For over 40 years, CAAM has proudly supported documentary works that highlight the wide spectrum of Asian American experiences through support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Although CPB is winding down its operations due to the cancellation of federal funding, here at CAAM we are continuing to distribute the remaining funds we are stewarding. Through our Documentary Fund, CAAM is, in 2025, providing funding for three films intended for public television. These include a road trip documentary that explores Southern Asian identity through an invasive vine, From Kudzu; a family story about Amerasian siblings reuniting to find their mother and heal after years of separation, Finding Ma; and a spotlight on two dancerssparking a global movement to alter how Asians are portrayed in ballet in About Face: Disrupting Ballet. In addition to the Documentary Fund awardees, CAAM is thrilled to announce two compelling new series set against the backdrop of the Asian American food scene in the Bay Area, alongside a curated selection of both fiction and non-fiction short films.
DOCUMENTARY FUND
About Face: Disrupting Ballet directed/produced by Jennifer Lin and produced by
Jon Funabiki and Cory Lin Stieg
Top Left: Jennifer Lin, Top Right: Jon Funabiki, and Bottom: Still from ‘About Face: Disrupting Ballet’
About Face spotlights Georgina Pazcoguin and Phil Chan as they challenge the dance world to rid ballet of outdated stereotypes of Asians and make ballet more inclusive. The story reveals the tension and pushback as an art form descended from kings and queens attempts to be more welcoming to diverse audiences today. Gina reveals the challenges of being an AAPI performer at the highest level of ballet, while Phil creates a new version of the problematic ballet, La Bayadère.
Finding Ma directed by Thanh Tran, executive produced by Grace Lee and produced by Anthony Pedone and Eurie Chung
Top: Still from ‘Finding Ma’, Bottom Left: Thanh Tran, Bottom Middle: Anthony Pedone, Bottom Middle: Grace Lee, Bottom Right: Eurie Chung
After 20 years of separation, an Amerasian Vietnamese and Black family—shattered by the foster care and prison systems—reunites to heal, starting with a search for their unhoused mother in Sacramento. Finding Má is an intimate, politically urgent documentary chronicling filmmaker Thanh Tran’s journey from San Quentin to the streets, revealing how war, incarceration, and poverty tore his family apart—and how love, resilience, and radical hope are bringing them back together.
From Kudzu co-directed/produced by Melanie Ho, Nash Consing, and Hope Davison
Top Left: Nash Consing, Top Middle: Hope Davison, Top Right: Melanie Ho Bottom: Still from ‘From Kudzu’
A personal road trip documentary, From Kudzu explores the identities of three Asian Americans from the U.S. South. The filmmakers illustrate the placement, movement and history of their Asian histories in the South in proximity to an invasive vine’s rise and fall mitigated by the hand of the U.S. Government. On the road, they weave in histories of immigration, coming of age amidst anti-Asian hate, and building community with those working to rehabilitate kudzu and educate about its benefits.
CAAM-SUPPORTED DIGITAL SERIES
Generation Food Series (working title) directed/produced by Nisha Balaram
Top Left: Nisha Balaram, Top Right and Bottom: Still from ‘Generation Food Series (working title)’
Generation is a three-part documentary short series exploring how Asian American chefs, farmers, and community leaders use food to reclaim heritage, reimagine identity, and build community across generations. Set against the rich culinary backdrop of the Bay Area, each episode delves into stories of resilience, grief, innovation, and joy, revealing how food becomes both a memory and a catalyst for change. From family-run kitchens to healing cuisine to bustling night markets, Generation examines what it means to nourish Asian American culture in the Bay Area through the act of making, sharing, and redefining food.
Untitled Short Series co-produced by Flash Cuts and presented by CAAM
In partnership with Flash Cuts, CAAM is supporting a dynamic digital short film series to showcase fiction and non-fiction stories with a distinct and captivating visual lens on Asian America. An homage to CAAM’s groundbreaking Asian American anthology series Silk Screen, which ran from 1982 to 1987 on PBS, this digital-first series is designed with a fresh perspective to bridge the legacy of Asian American storytelling with today’s younger audiences. Check back in early 2026, for our call for submissions for original narrative and documentary short film proposals to be considered for this series.
