Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! My favorite month of the year, but that could be personal bias showing. Anyway, I hope we’re all finding great ways to celebrate. I kicked off this month with a giant bowl of lamb biryani — it’s what my ancestors would have wanted.
But just in case you’re at a loss for exactly how to start this month off right, I have a wonderful, carefully curated list of movies for you to dive into. All of them were directed by incredible AAPI filmmakers who you definitely should be keeping an eye on right now. Some are bigger award winners, some are more indie, but all of them deserve a watch.
2. Pop Aye — dir. Kirsten Tan
3. The Reluctant Fundamentalist — dir. Mira Nair
4. Every Day in Kaimuki — dir. Alika Maikau
5. The Wedding Banquet — dir. Andrew Ahn
6. Saving Face — dir. Alice Wu
7. Elemental — dir. Peter Sohn
8. Minari — dir. Lee Isaac Chung
9. Girlfight — dir. Karyn Kusama
10. Nomadland — dir. Chloé Zhao
11. The Farewell — dir. Lulu Wang
12. Everything Everywhere All At Once — dir. Daniel Kwan
13. Turning Red — dir. Domee Shi
And that’s all I had! Join me next time for British Asian Heritage Month, when I pressure you into watching Gurinder Chadha’s entire filmography. Did I miss any of your fave AAPI-led movies? LMK down below.
Check out more AAPI-centered content by exploring how BuzzFeed celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Of course, the content doesn’t end after May. Follow BuzzFeed’s A*Pop on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to keep up with our latest AAPI content year-round.