In 2023, James Hong accepted his first Screen Actors Guild award for his performance in the hit movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” At the time, the 92-year-old had been working in the film industry for nearly seven decades. As Hong received his award, he shared a story from his early years in the business.

“The producer said, the Asians are not good enough and they are not box office. But look at us now!” said Hong as the room erupted in applause.

Over the past decade, Hollywood has seen a significant increase in Asian representation. What’s more, this representation is not restricted to any specific genre. There have been family-friendly sitcoms like “Fresh Off the Boat,” indie dramas such as “Minari,” and even dark comedies like “Beef.”

According to a study jointly produced by the University of Southern California’s Norman Lear Center and the nonprofit Gold House, Asian characters on screen increased from 3% to 16% between 2007 and 2022. The study looked at major characters in the top 100 films over many streaming platforms, accounting for characters that appear in three or more episodes of a show, or are in at least the sixth place of the film credits.

Related: In 2023: Eugene film festival spotlights Asian American and Pacific Islander stories

For the people behind the DisOrient Asian American film festival, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, this increase does not come as a surprise. Its organizers say that within the Asian American community, there has always been a hunger for these stories. Pamela Quan, the executive director behind DisOrient, told KLCC that while mainstream Hollywood plays catch-up, independent filmmakers and festivals have always filled the gap left behind.

“Things like mental illness…LGBTQ+ stories, stories of being an adoptee, stories that were rich and part of our community that we weren’t seeing…we have always had those stories,” said Quan. “We’ve always shown those stories.”

Jason Mak, a Eugene resident, founded the festival after he created a short autobiographical documentary about his family’s Chinese restaurant for graduate school. The movie, Selling Louie’s Village, tackled complicated topics like race, identity, and heritage within a family-owned Chinese restaurant.

Quan recalls the positive reception the film received and the spark it ignited.

“He couldn’t believe the new types of conversations that were possible and the warmth and the embrace he got from the Asian American community,” said Quan. “So he wanted to bring that to Eugene and start something here, because they really saw a need for that.”

DisOrient’s program director, Jo Fujiwara Morozumi, said the festival’s strengths lie in its ability to bring nuanced stories to the forefront.

“I think it’s really important to note that our festival is an independent film festival, and as you see, changes happen over the years in terms of how we’re presented in mass media.” said Morozumi. “The pushing of that envelope is always going to be more extreme within the independent scene.”

For Morozumi, showcasing nuanced and varied stories is important because Asian American culture is nuanced and varied.

“Asian American, as sort of this broad title, is something that becomes very monolithic, especially in the sort of mass media,” said Morozumi. “So it’s important to us that we sort of tear that down. That idea that there’s a certain type of Asian you see the most of.”

Twenty years on, the DisOrient festival continues to make good on that promise. This year, the festival lists Alika Tengan’s “Moloka’i Bound,” as its centerpiece film. Tengan is the first Native Hawaiian filmmaker to premiere a movie at Sundance.

Later, the festival will close with a screening of Home Court, a documentary following Cambodian American basketball prodigy, Ashley Chea, and her high school career.

The festival kicks off Saturday with a preview screening at the Art House in Eugene. An official opening reception will be held on March 6, with in-person movie showings from March 6-9. The festival continues with virtual screenings from March 10 to March 23.

This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

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