made in

Almost 40 years after the murder of Vincent Chin — a Chinese-American in the budding auto-industry in Detroit, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a rise in hate-motivated attacks against Asian people across North America. “Who killed Vincent Chin” is a 1987 documentary that Reel Asian Film Festival will be screening (for free) May 26 and 27 to bring up uncomfortable realities, a history of Asian activism as #API month comes to a close. We spoke with Aram Collier, the head of programming at Reel Asian to discuss the role of representation and storytelling in film that share Asian disaporic stories. Also info on what Reel Asian does for budding storytellers.

Follow @reelasian for more information. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @immadein_

Grace Lee (@graceleebeauty) knows a thing or two about micro-aggressions working in the beauty industry. As Maybelline New York's lead Canadian artist, she’s seen it all in an industry with questionable casting and beauty standards. from being told models should look “more Asian” to a lack of diverse models and facing imposter syndrome, Grace tells us why after many years she needs to use her platform to speak out against inequities. 

A mother of two, raising kids who also have faced their fair share of racism at a young age, she also talks about preserving culture and how she teaches her kids to be proud of their Korean-Chinese background. 

*No shoes in the house but slippers are a must. This is how we stay cozy — in #UggPride “fluff for all” on our feet. We want to thank Ugg for the comfort and for donating $1,500 to #api and equitable organizations that support our communities. Head to @ugg to learn more.

From the days of MTV FORA to Forbes 30 under 30 Dani Roche has never compromised her vision at Kastor & Pollux, a creative studio based in Toronto. As an innovator, she's inspired by the dreamy, shoe-gaze nostalgia of the internet culture. In our episode, we talk about what it's like behind-the-scene of understanding the responsibility of having an audience on social media platforms to being an Asian woman in a leadership position of influence. Dani opens up to share her experience as someone who is adopted and growing up navigating questions and misunderstandings. 

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Love to see more Asian nominees this Oscars — but still, it was wack. From the snubs to “Minari” and “Sound of metal,” to Hollywood attempting to reframe Korean actress Youn Yuh-Jung’s win for Best Supporting Actress as a Brad Pitt fan girl moment, we get into why Hollywood continues to fail to allow people of colour to tell their stories, why American exceptionalism is a disease and how a lot of asian film is already self-sustaining.

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When Taylor Takahashi first read Eddie Huang's script for “Boogie” he knew right there and then: that was him, that was how he grew up. But he never imagined playing the part. After meeting the celeb chef and author in a basketball league, the two bonded over food and conversation. What Taylor didn’t realize back then was that he’d ever see his name next to the credit ‘actor’ and initially refused Eddie’s many offers to take the role. But after empowerment from Eddie, and also working with the late-Bashar “pop smoke” Jackson, he was finally able to tell himself that he could tell this story, authentically.

Cover photo is by Lea Winkler for highsnobiety

Still processing, still learning, but hurting. Today’s episode on anti-Asian violence, after a mass targeted shooting took the lives of 8 people, the majority of them Asian women.We are heartbroken for the families of the victims in the Atlanta hate crime. Anti-Asian violence and racism has permeated our societies for centuries. The pandemic has only given rise to the hate. We need to speak up to protect our Asian communities, to be seen as human, as individuals. Protect Asian people, protect Asian women, protect Asian seniors, protect Black, Indigenous people and other people of colour.We must work together to dismantle white supremacy. Please, share resources with us we can amplify and sending love.

Find resources for anti-Asian violence in our Instagram bio at @immadein_ 

Extremely excited to share this insightful episode with Ziya Tong, former host of the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet and currently on the board of WWF. She talks about growing up in Hong Kong, her Chinese-Macedonian background and all things STEM. From breaking the myth that environmentalism is rooted in whiteness, Asian collectivism values vs. Western capitalist societies, to the dichotomy of Chinese people vs. China, the empire, Ziya takes us on a journey of understand perspectives from all lenses. Also on the docket, Bling Empire. 

Recently she’s re-released a hardcover copy of her book, The Reality Bubble,  exploring blind spots, hidden truths, and the dangerous illusions that shape our world (find it on our site.)Thank you again Ziya for such a great thought-provoking conversation.

Follow Ziya on Twitter @ziyatong and us at @immadein_

Starting Lunar New Year strong with this special episode featuring Raptors Yuta Watanabe. He sits down to talk with us about representation, overcoming obstacles, and moving across the globe from Japan to America to achieve his life-long dream to play in the NBA. Also, inspired by Will Lou, we did a speed round and had an impassioned talk about ramen. 

Follow Yuta on Instagram @yutawatanabe12 and us at @immadein_