AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY “FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH” TO HAVE BROADCAST PREMIERE ON TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 ON WORLD CHANNEL SERIES “AMERICA REFRAMED
Autobiographical Film Follows a Chinese-American Family’s Search for Roots in the Mississippi Delta, Where They Uncover the Complex History of Chinese Immigrants in the Segregated South
Broadcast Celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
LOS ANGELES, CA (April 1, 2021) — As America currently deals with a rash of anti-Asian sentiment, Far East Deep South is a deeply moving story that offers a poignant perspective on race relations, immigration and the deep roots of Chinese Americans in our national identity. The award-winning documentary follows Charles Chiu and his family (including his son, producer Baldwin Chiu, and daughter-in-law, director Larissa Lam) as they travel from California to Mississippi to find answers about Charles’ father, K.C. Lou. A retired Air Force reservist, Charles was left behind in China as a baby and is reluctant to discuss his family’s complicated past with his sons, Baldwin and Edwin. The family’s emotional journey to a place they’ve never seen leads to stunning revelations and a crash course on the surprising history of Chinese immigrants in the segregated South. Through encounters with local residents who remember K.C., as well as interviews with historians, Congresswoman Judy Chu and others, the family’s trip becomes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for discovery and healing. Directed by Larissa Lam and produced by Baldwin Chiu, Far East Deep South premieres on the WORLD Channel documentary series America ReFramed on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, 8:00 p.m. EST (check local listings). It will also be available to stream on WORLDchannel.org, PBS.org and the PBS Video app beginning at time of broadcast on May 4 and throughout May in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Through the Chiu’s family story, Far East Deep South provides a window into a community few even know exists — Chinese immigrants in the Deep South — and reveals how exclusionary immigration laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 separated their family for generations. The family also learns about the symbiotic relationship between the 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 filmmaker 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. As a result, we are treated as the perpetual foreigner and outsider. 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.”
Far East Deep South has screened at film festivals across the country and won multiple awards, including at Cinequest, CAAMFest, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, the Oxford (Mississippi) Film Festival, and most recently, at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival. For more information about the film, Chinese American history, and how to trace your own family’s history, visit FarEastDeepSouth.com.
About the Filmmakers
LARISSA LAM (Director, Writer, Producer) produced the film alongside her husband, Baldwin Chiu, and makes her feature documentary directorial debut with this film. She is a native of Diamond Bar, California, and a proud UCLA Bruin. She previously directed the acclaimed short documentary Finding Cleveland, which is the basis for Far East Deep South. For shining a light on little-known history, Lam was selected to be part of the Smithsonian’s History Film Forum Emerging Filmmakers Lab.
Before entering the film world, Lam carved out a distinguished career in music releasing four critically acclaimed solo albums. Her song, “I Feel Alive” won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for “Best Dance Song” and was the theme song for a national suicide prevention campaign. As a composer, she has written music for film and TV projects such as The Oprah Winfrey Show. A dynamic speaker, she has spoken on issues of diversity, inclusion and the Asian American experience at TEDx, Leadercast and numerous universities such as Yale and MIT. For nine years, Larissa hosted a nationally televised weekly talk show and currently, she hosts the Love, Discovery and Dim Sum podcast alongside Only Won aka Baldwin Chiu.
BALDWIN CHIU (Producer) teamed up with his wife, Larissa Lam, to produce Far East Deep South, and is also one of the film’s subjects along with hisfamily. Chiu is a graduate of the ACT One film producing program. He was born in San Francisco and raised in Sacramento, where he later graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Chiu is also a rapper known by his MC name, Only Won, and is a professionally licensed engineer who gained recognition for his viral videos, “Cantonese Boy,” “12 Days of Dim Sum” and “I Wanna Be an Engineer.” He previously served as a spokesperson for Intel/White House “Stay With It” engineering campaign under the Obama Administration, promoting careers in science. Baldwin’s songs were featured in the video game “Sleeping Dogs” and the film, Dead Man Down. Additionally, Chiu has been a speaker on numerous panels addressing race, immigration, and Asian representation in media. He and Larissa are currently based in Los Angeles.
About America ReFramed
America ReFramed is a co-production of the WORLD Channel 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 ReFramedis 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 Channel
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.
About American Documentary, Inc.
American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation.
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Press Contacts:
CaraMar Publicity
Mary Lugo, 770-623-8190, lugo@negia.net
Cara White, 843-881-1480, cara.white@mac.com
Abbe Harris, 908-244-5516, abbe.harris@caramar.net
More information and downloadable photos available at Far East Deep South PressRoom
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