Asian/Pacific Islander American Women: A Historical Anthology

24. “In Her Eyes”An Annotated Bibliography of Video Documentaries on Asian/Pacific Islander American Women

24 “In Her Eyes” An Annotated Bibliography of Video Documentaries on Asian/Pacific Islander American Women Nancy In Kyung Kim Faculty who teach Asian/Pacific Islander American women’s history have used video documentaries as a pedagogical tool. Video documentaries can effectively provide visual images and illuminate perspectives that may not otherwise be covered in course readings or lectures. The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to offer a practical list of videos for instructors who teach Asian/Pacific Islander American women’s history . In selecting documentaries, I considered two major criteria. First, I chose to limit videos to those that placed Asian American and Pacific Islander American women central to the documentary. Made directly from their perspective or peering into their experiences at a particular historical moment, each documentary must be “in her eyes.” Accessibility was the second criterion for the list. Instructors should be able to rent or purchase videos through distribution companies, with some exceptions. Therefore, many recently released independent films currently in the film festival circuit and those yet to be picked up by distributors are regretfully omitted. With the many interdisciplinary approaches to documentary making, a few experimental videos are mixed in with the traditional documentary genre. Despite the variety , a common form emerged from the group: the personal narrative. Many documentaries focused on the film- or video-maker, who used her individual journey to uncover family history or to confront issues. The documentary thus contextualized an individual ’s experience with larger historical events. In selecting videos, I also attempted to restrict documentaries to those with subjects in the United States and Pacific Islands. A few, however, concentrated on subjects located in Asia. I allowed this exception for those that address specific issues covered in Asian/Pacific Islander American women’s course syllabi. Also included are documentaries considered dated and perhaps obsolete by some. Instructors showed these videos in early Asian/Pacific Islander American women’s classes, and they may be useful to compare with contemporary documentaries addressing similar issues. Absent from the list are feature-length dramas such as Picture Bride and When Heaven and Earth 401 Changed Places. They convey key experiences of Asian/Pacific Islander American women’s history and would likely be more accessible to pre-college-age viewers. However , those particular experiences would duplicate existing documentaries. The bibliography is organized in alphabetical order by title, with a brief description of the video’s content and suggestions for use in the classroom. In an early phase of the Asian/Pacific Islander American women’s course development, faculty preferred to use an ethnic-specific framework to teach a historical immigration-based curriculum.1 I chose not to distinguish videos by ethnic or cultural representation, with the exception of “Hawaiian” due to that group’s significant underrepresentation in course curriculum . I categorized the videos by general, related topics typically covered in more recent courses, such as“family,”“activism,”and“labor.”Ultimately, I hope this list will serve to show the glaringly absent issues, experiences, and perspectives in order to guide current and future film- and video-makers so that they may further contribute to an Asian/Pacific Islander American Women’s Studies curriculum. Most videos listed below are available through the following distribution companies: National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA) Film Library 22-D Hollywood Avenue Hohokus, NJ 07423 Tel: 800-343-5540 Fax: 201-652-1973 www.naatanet.org Pacific Islanders in Communications 1221 Kapiolani Blvd. #6A-4 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96814 Tel: 808-591-0059 Fax: 808-591-1114 www.piccom.org Third World Newsreel 545 Eighth Avenue, 10th Floor New York, NY 10018 Tel: 212-947-9277 Fax: 212-594-6417 www.twn.org Viewing Race Project 73 Spring Street, Suite 606 New York, NY 10012 Tel: 212-274-8080 Fax: 212-274-8081 www.viewingrace.org 402 n a n c y i n k y u n g k i m Women Make Movies, Inc. 462 Broadway, Suite 500WS New York, New York 10013 Tel: 212-925-0606 Fax: 212-925-2052 www.wmm.com Annotated Bibliography 5 Girls, Maria Finitzo, Women Make Movies, 2001, 113 minutes. 5 Girls follows the high school adolescent lives of five girls from diverse backgrounds, living in or around Chicago. The same production company that made Hoop Dreams made this documentary. These girls struggle through family expectations, self-awareness , and relationships. Through this video, students can see commonalities and differences...