By Hugh Garbrick

As the first all-Asian cast in 25 years, “Crazy Rich Asians” was an instant success when it hit theaters in August. Even months later, it continues to lead conversations about representation and diversity in the film industry.

The Asian American Studies Program (AAST) and the Asian American Student Union (AASU) co-sponsored a panel discussion Oct. 31 about the movie’s ramifications and what it means to the Asian American population.

Panelists included Dr. Rossina Zamora Liu, assistant clinical professor; Dorothy Kou, coordinator of Asian American & Pacific Islander Student Involvement & Advocacy; Andy Yeh, a doctoral English student; and Danielle Ocampo from the Asian American Student Union.

It was moderated by Dr. Terry Park, a lecturer in the Asian American Studies Program.

“For a lot of Asian Americans such as myself, of course there’s the element of seeing ourselves on the screen portrayed in a more complex way than Asian Americans or Asians are portrayed in Hollywood,” Park said.

He added that it would be a mistake for Hollywood not to pay attention to the film’s success.

“I think Hollywood Studios heads wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t pay attention to how well stories resonate with these other markets,” he said.

Dr. Liu said that because Asian Americans are not represented enough in Hollywood, a lot of Asian Americans hoped “Crazy Rich Asians” could fairly represent everyone.

“Because we don’t have enough representation in Hollywood, we also suffer a starvation of that. So we place it all on this notion, that this one movie is going to do it, and it won’t,” Liu said. “My hope is that the critical perspectives could guide future makings of movies.”

Kathy Chen, a senior communication major, said that she liked the movie not only for its Asian representation, but for the plot, the acting and the shots of Singapore. And though in her eyes, the movie wasn’t perfect, she said it “shouldn’t have to be.”

“I think that it’s asking a lot [for] it to be everything,” Chen said. “I think that this is a gateway starting point. Eventually, we can have the proper representation that we deserve.”

During the panel discussion, Ocampo said that she thought the movie was good but it could have been done better.

“It’s a really good starting point, but there is a lot of room for improvement,” said Ocampo.