Are Asian American women fairly represented in the media? “Slaying the Dragon Reloaded: Asian Women in Hollywood and Beyond” examines visual representations of Asian women made by commercial media as well as independent Asian American artists. The 30-minute video documentary picks up where “Slaying the Dragon: Asian Women in U.S. Television and Film” (1988) ends. It takes a look at Hollywood representations of Asian and Asian American women from 1984 to 2009 to explore how these images reflect the significant social and demographic changes that have occurred during the last quarter of the 20th century from blockbuster films and network television to Asian American cinema. The sequel directed by Elaine Kim also showcases Asian American media makers as the proliferation of alternative media like YouTube creates more opportunities to challenge and broaden perspectives of women. What’s changed? What’s been recycled? and What we can hope for in the future?

This short documentary originally premiered at the 2011 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF). Look for it in the short program at your local Asian American film festival. It’s great to see the Asian American female perspective on the issue much like how Slanted Screen took a look from the male perspective and Hollywood Chinese from a Chinese perspective.

Slaying the Dragon: Reloaded Trailer

If you’re interested, here’s the the trailer for the original documentary “Slaying the Dragon: Asian Women in U.S. Television and Film” from 1988 directed by Deborah Gee. Slaying the Dragon offers a comprehensive look at Hollywood’s treatment of Asian and Asian American women since the silent era. How have the roles of Anna May Wong’s sinister dragon lady to seductive Suzie Wong to the subservient ’50s geisha girls affected the representation of Asian American women? From racist portrayals by white actors to play Asian characters in early Hollywood films to contemporary Asian American anchorwomen, this provocative documentary reveals how stereotypes of exoticism and docility have impacted perceptions of Asian American women.

Slaying the Dragon: Asian Women in U.S. Television and Film Trailer