Here at the CAAM, we often talk about uplifting Asian American stories. But with the growing body of works featuring our community, what makes our programs unique? We like to think of the films that we support as being centered on a diversity of lived Asian American experiences, told by makers who know these communities personally. During 2022, CAAM’s work has gone both deeper and broader into the Asian American experience, ranging from documentaries addressing the current events to short-form series focused on re-examining the way we look at historical narratives.
In April, the CAAM co-produced Historian’s Take launched in collaboration with PBS Digital Studios. Each of these 10-episodes produced by Dolly Li with host Danielle Bainbridge unpacks a piece of pop culture —from the rise of the Asian ‘Himbo’ trope to the legacy of Partition as reflected in Disney’s Ms. Marvel. In May and June, we also partnered with A-Doc and WORLD Channel to digitally premiere a series of short documentaries, Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond. And in the world of audio storytelling, CAAM supported Dino-Ray Ramos’ podcast Problematic Fave, in which he and guests unpack an old favorite film and show and discuss how changing perceptions have caused them to think differently about it.
Through our ongoing partnership with PBS several of our productions were broadcast on TV across the nation. One of our highest-profile projects, the documentary Rising Against Asian Hate was televised in October. The one-hour film, produced by Gina Kim and directed by Titi Yu, examines the impact of the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings on the local Asian American community–and the galvanizing that arose after the tragedy. Also making its broadcast premiere this fall was An Act of Worship, a documentary by Nausheen Dadbhoy exploring 30 years of American history through the perspectives of Muslims in the U.S. Both An Act of Worship and Rising Against Asian Hate continue to be available for streaming on the PBS website.
Each week in December, we will reflect on an aspect of our work during the past year. Check the blog to learn more about CAAM’s work in amplifying Asian American narratives and support this mission to bring our stories to the widest possible audience by making a year-end donation to the Center for Asian American Media.
