Filmmakers Close-Out Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration

Philip Wang and Wesley Chan, co-founders of Wong Fu Productions, discussed media representation of Asian Americans during keynote address.

May 2, 2018

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Philip Wang and Wesley Chan, creators of Wong Fu Productions, discuss better media representation during their keynote for the Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration. (Photos: Sydney Elle Gray/GW Today)

By Briahnna Brown

Wong Fu Productions co-founders Philip Wang and Wesley Chan stopped by George Washington University to talk about improving Asian-American representation in media as keynote speakers for the Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration.

The GW community annually hosts the Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration to promote the values and traditions of East Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Island cultures. The celebration is sponsored by the Multicultural Student Services Center.

The theme for this year’s celebration was “Shatter: Deconstructing the Model” and student organizations hosted events throughout April to explore what it means to break the mold in which society has placed Asian Americans.

Wong Fu Productions is a digital production company that deconstructs the model of what it means to be Asian American through creative work that has been recognized for its authentic representation. The creators behind Wong Fu are best known for their videos on YouTube that range from comedy sketches to romantic dramas. They also created “Single by 30,” an original series on YouTube Red, and “Everything Before Us,” a 2015 Netflix film.

They prioritize telling Asian-American stories through film at Wong Fu, Mr. Chan explained, because they want to show a broader view of Asian-American life than the often-stereotyped perspective seen in Hollywood. During their keynote, Mr. Chan explained that Wong Fu tells common stories like finding a date to a school dance while featuring Asian-American actors because those everyday situations happening to Asian Americans is rarely seen on screen.

“It was really nice for us to tell these stories, and it was very reassuring to know that the community wanted to see these stories because it is real life to us,” Mr. Chan said.

Mr. Wang emphasized that positive and diverse representation in media can have a huge impact on society and culture. He talked about the examples he saw growing up in media, like Jackie Chan and Yao Ming, and the sense of accomplishment he felt seeing that representation. He said he often wonders what it would have been like to grow up and not have to look for that one representation, but to see himself everywhere like in magazines and the newspaper.

“I've wondered how much of my life would be different if I knew that it was possible to do these other things, or what would it be like if we knew that society didn't see us as 'other' all the time, or if society said you guys can be whatever you want and shatter through whatever bamboo ceilings that are out there,” Mr. Wang said.


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Wesley Chan discussed breaking stereotypes in media during the Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration keynote address.


Recently, it has been an exciting time for the Asian American community in media, Mr. Chan explained, with books and films like “Crazy Rich Asians” hitting theaters later this year, and ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat” finishing its fourth season earlier this year. But, Mr. Chan said, it’s important that audiences avoid thinking that these few examples of Asian-American representation are enough and that the community should be satisfied with just those representations.

“That's just one aspect of being Asian American,” Mr. Chan said. “We should be creating and fighting for all these different types of stories, or else it's always going to be we're just settling with what's given to us.”

To get more projects featuring Asian Americans on the screen, Mr. Wang said that there are three c’s of “making the machine of progress happen”: capital, creators and consumers. There needs to be people funding the projects that have Asian-American characters, creators making these projects and people to support the project through viewership.

Otherwise, Mr. Wang explained, Hollywood and mainstream media will not be interested in funding additional projects featuring Asian Americans. Consumers are integral in improving representation, he added, to show that there is an audience interested in these projects.

“We've got a long way to go, and it's really up to us as creators to keep that momentum going, and it's up to you guys as consumers to keep showing that there's a market for it and that there's people that want that content,” Mr. Wang said. “Slowly, chapter by chapter, we'll get to our movie that we want to be recognized for.”

Michael Ramirez, a senior studying accounting and the president of the Philippine Cultural Society, said Wong Fu’s videos show members of the Asian Pacific Islander community that they are not alone in their experiences. He added that their work gives them the chance to relate to someone that looks like them.

"It means so much to just see representation in any form of media, especially for us young generational students,” Mr. Ramirez said. “We don't have this outlet that often, so to see it on stage in front of us is a great opportunity."