Watchlists to help celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
By Katie Walsh
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and it’s not just an appropriate time, but also an imperative one to educate ourselves and others, celebrate and lift up Asian American culture and cultural contributions.
You may have noticed your favorite streaming services curating themed watchlists to celebrate Asian American Pacific Heritage Month. Feel free to take a scroll through those collections, and here are a few suggestions too.
HBO Max has one of the most easy-to-navigate collections, divided by Asian American stars, creators, docuseries, foreign films, animation and trailblazer collections for Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki and Satyajit Ray.
Be sure to watch Jon M. Chu’s blockbuster rom-com “Crazy Rich Asians,” starring Henry Golding and Constance Wu. “Crazy Rich Asians” is a fantastic Asian American story, following New Yorker Rachel (Wu) as she travels to Singapore to meet her new beau’s family.
Cozy up with young adult rom-coms featuring Asian American heroines, like the “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy, Alice Wu’s “The Half of It,” and the series “Never Have I Ever,” co-created by Mindy Kaling. Check out comedy specials from Ali Wong, Ken Jeong and Hasan Minaj. Or watch the greatest film of probably the most famous Asian American: Bruce Lee’s “Enter the Dragon.”
This is the destination for TV sitcoms featuring Asian American protagonists and stories, like
“The Mindy Project,” “Pen15,” and “Fresh Off the Boat.” But there’s more to discover, like the food-oriented docuseries “Taste the Nation,” hosted by “Top
Chef ” doyenne Padma Lakshmi, as well as the second season of the AMC horror anthology series “The Terror: Infamy,” which takes place in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Be sure to check out Justin Chon’s sophomore feature “Ms. Purple,” an intimate family drama set in the clubs and karaoke bars of Los Angeles’ Koreatown.
Make sure to watch the documentary “Meet the Patels,” about actor Ravi Patel navigating the world of matchmaking as an Indian American. Don’t miss Emily Ting’s indie “It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong,” starring Jamie Chung and Bryan Goldberg. This “Before Sunrise”-inspired romance is a dreamy nighttime waltz through Hong Kong that will make you long for the romance of travel and exploration.
Stream Lulu Wang’s award-winning drama “The Farewell,” about a family returning to China to say goodbye to a beloved grandmother, starring
Awkwafina (her Comedy Central show, “Awkwafina is Nora From Queens” is on HBO Max). Check out the Kaling scripted and starring comedy “Late Night,” as well as “Better Luck Tomorrow,” the debut of future “Fast & Furious” director Justin Lin.
Stream the five-part docuseries “Asian Americans,” depicting the history of the Asian American experience in the U.S., or explore the rest of the offerings, including the documentary “Finding Kukan.” It’s the story of Li Ling-Ai, who was a female producer on “Kukan,” an Oscar-winning documentary about China in World War II.