“Striking. A bracing departure from Okazaki’s previous work. He dares to put angry Asian American men on display in a film that is confrontational and uncompromising. ”

— CINEASTE

AMERICAN SONS is a provocative examination of how racism shapes the lives of Asian American men. A simple but compelling performance piece featuring four of the country's best Asian American actors: Yuji Okumoto (TRUE BELIEVER, KARATE KID II), Kelvin Han Yee (A GREAT WALL), Lane Nishikawa (LIFE IN THE FAST LANE) and Ron Muriera of the Asian American Theater Company, AMERICAN SONS is a challenging exploration of how prejudice, bigotry and violence twists and demeans individual lives.

AMERICAN SONS mixes documentary and drama, utilizing actors telling real stories based on a series of interviews with Asian Americans throughout the country. It looks at difficult issues such as hate violence, and examines the deep psychological damage that racism inflicts over generations. It confronts the ignorance of Americans about Asian Americans, in particular the stereotypes placed on Asian men. It breaks the silence of the Asian American community and shatters the model minority myth. It presents a painful and angry view of American life never before explored in a motion picture or television program.

Music by Mark Izu with Francis Wong and Miya Masaoka

Major funding provided by: THE JOHN D. and CATHERINE T. MAC ARTHUR FOUNDATION, WALLACE GERBODE FOUNDATION, THRESHOLD FOUNDATION, NATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION, PAUL ROBESON FUND, PEACE DEVELOPMENT FUND, SAN FRANCISCO JACL LEGACY FUND and ZELLERBACH FAMILY FUND

Directed, Written & Edited by STEVEN OKAZAKI

1994 / Filmed Performance / 28 Minutes