In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Long Beach City College is hosting a zoom event titled “Representation Matters–South Asians in Hollywood.”
The event will have three panelists; Meera Simhan, Ravi Kapoor, and Fawzia Mirza. They will all be discussing their experiences in Hollywood and the importance of being able to tell their own stories to an audience.
The Faculty Professional Development Coordinator Suman Mudunuri felt this topic was important to cover, because growing up she did not see the representation of her family and friends portrayed accurately. “I believe that when we have accurate, authentic representation, barriers can be broken down, opening all of us to new ideas, creating powerful role models, and even being a source of inspiration,” said Mudunuri.
Meera Simhan, an actress and writer, wanted to participate in this event not just because a friend reached out to her and asked her to do it, but also because she thought the specific emphasis on South Asian actors was important.
“An event like this really becomes important to be able to go ‘hey, we’re here, we’re doing this, you can see us’. I hope that this gives people the courage, the inspiration, and the desire to move forward [in the industry].” Simhan says.
Fawsia Mirza, a lawyer turned writer, director, and (sometimes) actor wanted to participate in the zoom meeting for the representation, and activism element the entertainment industry can have.
“The violence that we see perpetrated towards marginalized communities is significantly less when we see those stories and those people humanized in movies and TV…so the more we can talk about and humanize characters in marginalized communities the safer all of our communities will be.” Mirza says.
Mirza says students can expect that she will discuss her personal experiences, the importance of representation and gender equity on sets as well as in front of the camera, and also the importance of hiring writers who represent the characters that are being written.
While the emphasis is on the experience of South Asian actors in the industry, Simhan and Mirza both put emphasis on the fact students should still attend if they want to learn about the TV and film industries, even if they are not from a South Asian background.
The three panelists have never done a panel together before, which Mirza lists as another incentive to come.
Simhan encourages students to come by saying, “If you just kind of want to come and expand your world and expand your mind and learn things that you may not have known before [also].”
“Another thing is,” Mirza says, “The reason we buy a ticket to [a] theatre [production] or go to a movie is to support the arts, the program, and the artists and I think that showing up and checking it out even just for a little bit just shows your support for what your [campus] community are doing.”
The event takes place May 25 from 2-3 pm via Zoom. You can find the link to the event here:
https://www.lbcc.edu/event/representation-matters-south-asians-hollywood