Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with These 17 Films
Fire up any of these classics—from Past Lives to Rush Hour—and explore all the different aspects of AAPI identity.
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With diverse storytelling becoming increasingly abundant in Hollywood, it’s never been a better time to honor all the incredible, artful stories that are AAPI-led. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so we invite you to join us in celebrating the achievements of the AAPI community. Media representation is no longer relegated to supporting roles and stereotypes. We proudly tell our own stories—with the nuance and humanity that we deserve.
If you’d like to commemorate this month by lounging on the couch and vegging out, flip on Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. If you’d prefer more heart-wrenching movies, grab a box of Kleenex and hug your friends while watching Past Lives. If you’re throwing a themed party complete with Tsingtaos and snacks, turn on The Boy and the Heron and have a Studio Ghibli movie marathon.
There’s no easier—or more fun—way to celebrate than by watching one of these classics and immersing yourself in the rich tapestry of Asian American history.
Past Lives
Nominated for Best Picture at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars, Celine Song’s first feature tells a simple yet emotionally complex tale of two childhood friends, Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae-Sung (Teo Yoo). Over the course of the 2023 film, they reflect on how life sent them on two separate journeys—and how different their lives might have been had they stayed together in South Korea. The story of unrequited love and the pain of a fractured immigrant experience swept audiences and critics away.
Monkey Man
Dev Patel’s directorial debut burst onto the scene earlier this year to rave reviews from viewers and critics alike. Despite a painstaking production during Covid—and Patel even breaking his hand amid the shoot—Monkey Man was finally picked up for distribution after SXSW. Patel packs the film with stellar action sequences, Hindu mythology, and scathing commentary on India’s sociopolitical climate. Plus, it’s downright entertaining.
The Boy and the Heron
No nineties kid’s childhood would have been complete without a viewing of classic Studio Ghibli films. (See: Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away, and My Neighbor Totoro.) Thankfully, Hayao Miyazaki had another animated feature up his sleeve, gracing us with The Boy and the Heron last year. It’s brimming with his signature whimsical fantasy and moving depiction of family relationships.
Shortcomings
Produced and directed by Randall Park in his filmmaking debut, Shortcomings is a comedy about two Asian American best friends, Ben (Justin H. Min) and Alice (Sherry Cola). If you’ve ever felt lost and confused about who to date, what job to take, and even where to live, this film will reassure you that you’re not alone.
The Wedding Banquet
Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet is an unconventional love story. Lovers Wai-Tung (Winston Chao) and Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein) must deal with Wai-Tung’s overbearing Taiwanese parents, who don’t know about their relationship. He devises a fake marriage scheme with a female tenant meant to placate them, but it ends up becoming all too real. With Lee’s subtle yet poignant direction, the film balances themes of cultural differences and queer identity with grace. A remake of this classic starring Lily Gladstone and Bowen Yang is in the works.
Minari
In 2021, Minari was nominated for six Academy Awards—with Youn Yuh-Jung winning for Best Supporting Actress, the first Korean actress to do so. Celebrate this historic accomplishment and catch some equally powerful performances by Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri in this story about an immigrant Korean family trying to make their American dream come true. However, the struggle of starting over in rural America and assimilating to their new life is much more complicated than they ever could’ve imagined.
Better Luck Tomorrow
After the release of his first film, Shopping for Fangs—which was also John Cho’s movie debut—director Justin Lin followed that up with Better Luck Tomorrow. Featuring an ensemble Asian male cast, it’s considered by many male and East Asian members of the AAPI community to be the first time they truly felt represented onscreen. Lin funded the film through his own credit cards and life savings rather than making the film with an all-white cast. His efforts paid off majorly, as Better Luck Tomorrow received critical acclaim and became a mainstay of AAPI film history.
The Joy Luck Club
The Joy Luck Club is a classic tale of family and love, with a heavy-hitting cast of AAPI women, including Tsai Chin, Kieu Chinh, Lisa Lu, France Nuyen, Rosalind Chao, Lauren Tom, and Ming-Na Wen. Get ready to watch the ultimate examination of mother-daughter relationships, a story about about growing up, love and loss, and generational differences—all things most of us can relate to.
Okja
Bong Joon-Ho’s Okja is a wild science-fiction action film about one young Korean girl’s love for a genetically enhanced pig that she helps raise. Once her “super pig” wins a competition fronted by a huge corporation, he is taken from her. Okja boasts a remarkably passionate performance by Ahn Seo-Hyun, with Steven Yeun in a memorable supporting role. A fantastical story with an important and touching moral, Okja became an instant classic.
Bend It Like Beckham
Bend It Like Beckham focuses on Jess Bhamra, a British Indian Punjabi Sikh young woman who is serious about soccer—or football, as they call it across the pond—but must face the mounting pressures that her parents place on her to follow their wishes. Jess deals with racial discrimination, the challenge of competing for an athletic scholarship, and a blossoming romance with her soccer coach. Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley bring tons of charm to the film as a pair of fiercely competitive but supportive best friends.
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
One of the most iconic stoner comedies ever made (that wasn’t written by Seth Rogen), Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is landmark representation for low-achieving Asian Americans who just want to chill, get stoned, and eat at White Castle. Absurd and hilarious, it cemented John Cho’s and Kal Penn’s status as comedy stars.
Turning Red
Pixar and Disney’s Turning Red tracks the coming of age of a Chinese Canadian teen, Meilin Lee. Mei is stuck between being a loyal daughter who meets her parents’ expectations and being true to herself and her own interests. Life gets much more complicated for Mei when she inherits her family’s magical ability to transform into a red panda whenever she experiences extreme emotions. Talk about a teenage nightmare! Fun, sweet, and heartwarming, this is one you won’t want to pass up.
Slumdog Millionaire
Another Academy Award–sweeping AAPI-led film, Slumdog Millionaire danced its way into our hearts in 2009. Dev Patel established himself as a heartthrob in the Danny Boyle–directed drama. In this heart-racing tale, a young man strives to reunite with a childhood love and climb his way out of devastating poverty.
Always Be My Maybe
Always Be My Maybe, which stars Ali Wong and Randall Park, is a true romantic comedy–which we’re starving for nowadays. The two show undeniable chemistry as they trade hilarious quips and land in awkward situations that bring them closer. The film also features incredible cameos by Keanu Reeves and Daniel Dae Kim—just in case you needed any extra reasons to enjoy this one.
Tigertail
The first feature film from Alan Yang—known for his work as a director and writer for Parks & Recreation and Master of None—follows a young man who, through his ambitions for a better life, loses sight of his first love and his own identity. Tigertail is a heart-wrenching multigenerational immigrant story about the impact of trauma and the regrets we carry with us.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
No list of films celebrating AAPI culture could be complete without 2022’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, a powerhouse of a film that nabbed seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture). It even became the top-grossing movie ever released by A24. When Michelle Yeoh earned the Oscar for Best Actress, she became the first AAPI-identifying woman to win the award. But forget all the hype and just watch it for what it is: an ridiculously fun and moving film about family and the forever struggle of finding meaning in life.
Rush Hour
What better way to honor AAPI heritage than with the groundbreaking buddy-cop movie Rush Hour? For many Asian Americans, this was one of the mainstays of Asian representation in mainstream movies of the nineties and early aughts. Do the jokes hold up? Maybe. But do the action and odd but somehow irresistible chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker hold up? Absolutely.
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