Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
AAARI The Baruch College Asian and Asian American Studies Program and the Asian and Asian American Research Institute at CUNY (AAARI) present a series of new films celebrating Asia and Asian Americans. Sita Sings the Blues, presented courtesy of filmmaker Nina Paley, who will be present for a post-film question and answer.
Waylaid is the story of a Chinese American boy struggling to grow up amidst the drudgery and sexual innuendo of his parent¹s sleazy motel on the Jersey Shore. Conscripted into the family business, the protagonist spends his summer days and afterschool hours renting out rooms to johns and hookers, lonely old men, and families whose homes have been repossessed. He becomes obsessed with losing his virginity, a preoccupation whose very intensity reflects a society that delivers sex as a distraction from despair. In its blackly humorous exploration of immigrant dreams and working class realities, Waylaid is a switchblade in the gut to stories of overachievement and success that ignore the human cost.
The reception will introduce faculty and staff to the Asian American / Asian Research Institute; our mission as a university-wide scholarly research and resource center that focuses on policies and issues that affect Asians and Asian Americans and professional development opportunities and programs available.
2009 Recipient Erick Pinedo (Borough of Manhattan Community College) Project – Visiting the Great Wall of Mott Street Photo by Corky Lee Excerpt: “There is so much history and culture in Asian communities in the United States. Unfortunately, I believe it mostly gets overlooked by visitors who feel that bargain hunting takes precedence. My plan … Read more
