Browse Titles - 198 results
Afterbirth
directed by Jason Kao Hwang, 1957-; produced by Jason Kao Hwang, 1957- (San Francisco, CA: Center for Asian American Media, 1982), 36 mins
AFTERBIRTH poetically explores the unpredictable relationship between appearance and identity, challenging notions of cultural essentialism with a call for spiritual transcendence. A “documentary” montage featuring white, black and yellow Chinese characters, some fictional, others real, confront the meaning of...
Sample
directed by Jason Kao Hwang, 1957-; produced by Jason Kao Hwang, 1957- (San Francisco, CA: Center for Asian American Media, 1982), 36 mins
Description
AFTERBIRTH poetically explores the unpredictable relationship between appearance and identity, challenging notions of cultural essentialism with a call for spiritual transcendence. A “documentary” montage featuring white, black and yellow Chinese characters, some fictional, others real, confront the meaning of language, ritual and skin color to realize a true Asian American identity. Produced in 1983, the cast includes Jack Tchen, now directo...
AFTERBIRTH poetically explores the unpredictable relationship between appearance and identity, challenging notions of cultural essentialism with a call for spiritual transcendence. A “documentary” montage featuring white, black and yellow Chinese characters, some fictional, others real, confront the meaning of language, ritual and skin color to realize a true Asian American identity. Produced in 1983, the cast includes Jack Tchen, now director of New York University’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute; Gopal Sukhu, now chair of the Chinese Language department at Columbia University; Fay Chiang, former director of Basement Workshop, now Program Developer at Project Reach, a youth crisis center in NYC’s Chinatown; experimental media artist Shu Lea Cheang; and the director, Jason Kao Hwang, now a highly-regarded jazz violinist/composer. (see jasonkaohwang.com) AFTERBIRTH premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in 1983.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Jason Kao Hwang, 1957-
Author / Creator
Jason Kao Hwang, 1957-
Date Published / Released
1982
Publisher
Center for Asian American Media
Topic / Theme
Racial identity, Cultural identity, Asian Americans
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1982 by Center for Asian American Media
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Agrarian Utopia
directed by Uruphong Raksasad, fl. 2001-2009; performed by Sompong Jumma, fl. 2009, Sai Jumma, fl. 2009 and Prayad Jumma, fl. 2009 (Thailand: Extra Virgin Co), 2 hours 1 mins
Two families are employed by a landowner to work on his rice fields. One of them, used to own their own land, but was evicted for being unable to keep up with his hefty loan payments. In the absence of machinery, they plant rice using traditional farming methods and an untrained buffalo. However, the low market...
Sample
directed by Uruphong Raksasad, fl. 2001-2009; performed by Sompong Jumma, fl. 2009, Sai Jumma, fl. 2009 and Prayad Jumma, fl. 2009 (Thailand: Extra Virgin Co), 2 hours 1 mins
Description
Two families are employed by a landowner to work on his rice fields. One of them, used to own their own land, but was evicted for being unable to keep up with his hefty loan payments. In the absence of machinery, they plant rice using traditional farming methods and an untrained buffalo. However, the low market prices for rice mean that they have to supplement their income with picking wild mushrooms. They also eat wild frogs, snakes and hone...
Two families are employed by a landowner to work on his rice fields. One of them, used to own their own land, but was evicted for being unable to keep up with his hefty loan payments. In the absence of machinery, they plant rice using traditional farming methods and an untrained buffalo. However, the low market prices for rice mean that they have to supplement their income with picking wild mushrooms. They also eat wild frogs, snakes and honeycomb when their income proves to be too meagre to feed the family. In contrast, a neighboring farmer, a retired teacher, farms his land organically and hopes to keep the land fertile with the rice stalks, so that he will always be able to grow food for himself. Thai director Uruphong Raksasad had grown up in the same village where the film is beautifully shot, and had chosen to use local farmers as his actors. Awards/Festivals: NETPAC Special Mention Award, International Film Festival Rotterdam; Special Mention Award, Barcelona Asian Film Festival; NETPAC Award, Brisbane International Film Festival; Golden Hanoman Award, Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival; NETPAC Award, Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival; Best Narrative Film, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival; !f Inspired Award - Most Inspired Director, !f International Independent Film Festival, Istanbul; Special Jury Award, Millenium International Documentary Film Festival; Green Chilies Award (Best Film), Asian Hot Shot Berlin Festival; Hong Kong International Film Festival; Singapore International Film Festival; Jeonju International Film Festival; Libertas Film Festival; Filmfest Munchen; Vancouver International Film Festival; Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival; Flanders International Film Festival Ghent; Mumbai Film Festival; Vienna International Film Festival; Asiaticafilmmediale, Rome; Mar del Plata International Film Festival; Taipei Golden Horse International Film Festival; International Film Festival Bratislava; International Film Festival of Kerala; Pune International Film Festival; Fajr International Film Festival; San Francisco Asian American Film Festival.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Performance
Performer / Ensemble
Sompong Jumma, fl. 2009, Sai Jumma, fl. 2009, Prayad Jumma, fl. 2009
Contributor
Uruphong Raksasad, fl. 2001-2009
Author / Creator
Uruphong Raksasad, fl. 2001-2009, Sompong Jumma, fl. 2009, Sai Jumma, fl. 2009, Prayad Jumma, fl. 2009
Date Published / Released
2009
Publisher
Extra Virgin Co
Topic / Theme
Thai, Agrarian occupations, Domestic life
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2009 Used by permission of Extra Virgin Co.
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Ainikien Jidjid Ilo Boñ: The Sound of Crickets at Night
directed by Jack Niedenthal, fl. 2008 and Suzanne Chutaro, fl. 2010; produced by Jack Niedenthal, fl. 2008 and Suzanne Chutaro, fl. 2010 (Microwave Films, 2012), 1 hour 20 mins
Ainikien Jidjid ilo Boñ (The Sound of Crickets at Night) is the story of a family displaced as a result of nuclear testing on Bikini Atoll and now living in exile on Ejit Island on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Kali, a darling-though-curious 10-year-old Bikinian girl, watches in dismay as her mother and f...
Sample
directed by Jack Niedenthal, fl. 2008 and Suzanne Chutaro, fl. 2010; produced by Jack Niedenthal, fl. 2008 and Suzanne Chutaro, fl. 2010 (Microwave Films, 2012), 1 hour 20 mins
Description
Ainikien Jidjid ilo Boñ (The Sound of Crickets at Night) is the story of a family displaced as a result of nuclear testing on Bikini Atoll and now living in exile on Ejit Island on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Kali, a darling-though-curious 10-year-old Bikinian girl, watches in dismay as her mother and father argue bitterly, then finally separate and leave the island.
Left alone to care for her elderly grandfather, Jebuki, who has been...
Ainikien Jidjid ilo Boñ (The Sound of Crickets at Night) is the story of a family displaced as a result of nuclear testing on Bikini Atoll and now living in exile on Ejit Island on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Kali, a darling-though-curious 10-year-old Bikinian girl, watches in dismay as her mother and father argue bitterly, then finally separate and leave the island.
Left alone to care for her elderly grandfather, Jebuki, who has been hiding a life-threatening illness, Kali deteriorates, refusing to eat, work or play. Fearing for his granddaughter’s wellbeing, Jebuki makes a desperate decision to summon Worejabato, an ancient deity from Bikini Atoll. Appearing in the form of an unshaven American stranger, Worejabato washes up on the beach on Ejit Island, and is discovered by Kali. The deity immediately begins to weave his way into Kali's life, but wishes from Worejabato do not come for free. What will Jebuki promise to Worejabato to ensure Kali’s happiness?
Actors in this film are mostly from the Bikinian community that resides in exile on Ejit Island of Majuro Atoll.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Performance
Contributor
Jack Niedenthal, fl. 2008, Suzanne Chutaro, fl. 2010
Author / Creator
Jack Niedenthal, fl. 2008, Suzanne Chutaro, fl. 2010
Date Published / Released
2012
Publisher
Microwave Films
Topic / Theme
Marshallese, Cultural change and history, Religious beliefs, Folklore, Island life
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2012 by Jack Neidenthal
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A.k.a. Don Bonus
directed by Spencer Nakasako, fl. 1984 and Sokly Ny, fl. 1995; produced by Spencer Nakasako, fl. 1984, Center for Asian American Media (San Francisco, CA: Center for Asian American Media, 1995), 56 mins
After escaping the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the Ny family became one of thousands of refugees faced with resettlement in the U.S. Their lives unfold through the lens of this stirring video diary. As 18-year-old Sokly Ny (Don Bonus) struggles to graduate from high school, his family is harassed in the housing proje...
Sample
directed by Spencer Nakasako, fl. 1984 and Sokly Ny, fl. 1995; produced by Spencer Nakasako, fl. 1984, Center for Asian American Media (San Francisco, CA: Center for Asian American Media, 1995), 56 mins
Description
After escaping the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the Ny family became one of thousands of refugees faced with resettlement in the U.S. Their lives unfold through the lens of this stirring video diary. As 18-year-old Sokly Ny (Don Bonus) struggles to graduate from high school, his family is harassed in the housing projects, his eldest brother cannot fill a dead father's shoes and his youngest brother ends up in a youth prison. Sokly shares these experi...
After escaping the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the Ny family became one of thousands of refugees faced with resettlement in the U.S. Their lives unfold through the lens of this stirring video diary. As 18-year-old Sokly Ny (Don Bonus) struggles to graduate from high school, his family is harassed in the housing projects, his eldest brother cannot fill a dead father's shoes and his youngest brother ends up in a youth prison. Sokly shares these experiences, his personal feelings and his hopes as the year progresses. Ultimately, A.K.A DON BONUS becomes a story of triumph and survival from the perspective of one of America’s newest arrivals.
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Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Sokly Ny, fl. 1995, Spencer Nakasako, fl. 1984, Center for Asian American Media
Author / Creator
Spencer Nakasako, fl. 1984, Sokly Ny, fl. 1995
Date Published / Released
1995
Publisher
Center for Asian American Media
Topic / Theme
High school students, Immigrant life, First generation immigrant populations, Refugees, Cambodian
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1995 by Center for Asian American Media
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Amin = امین
directed by Shahin Parhami, fl. 2007-2015 (Iran: Privately Published), 2 hours
Amin is the story of an ancient musical tradition and one man's struggle to preserve it. It is told using a unique approach to documentary storytelling that challenges the boundaries of fiction and reality. Amin Aghaie is a young modern nomad from the south of Iran. He has dedicated his life to preserving, documen...
Sample
directed by Shahin Parhami, fl. 2007-2015 (Iran: Privately Published), 2 hours
Description
Amin is the story of an ancient musical tradition and one man's struggle to preserve it. It is told using a unique approach to documentary storytelling that challenges the boundaries of fiction and reality. Amin Aghaie is a young modern nomad from the south of Iran. He has dedicated his life to preserving, documenting and teaching the unique musical tradition of his people, the Qashqai tribe, a tradition on the verge of extinction. Despite the fa...
Amin is the story of an ancient musical tradition and one man's struggle to preserve it. It is told using a unique approach to documentary storytelling that challenges the boundaries of fiction and reality. Amin Aghaie is a young modern nomad from the south of Iran. He has dedicated his life to preserving, documenting and teaching the unique musical tradition of his people, the Qashqai tribe, a tradition on the verge of extinction. Despite the fact that Amin's family face steep financial and cultural obstacles, they are devoted to their art and culture and express that by supporting the work of their talented musician son. Every summer, Amin travels to remote towns and villages to record the music of the surviving masters whose numbers decline each year. His nomadic family sell their meager belongings to help support their son's education in performance and ethnomusicology at Tchaikovsky's Conservatory in Kiev, Ukraine, but it is not enough. Amin, desperate to finish his academic education, sells his violins one at a time just to pay for his tuition. Awards: Award of Excellence at Yamagata Documentary Film Festival in 2011; Asian Vision Award at Taiwan International Documentary 2010; Film Festival Special Distinction at Dubai International Film Festival in 2010; Nominated for Best Documentary, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, in 2011.
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Date Written / Recorded
2012-06-06
Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Shahin Parhami, fl. 2007-2015
Author / Creator
Shahin Parhami, fl. 2007-2015
Date Published / Released
2010
Publisher
Privately Published
Speaker / Narrator
Amin Aghaie, fl. 2010
Person Discussed
Amin Aghaie, fl. 2010
Topic / Theme
Qashqai, Arts administration, Ethnomusicology
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2010 Used by permission of Shahin Parhami.
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And The Moon Dances
directed by Garin Nugroho, 1961-; performed by Bambang S. Jayantoro, fl. 1995, Wiwiek Handawiyah, fl. 1995 and Pramana Padmodarmaya, fl. 1995-2002 (Indonesia: Set Film Workshop), 2 hours 3 mins
Literally translated, the title means 'The Moon Pierced by Wild Grass,' and the film tells the story of the relationship between an aged traditional song teacher named Waluyo, his folk music disciple Ilalang (who has to cope with memories of his abusive father) and the lovely dancer Bulan, who Ilalang has loved fo...
Sample
directed by Garin Nugroho, 1961-; performed by Bambang S. Jayantoro, fl. 1995, Wiwiek Handawiyah, fl. 1995 and Pramana Padmodarmaya, fl. 1995-2002 (Indonesia: Set Film Workshop), 2 hours 3 mins
Description
Literally translated, the title means 'The Moon Pierced by Wild Grass,' and the film tells the story of the relationship between an aged traditional song teacher named Waluyo, his folk music disciple Ilalang (who has to cope with memories of his abusive father) and the lovely dancer Bulan, who Ilalang has loved for a long time. The feature is set in Solo, where the vestiges of feudal Javanese culture can still be found, and gamelan music is heard...
Literally translated, the title means 'The Moon Pierced by Wild Grass,' and the film tells the story of the relationship between an aged traditional song teacher named Waluyo, his folk music disciple Ilalang (who has to cope with memories of his abusive father) and the lovely dancer Bulan, who Ilalang has loved for a long time. The feature is set in Solo, where the vestiges of feudal Javanese culture can still be found, and gamelan music is heard throughout. It is an intensely emotional meditation upon the relationship between the generations and the role of music in the search for recovery from a traumatic past and for identity in an uncertain present. Director Garin Nugroho, who has described himself as 'a Javanese living amidst multiculturalism,' and who celebrates Indonesian cultural diversity in such films as A Poet, here explores Javanese culture. He sees this film as 'encompassing at the same time refinement and cruelty, softness and tyranny, and a beauty based on feudalism.' Awards/Festivals: Best Director Award, Nantes International Film Festival. Special Jury Prize at the Nantes Three Continent Film Festival.
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Field of Study
Film
Content Type
Performance
Performer / Ensemble
Bambang S. Jayantoro, fl. 1995, Wiwiek Handawiyah, fl. 1995, Pramana Padmodarmaya, fl. 1995-2002
Contributor
Garin Nugroho, 1961-
Author / Creator
Garin Nugroho, 1961-, Bambang S. Jayantoro, fl. 1995, Wiwiek Handawiyah, fl. 1995, Pramana Padmodarmaya, fl. 1995-2002
Date Published / Released
1995
Publisher
Set Film Workshop
Topic / Theme
Javanese, Musicians, Relationships
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1995 Used by permission of Set Film Workshop.
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Angels are Made of Light
directed by James Longley, 1972-; produced by James Longley, 1972- (New York, NY: Grasshopper Film, 2018), 1 hour 57 mins
A stirring and beautiful documentary from Academy Award nominated director James Longley (Iraq in Fragments), Angels Are Made of Light traces the lives of young students and their teachers at a school in the old city of Kabul. Interweaving the modern history of Afghanistan with present-day portraits, the film offe...
Sample
directed by James Longley, 1972-; produced by James Longley, 1972- (New York, NY: Grasshopper Film, 2018), 1 hour 57 mins
Description
A stirring and beautiful documentary from Academy Award nominated director James Longley (Iraq in Fragments), Angels Are Made of Light traces the lives of young students and their teachers at a school in the old city of Kabul. Interweaving the modern history of Afghanistan with present-day portraits, the film offers an intimate and nuanced vision of a society living in the shadow of war.
Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
James Longley, 1972-
Author / Creator
James Longley, 1972-
Date Published / Released
2018
Publisher
Grasshopper Film
Topic / Theme
Afghans
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2018 Grasshopper Film
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The Arsonist
directed by U-Wei Haji Saari, 1954-; performed by Jamaluddin Kadir, fl. 1995-2009, Anwar Idris, fl. 2008-2004 and Ngasrizal Ngasri, fl. 1993-2010 (Malaysia: Privately Published), 1 hour 7 mins
U-Wei Bin Haji Saari based "The Arsonist" (1995) on William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning," transposing it from the Deep South to Malaysia. The filmmaker stays true to its core, but depicts the position of a Javanese man who has married a Malaysian woman, and is continually in a state of rebellion. His fami...
Sample
directed by U-Wei Haji Saari, 1954-; performed by Jamaluddin Kadir, fl. 1995-2009, Anwar Idris, fl. 2008-2004 and Ngasrizal Ngasri, fl. 1993-2010 (Malaysia: Privately Published), 1 hour 7 mins
Description
U-Wei Bin Haji Saari based "The Arsonist" (1995) on William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning," transposing it from the Deep South to Malaysia. The filmmaker stays true to its core, but depicts the position of a Javanese man who has married a Malaysian woman, and is continually in a state of rebellion. His family is isolated from the community, and their life is continually disrupted. They are often reduced to camping out in the open with the...
U-Wei Bin Haji Saari based "The Arsonist" (1995) on William Faulkner's short story "Barn Burning," transposing it from the Deep South to Malaysia. The filmmaker stays true to its core, but depicts the position of a Javanese man who has married a Malaysian woman, and is continually in a state of rebellion. His family is isolated from the community, and their life is continually disrupted. They are often reduced to camping out in the open with their goats. His middle son admires his courage, but asks himself if his honor demands him to stop his father from ruining himself and their family. The movie premiered at the Singapore International Film Festival, and went on to be the most honored Malaysian film in history, selected in Cannes, and winning the Grand Prize (Best International Film) at the Brussels Film Festival. Other Festivals: Nominated Silver Lion Best Short Film Venice Film Festival 2004; Los Angeles International Short Film Festival 2004.
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Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Performance
Performer / Ensemble
Jamaluddin Kadir, fl. 1995-2009, Anwar Idris, fl. 2008-2004, Ngasrizal Ngasri, fl. 1993-2010
Contributor
U-Wei Haji Saari, 1954-
Author / Creator
U-Wei Haji Saari, 1954-, Jamaluddin Kadir, fl. 1995-2009, Anwar Idris, fl. 2008-2004, Ngasrizal Ngasri, fl. 1993-2010
Date Published / Released
1995
Publisher
Privately Published
Topic / Theme
Malay, Agriculture, Relationships, Marriage, Rural population
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1995 Used by permission of Uwei Haji Saari.
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August Sun
directed by Prasanna Vithanage, 1962-; performed by Mohamed Rahfiulla, fl. 2003, Nimmi Harasgama, fl. 1997-2012 and Peter D'Almeida, fl. 1994-2003 (Sri Lanka: Privately Published), 1 hour 44 mins
This filmic offering by acclaimed director Prasanna Vithanage (Walls Within and Death on a Full Moon Day) is a poignant narrative of human displacement against the backdrop of the bitter, real-life conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamil people of Sri Lanka. The film traces the experience of three individuals, e...
Sample
directed by Prasanna Vithanage, 1962-; performed by Mohamed Rahfiulla, fl. 2003, Nimmi Harasgama, fl. 1997-2012 and Peter D'Almeida, fl. 1994-2003 (Sri Lanka: Privately Published), 1 hour 44 mins
Description
This filmic offering by acclaimed director Prasanna Vithanage (Walls Within and Death on a Full Moon Day) is a poignant narrative of human displacement against the backdrop of the bitter, real-life conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamil people of Sri Lanka. The film traces the experience of three individuals, each of whom is affected by the war in different ways. Chamari enlists the aid of a London-based journalist to help locate her husband,...
This filmic offering by acclaimed director Prasanna Vithanage (Walls Within and Death on a Full Moon Day) is a poignant narrative of human displacement against the backdrop of the bitter, real-life conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamil people of Sri Lanka. The film traces the experience of three individuals, each of whom is affected by the war in different ways. Chamari enlists the aid of a London-based journalist to help locate her husband, a pilot who was captured by the Tamil Tigers; a young Muslim boy Arfath tries to keep his dog, even as his family joins thousands of other Muslims in a mass exodus to escape the conflict; and Dumida, a lonely young soldier, discovers that his sister has been working as a prostitute in a brothel that serves both Sinhalese and Tamil soldiers. All of these events, presented from a Sinhalese perspective, take place under the searing heat of a hot August sun and the weight of lengthy civil war. Awards/Festivals: Grand Jury Prize and nominated Lino Brocka Award Cinemanila International Film Festival 2003; Grand Prix des Amriques Montreal World Film Festival 2003; FIPRESCI/NETPAC Award Singapore International Film Festival 2004; Amiens International Film Festival 2003; International Film Festival Rotterdam 2004; Deauville Asian Film Festival 2004.
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Date Written / Recorded
2009-10-19
Field of Study
Asian Studies
Content Type
Performance
Performer / Ensemble
Mohamed Rahfiulla, fl. 2003, Nimmi Harasgama, fl. 1997-2012, Peter D'Almeida, fl. 1994-2003
Contributor
Prasanna Vithanage, 1962-
Author / Creator
Prasanna Vithanage, 1962-, Mohamed Rahfiulla, fl. 2003, Nimmi Harasgama, fl. 1997-2012, Peter D'Almeida, fl. 1994-2003
Date Published / Released
2003
Publisher
Privately Published
Topic / Theme
Sri Lankan, Armed forces, Refugees, War, Civil war
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2003 Used by permission of Prasanna Vithanage.
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Banana Split
directed by Kip Fulbeck, 1965-; produced by Kip Fulbeck, 1965- (San Francisco, CA: Center for Asian American Media, 1991), 38 mins
Kip Fulbeck explores identity and biracial ethnicity issues, focusing on his parents' relationship with each other and their respective acclimations and rejections of each other's cultures. Through interwoven narratives and media clips, this video also addresses ethnic dating patterns and stereotypes of Asian Amer...
Sample
directed by Kip Fulbeck, 1965-; produced by Kip Fulbeck, 1965- (San Francisco, CA: Center for Asian American Media, 1991), 38 mins
Description
Kip Fulbeck explores identity and biracial ethnicity issues, focusing on his parents' relationship with each other and their respective acclimations and rejections of each other's cultures. Through interwoven narratives and media clips, this video also addresses ethnic dating patterns and stereotypes of Asian American men.
Field of Study
Anthropology
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Kip Fulbeck, 1965-
Author / Creator
Kip Fulbeck, 1965-
Date Published / Released
1991
Publisher
Center for Asian American Media
Topic / Theme
Dating and courtship, Racial identity, Stereotypes, Biracial people, Interracial marriages, Asians
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1991 by Center for Asian American Media
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