What does it take to tell a personal story? Where do you even begin to capture life, loss, and new beginnings? And most importantly, how do you tell your family story? LLOTP sat down with Rita Phetmixay, UCLA graduate student and director of the 9-minute short documentary, Phetmixay Means Fighter, a recent feature at the Sacramento Asian Pacific American Film Festival (http://www.sapff.org/). The short film follows her father, Phouthone “Peter” Phetmixay, a former Lao rebel soldier, as he narrates his escape from his homeland of Laos. With no prior experience in filmmaking, Rita discusses what it’s like to capture and curate family histories for the big screen. “I think about myself. I was born in maybe wrong time, wrong country, but it’s okay. I’m still proud about that. I was an unlucky man… I tried to be an officer to serve my country. To protect my country. But I cannot. Because at that time I lost my country.” – Phouthone “Peter” Phetmixay, Phetmixay Means Fighter How did you decide to do a film on your dad’s story? When I was living …