News

The critically acclaimed documentary Far East Deep South will become available on additional major digital platforms starting May 26, 2025, closing out Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with expanded global access. The film will be accessible to viewers across multiple countries via Prime Video, Apple TV, and Comcast Xfinity, offering new audiences the chance to experience this powerful story of identity and forgotten history focused on the legacy of Chinese families in the Mississippi Delta.

The digital release comes amid renewed public interest in underrepresented histories, following the box office success of Sinners, the breakout historical drama directed by Ryan Coogler, which explores the racial complexity of the American South and draws attention to the lesser-known role of Asian American communities in that narrative.

Originally aired on WORLD’s Emmy® Award-nominated series America ReFramed, Far East Deep South has earned widespread recognition and awards for its emotional storytelling and historical revelations, including a 2022 Telly Award. It remains a widely used educational resource in schools and universities across the United States.

Directed by Larissa Lam and produced by Baldwin Chiu (aka Only Won), Far East Deep South follows the real-life story of Chiu’s own Chinese American family. Their emotional journey to Mississippi uncovers a rarely told chapter of American history—one in which Chinese immigrants lived in the racially segregated South during the Jim Crow era. The documentary delves into intergenerational trauma, the personal impact of exclusionary laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and the interconnected relationships between Black and Asian communities in the Mississippi Delta.

““With renewed attention on stories of immigration, racial intersection and shared struggles, we’re proud to bring Far East Deep South to an even wider audience,” said director Larissa Lam. “It’s more important than ever to uplift diverse stories and highlight overlooked chapters of our shared history.”

Now Available On:

STREAMING:

• Prime Video – United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
• PBS America on Prime Video – United Kingdom

DOWNLOAD / RENTAL:

• Prime Video – United States, United Kingdom
• Apple TV – United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom
• Comcast Xfinity – United States

About the Film
Far East Deep South follows a Chinese American family’s journey to the Mississippi Delta in search of their roots. What begins as a personal search quickly transforms into a revealing and surprising exploration of immigration, race and American identity. The film challenges long-held assumptions about race and belonging in America, offering a unique window into an untold chapter of U.S. history.

About America ReFramed

America ReFramed is a co-production of WORLD and American Documentary, Inc.
The series curates a diverse selection of independent documentaries that brings to national audiences compelling stories which illuminate the changing contours of our ever-evolving country. Viewers will be immersed in stories that span the spectrum of American life, from the streets of towns big and small to its exurbs and country roads. The documentary series presents an array of personal voices and experiences through which we learn from our past, understand our present and are challenged to seek new frameworks for America’s future. America ReFramed is the recipient of a Peabody Award and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism. The series has earned several Christopher, GRACIE, Telly and Cine Golden Eagle Awards, as well as multiple nominations for Emmy, Independent Documentary Association and Imagen Awards.

About WORLD 

WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries and programming. WORLD’s original series examine the issues and amplify the voices of those often ignored by mainstream media. The multicast 24/7 channel helps audiences understand conflicts, movements and cultures from around the globe. Its original work has won a Peabody Award, an Alfred I. duPont- Columbia Award, a National News and Documentary Emmy Award and many others honoring diversity of content and makers. WORLD is carried by 176 member stations in markets representing over 70% of US TV households. Funding for WORLD Channel is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and Artworks. WORLD is produced by GBH in partnership with WNET and is distributed by American Public Television (APT). Find out more at WORLDChannel.org.

We’re excited to announce that Far East Deep South is featured in Bloodlines & Blues: A “Sinners” Syllabus—a curated cultural dossier inspired by the hit film Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan and directed by Ryan Coogler. This powerful collection of films, essays, books, and music is designed to expand the cultural world of Sinners by exploring themes of horror, blues memory, multiracial identity, and the complex racial history of the American South in the 1930s. Sinners features supporting characters who are Chinese grocery story owners allied with the Black main characters, reflecting the history in our film.

Curated by NOMMO and historian Tyree Boyd-Pates, Bloodlines & Blues highlights underrepresented stories rooted in African American and Southern history. Far East Deep South is honored to be included in the section on Black-Asian Kinship, which shines a light on the little-known relationships between African American communities and the Mississippi Chinese during the Jim Crow era.

Our documentary Far East Deep South explores the hidden history of Chinese immigrants who lived in the segregated South, revealing deep connections between Black and Chinese American families during one of the most challenging periods in U.S. history. The inclusion in the Sinners syllabus further amplifies the important conversation around race, belonging, and multiracial identity in America.

Explore the full Bloodlines & Blues syllabus and dive deeper into Black history, music and historical connections to other communities.

We’re thrilled to announce a very special event to kick off Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Join us at the iconic GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 26, for an unforgettable afternoon of film, music, and storytelling. We’ll be presenting a free screening of our award-winning documentary, Far East Deep South, followed by a meaningful Q&A and live musical performance. This event is dedicated to the memory of the film’s main subject, Charles Chiu, who passed away in August 2024.

🎤 Q&A + Live Performance

After the screening, stay for an engaging conversation featuring:

• Larissa Lam – Director, and award-winning singer-songwriter
• Baldwin Chiu (aka Only Won) – Producer and hip-hop artist
• Nathan Wang – Emmy Award-winning music composer

Then, Larissa Lam and Only Won will take the stage with a special live music performance, joined by an all-star lineup of musicians:

• 🏆 Dale Edward Chung – Grammy-winning percussionist (The Lucky Band, Con Funk Shun)
• 🎸 David Clark – Guitarist (Christopher Cross)
• 🎸 J.P. Mourão – Guitarist (Keiko Matsui)

📍 Event Details

Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Check-in begins at 12:30 PM)
Location: GRAMMY Museum
800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Admission: Free – RSVP Required

This event is part of our ongoing mission to shine a light on the diverse stories that shape American history. Whether you’ve seen Far East Deep South before or this is your first time, we’d love to have you with us to honor Charles Chiu’s memory and mission to share AAPI history with more people.

#AAPIHeritageMonth #FarEastDeepSouth #GRAMMYMuseum #ChineseAmericanHistory #LiveMusic #DocumentaryFilm #RepresentationMatters

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Charles Chiu, the central figure in our documentary Far East Deep South, who died on August 4, 2024, at 86 years old. Charles, a U.S. Air Force veteran, husband, father, and grandfather, passed away with his family by his side following cardiac arrest and a prolonged battle with kidney disease.

Born on April 17, 1938, in Sunwui (新會 Xinhui), Guangdong Province, China, Charles immigrated to the U.S. at 14 aboard the S.S. Cleveland, arriving in San Francisco in 1952 with his grandmother, Shee Chin. He attended and graduated from Oakland Technical High School while working various jobs to support himself and his grandmother.

Faith played a significant role in Charles’ life. He began attending chapel services in the Air Force, was baptized at First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco, and later joined The Salvation Army. It was through a minister at The Salvation Army that he would meet his future wife, Rebecca. They married on August 12, 1973, and enjoyed nearly 51 years together, raising two sons, Baldwin and Edwin. In 1982, Charles moved his family from San Francisco to Rancho Cordova, CA, where he lived until his death.

In recent years, Charles developed a profound understanding of his family’s history through the making of the documentary, Far East Deep South. The film opened Charles’ eyes to the history he and others never knew about Chinese families in the Mississippi Delta during the Jim Crow and Chinese Exclusion era. Through this journey, Charles gained insight into the complex circumstances that separated him from his father and the depth of his father’s love.

Subsequently, Charles became passionate about educating others about restrictive immigration laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act and the interconnected history between the Black and Chinese American communities in the segregated South. He also sought to highlight the long-standing legacy that many Chinese families, including his own, have in America.

Charles will be laid to rest at Mount Vernon Memorial Park in Fair Oaks, CA. He is survived by his wife, two sons, two daughters-in-law and three granddaughters. 

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to express sympathy can consider making a charitable donation to Far East Deep South’s continuing education campaign under the designation “In Memory of Charles Chiu.” 

If you would like to offer your condolences or leave a memory, you can do so on his official memorial page.

You can now watch Far East Deep South on Comcast’s X1 and Xfinity Stream. If you’re a subscriber, you can watch our film under “Special Events” category in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month .

Watch the film anytime on demand streaming through your device or the Xfinity app. Thank you to our partners at CAAM for curating an amazing array of films for AAPI Month.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) will host an in-person Standing in Solidarity event on May 6, 2024, in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

Standing in Solidarity is NJPAC’s ongoing series of social justice conversations, often paired with a PSEG True Diversity Film Seriesscreening.

The event includes a screening at 6PM of the documentary Far East Deep South, a PSEG True Diversity Film about Chinese-American settlers in the Mississippi Delta and their kinship with their Black neighbors. A panel conversation with the film’s producer and other thought leaders follows at 7PM.

The program is produced by NJPAC and the New Jersey Chapter of Ascend, the largest global network advancing Pan-Asian professionals in the workplace and corporate boardrooms.

“I hope Far East Deep South, and our conversation after the screening, will help people see that we have more in common than we have been told, and these commonalities should unite us while our uniqueness should help us grow together,” says Baldwin Chiu, a panelist, producer of Far East Deep South and co-founder of Giant Flashlight Media.

In addition to Chiu, the panelists include Jack Tchen, historian, curator, and writer at Rutgers University–Newark, and Jennifer Rasing, Research Scientist and Leader of the Pan Asian Network (PAN) People & Business Resource group at Bristol Myers Squibb.

“This powerful panel event will show what people have in common to unite us,” says Sandip Mehta, Co-President, Ascend New Jersey Chapter, and Director, Global Pricing at Merck. “The AAPI network has a long history of building bridges in our communities.” 

The conversion will be moderated by Michael K. Hyun, Vice President Procurement & Deputy General Counsel, at PSEG.

“We’re fortunate that great films can move us, connect us to each other, educate and open up new paths for dialogue and understanding — the film Far East Deep South is certainly no exception,” says Hyun. “It’s a beautiful and deeply personal story of immigration, race and the American identity. Our discussion is timely and I expect it to be extremely powerful.”

“Far East Deep South is a beautiful love story of family and community that resonates,” says Donna Walker-Kuhne, Senior Advisor, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, at NJPAC. “Baldwin Chiu’s forebearers are models of perseverance in the face of xenophobia, racism and economic hardship. They teach us valuable lessons on how to be good neighbors with people different from us.” 

To RSVP and for more information visit Standing in Solidarity.

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About NJPAC

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States.  It is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey — where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day.  As New Jersey’s anchor cultural institution, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city.  Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts.  NJPAC has attracted more than 11 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.  Visit njpac.org for more information.

About PSEG Foundation

The PSEG Foundation (501(c)(3)), the philanthropic arm of Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), prioritizes investments in promoting environmental sustainability, social justice, and equity and economic empowerment.

April is when spring is in full swing and our FEDS team is on the road across the country for a series of screenings and discussions at universities. See Baldwin Chiu and/or Larissa Lam in person at one of these screenings. Visit our screenings page for more details.

04/04 University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa, AL

04/08 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Cambridge, MA

04/16 Sewanee: The University of the South – Sewanee, TN

Watch our encore broadcast of FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH starting August 10, 2023 on World Channel (PBS) at 5:00pm Pacific and 8:00pm Eastern with additional broadcast times throughout the week. Our film will re-air as part of the award-winning series, “America ReFramed”. Check local TV listings for channel info and times. Need help finding your local channel? Click this guide.

This slightly shorter, edited version of our film will also stream free on PBS.org and WorldChannel.org from August 10th to September 9th, 2023. It’s a great opportunity for everyone, especially educators and students, around the country to watch our film via TV and streaming on-demand.

As part of our Back to School campaign, you can encourage people to download our Free Film Discussion Guide on “Resources” page. If you would like to help promote our film during this campaign, use our Back to School Media Kit for info, suggested copy and assets to post on social media, newsletters and websites.

Catch a screening of Far East Deep South in-person with our producer Baldwin Chiu and director Larissa Lam in Charlotte, NC or in the Atlanta area in July. On Thursday, July 27th at 6:30pm, the Charlotte Museum of History will host a screening and discussion at the museum. Free admission if you pre-register to attend here.

Next on the tour are two screenings hosted by the Catalyst Coalition in Duluth, GA at the Duluth High School Auditorium. The first night, Saturday, July 29th will be “Students Night” with a focus on high school and college student groups to discuss Asian American identity and shared history. The second night will be for a general audience with a discussion focused on DEI education and racial unity. Panelists include Denise Townsend, Regional Director of United Way and Dr. Babak Mostaghimi, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education & Student Support. For more info and tickets, visit the Catalyst DEI Event website.