From history to performing arts to independent film, PBS 6, Ready TV, WORLD, and the UA Channel offer viewers the opportunity to explore the rich, vibrant history, and cultural contributions of Asian/Pacific Americans.
Television highlights include:
Last Days in Vietnam: American Experience, airing Sunday, May 3 at 4 p.m. examines the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War. North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. With the clock ticking and the city under fire, an unlikely group of heroes took matters into their own hands.
Independent Lens: Kumu Hina, airing Monday, May 4 at 10 p.m. This inspiring story features Hina Wong- Kalu, a native Hawaiian mahu (transgender) teacher who motivates a tomboyish young girl to claim her place as leader of an all-male hula troupe. The film also explores Hina’s pursuit of love as she searches for a fulfilling romantic relationship with an unpredictable young Tongan man.
America Reframed: 9-Man, airing Tuesday, May 5 at 6 p.m. on the World Channel. 9-Man is a story about street-ball battle in the heart of Chinatown featuring a chaotic, Chinese-only game played competitively in parking lots and alleys since 1938. Through revealing cinéma vérité scenes, archival material and primary source interviews, the film broaches conversations about Chinatown's Bachelor Society, the Chinese Exclusion Act, cultural belonging and loss, masculinity, genetic disparity in sports, immigrant culture, the Chinatown diaspora, micro-aggressions, reverse racism, Asian-American identity politics, self-doubt and social isolation.
Soul of a Banquet, airing Wednesday, May 20 at 2 p.m. explores the world of Cecilia Chiang, the woman who introduced America to authentic Chinese food. Chiang opened her internationally renowned restaurant The Mandarin in 1961 in San Francisco and went on to change the course of cuisine in America. The film is equal parts delectable showcase of gastronomy and a touching portrait of Chiang's journey from a childhood in Beijing before the Cultural Revolution to accidental restaurateur on the west coast of the United States.
For a complete list of programs, visit azpm.org.
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