Still image from Dhar Mann
By Barbara Yau, AsAmNews
A recently premiered short film on Chinese American culture created by Dhar Mann, the entrepreneur and filmmaker known on social media for his viral videos, reached 494K views on YouTube within one hour.
Within a day, it garnered approximately 5 million views, not even counting those on other platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook. Since May 2018, Mann has created video content through his company, Dhar Mann Studios, with the intent of inspiring people and changing lives.
The seven minute long video titled Girl Hates Her Asian Culture,tells the story of a girl (played by 17 year old Caitlin Cheung) who becomes embarrassed by her Chinese culture when her friend visits her home on Chinese New Year, but eventually learns an unexpected life lesson.
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In an exclusive interview with AsAmNews, Cheung stated that she was given the opportunity to be star in this Dhar Mann Studios production following an audition. She booked the job due to her admiration for Mann’s work and the attention being paid on Asian culture.
“It’s great to know that Dhar Mann Studios provides videos that not only make an impact but are accessible internationally in different languages. I also felt Asian representation is important no matter what it is. For me, acting is how I am able to pay homage to my amazing Asian community. This film, although a bit exaggerated, shows a young girl who learns to appreciate her Asian culture during Chinese New Year,” said Cheung.
Cheung, who is a Chinese and Taiwanese American high school senior, stated that the film would speak to young Asians who would relate to the film.
“I feel that Asian Americans, in general, can relate to the feeling of trying to fit into what society depicts as cool and trendy. Unfortunately, for many first-generation Asian Americans, being ‘Asian’ isn’t cool. So, hiding or being ashamed of things that other people might make fun of is a feeling that many people, even beyond Asian Americans, can relate to,” said Cheung.
Cheung was astounded by the number of views on the video and was pleased that people worldwide were learning a little more about Asian culture. She felt this video was effective in working to foster greater appreciation of one’s culture without stereotyping. And she hopes to see more topics related to Asian Americans addressed in future films.
“I’d love to see topics on Asian Americans dealing with topics like sexuality or religion. I feel this generation has shed light on many stigmatized topics of the past, and for many Asians, these topics don’t necessarily align with the traditional views. Even a film about Asian Americans making groundbreaking achievements in the Hollywood industry and creative industry, in general, would be fascinating. I hope that with media progressing, every young Asian American can find a character that they can relate to and know they are being seen, ” said Cheung.
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It was such an honor to work with Caitlin in this short film, she is a true delight!