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\u201cParasite,\u201d \u201cSpirited Away\u201d and \u201cIn the Mood For Love\u201d are among the top 10 of the New York Times\u2019 top 100 movies of the 21st century.<\/a> Such a feat underscores the surge of American interest in Asian entertainment over the last two decades.<\/p>\n With a significant boost in visibility following the success of \u201cCrazy Rich Asians,\u201d Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) entertainment has exploded in popularity throughout the United States since 2018.<\/a> Though, a greater audience means Hollywood holds a greater responsibility to tell AAPI stories authentically. Is it up to the challenge?<\/p>\n While results vary, the recent live-action remake of the classic animated Disney film \u201cLilo & Stitch\u201d served as a test. Elena Creef, a professor of Women\u2019s and Gender Studies at Wellesley College, saw the film as a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n \u201cI do want to give [the \u2018Lilo & Stitch\u2019 remake] credit for … putting the time and the care into making sure the representation of Indigenous Hawaiian culture and peoples was done with respect,\u201d Creef said. \u201c\u2018Lilo & Stitch\u2019 2025 was actually incredibly successful and drew me in. I look forward to the sequel.\u201d<\/p>\n Creef isn\u2019t alone in her praise: The live-action \u201cLilo & Stitch\u201d raked in over $1 billion in the global box office.<\/p>\n The Prime Video series \u201cThe Summer I Turned Pretty,\u201d one of the biggest streaming successes featuring Asian American characters, followed a different trajectory with its portrayals. The production \u2014 based on the novels by Jenny Han \u2014 abandoned storylines centering thoughtful Asian American representation after season 1.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s be generous and say there\u2019s a mention of Asian identity in season 1 almost every episode,\u201d said Jenny Korn, founding coordinator of the Race+Tech+Media Working Group at Harvard\u2019s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. \u201cBut season 2? Not a single reference to Asian identity. I mean, what a massive disappearance act.\u201d<\/p>\n In a year when films like \u201cSinners\u201d and \u201cA Nice Indian Boy\u201d stand out for their representations of AAPI culture, race-blind storytelling is increasingly discernable. In \u201cSinners,\u201d for instance, director Ryan Coogler worked with cultural consultant Dolly Li<\/a> to find the specific dialect of a Chinese immigrant family, the Chows, in the 1930s American South. The film\u2019s investment in historical research did not go unnoticed by Asian American audiences.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we look closely at [\u2018Sinners\u2019], we can see a sign that says \u2018Bo Chow and Company, Delta Grocery and Market,\u2019 which is on the Black side of town. A street divides the Black and the white sides, and [the Chows] have a separate grocery store across that street, catering to the white side of the town as well,\u201d notes Korn, reflecting on the Chows\u2019 role in the complex racial politics of \u201cSinners.\u201d <\/p>\n As Hollywood embraces AAPI stories and big-budget hits follow, telling stories with care matters. Whether all of Hollywood is up to the task is yet to be seen.<\/p>\n Guests:<\/b><\/p>\n Media discussed in this week\u2019s roundtable:<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n