documentary
‘Asian Americans’ 5-Part Documentary Series Unanimously Chosen for Peabody Award
The Peabody Board of Jurors recently named the five-part documentary series “Asian Americans” as the recipient of the Peabody Award for the documentary category.
Prestigious award: “Asian Americans” received the award in a unanimous vote on June 21, according to Rafu Shimpo.
Documentary on Iconic Actor Pat Morita Explores His Struggles With Depression
A new documentary on actor Pat Morita seeks to go beyond his iconic role in “The Karate Kid” franchise.
“More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story,” directed by Kevin Derek, features the life and career of the beloved Japanese American comedian and actor. Love Project Films has recently unveiled the documentary’s first trailer on YouTube.
Chinese Scholar’s Murder Case Becomes an Award-Winning Documentary
A documentary centered on the search for a visiting Chinese scholar who was abducted, raped and murdered in 2017 has been winning big at film festivals this year.
“Finding Yingying,” which won the Breakthrough Voice award at the SXSW Film Festival in March, was most recently featured at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) and the San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF), where it also won accolades.
Must-See Doc Reveals the 46 Best Asian American Music Videos from the Last 46 Years
Members of the Pacific Arts Movement, known previously as the San Diego Asian Film Foundation, has produced a new documentary on the history of Asian American music.
The short documentary, titled “A Music Video History of Asian America,” was released in July as part of the 20th anniversary of the San Diego Film Festival, reports AsAm news. The epic 35-minute feature compiled 46 music videos produced over the 46-year oral history of Asian America.
New Documentary Reveals the Struggle of a Vietnamese American Family Separated by ICE
It has long been Lan Nguyen’s mission to bring to light on one of the most overlooked facets of the United State’s crackdown on immigrants: the deportation of Southeast Asian refugees.
Nguyen, who teaches ethnic studies at the California State University of Long Beach, has been organizing with VietUnity-SoCal and seeks social change with her film.
‘He Called My Mom ‘Chopsticks’’: Oscar Nominee Opens Up About Domestic Abuse From White Stepdad
Bing Liu’s brilliantly-crafted film, “Minding the Gap” yielded the Oscar for “Best Documentary Feature” to “Free Solo,” a documentary by husband-and-wife filmmaking team Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
Filmed by the Asian American director between 2012 and 2017, “Minding the Gap” is about the lives of three skateboard-loving friends — Kiere Johnson, Zack Mulligan, and filmmaker Bing Liu himself — growing up into adulthood in the midst of domestic violence in Rockford, Illinois.
Two Asian-American Filmmakers Receive Academy Award Nominations for Best Documentary
Two documentaries directed by Asian-American filmmakers have been nominated for the 2019 Academy Awards for Best Documentary (Feature): Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap” and Jimmy Chin’s “Free Solo,” which is also co-directed by his wife Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.
“Free Solo” follows world renowned free solo climber Alex Honnold as he attempts to fulfill his wish to climb El Capitan, the 3,000-foot granite rock in Yosemite National Park, in June 2017, AsAm News reported. He became the only athlete to ever make the treacherous ascent without any ropes or safety equipment.
Claudia Kishi of ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ is Getting Her Own Documentary
“The Claudia Kishi Club” is a documentary created by filmmaker Sue Ding to show the impact on Asian American women and creators from 80s and 90s of a Japanese-American protaganist.
Claudia Kishi is a Japanese-American character in the popular book series written by Ann M. Martin described as art-loving and boy-crazy. Ding wanted to create a documentary to show how important having an Asian-American character was in mainstream media.
New Movie Explores Hayao Miyazaki’s Refusal to Retire From Film
The English-language version of “Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki” is coming in December and VICE has picked up an exclusive trailer from GKids.
Professor Crowdfunds for Documentary About Taiwan’s Famous ‘Love Boat’
Valerie Soe, a professor of Asian American Studies at the San Francisco State University, has launched an Indiegogo independent documentary film campaign that will look into one of Taiwan’s global longest-running summer program titled as “Love Boat: Taiwan.”
Trailer for Hayao Miyazaki Documentary Exposes the Raw Side of Japan’s Greatest Animator
An upcoming documentary featuring legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki has released its first trailer.
The world-renowned Japanese animation director who co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985 rose to international fame for his critically-acclaimed, box-office hits “My Neighbour Totoro” and “Spirited Away”.
North Korea Tries to Manipulate Russian Filmmaker’s Documentary, Completely Backfires
Smuggled footage of what was supposed to be a documentary film about a happy North Korean family ended up as a movie that exposed the government’s manipulation of how the country is portrayed in public.
Russian documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky’s finished film “Under the Sun” took outtakes to provide a behind-the-scenes look on how a North Korean propaganda film is manipulated.