This Asian American and Pacific Islander post is to focus on AAPI excellence in the entertainment world. The AAPI community needs visibility, take the time to dive into some of these excellent artists’ work! This blog post features Books, Movies, and Music, but there is so much more to entertainment.
Love movies? Check out these 10 Movies by Asian American Directors, you can stream right now:
- The Farewell directed by Lulu Wang
- Meet the Patels directed by siblings Geeta V. Patel and Ravi V. Patel
- The Joy Luck Club directed by Wayne Wang
- Columbus directed by Kogonada
- Lucky Grandma directed by Sasie Sealy
- The Grace Lee Project directed by Grace Lee
- Bitter Melon directed by H.P. Mendoza
- Tigertail directed by Alan Yang
- Crazy Rich Asians directed by John Chu
- Minari directed by Lee Isaac Chung
Like to read? These books by AAPI authors will reel you in:
- Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
- Naturally Tan by Tan France
- Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
- Jade City by Fonda Lee
- Mimi Lee Gets a Clue by Jennifer J. Chow
- Where the Rekohu Bone Sings by Tina Makereti
- Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
- Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
- Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai
- The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
If you’re a true book lover, check out these additional 30 book titles by Asian authors.
Into awesome music? Here are 9 Asian American and Pacific Islander Musicians you need to hear:
- Low Leaf
- Awkwafina
- Clones of the Queen
- Paul Kim
- Asobi Seksu
- Blue Scholars
- Kishi Bashi
- Mitski
- King Khan
Want to hear more, check out these AAPI musicians who are dominating the alternative genre right now.
Appreciate a great Art Museum? Check out the best at the Smithsonian. Take a virtual tour of Asian American Artists and selected works.
- Video Flag
- Grey Sun
- Lunar Landscape
- Vase with Landscape and Dinosaurs
- Okame
- Maya Ying Lin
- Forlorn Spot
- Portrait of Yasuo Kuniyoshi in his studio
- Fakirs
- Full Moon
- And many many more…
Have children in your life and want to find ways to celebrate AAPI culture? Check out these 24 beautiful kids’ books that reflect the Asian American experience.
- “Laxmi’s Mooch,” by Shelly Anand and Nabi H. Ali
- “Watercress,” by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin
- “The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story,” by Tina Cho and Jess X. Snow
- “Hannah’s Night,” by Komako Sakai
- “Measuring Up,” by Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu
- “Stargazing,” by Jen Wang
- “The Magic Fish,” by Trung Le Nguyen
- “The Prince and the Dressmaker,” by Jen Wang
- “All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team,” by Christina Soontornvat
- “It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way,” by Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad
- “Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist,” by Julie Leung and Chris Sasaki
- “From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement,” by Paula Yoo
- And many many more…
This blog post features Books, Movies, and Music, but there is so much more to entertainment. If you want to learn more about pop culture and art, check out IU’s Asian Culture Center. Or check out how these 60 Asian American creatives are designing a better Los Angeles. Meet dozens of other podcasters, writers, photojournalists, filmmakers, and comic book creators, musicians. There are tons of ways in which to engage with AAPI entertainment to shine a spotlight on the excellence that comes from these artists.