Asia Society at the Movies: ‘Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir’

From her painful past to her successful career after The Joy Luck Club, groundbreaking writer Amy Tan shares her life story in the new documentary Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir. Through archival videos, personal photographs, and original interviews, the film weaves together a vivid portrait of the prolific and celebrated author, who is a trailblazing figure in American literature.

Join Asia Society at the Movies for a conversation that explores the film with Amy Tan and Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society.

Speakers

Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother’s expectations that she become a doctor and concert pianist. She chose to write fiction instead. Her novels are The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and Valley of Amazement, all New York Times bestsellers. She is the author of two memoirs, The Opposite of Fate and Where the Past Begins; two children’s books, The Moon Lady and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat; and numerous articles for magazines. Tan served as co-producer and co-screenwriter for the film adaptation of The Joy Luck Club and was creative consultant for Sagwa, the Emmy-nominated PBS television series for children. She wrote the libretto for the opera based on her novel The Bonesetter’s Daughter. With music composed by Stewart Wallace, the opera had its world premiere in 2008 at the San Francisco Opera. Tan is the subject of the American Masters documentary Amy Tan:  Unintended Memoir which premiered at Sundance in 2021. In addition, she is an instructor of a MasterClass on Fiction, Memory, and Imagination.

Orville Schell is the Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at Asia Society. He is a former professor and Dean at the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. Schell is the author of fifteen books, ten of them about China, and a contributor to numerous edited volumes, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Nation, and The New York Review of Books. His most recent book, My Old Home: A Novel of Exile was published in 2021. Schell worked for the Ford Foundation in Indonesia, covered the war in Indochina as a journalist, and has traveled widely in China since the mid-70s.

How to Watch the Film

For those located in the United States, Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir is available to stream on Netflix. The film is also available on Netflix in Australia and a few other select regions — check Netflix’s website to see if the film is available in your region. Watch now.

For those outside of the United States, Asia Society is hosting a limited screening on Eventive for select authorized regions. For those located in Hong Kong, India, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Switzerland, Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir is available to stream via Eventive from December 3 at 5 p.m. New York time until December 6 at 5 p.m. New York time. The film is not available to stream in countries not listed. Register now via Eventive.

Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir 

Genre: Documentary
Duration: 101 minutes
Director: James Redford
Producers: Karen Pritzker, Cassandra Jabola
Executive Producer: Michael Kantor
Language: English

This program is made possible by KPJR Films.

This program is presented by Asia Society Museum and Asia Society Southern California as part of a series titled Asia Society at the Movies.

Asia Society at the Movies
Asia Society is proud to present Asia Society at the Movies, a series of film screenings and conversations showcasing a broad range of films and filmmakers from across Asia and the Asian diaspora. Asia Society at the Movies celebrates established and emerging voices, contemporary films and classics, and documentaries. The series builds on Asia Society’s long and rich history of film programming. This initiative also serves to deepen understanding of Asian cultures—a core part of Asia Society’s mission since its creation. Learn more about the Asia Society at the Movies initiative.

About Asia Society Museum
Asia Society Museum presents a wide range of traditional, modern, and contemporary exhibitions of Asian and Asian American art, taking new approaches to familiar masterpieces and introducing under-recognized arts and artists. The Asia Society Museum Collection comprises a traditional art collection, including the initial bequests of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd, and a contemporary art collection. Through exhibitions and public programs, Asia Society provides a forum for the issues and viewpoints reflected in both traditional and contemporary Asian art and in Asia today.

About Asia Society Southern California
Established in Los Angeles in 1985, Asia Society Southern California (ASSC) is ideally situated at the gateway to the Asia-Pacific region. ASSC has played a pivotal role through creative programs and activities in increasing shared knowledge, enhancing dialogue, and furthering cultural exchanges transcending regional boundaries. As part of the global Asia Society, which was founded more than 60 years ago in New York City, ASSC has launched many creative initiatives and programs addressing current issues of importance across the fields of the arts, culture, policy, business, and education.