Asian Islander Pacific Heritage

Independent Lens “Home Court” • On-Demand

This film traces the ascent of Cambodian American teenager Ashley Chea, a basketball prodigy whose life intensifies amid college recruitment, injury, and triumph.

Independent Lens “Home Court” is available on-demand above through 6/22/25 and on the PBS App.

Filmed over three years of Ashley’s high school career, ”Home Court” is a coming-of-age story that relays the highs and lows of her immigrant family, surmounting racial and class differences, and personal trials that include a devastating knee injury.

The film opens in Ashley’s sophomore year of high school. She shuttles between her home in a lower-income neighborhood in Los Angeles and her private school, Flintridge Prep, while traveling to youth basketball tournaments and visiting colleges around the country. Ashley’s parents work long hours at their donut shop, so her coach, Jayme Kiyomura Chan, steps in where they cannot.

With the pressure of being one of the top basketball recruits in the country, tensions rise as Ashley navigates college offers and her family’s input. Meanwhile, she grapples with the task of leading her high school team, as well as being a leader in her community and the mounting responsibility to represent her culture. The film culminates in the bittersweet moments of Ashley leaving for college with her family.

Renegades: Daniel K. Inouye: Life of Service – On-Demand

Explore the story of the U.S. Senator for Hawai’i who was injured in battle during World War II, resulting in the amputation of his right arm. Posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his lifelong public service, Inouye championed the cause of justice and equality for all Americans, including people living with disabilities.

Educational Resources: Daniel K. Inouye: Life of Service PBS LearningMedia Video, Discussion Questions and Teaching Tips (Grades 9-12)

Watch Full Episode

Watch Full Episode(Open Captioning + ASL)

Watch Full Episode(Extended Audio Description + Open Captioning)

Learn More About Daniel K. Inouye

Learn More about American Masters Renegades

Free Chol Soo Lee On-demand

Independent Lens: Free Chol Soo Lee documents the rollercoaster life story of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean immigrant wrongfully convicted of murder. Sentenced to life for a 1973 San Francisco murder, Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee was set free after a pan-Asian solidarity movement, which included Korean, Japanese, and Chinese Americans, helped to overturn his conviction. After 10 years of fighting for his life inside California state prisons, Lee found himself in a new fight to rise to the expectations of the people who believed in him. On his journey from an inspiring icon to a swing-shift janitor struggling with drug addiction, Chol Soo Lee personifies the ravages of America’s prison industrial complex. Learn More About the Film https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/free-chol-soo-lee/

Available on-demand through 11/15/24.

POV “Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?” • WXXI-TV

POV spotlights courage, resilience, and youthful idealism, in this film directed by Joe Piscatella, and produced by Mark Rinehart and Matthew Torne.

POV “Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?” airs Monday, September 23 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and available to stream until November 22, 2024 at pbs.org, and the PBS App.

At 21, Nathan Law was a leader of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution. By 23, he became Hong Kong’s youngest elected lawmaker. At 26, he was “Most Wanted” under the National Security Law. Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?, a co-presentation with Preserving Democracy, a public media initiative from The WNET Group, offers a close look at the city’s most famous dissident to uncover what happens to freedom when an authoritarian power goes unchecked.

In addition to standard closed captioning for the film, POV, in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, provides real time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities. Now in its 37th season, POV continues to mark its place as America’s longest running non-fiction series.

In Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? shy college freshman, Nathan Law, discovers an identity in activism. As one of the organizers of a student strike demanding that Hong Kong be allowed to elect their own leader (something promised to them back in 1998), Nathan leads five days of student boycotts with a message of peaceful civil disobedience. When the strike suddenly becomes the Umbrella Revolution, Nathan is unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role that shuts down Hong Kong for 79 days and captures the attention of the world.

When the movement falters, Nathan is charged for his role in the Umbrella Revolution, and his entire generation in Hong Kong has been awoken. Riding the enthusiasm of the student movement he helped spark, Nathan makes the impossible transition from protest leader to elected official, becoming the youngest lawmaker in Hong Kong’s history where he continues his fight for democracy from inside the government.

Fearful of Nathan’s message gaining traction beyond students, the government disqualifies Nathan on a technicality and sends him to jail. As Hong Kong continues to see the erosion of its freedom, a new movement is launched. Whereas the Umbrella Revolution was driven by hope, this new movement is driven by desperation. Nathan’s message of civil disobedience is overshadowed by a new generation of protestors who no longer feel that peaceful demonstrations can save Hong Kong. As Hong Kong descends into the biggest political crisis in modern Chinese history, Nathan must decide his role and his future.

Photo: Nathan Law/ Credit: Provided

American Masters – Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir • WXXI-WORLD

An intimate portrait of the groundbreaking writer.

American Masters – Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir airs Saturday, May 3 at 2 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

Writer Amy Tan’s hit debut novel, “The Joy Luck Club” (1989), catapulted her to commercial and critical success, spending over 40 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. With the 1993 blockbuster film adaption that followed, which was selected for the National Film Registry in 2020, as well as additional bestselling novels, librettos, short stories and memoirs, Tan firmly established herself as one of the most prominent and respected literary voices working today. Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir is an intimate portrait of the groundbreaking author that interweaves archival imagery, including home movies and personal photographs, animation and original interviews to tell the inspiring story of Tan’s life and career.

The last completed film from director James Redford (1962-2020), Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir features new interviews with Tan; fellow writers Kevin Kwan, Isabel Allende, Dave Barry and Ronald Bass; actors from “The Joy Luck Club” including Lisa Lu, Rosalind Chao, Tamlyn Tomita and Kieu Chinh; friends and family. Tan opens up to Redford with remarkable frankness about traumas she’s faced in her life and how her writing has helped her heal. The film traces her meteoric rise from the point when she picked up fiction writing as a mental break from her heavy freelance business writing schedule and was offered three book deals after completing only three short stories.

Caption: Amy Tan • Credit: WNET/American Masters

CREATE Showcase: Flavors of Asia • WXXI-CREATE

Savor the flavors of Asia with Create chefs Ming Tsai, Martin Yan, Christine Cushing, and Ed Kenney.

CREATE Showcase: Flavors of Asia airs Saturday, May 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday, May 26 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE.

These create chefs explore food traditions from across the East.

Simply Ming – The James Beard and Emmy-nominated Simply Ming features mouthwatering recipes, celebrity appearances and culinary road trips. Each episode kicks off with a technique demonstration, followed by two dishes — one prepared by a nationally renowned guest chef and one by host Ming Tsai.

Yan Can Cook – The beloved chef takes viewers on an exciting adventure to Chengdu, the “Panda Capital of the World,” in Yan Can Cook: Spice Kingdom. Immersing himself in Chengdu culture, Chef Yan learns about bamboo, samples a few of the country’s estimated 30,000 hot-pot restaurants

Confucius Was A Foodie – Celebrity chef and former Food Network host Christine Cushing takes viewers on a voyage of discovery, uncovering the fascinating traditions, philosophies and history of Chinese culinary culture and its surprising influence on food around the world.

Family Ingredients – A culinary travel series, hosted by acclaimed O‘ahu chef and sustainability hero Ed Kenney, tells unique stories by tracing the origins of a Hawaiian dish to its roots around the world. Not quite a documentary, not quite a cooking show, it is a joyful ode to farmers, food producers and families.

Jelly, Ben and Pogo Videos, Activities & Resources

Watch the YouTube Playlist

“Jelly, Ben & Pogo” is an animated short series featuring two Filipino-American siblings and their sea monster friend, Pogo. Each episode takes the three best friends on adventures and aims to help children learn how to approach problems, like saving an overheated lizard to helping a child face their fears, as well as learn about Filipino culture.

PBSKIDS.org Jelly, Ben & Pogo Page: Videos & Games or on the PBS KIDS Video Player App (free)

PBS KIDS for Parents Jelly, Ben & Pogo show page

PBS LearningMedia Educator Resources for Jelly, Ben & Pogo

Asian Islander Pacific Heritage

Related