The Red String takes an intimate look at how four mother-daughter pairs create and incorporate culture, heritage, and tradition in their families. The mothers -- three Caucasian and one Chinese American -- and their young Chinese-born daughters share their thoughts and feelings about their choices, culture, and single-parent families.
Born in New York City, Soh Daiko has taken the traditional festival drumming known as taiko from its Japanese homeland and drawn inspiration from the living world cultures surrounding it. This is the story of a collective drumming community and an empowering Asian American art form, from its beginnings in the basement of the New York Buddhist Church in 1979, as told by its founders and its former and present members. A fascinating and memorable documentary about the committed and impassioned life of a New York taiko group directed by Minette Mangahas.
For Hawaiians, the hula is not just a dance, but a way of life. Yet while most Americans know only the stereotypes of 'grass skirt girls' from old Hollywood movies and tourist kitsch, the revival of the ancient art of hula tells of the rich history and spirituality of Hawai'i. American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i discovers a renaissance of Hawaiian culture through music, language, and dance as it continues to grow in California. Following three kumu hula, or master hula teachers, the film celebrates the perpetuation of a culture - from the very traditional to the contemporary - as it evolves on distant shores. With more Native Hawaiians living on the U.S. continent than on the islands, the hula is a living tradition that connects generations far from home to their heritage. Revealing the challenges of cultural survival through the struggles of Hawai'i's past, American Aloha is a proud reminder of the power of reclaiming tradition for communities creating a home away from home.
You Don't Know Jack tells the fascinating story of pioneering American entertainer, Jack Soo, an Oakland native who became the first Asian American to be cast in the lead role of the television series Valentine's Day (1963), before later starring in the popular comedy show Barney Miller (1975-1978). Featuring rare footage and interviews from Soo's co-stars and friends, including actors George Takei, Nancy Kwan, and Max Gail, comedians Steve Landesberg and Gary Austin, and producer Hal Kanter, the film traces Jack's early beginnings as a nightclub singer and comedian, to his breakthrough role as Sammy Fong in Rogers and Hammerstein's Broadway play and film version of The Flower Drum Song. The film also explores why Soo, a former internee who was born Goro Suzuki, was forced to change his name in the post-WWII era, to perform in clubs in the mid-west. Soo's life experiences and acting resume caused him to speak out against negative ethnic portrayals and even led him to refuse roles that were demeaning to Asian Americans.
This 24-minute documentary highlights the efforts of a group of native Hawaiians living in a fishing village along the urban Honolulu shoreline in the 1970s. They wanted to remain on this small island in the face of a mandated eviction by the state and share their culture and fishing skills as part of a living park. Instead, the village was bulldozed and all residents evicted in a single day by the State of Hawai'i. This documentary follows the efforts of the residents over four months in 1979-80 and showcases values and lifestyles once typical of Hawaiian culture. The Sand Island evictions became instrumental in the growth of the Hawaiian activist movement seeking greater sovereignty over their lands.
One Hundred Eggs a Minute is an experimental documentary film about the reflections of a second-generation Chinese-American woman who grew up working in her family's fortune cookie factory in San Francisco from ages 5 to 23. This is a film about one immigrant family's means of survival, as much as it is a story about work, filial piety, sacrifice, and the meaning of choice.
Heart of the Sea: Kapolioka'ehukai is a breathtaking portrait of surf legend Rell "Kapolioka'ehukai" Sunn, founding member of the Women's Professional Surfing Association and beloved breast cancer activist. With exhilarating water scenes and captivating archival footage of surf culture, Heart of the Sea is an important look at Hawai'i's integral part of America's rich cultural heritage, a stirring portrait of a courageous legend.
Making Noise in Silence explores the richness and complexities of Deaf culture from the perspective of two Korean high school students who attend the California School for the Deaf, Fremont. Born and raised in South Korea, Jeongin Mun and Min Wook Cho have strong ties to their Korean heritage and learned Korean as their first language. However, what separates Jeongin and Min Wook from most children of immigrant families is that they are also deaf. When their families moved to the United States, their deafness automatically put them into an entirely separate cultural group with its own language, customs, and history.
This is the story of three extraordinary Hawaiian women who helped revive Hawaiian culture when it was perilously close to being lost. It was a time when the monarchy had been overthrown, the Hawaiian language was banned from public places and schools, and the Hawaiian heartbeat of hula was forced underground. Mary Kawena Pukui, 'lolani Luahine, and Edith Kanaka'ole combined commitment to Hawaiian history with art and aloha, to reignite the flame of tradition. Each planted seeds of the Hawaiian cultural renaissance. Kawena is a history and language expert, teacher, and author, 'lolani is a chanter, cultural icon, and 'high priestess of hula' and Edith is a songwriter, teacher, and founder of the traditional school of hula, Halau O Kekuhi. The lives of these three great women are described through heartfelt interviews with people who knew and were influenced by them, along with wonderful archival footage collected throughout the years.
Breadfruit & Open Spaces gives a rare look into the personal stories and open living spaces of the Chuukese and Yapese people who live, work, and attend school in Guam, the land where they now grow and prepare their traditional foods.
Holo Mai Pele (Pele Travels) tells the epic saga of the rivalry between Pelehonuamea, goddess of the volcano, and her youngest and favorite sister Hi'iaka. The one-hour performance weaves together archetypal themes of creation, love, and betrayal into a sweeping dramatic performance. For the first time, a rare legacy of chants and dances as passed down through generations is presented by the Kumu Hula and performers of Halau o Kekuhi, in a stunning and exciting adaptation for PBS' Dance in America.
In this funny and sometimes irreverent journey through San Francisco's Chinatown, Suzanne comes to terms with her own ethnic identity. This film is a personal statement about growing up Asian-American in a white society. Suzanne was brought up "not to be Chinese." All traces of her family's Chinese culture and traditions were to be left in China. Her mother was proud to dress like Audrey Hepburn or Jackie Kennedy, thinking she had attained the American dream if she modeled herself after them. Though she never became an active member of white society, she unwittingly fostered a "Chinese self-hatred" in her daughter. The film suggests that racial stereotypes are imprisoning whether the minority person rebels against them or conforms. Thus Suzanne, after mindlessly alternating between a series of different self-images, goes full circle, accepting, at last, her ethnic heritage.
The documentary profiles the journey of Wade, a young man born in Seoul, South Korea, but abandoned as an infant. Adopted by Mormon missionaries and raised in Utah, he never develops an understanding of his Asian heritage.
This colorful production contrasts the rich heritage of Chinese opera with the day-to-day realities of its emigréperformers in New York's Chinatown. It depicts the efforts of three classically-trained opera artists to keep alive their revered art form for the generation of young Chinese-Americans who would otherwise not be exposed to their tradition. In the time-worn pattern of immigrant life, they spend their days grinding out a living. In their spare time, each performs and teaches Chinese opera. Scenes from the classic work Monkey King Looks West stand as a metaphor for cultural survival.
The program celebrates President Carter's bill proclaiming May 4 - May 10 Asian Pacific Heritage Week in honor of the cultural traditions of Asian Americans. Host Barbara Barrow-Murray speaks with Dr. David Sakura (part of Boston's Asian Pacific Heritage Week planning committee and member of the Japanese American Citizen's League) and Tin Yue Wan (a noted Chinese artist) in separate interviews. Topics of discussion with Sakura include the meaning of Asian Pacific Heritage Week, the difficulties in getting such a bill passed, the educational work of the Japanese American Citizens League, and Japanese detention camps in the United States during World War II. Topics with Wan include the five styles of Chinese painting, how his work has been received, and what his life was like in Hong Kong. The program includes a mini "gallery talk" by Wan. Translation of Wan's responses to Murray provided by Wan's daughter. The program includes a previously aired dance segment from Program 822, "Celebrate the Year of the Horse."
Those Who Came Before tells the story of a young Hawaiian 'ukulele virtuoso's journey of musical self-discovery and how it turned into a 50-year pursuit of Hawaiian cultural and musical traditions. The documentary pays tribute to the music of Hawaiians whose gifts of knowledge helped guide Eddie Kamae. His pursuit led him to some of the most respected gatekeepers of the Hawaiian Renaissance: the great author and translator Mary Kawena Pukui, the 'Songwriter of Waipi'o' Sam Li'a, 'Aloha Chant' author Pilahi Paki, and Hawaiian cultural resource Lilia 'Mama' Hale. One by one, they entrusted him with key pieces of Hawaii's musical heritage - inspiring him to understand, perform, and pass that heritage on to the children of Hawai'i. Those Who Came Before: The Musical Journey of Eddie Kamae, is the 10th documentary from Eddie and Myrna Kamae's celebrated and multiple award-winning Hawaiian Legacy Series.
Roots in the Sand is a multigenerational portrait of the nearly 5,000 Punjabi men who settled in Southern California's Imperial Valley, just north of the Mexican border, a century ago. Seeking to earn enough money to return to their homes in India, they instead encountered not just abysmal wages and working conditions, but also anti-miscegenation and anti-immigration laws that prevented Punjabi women from joining them in the U.S. The award-winning documentary details how these pioneers pooled their resources, leased land, and grew their own crops even as they married Mexican women and started new families. Through found footage, archival and family photographs, and personal and public documents, filmmaker Jayasri Hart tells the touching and inspirational story of a community that grew out of a struggle for economic survival in the face of hardship and prejudice.
One of the rare few who have managed to excel in both art and architecture, Maya Lin creates places of refuge and contemplation in highly public spaces. Constructed on an intimate human scale, they invite visitors to touch, feel, respond, and reflect. In this program, the acclaimed sculptor and architect talks with Bill Moyers about a life and a career that have been shaped by her Asian-American heritage and a profound respect and love for the natural environment.
With 96% of the world’s population speaking only 4% of the world’s languages, what does it mean to speak your mother tongue in this age of language homogenization? Set in Taiwan and Hawai'i, territories where Austronesian languages are spoken, the experimental feature documentary Tongues of Heaven focuses on the questions, desires, and challenges of young indigenous peoples to learn the languages of their forebears — languages that are endangered or facing extinction. Using digital video as the primary medium of expression, four young indigenous women from divergent backgrounds collaborate and exchange ideas to consider the impact of language on identity and culture
Learn Japanese the EuroTalk way using broadcast quality video and the latest interactive techniques. Ideal for travelers, holidaymakers, businesspeople, students, and families.
Korean in Three Minutes is a 25-part series. For more information refer to the individual episodic descriptions.
Learn Chinese Mandarin the EuroTalk way, using broadcast-quality video and the latest interactive techniques. Ideal for travelers, holiday makers, businesspeople, students, and families.
Learn Cantonese the EuroTalk way, using broadcast-quality video and the latest interactive techniques. Ideal for travelers, holidaymakers, business people, students, and families.
Pronunciation is the key to clear communication in any language and in this video series, you'll learn to perfect your Japanese pronunciation! Whether you're new to Japanese or have been studying for a while and want to polish your pronunciation, this series is for you.
What if you are made to feel ashamed when you speak your “mother tongue” or ridiculed because of your accent? Pidgin: the Voice of Hawai'i addresses these questions through its lively examination of Pidgin - the language spoken by over half of Hawai'i's people. This film poignantly explains how language creates a sense of belonging in a society pressured to conform to the dominance of English. It is essential viewing for language educators, parents, and college students, especially in linguistics and Asian-Pacific Studies.
Pronunciation is the key to clear communication in any language and in this video series, you'll learn to perfect your Korean pronunciation! Whether you're new to Korean or have been studying for a while and want to polish your pronunciation, this series is for you.
Can Do: Japanese is a 10-part series. For more information please refences individual episodic descriptions.
Learn more about Japanese culture! Ever wondered what the most important Japanese holidays are, and how they are celebrated? Then this 25-lesson video series is for you!
Pronunciation is the key to clear communication in any language and in this video series, you'll learn to perfect your Chinese pronunciation! Whether you're new to Chinese or have been studying for a while and want to polish your pronunciation, this series is for you.
Who says it's hard to learn Mandarin? Who says it can't be fun? Not Xinwen Chen, a thirty-something TCSOL-certified Mandarin Chinese teacher! Taking a functional approach to language acquisition, this collection of 50 three-minute lessons uses very simple scenarios based on everyday situations to immerse learners in the elements of practical conversation. "I define myself as a bridge between east and west!" says Xinwen. An engaging language-learning tool, and an enchanting glimpse of Chinese culture.
A hands-on introduction to Mandarin Chinese, this set of videos provides vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax, appropriate usage, and a realistic setting for the words and phrases. The narrative concerns Virgil, a young tourist visiting China; scenes of contemporary China provide the context for the language skills taught. The communication topics consist of Food and Eating, Buying Things, Planning the Day, Getting around the City, and Getting There; the combination of animation and documentary footage is designed to motivate interest and make the lessons more easily remembered. 5-part set, 15 minutes each.
Chinese in Three Minutes is a 25-part series. For more information refer to the individual episodic descriptions.
Current Montgomery College students, faculty, and staff can borrow materials from any MC Library location with their MC ID card. In addition, these users can access electronic resources, such as e-books, from anywhere by entering their M number when prompted.
Community users (those not currently affiliated with MC) can apply for a community user card, which allows them to borrow materials and use other library resources. Community users are not eligible to use electronic resources from off-campus but can use electronic resources on campus.
MC Library provides both physical media (DVDs) and streaming films. You can search for films (both DVDs and streaming films) using RaptorSearch, or search in an individual streaming media database.
Can't find a resource? MC Library offers multiple ways to request items you want.
Want to learn more? View our other events and special topics guides: