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NB: This article focuses only on East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) American films and representation, not the broader understanding of “Asian American”.

As we know, Asian American representation on the big screen has increased substantially recently, though that is not to say there is a lot out there. But there’s far more than you may realise…

The following films have all been directed, written or produced (or co-) by ESEA people AND feature at least two main ESEA characters in central roles, and were released since the turn of the millennium (just to narrow it down). This meant that some groundbreaking films that feature legendary Asian actors and Asian characters didn’t make the cut. These include: the Rush Hour trilogy (or at least 2 and 3), Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2, Love Hard, The Forbidden Kingdom, The Karate Kid remake, the mediocre live action remake of Mulan, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Harry and Kumar, and more. The list does not include documentaries.

It should also be noted I do not personally find all of these films to by any means be perfect in a general cinematic sense or in terms of Asian representation, but some certainly do come close. If you’re looking for films to watch during AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month in May, hopefully this list will give you some inspiration. Check it out below!

A Sugar & Spice Holiday

A Sugar & Spice Holiday is, despite a little cheesy and predictable (as most holiday films are), considered to be the first East Asian-centered Christmas film and therefore absolutely deserves to be included in this list. I wrote more about it here.

After Yang

Okay, this film is nothing short of bizarre but also thought-provoking. As a sci-fi film directed by Kogonada, After Yang centres on Yang, a literally robotic teenage boy who lives with his “adoptive” parents played by Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith as well as their non-robotic adoptive daughter Mika. Yang’s parents/owners must find out what is wrong with him when he “shuts down” and try to “save” him. Along the way they discover some intriguing pasts and truths and must learn to live life normally as a family.

The weirdest thing about the plot perhaps, is the fact the parents bought Yang as a “culture unit” so Mika can learn more about her Asian heritage. What’s wrong with an iPad, taking her abroad or enrolling her in classes? Nonetheless, despite the film not really pertaining to a lot of Asianness as the main plot is taken up by talking about robots, their feelings and their memories, After Yang is poignant and a fresh take on the idea of AI/near-perfect replicas of humans and their potential threat to us.

Always Be My Maybe

Written by its lead actors Ali Wong and Randall Park, Always Be My Maybe is the sweet romcom Asians need that show people like them at the forefront. Even many of the supporting actors are of ESEA heritage, including Marcus’ (Park) girlfriend Jenny and father Harry, and Sasha’s two other boyfriends throughout – one of which is Keanu Reeves in a a bizarre fictionalised version of himself.

And although it’s not necessarily a central theme of the film, the love of home cooked Asian food and family memories are what make what could have been any film like it devoid of diversity, more relatable to Asians watching it.

Better Luck Tomorrow

While most American films set in high school have quite clearly full grown adults actors trying to pass off as teenagers and the vast majority of them failing to do so, in Better Luck Tomorrow it was a shock to find out that all the lead actors were nearing 30 when it was released in 2002! Which goes to show Asians don’t age…

In this crime thriller, a group of well-to-do and seemingly stereotypical high flying students turn to a life of crime that starts with petty, bored vandalism and ends in calculated murder, flipping the Model Minority Myth on its head while perhaps showing how some Asian crime gangs may have started out. Directed by Justin Lin – probably the highest-grossing Asian American director of all time thanks to the five Fast and Furious films he directed and another he co-wrote and co-produced – Better Luck Tomorrow is a really intriguing watch.

Bitter Melon

Unfortunately the only film on this list to feature Filipino Americans, Bitter Melon is probably also a forgotten ESEA Christmas film (as it’s set during the festive season and was released before A Sugar & Spice Holiday). However, unlike A Sugar & Spice Holiday, it is not a cute, feel-good story but rather one that centres on themes of domestic abuse and toxic masculinity whilst still maintaining an air of dark comedy. The camerawork is reminiscent of the way comedy skits are filmed, which though may look extremely low-budget, I believe this was director H. P. Mendoza’s intentions, as he has become known for his tongue-in-cheek style of film production.

Chang Can Dunk

In the wake of Jeremy Lin (well, sort of since he made his professional debut in 2010 and this film came out in 2023), who isn’t even referenced, Chang Can Dunk stars Bloom Li as a young Asian American teenager who dreams of being a top basketball player – at least at his high school. It’s your classic, cute school-based drama where sports are cared about way too much by pretty much everyone, but making the lead an Asian character simply gives it that extra something we’ve not often seen before.

Crazy Rich Asians

Without a doubt the biggest Asian-dominated film to take Hollywood by storm and the first since The Joy Luck Club, Crazy Rich Asians was far from a truly great film for Asian representation (the questionable casting of some people for starters). But like Ke Huy Quan said, it was a catalyst for Asian American actors, filmmakers and writers to prove that there was space for them on the big screen and at the forefront or centre of them.

A sequel has yet to be made, though rumours have been flying, however it probably hasn’t been helped by the pandemic happening since, which also pushed back the general public’s opinions on Asians.

Elemental

Many Pixar films have a lot of depth and either overt or covert impactful themes. Elemental is no different. And unless you watched the behind the scenes documentary on Disney+ you’d likely be unaware that its plot and characters are inspired by Korean-American director Peter Sohn’s own experiences of growing up in an immigrant family in a multicultural metropolitan city. Furthermore, it highlights the dilemmas some face, from prejudice and discrimination to family expectations regarding your future and your love life. I wrote more about this here.

Eternals

While Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was deservedly touted as a step in the right direction for Asian representation, especially in the superhero film world, many might perhaps overlook Eternals when thinking about magnitude. That might have something to do with the fact it wasn’t a big critical or commercial success but it was nonetheless directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao and featured a diverse ensemble cast that included Gemma Chan in a lead role and Don Lee.

So although the film lacked Asian representation in the way many others in this list had, having these faces in front of and behind the camera counts for something. You can read more of my thoughts on it here.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

This surprise, award-winning blockbuster stirred up a huge frenzy, with many – even myself – not anticipating the impact it would have on other Asian films in America, the cast (though I still don’t think Jamie Lee Curtis should have been nominated, let alone won any awards) or the population. To me, Everything Everywhere All at Once was more of a film that very belatedly highlighted the talents of Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and James Hong and did more to show the history of overseeing people like them as well as inspire others to reach their status (only hopefully quicker) than anything else. For more, read here.

Fire Island

Not since Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet has there been many really prominent LGBTQ ESEA representation on the big screen – or any screen really – that didn’t paint queer Asians in an unflattering, stereotypical or objectifying light. Then along came Fire Island, a story about a group of very diverse friends (two gaysians? Who’d have thought that possible!) who make a group trip to Fire Island, known for being a haven for gay holidays – or holigays if you will. Because it’s full of gays, there’s drama galore in the ensuing furore of sex, drugs and romance.

Writer and star Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang and Conrad Ricamora each have their own opinions on what it means to be gay and ESEA, which both brings them together and drives wedges between them. The story is also loosely based on Pride and Prejudice but it isn’t a necessity to know that plot.

Gook

Although I’m not entirely sure the reason for the use of the historically derogatory term “gook” in its title, the film is a haunting take on the racial tensions between Asian Americans, African Americans and Latino Americans told predominantly through the eyes of the former. And although it was released prior to the riots that took place in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, watching it again now reminds us that those incidents were certainly not the first as it is set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Directed by and starring Justin Chon (perhaps best known for his minor role in the Twilight film series), Gook is a heartbreaking and frank tale about the interracial issues that have long plagued areas such as LA. But on the flip side, the friendship between the three main characters, one of which is just 11-year-old Kamilla, shows the potential for harmony and camaraderie.

Joy Ride

The Asian Girls Trip x Bridesmaids, Joy Ride was a hilarious comedy that dropped quite a few jaws at its overtly sexual nature. While some may have been put off by this, claiming that this didn’t shine East Asian women in the best light and was too OTT in its attempts at turning stereotypes on their head, it was nonetheless still feel-good and heartfelt. You can read more of my thoughts on it here.

Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3

Though Jackie Chan (Master Monkey), Lucy Liu (Master Monkey) and James Hong (Po’s adoptive father) are far from the film franchise’s main characters (Chan’s character makes more monkey and fighting noises than he does speak), both Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3 were directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. She was the first woman to solely direct and the first Asian American to direct a major American animated film with the first sequel. While only supporting characters as well, Randall Duk Kim also appeared in the first (not directed by Jennifer) and third films and Michelle Yeoh was in 2. Unfortunately, due to a huge lack of ESEA representation behind and in the film, Kung Fu Panda 4 also doesn’t make the cut.

Lucky Grandma

Definitely one of the funniest films on this list, Lucky Grandma stars Tsai Chin, who appears in four films in it but this marks her first in a lead role. When “Grandma” is “lucky” enough to come across a large sum of money that doesn’t belong to her, the deed soon catch up with her and she must go to many lengths to avoid those she allegedly stole from. Tsai Chin is known for her grumpy and disgruntled demeanour in films, and usually as a grandma, but this truly lets her shine and for both her dramatic and comedic chops to be combined.

Minari

I didn’t catch Minari at the cinema but after its critical acclaim which helped it pick up six Oscar nominations (including one win), 10 Critics’ Choice Awards nominations and one win at the Golden Globes, among others, I had to. And you can tell why it was so popular.

To be quite fair, not much happens in the film but the simple family interactions and drama are enough to keep you hooked to hope everything turns out okay for the Korean family who find themselves trying to live a new life in the American wilderness.

Past Lives

Past Lives is probably one of my favourite films on this list. Not because of representation but because it simply is a beautiful, yet heart-wrenching one. Though I would not have technically called it an American film as it is as much a Korean creation, main star Greta Lee is Korean-American and much of it is set in NYC. I wrote a full review of it here.

Quiz Lady

Despite my hesitancies of having Awkwafina and Sandra Oh in lead roles (no offence to them, but they are everywhere these days), the two actresses actually played against their usual type for once in this comedy about polar opposite sisters coming together in each other’s time of need. There’s great hilarity in some jokes that decry racism and stereotypes (because they mostly don’t) and it’s good to see another film that could have easily been led by non-Asian actors and the plot would have been pretty much exactly the same, be led by Asian actors.

That aside, Disney+ still is a lot to answer for for their conflation of identifying languages and Chinese dialects in their subtitles.

Raya and the Last Dragon

With a screenplay by Adele Lim (in her third film on this list) and Qui Nguyen, Raya and the Last Dragon presented us with Disney’s first Southeast Asian princess. There has been of course, some criticism about the huge attempt of fusing many Southeast Asian cultures together into one real-life-based but ultimately fantasy world as well as the “let’s just cast any actors of Asian descent in these roles” ethos. I mean, Awkwafina ties with Michelle Yeoh as being the most recurring actor in this list, being in FIVE of the films.

But at the end of the day, while representation was treated a little too much like a big mixing bowl, it still showed young SEA girls they could be as brave and virtuous as Raya.

Saving Face

Saving Face is known as the first feature length film to focus on Chinese Americans since The Joy Luck Club. And after The Wedding Banquet but before Fire Island on-screen LGBTQ ESEA representation has been near negligible, especially the L in the acronym. This intergenerational story about a mother and daughter’s relationship and their respective love lives is heartwarming, whilst touching on themes such as pregnancy in older women and PDA anxiety.

Also, you have to hand it to Alice Wu for sticking to her vision and guns and not giving in to the pressure for production companies who wanted to Whitewash her film in order to make it more appealing…

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

The MCU was in sore need of an Asian superhero and thankfully it wasn’t too long before Marvel’s most well-known was given his first feature-length film. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a big win for Asian representation in many ways, more of which you can read about here.

Shortcomings

Directed by Randall Park, Shortcomings is a film whereby the first scene is literally all about Asian representation on the big screen, and the entire plot revolves around the nuances of ethnicity and relationships. Ally Maki plays Miko, who works for an Asian American Film Festival taking place in California. Her Japanese boyfriend Ben (played by Korean-American actor Justin H. Min – hmm…), is both pessimistic about the fact that Asian representation in the fictional films being praised for it are not actually any good whilst being extremely dismissive of the positive work Miko and her crowd are doing. Shanghai-born Sherry Cola (seen by many as Awkwafina 2.0) plays a less in-your-face character than in Joy Ride, which is comparable to said peer, though even “Alice” is depicted as half-Korean and half-Chinese (hmm again).

And although Ben is honestly not a particularly likeable character due to his hypocrisy and weird but inadmissible obsession with White women, if anything, Shortcomings makes you think a lot about the fine line between sexual and racial preferences and internal racism and stereotypes, while also thinking just how a good film with Asian representation could be done.

Spa Night

Spa Night is the second film on this list directed by Andrew Ahn after Fire Island and was his first released in 2016. This drama follows David as he takes on a job in a spa in LA’s Koreatown, but unbeknownst to him it’s used by men who engage in forbidden gay sex. While it is a little strange how the owner appears to have no idea what happens there, when David finds out it makes him begin to question and explore his own sexuality, which he struggles with coming from a typically conservative Asian family.

Although Fire Island was said to have broken down barriers for LGBTQ ESEA representation on screen, Spa Night is worth the watch for being almost a polar opposite in terms of the characters’ journeys and confidence in the world of being gay. And the fact it won several awards such as the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance for lead actor Joe Seo at the Sundance Film Festival, the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards, and the George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker Award at the San Diego Asian Film Festival, only solidifies that.

The Farewell

Awkwafina starred in this emotional drama in what has undeniably been her best role to date, allowing her to really flex her acting chops beyond her usual mouthy layabout characters (although her role as Billi in The Farewell doesn’t really do anything either). The great representation this film gave us was a deeper look into one mostly untouched subject within traditional Chinese culture – death. Particularly cancer, which as Billi’s mother so plainly puts it: “when people get cancer, they die – it’s not the cancer that kills them. It’s the fear.”

The Farewell tackles this taboo with brilliant deft, adding in small touches of lightheartedness and humour to almost alleviate the somber tone you would expect from such a film.

The Half of It

Alice Wu’s second film The Half of It is a coming-of-age teen drama starring Leah Lewis, who is also the voice of Lumen in Elemental, and while I would technically conclude she is the only central Asian character, her father’s supporting role is rather important too, hence its inclusion in this list. Although main character Ellie is initially the typically shy, high achieving and well-behaved Asian stereotype, she soon is shown to be much more than just that as she navigates her way through school and her love life, which happens to be a complicated love triangle. A cute film where it is again a rarity in this genre to see not only an Asian in the lead role but a lesbian too.

The Jade Pendant

Set during the era that led to the implementation of the disgusting Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871 and the awful Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 when many Chinese migrants worked on the Transcontinental Railroad, The Jade Pendant is a tragic love story that retells Chinese-American history for today’s audience. It is very loosely based on true events that led to the aforementioned massacre, widely regarded as the worst mass lynching that ever happened in the US. This is a truly Eastern meets Western film about finding one’s own feet in a scary new world that only sees your kind as a threat but is also about how smarts, power and influence can help you too.

Additionally, it showed continued “Yellow Peril” – anti-ESEA sentiment – albeit in an extremely covert form, when it almost wasn’t made because production companies felt an American audience wasn’t ready for or didn’t want a nearly all-Asian American cast starring in a Western film.

The Tiger’s Apprentice

While The Tiger’s Apprentice may seem like another excuse of a film to bring together some of the biggest and most currently popular names in the Asian acting pool (and it is), it was predominantly a chance to see Michelle Yeoh in a villainous role as Loo, an evil sorceress.

This animated film is definitely not Pixar-level in any way at all and its lack of character development and innovative narrative notwithstanding, it still has charm and humour. Though if it hadn’t been through a bit of development hell prior to its completion and release, it may have been better.

Tigertail

When it comes to not necessarily representation but greatness, emotion and poignancy, Tigertail is up there as one of the best. Tzi Ma (in his third appearance on this list) again proves himself to be an actor who should be more recognised beyond his role as Consul Han in Rush Hour and worthy of awards he could have won for his portrayal of a troubled, private and closed off man who left Taiwan and probably the love of his life for a chance to live in America.

Turning Red

Turning Red was not only a big leap for Asian representation in large-scale animated films, it also spoke to many young tweens about the trials and tribulations of growing up and living up to family expectations. I wrote a full piece on this here.

Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior

Rather stale acting and extremely cringe CGI aside, Disney Channel classic Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior was a win for representation in Disney back in 2006. Yes, the story played into the old trope of being a martial arts and ancient Chinese mythology epic, but it gave young teens someone else to look up to – Brenda Song – that wasn’t Demi Lovato, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, The Mowry sisters, Raven, or Vanessa Hudgens (yes, I know she has Filipino heritage).

And that’s the list! Now we just need the first British equivalent to grace our screens… Have you seen any or many of these films? What are your thoughts on them and do you agree with my list? If so, which ones and if not, which would you add instead?