Every May, companies across the country look for ways to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Some send out an email.
Some post on LinkedIn.
Some bring in a guest speaker or share a cultural playlist.
But here’s a better idea: host a film screening.
Not just to check a box—but to spark real conversation, connection, and action across your workplace.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have for building empathy. And when you bring employees together to experience a story—especially one that reflects the lived experiences of AAPI communities—it creates space for something deeper.
In recent years, a rising wave of AAPI filmmakers has been rewriting the narrative. These storytellers are dismantling stereotypes, interrogating power structures, and giving voice to deeply personal and community-rooted experiences.
Take Anthony Banua-Simon’s Cane Fire—a searing documentary that explores the legacies of colonialism and capitalism on the island of Kaua’i, Hawaii. Through archival footage and interviews, Banua-Simon reveals how working-class and Indigenous residents have been systematically erased from their own homeland.
Or look at Sean Wang’s DÌDI (弟弟)—a 2024 breakout that brings coming-of-age, culture clash, and childhood tenderness together in a semi-autobiographical story that’s universally resonant and unmistakably AAPI.
This is the power of film: personal stories that ripple outward into cultural understanding.
A well-curated film can illuminate the history, joy, and complexity of AAPI identities while also addressing the challenges—from invisibility to violence—that too often go unspoken at work. Film screenings serve as a powerful tool for promoting empathy, inclusivity, and meaningful conversations within the workplace.