Dominican-American poet and novelist Julia Alvarez was born in New York City in 1950. Shortly after her birth, Alvarez’s parents returned to their native country, Dominican Republic. Ten years later, the family was forced to flee to the United States because of her father’s involvement in a plot to overthrow the dictator, Trujillo. Alvarez has […] The post Julia Alvarez biography and career timeline appeared first on American Masters ..read more

In the golden era of Hollywood, directors were often artisans as much as they were artists. The studios were factories for storytelling, churning out endless variations in a few core styles—the Western, the crime film, the women’s picture, the musical—and bringing in directors to keep the trains running, oversee production and hopefully add a bit […] The post The link between Hollywood’s golden age and auteurist future appeared first on American Masters ..read more

Early in Blake Edwards’ dizzying musical farce “Victor/Victoria,” would-be superstar Victoria (Julie Andrews) attempts to explain to faded nightclub mainstay Toddy (Robert Preston) just why their scheme is doomed. Toddy has proposed that Victoria make a splash in Paris’s nightclub scene by pretending to be a man who performs as a woman, creating a truly […] The post These comedies tried to wrestle with gender identity in the 80s-90s appeared first on American Masters ..read more

Blake Edwards, famous for writing, directing and producing slapstick comedy films like “The Pink Panther,” received an honorary Academy Award in 2004 for extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement. Presenting the award was actor Jim Carrey, who began his speech speaking in an exaggerated fake Indian accent: “Birdie nom nom, birdie nom nom, howdy part-n-er, howdy […] The post Old Hollywood can still affect how Asian Americans are perceived appeared first on American Masters ..read more

This collection delves into the complex history of stereotyping and discrimination in media. These videos and essays aim to foster a deeper awareness of the importance of accurate and respectful representation, encouraging reflection on how we can learn from the past to create a more inclusive future. Unladylike2020 Anna May Wong: The First Asian American […] The post Essays and videos examining discrimination and stereotypes in film history appeared first on American Masters ..read more

Blake Edwards was an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts before turning to producing and directing in television and films. His best-known films include “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961), “Days of Wine and Roses” (1962), “The […] The post Blake Edwards biography and career timeline appeared first on American Masters ..read more

When I moved to New York City in 2008, I rented a room on Eldridge Street, just a few doors down from the Manhattan Bridge. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was living in Corky Lee’s Chinatown. Before I ever knew Corky—a man who photographed Asian American life for 50 years—I’d heard […] The post A walk through Corky Lee’s Chinatown appeared first on American Masters ..read more

As an artist, 66-year-old Jamie Diaz straddles several worlds of marginalization. Credit: Jamie-Diaz, “Stop Mistreatment.” As a trans woman, her work is less likely to receive the notice and acclaim garnered by her cisgender peers. As an incarcerated artist, prison rules mount higher hurdles to even expressing her creativity. Sharing her art with the outside world poses even greater challenges. People behind bars have long created art–to express themselves, to remember their lives outside prison walls, to soar past the despairs of incarceration and to remind themselves and viewers that they ..read more

Journalist Bill McKibben once observed that climate change lacked cultural relevance, particularly in the arts. “Oddly, though we know about it, we don’t know about it,” he wrote for Grist in 2005. “It hasn’t registered in our gut; it isn’t part of our culture. Where are the books? The poems? The plays? The ******* operas?” Sculpture by David Bacharach from “Weaving Nature.” This was almost 20 years ago, and of course a lot has changed. I think we have reached the point that McKibben hoped for, where we see climate change moving from scientific discourse to a broader cultural one. More artis ..read more

I first heard about Jamie Diaz from my Producer and cinematographer, Andrew Fredericks, who had learned the basics of her story and passed them on to me – Jamie is a trans woman incarcerated in a men’s prison in Texas and a prolific artist. “Stop Mistreatment” by Jamie Diaz. He sent me to her website. And while I was certainly amazed by the quality of art she was creating under the harsh conditions of incarceration, it was when I read one of Jamie’s letters and experienced the intimacy and honesty of her voice, that a vision of a film emerged. So Andrew and I reached out to Gabriel Joffe, Ja ..read more