We are supporting five new documentary films in 2024, focusing on diverse Asian American experiences. Through our Documentary Fund, supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), CAAM is providing funding to five films for public television. These include Far East L.A., exploring the history of Little Tokyo and Boyle Heights; The Gas Station Attendant, a daughter’s exploration of her South Asian immigrant father’s life; and I Love You More Than My Life, documenting a woman’s struggle to care for her aging mother., The Other Side of Memory and What Happened to Danny, dive into personal stories of identity and justice.
Far East L.A.
Directed by Rubén Guevara III & Jun Shimizu, produced by Rubén Guevara III & Natsu Furuichi
This series traces the hidden history of Little Tokyo and Boyle Heights in Los Angeles through the arts, culture, and activism of Japanese American and Chicano residents
The Gas Station Attendant
Directed/produced by Karla Murthy and produced by Rajal Pitroda
A daughter pieces together her father’s life – a South Asian immigrant who worked as a gas station attendant. Her journey sparks a deeper examination of loss, grief, forgiveness, and the human desire to survive.
I love you more than my life
directed/produced by Indira Somani and produced by Erin Ploss-Campoamor
Indira returns home to Springfield, Illinois, to care for her aging South Asian mother, who struggles with depression. As she reflects on her mother’s vibrant past, as an award-winning social worker who immigrated entirely on her own from India, Indira struggles to balance her roles as caregiver and daughter, while protecting her own mental health.
The Other Side of Memory
directed by Nick Capezzera and produced by Jiefei Yuan
Nick, a Korean adoptee, returns to Seoul to recover the missing pieces from his early life. Joining forces with a local reporter, community leaders, and Korea’s largest Pentecostal congregation, they decode the mystery surrounding his birth 38 years ago. The Other Side of Memory is a personal documentary following an adoptee’s lifelong quest to find his birth parents that ultimately transforms his relationship with his adoptive family.
What Happened to Danny
directed by ManSee Kong and produced by Lorraine Ma and Jennifer Ngo and
edited by Sam Rong
When a 19-year-old American soldier is found dead on a U.S. Army base in Afghanistan after relentless hazing by supervisors, community leaders in New York’s Chinatown immediately mobilize and embark on a multiyear campaign to demand justice for Private Danny Chen and his family.
We are excited to announce that our Documentary Fund Open Call will begin accepting applications from Friday, September 20, 2024 through Sunday, October 20, 2024. For more information, please visit our Documentary Fund Open Call page.
