“Parasite,” “Spirited Away” and “In the Mood For Love” are among the top 10 of the New York Times’ top 100 movies of the 21st century. Such a feat underscores the surge of American interest in Asian entertainment over the last two decades.

With a significant boost in visibility following the success of “Crazy Rich Asians,” Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) entertainment has exploded in popularity throughout the United States since 2018. Though, a greater audience means Hollywood holds a greater responsibility to tell AAPI stories authentically. Is it up to the challenge?

While results vary, the recent live-action remake of the classic animated Disney film “Lilo & Stitch” served as a test. Elena Creef, a professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Wellesley College, saw the film as a step in the right direction.

“I do want to give [the ‘Lilo & Stitch’ remake] credit for ... putting the time and the care into making sure the representation of Indigenous Hawaiian culture and peoples was done with respect,” Creef said. “‘Lilo & Stitch’ 2025 was actually incredibly successful and drew me in. I look forward to the sequel.”

Creef isn’t alone in her praise: The live-action “Lilo & Stitch” raked in over $1 billion in the global box office.

The Prime Video series “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” one of the biggest streaming successes featuring Asian American characters, followed a different trajectory with its portrayals. The production — based on the novels by Jenny Han — abandoned storylines centering thoughtful Asian American representation after season 1.

“Let’s be generous and say there’s a mention of Asian identity in season 1 almost every episode,” said Jenny Korn, founding coordinator of the Race+Tech+Media Working Group at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. “But season 2? Not a single reference to Asian identity. I mean, what a massive disappearance act.”

In a year when films like “Sinners” and “A Nice Indian Boy” stand out for their representations of AAPI culture, race-blind storytelling is increasingly discernable. In “Sinners,” for instance, director Ryan Coogler worked with cultural consultant Dolly Li to find the specific dialect of a Chinese immigrant family, the Chows, in the 1930s American South. The film’s investment in historical research did not go unnoticed by Asian American audiences.

“If we look closely at [‘Sinners’], we can see a sign that says ‘Bo Chow and Company, Delta Grocery and Market,’ which is on the Black side of town. A street divides the Black and the white sides, and [the Chows] have a separate grocery store across that street, catering to the white side of the town as well,” notes Korn, reflecting on the Chows’ role in the complex racial politics of “Sinners.”

As Hollywood embraces AAPI stories and big-budget hits follow, telling stories with care matters. Whether all of Hollywood is up to the task is yet to be seen.

Guests:

  • Jenny Korn, founding coordinator of the Race, Tech and Media Working Group at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. 
  • Elena Creef, professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Wellesley College who specializes in Asian American visual history in photography, film and popular culture

Media discussed in this week’s roundtable: