ISSUE 07: Asia Jackson
And my new cat obsession.
THE YELLOW PAGES is a weekly newsletter recommending Asian and AAPI films, music, writing, and other inspiration — all the artsy things I wished for growing up!
I am very allergic to cats, and so I tend to run the other way whenever I see one. That said, lately, I’ve become somewhat obsessed with them — from afar.
Just don’t tell my dog.
🎮 Stray: Last summer, I was introduced to (and loved) this video game, developed by French developer BlueTwelve Studio. You’re basically a cat, walking around a sci-fi dystopian city inhabited by robots. What I didn’t know until I played this game was that its setting is based on the the Walled City of Kowloon. Goldthread (a YouTube Channel in Hong Kong I’ve been following since they started in 2018) posted a video exploring this recently. Once you get past the monotony of watching two non-gamers figuring out how to use the controls, it’s pretty educational.
🧸 Hello Kitty: I’ve never been a Sanrio Stan (though I did spend most of my 2nd grade allowance buying Little Twin Stars stationary). But this past year, I have found myself constantly ogling Hello Kitty merch — maybe because I met her in the plush at Universal Studios last Christmas? Anyway, I’m now a fan, and if I am going to buy anything with her whiskered face on it, it’ll be at my favorite store on Sawtelle, Giant Robot.
🎬 Cat Daddies: My friend Mye Hoang is a talented filmmaker and her latest feature film is a documentary that has sold out festivals everywhere and won numerous awards. The movie is playing theatrically everywhere (around the world!) and you can pre-order it now on Apple TV to watch on February 17, 2023.
Asia is the founder of SKNFLUENCR, “a digital media platform that explores beauty and fashion at the intersection of race, identity, and culture.”
Name/Pronouns:
(she/her).
What do you do?
Actress and Content Creator1.
How do you identify?
Black and Filipino (louisiana creole and igorot); Brown!
8 Movies and Television Shows:
Metro Manila (2013): Great acting, solid story with a twist that I wasn’t expecting, beautiful cinematography…and shot guerrilla style entirely on a Canon 5D!
Left By The Ship (2010): This documentary explores the lives of children “left by the ship”—kids who were fathered (and abandoned) by military servicemen stationed at American military bases in the Philippines
Grave of the Fireflies (1988): This is one of the few movies that will have me bawling every single time I watch it. Do not watch if you want to be in a happy mood for the rest of your day
The Vietnam War (2017): I had a very whitewashed, Americanized, and watered-down education of the Vietnam War in high school. This documentary is the most comprehensive and nuanced exploration of the war in Vietnam I’ve ever watched and includes interviews and perspectives of soldiers from all sides.
Pachinko (2022): This complex & heartfelt drama follows multiple generations through trauma, love, loss, colonization, and triumph.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1988): My first celebrity crush was Shah Rukh Khan and it’s because I watched this movie for the first time when I was 7 years old. True story! This movie also introduced me to the beauty of Bollywood!
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022): Definitely my favorite film of the year, and definitely in my top 3 films of all time.
The Green Knight (2021): In my opinion, this movie deserved the hype that The Northman got… but anyway…
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Asia’s YouTube Channel is one of my favorites, and she 100% influenced me to buy a couch sight unseen during the pandemic.