Much has changed from the 1990s to now in the film industry for the AANHPI community. Chris Chan Lee is a key proponent that has inspired many Asian Americans to pursue filmmaking since his groundbreaking feature, "Yellow." On this episode, Chris and Rasha talk about his journey, how the film landscape has changed, and how it can still be improved.
Chris is a Korean-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, C He graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and has spent his career of over 25 years developing and producing Asian-American content. His debut feature film as writer/director was "Yellow" (1997), a coming of age movie about a group of teens in Los Angeles. The film features the first performances of John Cho and Jason Tobin, and re-envisioned the American teen comedy with an ensemble of Asian-Americans in the lead roles. "Yellow" world premiered at the 1997 CAAMFest Film Festival (then called NAATA) with three sold-out screenings, and was selected for more than a dozen film festivals including Raindance U.K., Slamdance, Singapore International, Hawaii International, and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The film won the Gold Carp 1st Place Audience Award for Best Feature Film and the Golden Reel Award for Best Independent Feature Film. "Yellow" had a successful limited national theatrical release including a 5-week run in Southern California across 9 screens. He served twice as a judge for the Filmmakers Media Fund Initiative at CAAMFest, and was an independent filmmaker panelist at events hosted by KASCON (Korean American Students Conference), WGA (Writers Guild of America), LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, and a number of other professional and community organizations. The film is considered a milestone in Asian American filmmaking.
The Business of Representation with Alexa Khan │ 2x8
Exploring Identity, Community, and Refugitude through Theatre │ 2x7
Sowing Compassion, Community, and Education from Tragedy │ 2x6
Diversity from Behind the Scenes with Miranda Kwok │ 2x5
Cultivating Sense of Self through Science & Art │ 2x4
Covid-19 Vaccines and Variants Part III with Dr. Paul Song │ 2x3
Advocating for Asian American Communities through Poetry │ 2x2
Fostering a Movement of Cultural Appreciation through Musical Theater │ 2x1
Laur Allen: Advocating Positive Social Justice & Humanitarian Impact through Law & Media │1x42
Archie Kao - A Chinese American Actor‘s Journey Along the Pacific Rim │1x41
Quyền Nguyen Le: A Queer Filmmaker and Writer Creating Pathways to Understanding through Film │1x40
Raising Awareness for Social Justice Reform, Youth Education, and Women’s Rights through Music│1x39
Tasty Asian Inspired Halloween Recipes and Horror Films with Korean Chef Cathlyn Choi │1x38
Parents are Human │1x37
Empowering Next Generation of Asian Youth Voices in Film Media Arts and Pop Culture │1x36
Dismantling the Stigma and Negative Connotations of Menstruation │1x35
Uncovering the History of Racial Hate Against Filipinos in Short Film ”No Dogs” │1x34
Leading Advocacy and Change for Los Angeles with Councilwoman Nithya Raman │1x33
Uplifting Asian Youth in Los Angeles │1x32
Taboo Topics and Pop Culture through Comics and Art │1x31
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL