This year, we continue to witness devastating levels of violence against our communities of color. This film is an effort to overcome that violence, by exposing a common denominator fueling it: the myth of the “model minority”.

The term “model minority” was first coined in the 1960s, at the intersection of the Civil Rights movement and Japanese American internment during WWII. The concept of the “model minority” falsely positions the Asian community as successful, while undermining the Black community; effectively pitting the two against each other. Ultimately, it dismisses the oppression of both communities, and frees systems in power from responsibility.

Since then, it has become increasingly weaponized against ethnically marginalized communities to prevent progress at pivotal moments in American history, including the 1992 LA Riots, and BLM movement.

Today, as we hover at another precipice of change, we created this film in an effort to neutralize this weapon.

The film follows a young Asian American woman as she examines how being identified as a “model minority” has shaped the relationships she’s had throughout her life: starting with her relationship with herself, her family, and finally, her Black partner.

The film aims to dispel the false “model minority” narrative that keeps us apart, and urges us to recognize what it attempts to dissuade us from: the belief that we – those of us who were born here, immigrated here, or are simply just here in America – belong here. All of us. Together.

Though the term “model minority” was first coined in a newspaper article, it grew to become as insidious and as far-reaching as it is today because of its dissemination into the world: not by a single industry but by the cooperation of many.

Our strategy was to use the same approach that introduced it, to now dispel it.

We first introduced it through mainstream media through major publishing partners including Twitch, Verizon, and Match / Tinder. Then it became a tool to inform public policy, after it was presented to policymakers at a National Summit in Washington D.C. And finally, it was incorporated into education – establishing it as course material shaping our country’s youth for generations to come.

Catalyzed by the Atlanta Spa Shootings and the BLM movement, this film made strides as a self-initiated idea with zero initial budget.

A year from its conception to its release, a thorough vetting and pitching process landed us with industry partners including Biscuit, Joint, Walker, colorist Tome Pool, and indie film industry vets Quentin Lee and Stanley Yung, who fostered a historic Asian crew on set.

Everyone who joined this project did so at voluntarily discounted rates, often donating their time and talents, ultimately producing the film for a total of under $200,000.

The film was released in May, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, to maximize visibility and reach. It did so at an unprecedented scale — across not only advertising, but also entertainment, education, and public policy. It has been — and still being — featured in theaters, boardrooms, and classrooms across America.

Starting with zero initial budget, every step forward in the film’s production and dissemination was a testament to the strength of its message.

In less than 10 days after the film’s release, it generated over $600,000 in donated media across 11 partners, including placements across major publishers such as Fandom, TheSkimm, Twitch, Samsung, and Match / Tinder.

Within months of the film’s launch, it transcended any single industry – gaining resounding critical acclaim across advertising, entertainment, politics, and education. It earned unprecedented National Cinemedia & Screenvision donated screenings across their network of theaters nationwide (including AMC, Regal, Cinemark, etc.); was met with a standing ovation by a thousand renowned racial equity leaders, educators and immigration lawyers at a National Summit in Washington D.C., from where it went on to inform social justice initiatives; and is currently being taught as course material in school curriculums nationwide.