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RepresentASIAN
2019-2020 RepresentAS AN in the Media
A Little Late with Lilly Singh
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Lilly Singh became the first woman to host a late night show in over 30 years. She is queer woman of color who started out as youtuber.
Mulan (2020)
Parasite(2019)
The Farewell
This year, filmmakers released the live-action remake of Disney's Mulan. Iconic- character, Mushu was left out of this retelling because producer, Jason Reed stated that, “{Mushu} isn't the most culturally appropriate way to represent a dragon in Chinese culture. We've worked really closely with a lot of Chinese partners and with the Chinese government and with cultural consultants and researchers. We have gone to great pains to make sure that we show due deference." Famous songs like "Reflection" and "I'll Make a Man Out of You" were also removed because directors explained "people don't tend to break into song when they're going to war."
Parasite (2019) made history as the first foreign language film to ever win the Academy Award for best picture, in addition to taking home three other awards for best director, best international feature film and best original screenplay. It earned South Korea its first Oscar nominations and wins ever.
The Farewell (2019) tells the story of a Chinese family whose grandmother is dying, but they don't tell her. This film is conspicuously timely in its portrayal of the immigrant identity. The Farewell was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture. Awkwafina secured the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, making her the first Asian American woman to win in that category.
Community and cultural authenticity are being recognized as important for creating this new, Asian American inclusive content. Randall Park and Ali Wong, co-creators of Always Be My Maybe, met while studying at UCLA, immersing themselves in Asian American studies. Finding that community of Asian American creatives wanting to work and make things together is key. There are more Asian Americans behind-the-scenes working on Asian American projects…a desire for Asian American writers to tell the story.
