In honor of AAPI Heritage Month in May, the Wieden + Kennedy team behind the award-winning film Call It Covid released The Myth, a new film addressing the myth of the Model Minority: a false narrative weaponizing Asian Americans against other ethnic groups. Using a combination of shot and archival footage, the short explores how such narratives affect not only Asian-Americans but other marginalized communities.
“This year we continue to witness ongoing violence against not only our Asian community, but against Black, Latinx and so many other vulnerable, marginalized communities,” says senior writer Titania Tran. “We recognized that we do play a significant role, both as Asian Americans weaponized as ‘the model minority’ and as people in advertising, a form of media that has perpetuated the image of the ‘model minority.’” The visuals in the film translate the message that a long-lasting history of repression and marginalization is continually repeating itself, and that there is still so much more to be done.
“The Model Minority Myth has been well documented and intellectualized in academia over the years,” says senior art director Dan Koo. “However, despite all this, the Model Minority Myth has hardly ever been humanized. My hope is that when people see this film, we can start a conversation where people start to understand why the Model Minority Myth strips us of that basic right to be seen and treated as humans.”
Film credits include Executive Producer Hayley Goggin, Executive Producer Mimi Munoz, Sr. Producer Lead Mauricio Granado, Head of Production Orlee Tatarka, Sr. Studio Designer Hui Chen Ou Yang, and Group Media Directors Jason Strickland, Samantha Casagrande and Kim Sizemore, all of Wieden+Kennedy. The production company was Biscuit Filmworks, editorial, VFX and finish were provided by JOINT.
