking into the eyes of her two year old who had spent more than half her life in the karate dojo, her mother decided to continue the story in a vein that would make sense to her daughter. And when the fight was over and the grandmother had returned home and Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother had enjoyed their lunch together, Jesa declared enthusiastically that she wanted to hear it again! So proud was her mother of this fabulous new version of the story, that with equal enthusiasm she launched into it again! Jesa wanted to hear the story again at bedtime. And again when she woke up. And in the afternoon.  Again and again. Her enthusiasm did not seem to wane. Her mother’s, however, did. Soon, to keep herself interested while telling the story, she began to imagine it as a film. With every retelling, the images became more and more clear until it was obvious: the film had to be made.

Jesa is currently in her last year of pre-school.  She is friendly, vivacious, intelligent, warm, curious, funny, an excellent dancer and so much more.  When she grows up she wants to be either a chef, an OB/Gyn, an Olympic Figure Skater, a mother, a teacher who is also a mother, or a rock star.  Or maybe a combination of all of them.  Jesa is a student of karate herself and is currently a junior orange belt.

She wants everyone to know that the next film is going to be all about how the Wood Nymph flies over Grandmother’s house.