Far East Deep South will premiere on the World Channel's series America ReFramed Tuesday, May 4 at 8 p.m. ET in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month throughout the month of May. The special will be available to stream on WORLDChannel.org, PBS.org and the PBS Video App. World Channel is part of PBS's lineup.
The documentary tells the story of Charles Chiu who moves from California to Mississippi to find answers about his father, R.C. Lou, with his sons, Baldwin Chiu and Edwin Chiu and daughter-in-law Larissa Lam. Baldwin produced the documentary and Lam directed.
Through encounters with local residents who remember K.C., as well as interviews with historians, Rep. Judy Chu of California’s 27th district and others, the family’s trip leads to revelations and the parallels between Southern Black and Chinese communities during the Jim Crow era.
“As Asians living in America, we wrestle with our identity and sense of belonging no matter how long our families have been here,” said Lam. “Our struggles and contributions have been a significant part of American history yet have been largely invisible in media and rarely taught in schools...That is largely why I felt compelled to make this film. After seeing our film, I hope more people realize Asian American families have a long legacy in this country. I also hope that American history lessons will be more inclusive of the Asian American experience, especially as it pertains to learning about the American South.”
“I'm deeply saddened and angered by the racism we’re seeing today against Asians in this country,” said Baldwin Chiu. “My family has been in the U.S. for generations and yet I’m often treated as someone who is not American. Our film clearly shows we are American and we really want everyone in America to finally embrace that.”
