EXEAS

Searching for Asian America

searching-asian-america
Photo courtesy of the Center for Asian American Media

Genre: Documentary
Ethnicity: General Asian American, Chinese American, Filipino American,
Korean American
Themes: Culture, Cultural Encounter & Misunderstanding, History,
Identity/Representation, Immigrant/Refugee Experience/Diaspora,
Individual Profiles & Personal Stories, Political/Legal Issues, Youth
Date: 2003
Running Time: 90 min. (3 30-minute episodes)
Directors: Sapana Sakya, Donald Young, Kyung Yu
Producer: Donald Young
Availability: Center for Asian American Media (formerly NAATA)
College/Institution: DVD $250 Purchase/$75 Rental
K-12/Public Library/Community Group: DVD $125 Purchase/$45 Rental
Synopsis

Searching for Asian America profiles the lives and experiences of three Asian Americans:

  • Gary Locke, who became the first Asian American governor in the U.S. when he was elected governor of Washington in 1996;
  • Martin Bautista and Jeffrey Lim, two Filipino immigrant doctors living in rural Oklahoma; and
  • Lela Lee, a Korean American actress and creator of the “Angry Little Girls!” comic strip and website.

See also:
http://www.pbs.org/searching/
http://caamedia.org/buy-caam-films/film/?i=178

Review

Schieb, Ronnie, “Searching for Asian America,” N.Y. Asian. July 29, 2003.

Supplementary Material

Searching for Asian America, Public Broadcasting System
http://www.pbs.org/searching/

Includes short biographies of each showcased individual, photos, additional profiles of Asian Americans, a quiz, and more.