LibGuides: Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies Subject Guide: Film/Video

AAPI Videos on the Web

In Between - Short film exploring the experiences of a Chinese-American teenage boy grappling with the increasingly isolating reality that he doesn't neatly fit into either the Chinese or American cultural identity/stereotype.

Year of the Rat - This short film explores themes of family dynamics and connection amidst cultural differences within a household. A self-described "dramedy," The Year of the Rat features an immigrant Chinese mom and her US-born daughter attempting to bridge relationship gaps through a joint venture in online dating.

Being Asian in America - This documentary showcases interviews from focus groups which were a part of a recent Pew Research Center study. The analysis revealed that Asian American individuals encounter significant challenges establishing and maintaining their own identities in a nation where being identified as "Asian" carries specific assumptions about background, behavior, and physical attributes.

AAPI Videos in Films on Demand

Asian Americans (PBS)
Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that delivers a bold, fresh perspective. Told through intimate personal stories, the series cast a new lens on U.S. history and the ongoing role that Asian Americans have played.
Becoming American: The Chinese Experience
What is lost and what is gained in the process of becoming American? In interviews with historians, descendants, and recent immigrants, this set of Bill Moyers documentaries explores this question through the experience of the Chinese.
Korean Americans
This film examines the challenges of Korean-Americans as they have conflicted frequently and violently with inner-city African-Americans and struggle to assimilate and retain cultural values.
Project Yellow
"Yellow" is a documentary that explores the representation of Asian males in the media and gay culture, examining how these perceptions are shaped by their childhood experiences.
Rising Against Asian Hate : One Day in March
This PBS-distributed film captures how the Asian American community united after the Atlanta shootings, highlighting their struggles, triumphs, and progress.
Vietnamese Americans
This collection includes two documentaries, one about the exodus to America and the other about assimilation of the new generation of Vietnamese Americans.

AAPI Video Collected Resources from the Web

CAAM: Center for Asian American Media
The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible.
International Documentary Association: AAPI
Celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month by checking out these documentaries from current IDA members and past IDA Documentary Awards winners and nominees!
PBS AANHPI Documentaries
These documentaries celebrate our diverse AANHPI communities, and face ugly truths about racism, xenophobia, and violence targeted towards these communities.