special categories
HEROES
The earth shakers, world makers, and the ones that make us proud to be Asian American.
See the playlist below!
2000S | HEROES | INFAMOUS | FIGHTING SPIRIT
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL
DIR: STEVE JAMES, 2016 | 88 MINS
A David vs Goliath story straight from the headlines. After the 2008 financial crisis, the federal government brought criminal charges against only one bank: a family business in New York’s Chinatown. Little did the DA know that Chinatown protects itself, and that the Sung Family was driven by the honor and mission of its founder and his three unyielding and extraordinary daughters.
wATCH HERE:
2000S | HEROES | Fighting spirit | big moments
A VILLAGE CALLED VERSAILLES
DIR: S. LEO CHIANG, 2009 | 66 MINS
In a New Orleans neighborhood called Versailles, a tight-knit group of Vietnamese Americans overcame obstacles to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, only to have their homes threatened by a new government-imposed toxic landfill. The empowering story of how the Versailles residents, who have already suffered so much in their lifetime, turn a devastating disaster into a catalyst for change and a chance for a better future.
wATCH HERE:
FREE SHORT!
60S & 70S | heroes
DELANO MANONGS: FORGOTTEN HEROES OF THE UNITED FARMWORKERS
DIR: MARISSA ARROY, 2014 | 29 MINS
Cigar-chomping, union veteran Larry Itliong organized a group of 1500 Filipinos to strike against the grape growers of Delano, California, and instigated one of the American farm labor movement’s finest hours – The Delano Grape Strike of 1965 that brought about the creation of the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) — beginning a collaboration between Filipinos, Chicanos, and other ethnic workers that would go on for years.
wATCH HERE:
60S & 70S | HEROES | the canon
AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS
DIR: GRACE LEE, 2013 | 82 MINS
We would all be so lucky to know a Grace Lee Boggs: activist, feminist, author, and longtime advocate for the rights of African Americans, who have in turn embraced her and her husband, fellow activist James Boggs. Shot over a decade in Boggs' home city of Detroit, AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY offers a reverential and critical overview of her ideas and accomplishments, the living testament to her words: "You don't choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be."
wATCH HERE:
60S & 70S | Heroes | Fighting Spirit | LgbtQ
Limited Partnership
DIR: THomas miller, 2014 | 75 MINS
Chances are you have not heard of Filipino American Richard Adams and his Australian husband, Tony Sullivan. This is their powerful love story culminating in the first federal lawsuit seeking equal treatment for a same-sex marriage in U.S. history.
Join us on Wednesday, May 13th at 7:00PM PT for a Q&A with filmmaker Thomas Miller, film subject Tony Sullivan, and special guest Assemblymember Todd Gloria!
wATCH HERE:
Q&A REGISTRATION:
2000S | FIGHTING SPIRIT | fAMILY APPEAL
LINSANITY
DIR: EVAN JACKSON LEONG, 2013 | 89 MINS
In February 2012, Harvard alum Jeremy Lin went from undrafted benchwarmer cut from multiple NBA teams to the overnight inspiration to underdogs everywhere, and headliner of the global phenomenon called Linsanity. LINSANITY is only partially about basketball and the charismatic Asian American kid armed with faith, family, and undeniable skills. It’s also about how everyday people can defy expectations and become extraordinary.
wATCH HERE:
80s & 90s | HEROES
MAYA LIN: A STRONG CLEAR VISION
DIR: FREIDA LEE MOCK, 1994 | 82 MINS
At age 21, sculptor and architect Maya Lin designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. while still an undergraduate at Yale. The film tells the gripping story behind the Vietnam Memorial and explores a decade of Lin’s creative work including the Civil Rights Memorial, the Yale Women's Table, and the Juniata Peace Chapel — and her ability to address major issues of our times through the healing power of art.
wATCH HERE:
60S & 70S | heroes
patsy mink: ahead of the majority
DIR: kimberlee bassford, 2008 | 55 MIns
An expansive and moving documentary chronicling the life and political career of Patsy Mink, from her beginnings on a sugar plantation in Maui, Hawai‘i, to her four decades as an elected official of the U.S. House of Representatives.