“It Happened In August” by Artima Sakulkoo

By Queen Carrasco

Made by filmmaker and City College of New York (CCNY) MFA alumna Artima Sakulkoo, the colorful It Happens In August centers on Thai immigrant, Aim. Due to the death of her mother as well as the loss of her artistic dream, Aim sacrifices a lot to provide for her and her family. Eventually, she makes her way back to New York City and reconnects with her ex-girlfriend Sandra on a late evening in August.

Hailing from Bangkok, Thailand, Sakulkoo received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Cinema Arts from Lindenwood University. Her short films, such as The Introvert (2018) and Extroversion (2019), have won multiple awards, including the Semi-Finalist Award and Best Student Director from New York Cinematography Awards, respectively. Now, Sakulkoo is presenting her newest film: It Happened in August.

Much of the film overlaps with Sakulkoo’s personal life and experience. Just as Aim lost her mother, so did Sakulkoo. Sakulkoo's losing her mother during the time she found her queerness was a pivotal moment in her life. Just as sexuality was important to her, so too was ethnicity. Moving to the United States at 18, she spent many summer breaks with Thai immigrants who worked in restaurants and witnessed firsthand how these hard workers sacrificed their goals to support their families.

Sakulkoo’s biggest challenge during filming was taking on the role of actor, director, and producer in her own film. Acting was Sakulkoo’s first love, but it was the first time in a while after being behind the scenes. Moreover, it was important to Sakulkoo that the film feature’s two queer women as the main protagonists without explaining why they must exist. Expressions and points of comfortability were a must throughout the process. With the film being so close to her heart, Sakulkoo felt that to reach out to her target audience, being the most authentic to herself and expressing vulnerability on screen was what she had to do.

Sakulkoo credits the CCNY Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program for shaping her and other students with its intentionality. Throughout classes, she got to focus on how to write good and short fictional narratives, as well as learning how to shoot, produce, and embody the pace of a filmmaker. Moveover, as she progresses to become a phenomenal filmmaker, she hopes to introduce more Thai immigrant and queer stories to the world of film and media. Her lasting message to viewers is to “Tell your story. Even if it’s something that hurt you in the past, whether it’s grief, heartbreak, or it doesn’t have to do with sadness. It could be something that brings you joy. Any kind of story is worth telling as long as it’s true and important to you.” When it comes to the queer community, Sakulkoo wants the viewer (and the world) to understand that while queerness exists, it should not be a big deal through storytelling, but rather an everyday part of life.

It Happened In August premiered at the LGBTQ+ Student Center’s hybrid screening (NAC 1/101B) on April 10th, 2025, from 12 to 2 p.m. After the viewing, there was a discussion and a Q&A featuring Sakulkoo herself.

Impressed by her work and want to know or see more? Visit her on Instagram @dollartima and on YouTube @Artima Sakulkoo.