Film

When onscreen representation is discussed, it is most often first viewed through the more simplistic lens of access to roles. Minorities and historically underrepresented groups are justifiably fighting for race-blind casting, as they strive to increase their representation in films and television shows to percentages on par with the population as a whole.

The 60th anniversary of the May 8 U. S.

Hollywood films are often thought of as America’s greatest export. But upon closer examination, it is rather ironic to note that many of the medium’s most significant creators were foreign-born.

Justin Johnson, aka Justinsuperstar, is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker (Double Digits: The Story of a Neighborhood Movie Star) and entrepreneur known as ‘the internet’s first video blogger. ’ His interest in documentaries evolved during his position at YouTube, where he was hired to shoot documentaries around Europe and created content for Conde Nast, Google, Star Wars, LEGO, and General Mills.

Miscalculating one situation can lead to a chain reaction of unfortunate events that eventually destroys everything that matters. Filmmaker Tonislav Hristov’s drama The Good Driver is based on a true story about a man who gets involved in smuggling illegal immigrants.

After participating in the movie Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu, Trace Lysette returns to the big screen as the protagonist of Monica, by Andrea Pallaoro. It’s an intimate drama about a transgender woman who comes back home to take care of her dying mother.

A delicate, well sketched, and emotionally substantive unpacking of the many complicated feelings attached to tending to a family member either in distress or facing an incurable disease, the documentary Unconditional lends rich if melancholic dimension to the saying that life can only be understood backwards, though it must be lived forwards. Directed by MSNBC reporter and anchor Richard Lui, and executive produced by Maria Shriver, Montel Williams, Lauren Miller Rogen and Laurie Hernandez, the film charts the journey of three families through turbulent waters of forced self-discovery.

It has been a year since Zar Amir Ebrahimi, won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. And what a year it has been for the 41-year-old Iranian actress, who rose to fame after her performance in Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider was recognized by the prestigious festival.

When Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win an Oscar as best actress for her performance in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once last March she said, “this is proof- dream big and dreams do come true”, adding that her win “is for Asian community and anyone who has ever been identified as minority”.   Although Asians have been a minority in the Hollywood film industry since its inception, compared to Hollywood, Asian cinema has seen many more female action stars who inspire both empowerment and awe.

Persis Khambatta, a smart and beautiful Indian actress and model, became instantly famous in December 1979 when she appeared on movie screens as Lieutenant Ilia, the Deltan navigator of the Starship USS Enterprise, in Star Trek: The Motion Picture directed by Robert Wise. The film was based on the television series (1966-1969) created by Gene Roddenberry, starring William Shatner as Captain James Kirk, and Leonard Nimoy as Vulcan science officer Spock.