Independent Lens
Seeking Asian Female
An American man and a Chinese woman pursue a marriage brokered by the internet when she moves across the Pacific to start a new life with him.
Try Harder!
At a prestigious public high school with a majority Asian American student body, high achieving seniors share the dream, and the stress, of getting into a top university.
- Series
- Independent Lens
- Premiere Date
- May 2, 2022
- Length
- 90 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Open Call
Producer/Director
Debbie Lum
Debbie Lum explored cultural stereotypes in My Tiger Mom and Seeking Asian Female. She made two short docs for Wayne Wang about his films Chan Is Missing and Dim Sum, co-produced and edited Kelly Loves Tony (PBS's POV), and edited To You Sweetheart, Aloha and the Emmy-winning a.k.a. Don Bonus (POV). Lum wrote and directed fictional films Chinese Beauty, A Great Deal! and One April Morning.
- Other ITVS Films
- My Tiger Mom
- Seeking Asian Female
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The Film
San Francisco’s Lowell High, one of the best public schools in the country, draws high achievers--nearly 70% Asian Americans--from across the city into a fiercely competitive universe. The camera follows seniors through the hallways and into classrooms as the pressure intensifies to impress admissions officers at elite universities with their report cards, test scores, and overall awesomeness. The students proudly own their identity as nerds and tell their stories with candor and humor despite the stress. The film asks: How do these kids define their identities outside of acceptance letters?
