CAAM Presents: Upcoming Broadcasts for APA Heritage Month

The Center for Asian American Media is proud to present these programs in May 2011 for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

The Center for Asian American Media is proud to present these programs in May 2011 for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

PILGRIMAGE & A SONG FOR OURSELVES

by Tadashi Nakamura
Beginning May 1, 2011 through NETA

With a hip music track and never-before-seen archival footage, PILGRIMAGE tells how an abandoned WWII concentration camp (Manzanar) for Japanese Americans was transformed into a symbol of retrospection and solidarity for people of all ages, races and nationalities in our post 9/11 world. During the 1970s when Asians in American were invisible to the country –and more importantly even to themselves – the late Chris Iijima’s music provided a voice and identity and entire generation had been in search of. Through animated photographs, intimate home movies, archival footage and Chris’ own songs, A SONG FOR OURSELVES shows how Chris’ music unleashed the contagious energy of the Asian American Movement with an unrelenting passion for social justice and a live well lived.

YOU DON’T KNOW JACK SOO

by Jeff Adachi
YOU DON’T KNOW JACK SOO by Jeff Adachi tells the fascinating story of a pioneering American entertainer Jack Soo, an Oakland native who became the first Asian American to be in the lead role in a regular television series, Valentine’s Day, and later starred in the popular comedy show Barney Miller. Featuring rare footage and interviews with Soo’s co-star and friends, including actors George Takei, Nancy Kwan, comedian Steve Landesberg, and producer Hal Kanter, the film traces Jack’s early beginnings as a nightclub singer and comedian, to his breakthrough role as Sammy Fong in Rogers and Hammerstein’s Broadway play and film version of FLOWER DRUM SONG.

JOURNEY OF THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER

by David Petersen and Monica Lam
Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 10:00pm on PBS

JOURNEY OF THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER follows the creation of the San Francisco Opera’s celebrated production of “THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER, composed by Stewart Wallace with a libretto by Amy Tan and based on her bestselling book of the same name. An ambitious, cross-cultured tour de force that brings together artists from China and the U.S, the opera tells a deeply moving story about the difficult but unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters inspired by Tan’s own family history. Directed by David Petersen and produced by Monica Lam, JOURNEY OF THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER will premiere nationally on PBS on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 10:00 p.m.

HOLLYWOOD CHINESE

By Arthur Dong
American feature films often portray the Chinese as exotic and devious characters – or simply the “other” – reflecting the entertainment industry’s inherent racial prejudices as well as its fascination with the Far East. Hollywood Chinese features candid interviews and back lot stories from artists in front of and behind the camera, including Joan Chen, James Hong, David Henry Hwang, Nancy Kwan, Ang Lee, Christopher Lee, Justin Lin, Luise Rainer, Amy Tan, Wayne Wang, and BD Wong. The documentary chronicles the full gamut of Chinese representation in Hollywood.

Find out what’s playing on your local PBS station.

Related Links:

CAAM Distribution Catalog
http://caamedia.org/buy-caam-films/

A SONG FOR OURSLEVES
http://asongforourselves.blogspot.com/

YOU DON’T KNOW JACK
http://www.jacksoo.com/

JOURNEY OF THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER
http://www.outlierfilms.com/?page_id=998

PILGRIMAGE
http://www.tadashinakamura.com/Tadashi_Nakamura/Pilgrimage.html

HOLLYWOOD CHINESE
http://www.deepfocusproductions.com/HollywoodChinese/

PBS Schedule
http://www.pbs.org/tv_schedules/

Asian Pacific Heritage Month on KQED
http://www.kqed.org/community/heritage/asianpacific/

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
http://asianpacificheritage.gov/