Laura Sirikul

1 week ago | forbes.com | Laura Sirikul

The opening scene of Jinho Myung’s debut feature Softshell starts at a Buddhist Thai temple in New York City, where Buddhist monks chant as visitors pray. Thai is spoken in the background, where you learn it’s a funeral for Thai American siblings Jamie (Caledonia Abbey) and Narin (Legyaan Thapa). The siblings don’t seem to be bothered by their mother’s passing, wondering if they’ve become desensitized by death, in hopes that maybe they’ll process the grief by the end of the film.

1 week ago | thenerdsofcolor.org | Laura Sirikul

When it comes to Asian American Pacific Islander (or diaspora) stories, relationships with immigrant parents and dealing with generational trauma (typically) go together hand-in-hand. It makes all Asians – East, Southeast, South, Southwest – and Pacific Islanders feel connected somehow. The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival highlights stories like that in their APT: Advanced Parenting Too portion of their Shorts program.

1 week ago | thenerdsofcolor.org | Laura Sirikul

The creatives behind Prime Video’s Lee Soo Man: King of K-pop documentary have heard your outcry about the controversial trailer. The trailer features snippets of SHINee’s Jonghyun’s funeral as the discussion of “the Dark Side of K-pop” plays over it. The negative impact of K-pop culture has been discussed from the lens of the West, as if K-pop is the only problematic industry.

2 weeks ago | thelaterals.com | Laura Sirikul

Editorial DirectorBryan KongCreative DirectorMelvin ChanPhotographerRaul RomoFashion StylistJuliet Vo / c143 studio Daniel Henney is truly a man of two worlds. He was born and raised in a small town in Michigan by his white American father and South Korean adoptee mother.

2 weeks ago | thenerdsofcolor.org | Laura Sirikul

Marvel is no stranger to mental health and trauma when it comes to their heroes and villains. Many of their greatest heroes have been in a place of uncertainty – Thor losing himself (and gaining weight) after Infinity War; Rocket Raccoon’s past trauma and found family; Wanda’s grief overtaking an entire town; and many other heroes dealing with post-traumatic stress disorders. Yet, as the heroes in the story, they persevered while saving many lives.