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| No. | Title | Description |
| 58 | Maxine Hong Kingston: Talking Story | An excellent document on the life, works and cultural tradition of Chinese-American author Maxine Hong Kingston. Born to immigrant parents in Stockton, California Kingston used images, stories, and memories of her family's past to create her highly acclaimed works of literature. Issues of cultural influences, racism, multicultural development are discussed. Among those interviewed are artist Rupert Garcia (a childhood friend), Jade Snow Wong, Victor Wong, John Leonard, Amy Tan, David Henry Twang. Kingston reads from her own works and the program is narrated by B.D. Wong. |
| 109 | Maya Lin | Documentary of the designing and creation of the Vietnam War Memorial. Focusing on the controversy that arose when it was announced that the winning design was submitted by a young Chinese-American woman. Since completion, The Vietnam War Memorial has become one of the most famous memorials in the US because of it's spiritual and emotional impact on viewers of the site. The documentary also describes other memorials Maya Lin has created, including the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery Alabama. |
| 26 | Media Stereotypes; Asians in the Media: Those Lemon Colored Characters | Stereotypes of Asian in the media are discussed, ranging from Charlie Chan to Mr. Moto. These media images helped develop such stereotypical qualities of Asian as inscrutable characters. The history of Asians in Hollywood is traced from their first appearance until the present. |
| 127 | Mega Session #2: The Site of Gender (1993) | N/A |
| 127 | Mega Session #3: The Site of Place | N/A |
| 127 | Mega Session #4: The Site of Sexuality | N/A |
| 127 | Mega Sessions #1: The Site of Race (1993) | N/A |
| 88 | Mega-Session 4: The Site of Class (1993) | N/A |
| 79 | Memory/All Echo Yun-Ah Hong | “Based on selections from late Korean-American writer Theresa H.K. Cha’s ‘Dictee’, this work by videomaker Yun-ah Hong gives primacy to her staccato, patterned prose. Her chosen words--sometimes written across the screen, more often spoken by three voices--deal with Korean cultural and personal identity in a range of ways both confessional and contemplative, concrete and abstract. Hong weds them to images as varied, including historical footage and silent dramatic enactment. Their often incantatory combination--as if echoing Cha’s thought that ‘truth. . . oblivious to parallels other durations. . . oblivious to itself’ –conveys a recurring sense of loss and need. Though at once emotionally intriguing, ‘Memory/all echo’ still demands multiple viewings for fuller appreciation in art and social studies.” -Jeff Clark, James Madison University Library |
| 34 | Metroline: From Beijing to Bayridge | |
| 119 | Miss Indian George | Miss India Georgia follows four contestants during the hectic weeks lleading up to Atlanta's annual South Asian beauty pageant. In discussions with their grandparents about arranged marriages, in quarrels with their boyfriends, and in revealing conversations with Indian and non-Indian friends, these young women disclose the complexity of their feelings about growing up in the US as children of immigrant parents. Sometimes funny and sometimes sad, the stories of these resilient teenagers teach us that each individual's experience of "Americanization" is unique. |
| 489 | Mississippi Masala | An Indian family is expelled from Uganda when Idi Amin takes power. They move to Mississippi and time passes. The Indian daughter falls in love with a black man, and the respective families have to come to terms with it.During the British rule in India, many Indians, men and women, were sent to Uganda, Africa, to assist in the making of a railroad. When the railroad was complete, most of the Indians decided to make Uganda their home. Soon they became rich, owned properties and enjoyed a far better standard of living than their Native counterparts. Parents of Indian girls even refused to get them marry Native Africans, and using this as a pretext, General Idi Amin, in November of 1972 made it mandatory for all Asians to leave Uganda, as he wanted Africa to be a "black Africa". One of the displaced family was of Jay, Kinnu and their young daughter, Meena. From Kampala to Greenwood, Mississippi, U.S.A., this family attempted to establish themselves with their relatives, Anil, Jammubhai, Kusum, Chanda, Kanti, and Pontiac. From 1972 to 1990, the three ran a liquor shop, while Meena cleaned Motel rooms and bathrooms. Since Meena has a dark complexion, was often mistaken for a Mexican, Kinnu is unable to find a suitable groom for her. Jay still keeps the hope that one day he will regain his estate in Kampala and return to live there for the rest of his life, and continues to nurse a grudge against the black Africans who had displaced him and taken over his property. Now to make matters worse, Jay gets a rude shock when Anil tells him that Meena is having an affair with a "Kaalu" (Black man) named Demetrius Williams, who runs a business cleaning carpets in Motel rooms. Watch how tensions rise, when salt is rubbed on old wounds, and racism, called "tradition" by some folks in the U.S., raises it's ugly head, perhaps to claim more victims - this time Meena and Demetrius - who may not be able to handle the chain of events started by their love for each other |
| 26 | Mitsuye and Nellie | The poetry, ideas and memories of Mitsuye Yamada and Nellie Wong are juxtaposed with rare newsreels and photos of seldom seen glimpses of Asian American history. Historical facts are the background for this film about mothers and daughters, generational conflicts, and stereotypes. |
| 65 | Model Minority - Cornell lecture by Ron Takaki | Ronald Takaki, Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, delivers the final lecture of a three-part lecture series at Cornell on October 7, 1988. Professor Takaki addresses the model minority myth and its function as a social model that divides and pits minority groups, such as African Americans against Asian Americans. The myth of Asian Americans as the "successful" minority is disproved and the reasons for the myth's persistence is explained. (Note: All three lectures are also available in audio tape at the Resource Center) |
| 473 | Monsoon Wedding | Combining traditional ideas of marriage and family with the realities of modern life, MONSOON WEDDING is a lighthearted film from director Mira Nair (SALAAM BOMBAY!). The majority of the film takes place inside the home of an extended Punjabi family living in New Delhi who has gathered together for the arranged wedding of Adita (Vasundhara Das). She is to marry Hemant (Parveen Dabaas), a man who works in the United States. This means leaving her family home to go live with him, and though Adita says she welcomes the new opportunity, it is clear that she already feels homesick. Also at issue is the fact that she is still in love with her former boss, Vikram (Sameer Arya), a television producer who promises to divorce his wife but never does. Though Adita is careful to hide her true feelings from her family, her sister Ria (Shefali Shetty) worries that she is marrying for the wrong reasons. Ria has issues of her own. She wants to go to school in the United States and become a writer, but her family would prefer her to follow a more traditional path, and they claim that money is the reason. Meanwhile, the rebellious wedding planner, P.K. Dubey (Vijay Raaz) is falling in love with the family maid, Alice (Tilotama Shome). Sparks also fly between two of Adita's cousins, Ayesha (Neha Dubey) and Rahul (Randeep Hooda), who meet at the wedding and find that their conflicting values are a good challenge for each other. A festive film, MONSOON WEDDING is a swirling family comedy. |
| 37 | Monterey’s Boat People | This film closely examines the continuing tension between the established Italian fishing community and the recently-arrived Vietnamese fishermen in California's Monterey Bay peninsula. It also relates their experiences to those of earlier Chinese and Japanese immigrant fishermen in the area. |
| 4 | Morning Begins Here - Russell Leong | A Chinese American describes the history of Chinatown in San Francisco. He mentions the effects of immigration laws and the changing relations between the Chinese and their white neighbors. |
| 142 | Mulan | This retelling of the old Chinese folktale is about the story of a young Chinese maiden who learns that her weakened and lame father is to be called up into the army in order to fight the invading Huns. Knowing that he would never survive the rigours of war in his state, she decides to disguise herself and join in his place. Unknown to her, her ancestors are aware of this and to prevent it, they order a tiny disgraced dragon, Mushu to join her in order to force her to abandon her plan. He agrees, but when he meets Mulan, he learns that she cannot be dissuaded and so decides to help her in the perilous times ahead. |
| 112 | My America or Honk if You Love Buddha | Rollicking cross-country search for Asian America features debutantes, rappers, freedom fighters |
| 144 | My Mother’s Place | N/A |
Video Listing
Available in the Asian American Resource Center