Film & TV

7 Movies to Watch for AAPINH Heritage Month

From Moana to Everything Everywhere All at Once, celebrate Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian achievement with these must-see films. 

AAPINH movie Everything Everywhere All at Once wins awards, held Ke Huy Quan.
Photo via Getty Images.

May is AAPINH (Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian) Heritage Month, a time to celebrate these groups’ contributions to American culture. Influencing our music, dance, fashion, and popular culture, May has much to celebrate. Perhaps the greatest area of unsung AAPINH excellence is in film, where Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are often ignored by mainstream Hollywood.

A study by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that among 1,300 major studio movies from 2007 to 2019, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian actors made up just six percent of speaking roles and a mere four percent of leads. Often playing sidekicks and villains, this minimal representation was riddled with harmful stereotypes, failing to humanize or fully develop AAPINH characters.

Despite this lack of on-screen diversity, recent accolades of leading ladies like Michelle Yeoh signal that tides are changing. Taking home Best Actress, the film industry’s highest honor, for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once at the 2023 Academy Awards, the Malaysian-born actress’s win indicates a future of many more AAPINH talents in the cinema. 

The following movies not only depict AAPINH faces but tell their stories in meaningful ways. As we take time to reflect upon the invaluable influence of AAPINH culture, celebrate AAPINH Heritage Month with this list of must-see films.

Minari (2020)

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Set in the ‘80s, Minari tells the story of a Korean-American family uprooting to rural Arkansas. Overcoming significant challenges in pursuit of the American dream, Minari is a nuanced, heart-wrenching, but ultimately tender depiction of the immigrant experience. Adored by many, Yuh-Jung Youn took home Best Supporting Actress at the 2021 Academy Awards for her performance as the family’s grandmother, while Minari earned a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Joy Luck Club (1993)

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Based on Amy Tan’s 1989 novel, The Joy Luck Club recounts the stories of four Chinese women who immigrated to America. The group calls themselves "The Joy Luck Club," galvanized by their mutual feelings of sadness for leaving China and hopes for a promising future for their daughters. The film explores how each of these women raised their daughters in a new country, making for a passionate depiction of mother-daughter dynamics. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)



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Part action, part sci-fi, part family drama, Academy Award-winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of those films that has it all. The legendary Yeoh stars as immigrant laundromat owner Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant running a failing business with her husband. That starting point gives rise to a comedic and deeply touching adventure through the multiverse you just have to see to understand.

Moana (2016) 

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The animated film Moana tells the story of Disney’s first Polynesian princess. With the help of her ancestors and friends along the way, Moana saves her people and discovers her own identity. Before writing this off as a kid’s movie, the film represents so much more. A fierce leader, Moana embodies Polynesian strength, pride, and excellence. Coupled with the smooth voice of Samoan actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the film is a modern classic to watch again and again.

Gook (2017)

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Gook is a dramedy about two Korean-American brothers running their family’s Koreatown shoe store on the day of the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. As the uproar threatens to destroy their family’s livelihood, the two boys defend the store with the help of an unlikely friend, an 11-year-old girl named Kamilla. With the film’s title itself being a derogatory term for people of East and Southeast Asian descent, Gook reclaims the ethnic slur with a witty, touching depiction of everyday racism, crime, and friendship set in the not-so-distant past.

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

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Ali Wong and Randall Park are central to Always Be My Maybe, a romantic comedy depicting recently reconnected childhood sweethearts. As both co-writers and co-stars, the film is Asian American through and through. Set in San Francisco, characters Marcus and Sasha attempt to reignite their chemistry despite their now very different lives. Watch their charming story unfold on Netflix.

Kumu Hina (2014)

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Kumu Hina is a documentary centered upon Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Hina), a transgender Native Hawaiian who teaches hula to a group of schoolchildren. The film reveals Hina’s multifaceted inner and outer worlds, from her marriage to her Fijian husband, Hema, to her mentorship of Hoonani Kamai, a local transgender boy. Throughout her journey, we learn of the māhū, the historically respected transgender people of Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, and their demonization following the arrival of European settlers. A humanizing and empowering depiction of an unseen group, we watch Hina preserve the māhū and inspire her surrounding community.

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