10 Films (You Probably Haven't Seen) To Watch This AAPI Heritage Month

I don't think I've laughed any harder in my life than I did while watching Joy Ride.

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. If you’re looking for ways to celebrate (aside from supporting AAPI businesses), here are some movies across all genres you can watch to honor the community's filmmakers and artists:

1. Mississippi Masala (1991)

Janus Films

Starring Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury, this romantic drama centers around an Indian family who has settled in the United States after being expelled from Uganda. While there are complex themes about immigration and identity, the film is rooted in the tender, sensual love story that unfolds between Mina (Choudhury) and Demetrius (Washington). If you’re looking for a movie that explores what Black/Asian solidarity can look like, Mississippi Masala is a prime example.

The film is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

2. Saving Face (2004)

Sony Pictures Classics

Hailed as a classic in lesbian cinema and Asian American cinema, Alice Wu’s first feature film is a feel-good indie comedy at its core. In a love letter to the Chinese community in Flushing, New York, second-generation Chinese American Wil Pang navigates her relationship with her newly pregnant (and single) mother while pursuing a budding romance with another woman in her community, Vivian Shing. Like many of the movies on this list, Saving Face is a cross-generational love story in more ways than one.

You can watch it for free on Pluto TV.

3. Yellow Rose (2019)

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Before her impressive run as Eurydice in Broadway’s Hadestown, Eva Noblezada played Rose Garcia — a Texas Filipina teen trying to make it as a country singer in Yellow Rose. Filled with saccharine country songs and a gorgeous country landscape, the film offers a truly empathetic depiction of being an undocumented immigrant and the pursuit of being an artist.

Available to stream on Starz and Hulu.

4. Shortcomings (2023)

Sundance Institute

In Randall Park's directorial debut, we follow best friends from the Bay Area in their move to New York City. The characters directly engage with the topic of Asian American representation and are bitingly reflective of new Asian American perspectives in the 2020s.

If you're looking for fresh but cynical, hypocritical but self-aware Asian characters, watch Shortcomings on Netflix.

5. Chan Is Missing (1982)

New Yorker Films

Credited by most as the very first “Asian American Film,” Wayne Wang’s neo-noir detective flick will raise questions about identity you didn’t even know you had. Set in San Francisco’s historic Chinatown, two cab drivers set off to solve the mystery of a missing man, and what they uncover is…inexplicable.

Find Chan Is Missing on Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Apple TV.

6. Kumu Hina (2014)

PBS

This documentary film intimately follows the life of Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, a Native Hawaiian dance teacher and cultural advocate. Not only is Kumu Hina a great introduction to gender diversity in Native Hawaiian/Indigenous cultures, but it also allows us an authentic glimpse into the graceful practice of hula, which is incredibly familial at heart.

Available to stream for free on Tubi.

7. Definition Please (2020)

June Street Productions

This dramatic comedy explores precisely what the title suggests and asks what defining an identity even means or accomplishes. A young South Asian woman who wins the National Spelling Bee competition as a child grows into adulthood and finds that there are no easy ways to define herself and her family while also reckoning with grief and issues of mental health.

Watch it now on Netflix.

8. Advantageous (2015)

Netflix

For fans of sci-fi and dystopian landscapes — Advantageous posits a futuristic world where people can transfer their consciousness into a younger body. For our protagonist, Gwen, a mother in her 50s, this may be her only option to provide a prosperous life for her daughter, but of course, the procedure comes with consequences.

Watch it free on Sling TV or stream it on Netflix.

9. After Yang (2021)

A24

One more movie about sci-fi and technology as a vehicle for unpacking Asian identity (and loss) for you — South Korean-American filmmaker Kogonada and A24’s After Yang. In another near-future world, a couple with an adopted Chinese daughter has an android “culture unit” to help her learn about her Chinese heritage. The story to follow is the family’s journey after the android, Yang, malfunctions and needs to be repaired.

After Yang is available to rent on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

10. And Joy Ride (2023)

Lionsgate Films

If you're looking for a film that takes the question of Asian American heritage seriously but isn't afraid to be downright ridiculous, Adele Lim's Joy Ride is a perfect pick. Following a group of four Chinese-American friends on their journey to help one of them connect with her birth mother, raunchy — but also very emotional — hijinks ensue. There's sex positivity, K-Pop parodies, and profound redefinitions of family in this movie. What more could you ask for in well-rounded AAPI representation? Plus, when it's over, you can extend the fun by checking out some of the stars' top-tier stand-up comedy.

Join the folks from Joy Ride on Hulu and Amazon Prime.