Hulu, the streaming network, is airing Heritage Heroes, a special film that spotlights the stories of six unsung AANHPI heroes from across the country.
These heroes were nominated by family, friends, and fellow community members for their outstanding stories of resilience, service, and courage. Together, the individual heroes and their stories represent the diversity of AANHPI experiences today.
The special was produced by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), Enfranchisement Productions, and FutureFriends and it premiered on Hulu Thursday, May 26, during Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month
“TAAF created this special by and for our communities — with a nearly all-AANHPI crew — to celebrate the stories of those who are often underrepresented on screen and behind the scenes in the arts and entertainment industry,” said Norman Chen, CEO of TAAF.
Heritage Heroes was previewed at TAAF's Partner Summit in Washington D.C. last week where the six heroes were publicly announced. They are: Nurse-turned-chef Justin Foronda, Hawaii Police Major Mike Lambert, Paralympian Justin Phongsavanh, the high school students of Livingston Asian Youth Alliance (LAYA), Fisherman Thiện Nguyễn, and AAPI Activist Suki Terada Ports.
To help spotlight and pay tribute to each of the “Heroes,” the special will feature a celebrity cast including Daniel Dae Kim, Lisa Ling, Michelle Zauner, Simu Liu, Liza Koshy, Karrueche Tran, Jeannie Mai Jenkins, Gloria Steinem, Auli’i Cravalho, Ming-Na Wen, Jay Shetty, Chella Man, Chelsea Handler, Ella Jay Basco, Ian Alexander, Leo Sheng, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Manish Dayal, Miya Cech, Nathan Chen, Rain Valdez, Sherry Cola, and Sunita Mani.
Heritage Heroes was directed, edited, and produced almost entirely by AAPI creatives — including the film crew and production and editing staff. The special was produced by Executive Producers: Kristen Wong, Brad Jenkins, and Saj Patel and co-executive producers Melvin Mar, Neha Patel and Dan Mansour.
The special features six films spotlighting the “Heroes”, each directed by an AAPI director, including: Peter S. Lee, Julian Kim, Shruti Ganguli, Grace Evangelista, Jason Park, Alex Bocchieri, and Marion Hill.
As well as musical performances and guest appearances directed by Dyan Jong and Dan Mansour. And talent booking was led by Cultivated Entertainment’s Jen Proctor, Sophia Tayui-Lepore, and Abigail Parsons.
Additional information about the special is available on Hulu, and Heritage Heroes will be included in Hulu’s AAPI collection alongside other content focused on highlighting AAPI stories and experiences.
The Asian American Foundation is a convener, incubator, and funder committed to accelerating opportunity and prosperity for AANHPI communities. For additional information about TAAF, visit www.taaf.org.
“We are grateful for Hulu’s partnership in sharing this inaugural special with the world as we seek to create a greater sense of belonging for the millions of AAPIs living across America,” said Chen.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment