ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA WATCHDOG GROUP PRAISES DISNEY/PIXAR'S "UP" FOR CREATING ASIAN AMERICAN PROTAGONIST
"Up's" co-star, Jordan Nagai, plays a Wilderness Explorer who just happens to be Asian American.
LOS ANGELES - The Media Action Network for Asian Americans, the only organization solely dedicated to monitoring media depictions of Asian Americans, is praising Disney/Pixar for creating an Asian American boy as a co-star in their summer blockbuster film, "Up."
Kollaboration Hip Hop and Laugh-Off
OCA-OC and MANAA Announces “You Oughta Be in Pictures!” to Discuss Images of Asian Americans In Media
PARAMOUNT DISCRIMINATES AGAINST ASIAN AMERICAN ACTORS FOR MOVIE ADAPTATION OF ASIAN-BASED TV SERIES
April 29, 2009
Asian American Advocacy Groups, Fans Condemn Racial Bias in M. Night Shyamalan’s "Whitewashed" Casting of "The Last Airbender"
Los Angeles--Thousands of fans and two prominent Asian American advocacy groups are protesting Paramount Pictures' upcoming "The Last Airbender," accusing the production of racial bias in selecting white actors to portray ethnically Asian characters.
MANAA's Response to Letter from Paramount on The Last Airbender
April 9, 2009
Dear Producers of The Last Airbender;
Thank you for your letter. Because it raises important questions regarding your perceptions of diversity, we are again requesting a meeting to discuss the casting and depiction of cultures in the movie (and your future projects) so this film can truly be the success we all want. We are interested, for instance, in how your ideal of including people from “all corners of the globe” correlates with your casting policies. Specifically seeking out white actors and casting four white leads for what M. Night Shymalan admitted was an “Asian fantasy world” does not celebrate ethnic diversity. Re-casting the sole villainous lead with an actor of color is a concession that results in three heroic nations going to war against an evil nation of color.
