TAAF’s First-Ever “AAPI Heritage Heroes” Special To Stream On Hulu Today
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) will debut “AAPI Heritage Heroes,” a special film that spotlights the stories of six unsung AAPI heroes from across the country. These “Heroes” were nominated by family, friends, and fellow community members for their outstanding stories of resilience, service, and courage. Together, the Heroes and their stories represent the diversity of AAPI experiences today. The special was produced by TAAF, Enfranchisement Productions, and FutureFriends, and it will premiere on Hulu today, Thursday, May 26th, 2022.
TAAF previewed the “AAPI Heritage Heroes” special at an event in Washington D.C. last week where the six heroes were publicly announced. They are, Nurse-turned-chef Justin Foronda, Hawaii Police Major Mike Lambert, Paralympian Justin Phongsavanh, the high school students of Livingston Asian Youth Alliance (LAYA), Fisherman Thiện Nguyễn, and AAPI Activist Suki Terada Ports.
To help spotlight and pay tribute to each of the “Heroes,” the special will feature a celebrity cast including Daniel Dae Kim, Lisa Ling, Michelle Zauner, Simu Liu, Olivia Rodrigo, Liza Koshy, Karrueche Tran, Jeannie Mai Jenkins, Gloria Steinem, Auli’i Cravalho, Ming-Na Wen, Jay Shetty, Chella Man, Chelsea Handler, Ella Jay Basco, Ian Alexander, Leo Sheng, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Manish Dayal, Miya Cech, Nathan Chen, Rain Valdez, Sherry Cola, and Sunita Mani. The special will also feature celebratory musical performances by Japanese Breakfast and MC Jin.
“AAPI Heritage Heroes” on Hulu was directed, edited, and produced almost entirely by AAPI creatives — including the film crew and production and editing staff. The special was produced by Executive Producers: Kristen Wong, Brad Jenkins, and Saj Patel and co-executive producers Melvin Mar, Neha Patel, and Dan Mansour. The special features six films of each of the “Heroes”, each directed by an AAPI Director, including Peter S. Lee, Julian Kim, Shruti Ganguli, Grace Evangelista, Jason Park, Alex Bocchieri, and Marion Hill. As well as musical performances and guest appearances directed by Dyan Jong and Dan Mansour. And talent booking was led by Cultivated Entertainment’s Jen Proctor, Sophia Tayui-Lepore, and Abigail Parsons.
Additional information about the special will be available on Hulu, and “AAPI Heritage Heroes” will be included in Hulu’s AAPI collection alongside other content that highlights AAPI stories and experiences.
