Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated every May. Below is a list of films that celebrate Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on screen as well as behind the camera. Be sure to check out Kanopy for even more AAPI feature films and documentaries.
After Yang
When his young daughter's beloved companion--an android named Yang--malfunctions, Jake searches for a way to repair him. In the process, Jake discovers the life that has been passing in front of him, reconnecting with his wife and daughter across a distance he didn't know was there. After Yang is available on Blu-ray and DVD.
The Big Sick
Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail connects with grad student Emily after a standup set. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing. The Big Sick is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Columbus
When a renowned architecture scholar falls suddenly ill during a speaking tour, his son Jin finds himself stranded in Columbus, Indiana--a small Midwestern city celebrated for its many significant modernist buildings. Jin strikes up a friendship with Casey, a young architecture enthusiast who works at the local library. As their intimacy develops, Jin and Casey explore both the town and their conflicted emotions: Jin's estranged relationship with his father, and Casey's reluctance to leave Columbus and her mother. Columbus is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Kanopy.
Come As You Are
Three young men with disabilities flee their overbearing parents on a road trip to a brothel in Montreal catering to people with special needs. Watch Come As You Are on Kanopy.
Coming Home in the Dark
A family's outing descends into terror when teacher Alan Hoaganraad, his wife Jill, and stepsons Maika and Jordon explore an isolated coastline. An unexpected meeting with a pair of drifters, the enigmatic psychopath Mandrake and his accomplice Tubs, thrusts the family into a nightmare after the duo kidnaps them and embarks on a road trip to hell. Coming Home in the Dark is available on DVD.
The Donut King
The rags to riches story of Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian refugee arriving in America in 1975 and building a multi-million-dollar empire baking America's favorite pastry, the donut. His story is one of love, hard knocks, survival, and redemption. Ted sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living the American Dream, but a great rise can come with a great fall. The Donut King is available on Kanopy and DVD.
Driveways
A lonesome boy accompanies his mother on a trip to clean out his late aunt's house, where he ends up forming an unexpected friendship with the retiree who lives next door. Driveways is available on Kanopy and DVD.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Evelyn Wang, a flustered immigrant mother, is contacted from a parallel universe and told that only she can save the world. The unlikely hero must learn to channel her newfound powers and fight through the splintering timelines of the multiverse to save her home, her family, and herself in this big-hearted and irreverent adventure. Everything Everywhere All at Once is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
The Farewell
Chinese-born, U.S.-raised Billi reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To assure her happiness, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered among new homes abroad. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations and proprieties, she finds there's a lot to celebrate. The Farewell is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Kanopy.
Golden Gate Girls: Esther Eng: A Pioneering Asian-American Filmmaker
Golden Gate Girls paints a fascinating picture of how Eng’s career in filmmaking broke through gender and racial boundaries in Hollywood and Hong Kong, at a time when opportunities for Chinese women in the industry were few and far between. Golden Gate Girls: Esther Eng: A Pioneering Asian-American Filmmaker is available on Kanopy.
Growing Up Smith
It's the feel-good, coming-of-age story of Smith, a ten-year-old boy from India growing up in Small Town, America in 1979. As the boy's family tries to straddle the line between embracing the American Dream and preserving their Indian heritage, Smith sneaks out for a taste of Kentucky Fried Chicken, dons a Saturday Night Fever costume, and contends with his parents as they send him to school with a yellow squash instead of a pumpkin to carve for Halloween. Growing Up Smith is available on Kanopy and DVD.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec, and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is available on Kanopy and DVD.
Joy Luck Club
Born in China, the Joy Luck Club members came to America as young adults; their daughters are 100% American. The old days are seldom spoken about, and some things about those times have never been said aloud, but the experiences left behind color the hopes and expectations these women have for their daughters. Joy Luck Club is available on DVD.
Lucky Grandma
In the heart of Chinatown, New York, an ornery, chain-smoking, newly widowed 80-year-old grandma is eager to live life as an independent woman. When a local fortuneteller predicts a lucky day in her future, Grandma decides to head to the casino, only to land herself on the wrong side of luck, attracting the attention of some local gangsters. Lucky Grandma is available on Kanopy and DVD.
Minari
A tender and sweeping story about what roots people, that follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, this film shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home. Minari is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Mississippi Masala
Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their home in Uganda by the dictatorship of Idi Amin, twentysomething Mina spends her days cleaning rooms in an Indian-run motel in Mississippi. When she falls for the charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius, their passionate romance challenges the prejudices of both of their families and exposes the rifts between the region's Indian and African American communities. Mississippi Masala is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Monsoon
Kit returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old when his family fled the country in the aftermath of the Vietnam-American War. Struggling to make sense of himself in a city he's no longer familiar with, he embarks on a personal journey across the country that opens up the possibility for friendship, loved, and happiness. Monsoon is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Kanopy.
The Namesake
The son of Indian immigrants born in America wants to fit in with fellow New Yorkers, but his family is unwilling to let go of their traditional ways. The Namesake is available on DVD.
Saving Face
Wilhelmina is a Chinese-American lesbian and a young surgeon who has kept her sexual orientation secret from her conservative Chinese community in New York. But when her widowed mother becomes pregnant and is kicked out by her own parents, Wil suddenly has to juggle her mother's secrets with her own. Wil has a new romance with Vivian who is a ballet dancer and the daughter of Wil's boss. Saving Face is available on DVD.
Searching
After David Kim's sixteen-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter's laptop. David must trace his daughter's digital footprints before she disappears forever. Searching is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Turning Red
13-year-old Mei Lee is torn between staying her mother's dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, and somewhat overbearing mother, Ming, is never far from her daughter - an unfortunate reality for Mei. And as if changes to her body, interests, and relationships weren't enough, whenever Mei gets too excited, she "poofs" into a giant red panda. Turning Red is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Umma
Amanda and her daughter live a quiet life on an American farm, but when the remains of her alienated mother arrive from Korea, Amanda becomes haunted by the dread of turning into her own mother. Umma is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
