Back to All Events

The A List: Fifteen Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas

Wednesday, May 13, 2026
6:30 PM 8:30 PM

The Asia Society Museum 725 Park Avenue New York, NY, 10021 United States (map)

Google Calendar ICS

Organizer: Asia Society New York

Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY

Description:

Join Asia Society and HBO for a special screening of The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas. A moving installment in "The List" documentary series created by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, this film brings together a tableau of voices to explore the themes of representation, belonging, and what it means to be AAPI in America. Through intimate reflections, participants explore the relationship between national identity and solidarity, individual and community, home country and home.

The film features: Actor Sandra Oh; chef Yia Vang; activist Amanda Nguyen; musician DJ Rekha; journalist Connie Chung; athlete and activist Schuyler Bailar; comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani; nurse Madelyn Yu; entrepreneur Haroon Mokhtarzada; Senator Tammy Duckworth; comedian Bowen Yang; photographer Manny Crisostomo; astrophysicist Nergis Mavalvala; activist Kathy Masaoka; and surfer and scientist Cliff Kapono.

The screening will be followed by a moderated discussion with Director Eugene Yi, Executive Producer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, and film participants DJ Rekha, and Madelyn Yu.

About the Speakers:

Eugene Yi is a filmmaker whose directing work includes The Rose: Come Back to Me (2025 TriBeCa Festival, an audience award winner; Busan International Film Festival; CJ 4DPLEX), and Free Chol Soo Lee (with Julie Ha; 2022 Sundance; Independent Lens; News and Documentary Emmy winner). His editing work includes Farewell Ferris Wheel (2018 News and Documentary Emmy-nominated); and Out of My Hand (2015 Berlinale; Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award nominee). He is a member of the Asian American Documentary Network, part of the inaugural cohort of the Karen Schmeer "Diversity in the Edit Room" program, and a member of the Directors Guild of America. His print journalism has been honored with numerous awards, including a 2013 LA Press Club Award for an oral history of the 1992 LA riots and rebellion from a Korean American perspective for KoreAm Journal. He is the proud father of one, and works out of Los Angeles and Palisades Park, New Jersey.

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is a Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated film director. As a fine art photographer, he has achieved critical acclaim photographing world leaders and major cultural figures, including presidents, writers, artists, actors and musicians. To date, Greenfield-Sanders has produced and directed 13 films including Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart (Grammy Award), The Black List (NAACP Image Award), The Latino List, The Out List, About Face: Supermodels Then and Now, The Boomer List, The Women’s List, The Trans List and Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (Emmy-nominated). His most recent film, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019, screened in theaters worldwide, won the NAACP Image Award in 2020 and was nominated for three Emmy Awards that year. Greenfield-Sanders’ fine art photographs are in numerous museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Brooklyn Museum. Greenfield-Sanders’ books have been published by Bulfinch, Atria, Luxury and Powerhouse. He received his B.A. from Columbia University and his M.F.A. from The American Film Institute.

DJ Rekha (born Rekha Malhotra) is a DJ, producer, curator, and educator. Their dynamic dub and hip-hop informed DJ sets often incorporate South Asian Diasporic dance music with ears to a global sound that resonates with dancefloors across the planet. They have shared the stage with many artists including AR Rahman, Yoko Ono, the Roots, M.I.A and have performed in festivals, clubs, and community spaces worldwide including the inaugural Women’s March, London Mela, 5X Fest, SXSW, Sundance. They founded Basement Bhangra in 1997, one of NYC’s longest-running club nights. Their debut album DJ Rekha presents Basement Bhangra (featuring a track with Wyclef Jean) won much critical acclaim and was nominated for best DJ album by the 2008 Plug Awards. They are the founder of Basement Bhangra™, Bollywood Disco, Lipstick Optional, and co-founder of Mutiny (with Vivek Bald) and Ronak (with Atif Ateeq) club nights. As a sound designer and producer Rekha worked for the TONY award-winning Broadway Show, Bridge and Tunnel, and received a Drama Desk Award nomination for their work on the play Rafta Rafta. Rekha was the associate producer for the NPR Radio Documentary, A Feet in Two Worlds. They created the opening theme (with Raj Makhija and David Sharma) for Padma Lakshmi’s Hulu show, Taste the Nation. They have done remixes for artists that range from Meredith Monk to Major Lazer. They have received numerous community awards and in 2009 were inducted into the New York City's Peoples’ Hall of Fame. They have curated music and events for Celebrate Brooklyn, Central Park Summerstage, South Asian Lodge at Sundance, DJ City, and Sona Restaurant. DJ Rekha was a Grand Marshall of the 9th Annual NYC Dance Parade in 2015. They hold a BA in Urban Studies from Queens College and a Master’s of Science in Comparative Media Studies from MIT.

Madelyn Yu the second of 13 siblings in the Philippines, was raised by her grandparents, who instilled in her a deep belief in the power of education. Through scholarships, she attended the University of the Philippines and became a nurse, working in Manila before marrying and raising four children. Seeking better opportunities, she and her husband immigrated to the United States, where she built a 46-year career — primarily in critical care for open-heart surgery patients — while proudly promoting Philippine culture. She supported the education of 14 nieces and nephews and became a leader in the Philippine Nurses Association of America, serving as president from 2018 to 2020 and advocating for nurses. After retiring shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, she faced the loss of her husband, Alfredo, and turned her grief into service, leading bereavement sessions, speaking at webinars, and serving as a Eucharistic minister. She continues to give back through annual medical missions in the Philippines and now enjoys retirement with her children and grandchildren, as well as performing traditional Philippine dances at cultural and community events.