Films for Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Celebrate Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month with these films by and/or about Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. From comedies to documentaries to dramas and more, these films cover the multi-faceted nature of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities and experiences.
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Asian Americans
This five-part PBS series "traces the story of Asian Americans, spanning 150 years of immigration, racial politics, international relations, and cultural innovation." -- publisher's copy
Format: DVD
Availability: Available
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August At Akiko's
Alex Zhang Hungtai and Akiko Masuda play fictionalized versions of themselves in Christopher Makoto Yogi's debut film. Beautifully shot and featuring an exciting soundtrack, AUGUST AT AKIKO'S follows Alex's return home to the Big Island of Hawai‘i after a decade away.
Format: Streaming Video
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Bad Rap
From Fresh Kid Ice (2 Live Crew) to Anderson .Paak, there have always been Asian Americans in hip hop. This 2016 documentary highlights four contemporary Asian American rappers (including Awkwafina) as they struggle to break into the mainstream.
Format: Streaming Video
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Blue Bayou
As a Korean-American man raised in the Louisiana bayou works hard to make a life for his family, he must confront the ghosts of his past as he discovers that he could be deported from the only country he has ever called home. -- publisher's copy
Format: DVD
Availability: All copies in use
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Bitter Melon
When a Filipino-American family reunites for a Christmas party, the holiday takes a dark turn when they conspire to murder the abusive bully of the family in this dark comedy by filmmaker H.P. Mendoza. -- Kanopy
Format: Streaming Video
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Chutney Popcorn
In this groundbreaking comedy-drama, director/actor Nisha Ganatra stars as Reena, an Indian American lesbian whose relationship with her girlfriend Lisa is threatened when she agrees to become a surrogate for her infertile sister Sarita.
Format: Streaming Video
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Cô hầu gái
Vietnamese American filmmaker Derek Nguyen directs this erotic thriller set in 1950s Vietnam. The vengeful ghost of the wife of a French rubber plantation owner awakens when he and his Vietnamese housemaid fall in love.
Format: DVD
Availability: Available
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Columbus
In this quiet, reflective film, Jin (John Cho) is stranded in Columbus, Ohio when his father, a renowned architectural scholar, falls ill. He becomes friends with Casey, a local architecture enthusiast who is also caring for an ailing parent.
Format: DVD
Availability: Available
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Crazy Rich Asians
Based on the bestselling 2013 novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan, this blockbuster romantic comedy was the first film from a major Hollywood studio since The Joy Luck Club (1993) to feature a majority cast of Asian descent in a modern setting.
Format: DVD
Availability: Available
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The Donut King
This utterly absorbing documentary traces the life of Ted Ngoy, who immigrated to the United States from Cambodia in 1975 and built a multimillion dollar business selling donuts in Los Angeles.
Format: DVD
Availability: Available
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