As part of the Standing Against Racism series and Asia Society at the Movies initiative, Asia Society Southern California is delighted to announce the film screening of Blurring the Color Line at 7 p.m. on November 7 at the University of Southern California Eileen Norris Cinema Theatre. The film screening will be followed by a conversation and Q&A with director Crystal Kwok and producers Lisa Ling and Daniel Wu with special guest Ryan Alexander Holmes. This screening is co-hosted with USC School of Cinematic Arts and supported by Los Angeles Urban League.

Synopsis:

Digging into her grandmother’s childhood growing up Chinese in Augusta, Georgia during the height of the Jim Crow era, Kwok destabilizes the binary narratives of race while unpacking uncomfortable truths behind today’s Afro-Asian tensions. The documentary, Blurring the Color Line, serves to disrupt the canon of racial history and bridge divides.

The film weaves personal family stories with memories from the larger Chinese and Black communities, opening up uncomfortable but necessary conversations around anti-black racism and the deeply rooted structure of white power and Chinese patriarchy that contributed to this. Which fountain did the Chinese drink from? Where did they sit on the bus? An entrance into our connected histories we never knew or dared speak about as told through the woman's lens. 

• Director: Crystal Kwok
• Producer: Daniel Wu
• Executive Producers: Lisa Ling, W. Kamau Bell
• Genre: Documentary
• Running time: 77 minutes

“At a time in America when we are aware of how divided we are, especially racially, this film bravely explores one of our nation's most discussed, most politicized, and most misunderstood racial divides. I’m of course referring to the relationship between Asian Americans and Black Americans.”

— W. Kamau Bell, Executive Producer

Speakers:

Ryan Alexander Holmes ​​​​is an actor and content creator based in Los Angeles. Having garnered a sizable presence on social media (@ryanalexh) by using his platform to embrace his mixed Chinese/African American background through comedic story telling and poignant writings about family’s perseverance, Ryan’s goal is to encourage others who are of mixed ethnic/cultural backgrounds to fully embrace who they are and to show the world there is unimaginable strength in discovering harmony in multiculturalism. He is a proud alumni of both UC Berkeley (undergraduate), and USC (masters). His Acting credits include For the People on ABC, Dear White People on Netflix, The Morning Show on AppleTV+ and Back on the Strip (where he stars alongside Wesley Snipes and Kevin Hart, coming to theaters in January 2023).

Crystal Kwok is an award-winning filmmaker who established her career in Hong Kong as an actress, writer, director, and talk show host. She won the audience choice awards at the 2000 Deauville Asian Film Festival for her debut feature-length film, The Mistress. She was commissioned by Canal Plus to document A Day in the Life of Jackie Chan as part of the centennial celebration of international directors, She created and produced a bilingual edutainment video series for young children, The Culture Cubs and wrote and has staged several original plays about sensitive women’s issues. As a strong women’s advocate, her talk show, Kwoktalk broke boundaries in Hong Kong with conversations about women and sexuality. Having moved back to American soil after being overseas for a couple of decades, Kwok now embraces issues closer to home – that of her Asian-American heritage. Kwok is currently a PhD student at the University of Hawaii in Performance Studies and a recipient of the prestigious East-West Center Scholar awards. She also hosts a radio talk show and podcast, Kwoktalk on KTUH 90.1 FM, addressing racial and gender issues with a multicultural perspective.

Lisa Ling is an American journalist, television personality, and author. She is currently the host of This Is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN and has a new show on HBO called Take Out with Lisa Ling. Previously, she was a reporter on Channel One News, a co-host on the ABC daytime talk show The View, the host of National Geographic Explorer, and a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and later hosted Our America with Lisa Ling on OWN.

Daniel Wu is an American actor, director and producer based in Hong Kong. He is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese language film industry. Since his film debut in 1998, he has been featured in over 60 films. He also starred in the AMC martial arts drama series Into the Badlands. His recent activism in Anti-Asian hate crimes has made Daniel a prominent voice in the Asian American community.

In Partnership With:
     

Asia Society at the Movies

Asia Society is proud to present Asia Society at the Movies, a new 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.