San Francisco, Calif. May 3, 2021. In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Kanopy, a company committed to streaming high-quality films that inspire, educate and entertain, has curated a collection of 12 must-watch films, most of which are only available on Kanopy. The entire Asian Pacific American Heritage collection on Kanopy features 100 films. These films are all directed by Asian Pacific Americans, and Asian Pacific Americans are the stars of the shows.
"Given the recent aggression directed towards the Asian American Pacific Islander communities nationwide, Asian Pacific American solidarity and support is more critical than ever," said Kanopy CEO Kevin Sayar. "By offering this new collection to libraries and the patrons they serve, Kanopy aims to inspire conversations and contribute to the representation and inclusion of Asian Pacific Americans."
Available to academic libraries under a variety of flexible acquisition models including PDA, firm order and perpetual access, and public libraries under a pay-per-use model, the collection includes the following titles:
- Slaying the Dragon: This film takes a comprehensive look at media stereotypes of Asian and Asian American women since the silent era.
- Princess Kaiulani: This true story documents a Hawaiian princess' attempts to maintain the independence of the island against the threat of American colonization.
- Meet the Patels: In this real-life "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," an Indian-American man who is about to turn 30 gets help from his parents and extended family so he can start looking for a wife the traditional Indian way.
- The Farewell: In this funny, heartfelt story, Billi's (Awkwafina) family returns to China under the guise of a fake wedding to stealthily say goodbye to their beloved matriarch--the only person that doesn't know she only has a few weeks to live.
- Bad Rap: This award-winning documentary follows the lives and careers of four Asian-American rappers trying to break into hip-hop culture, which often treats them as outsiders.
- The Slanted Screen: This film explores the portrayals of Asian men in American cinema, chronicling the experiences of actors who have had to struggle against ethnic stereotyping and limiting roles.
- The Grace Lee Project: This refreshing film reveals the intriguing contradiction of the "Grace Lee" persona--simultaneously impressive and forgettable, special and generic, an emblem of a subculture and an individual who defies categorization.
- Gaysians: This film explores family, immigration and language through the voices of five queer and trans Asian-Americans from New York City.
- Columbus: In this film Casey lives with her mother in a little-known Midwestern town haunted by the promise of modernism. Jin (John Cho), a visitor from the other side of the world, attends to his dying father.
- Lucky Grandma: When a local fortune teller predicts a most auspicious day in her future, Grandma decides to head to the casino and goes all in, only to land herself on the wrong side of luck.
- Bitter Melon: When a Filipino-American family reunites for a Christmas party, the holiday takes a dark turn when they conspire to murder the abusive bully of the family in this dark comedy by filmmaker H.P. Mendoza.
View the entire selection at https://go.kanopy.com/AAPI.
About Kanopy
Kanopy partners with libraries and filmmakers around the globe to give patrons, students and faculty free access to high-quality films that stimulate imagination, promote learning, and spark meaningful conversations. Many films on Kanopy, including from iconic film companies such as A24, Criterion Collection, Paramount, PBS and Kino Lorber, are unavailable elsewhere. The Kanopy app is available on iOS and Android along with all major streaming devices, including Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Smart TV. For more information, please visit www.kanopy.com.