May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month and one easy (and socially distanced) way to celebrate is to watch movies and other types of content like shows, documentaries, cartoons, and music videos featuring or created by AAPI folks. Thanks to both globalization and increased industry representation, there are now so many more choices than there used to be.
Why it's important to recognize AAPI Heritage Month with movies
How to celebrate AAPI Heritage month by watching AAPI movies
Of course, no list of AAPI movies is ever complete so please consider this very short list as a springboard for checking out other Asian and Pacific Islander movies. Some of these movies are great to watch with the whole family — but some are definitely for older children or adults only.
1) Finding ‘Ohana (2021, PG)
Written (Christina Strain) and directed (Jude Weng) by two Asian American women, this movie chronicles the adventures of a brother and sister from Brooklyn as they search for long lost treasure at their grandfather’s house in rural Oahu one summer and reconnect to their Hawaiian heritage.
2) Better Luck Tomorrow (2003, R)
Definitely for much older and mature kids, “Better Luck Tomorrow” is considered the seminal Asian American film. There is drug use, sexual content, and violence, but this film is considered iconic because it is one of the first films featuring an all Asian American cast that did not have martial arts or mysticism. The film follows the story of bored kids in the suburbs trying to get into Ivy League schools but progressively devolves into crime and murder.
3) The Farewell (2019, PG)
The award-winning movie tells the story of a Chinese American family who collectively decide not to tell the grandmother that she is dying of cancer. The family uses a cousin’s wedding as an excuse to gather the family together to say goodbye.
4) Whale Rider (2002, PG-13)
12-year-old Pai wants to convince her grandfather, the current village leader of her Māori tribe, that she is supposed to be the future chief — even though she is a girl. She attempts to do so by saving a pod of beached whales, playing into her family’s legend of an ancestor who rode a whale from Hawaiki.
5) Minari (2020, PG-13)
This Academy Award nominated movie chronicles a Korean American family who moves from California to an Arkansas farm in pursuit of the father’s dream of growing and selling Korean produce.
6) The Problem with Apu (2017, No rating)
Written by and starring comedian Hari Kondabolu, The Problem with Apu discusses Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Kwik-E-Mart owner and Indian immigrant in The Simpsons. The documentary explores how Apu, a character rife with anti-Asian stereotypes, was the only regular character of Indian descent to appear regularly on U.S. television and how it negatively affected people of Indian and South Asian descent.
Also, check out streaming services like Netflix and Hulu that have created entire hubs dedicated to AAPI content.
