HBO releases trailer for "East of Main Street: Taking The Lead"

"For this year's Asian-Pacific Heritage Month, the acclaimed documentary series East Of Main Street returns with a celebration of Asian Americans working in the film and television community. In this fifth installment, the special East Of Main Street: Taking the Lead showcases a select group of artists at various stages of their acting careers and personal journeys.

HBO "East of Main Street: Taking The Lead" premiere at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

On Friday, April 24, HBO will be presenting a special advanced screening of the fifth installment of the award-winning documentary series "East of Main Street" at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.

Click here to get free tickets to the screening!

After taking 2014 off, I am so thankful to HBO for bringing back the series for its strongest installment yet. This year, we explored the topic of working as a minority actor in Hollywood. It's a topic I've wanted to explore for many years, and I couldn't be more proud of the results. I hope you can join us!

Here is the description from LAAPFF:

Conceived as a project to demonstrate the breadth of Asian Pacific American voices and stories, EAST OF MAIN STREET is a multi-part series created by HBO in collaboration with Jonathan Yi. Since its inception in 2010, episodes in the series have explored those who have pursued non-traditional careers, observed significant life milestones, and sounded off on what makes them happy or angry. In the process, Yi, a director of documentaries, music videos, and commercial projects, has afforded a crucial “voice” for Asian Pacific Americans of all stripes, both young and old, rich and poor, and everything else between.

In this new installment (set to premiere May 1 on HBO GO, HBO NOW and HBO On Demand), director Yi trains his camera on a new, more racially diverse selection of actors and performing artists who describe their career pathways and enduring challenges into the mainstream entertainment industry. Daniel Dae Kim contrasts his long-standing tenure on broadcast television series at LOST and HAWAII FIVE-O with parental pressures to become a doctor. Lucy Liu (CHARLIE’S ANGELS) likens the fickle nature of sustaining an acting career to standing on quicksand, while Aasif Mandvi (THE DAILY SHOW and HBO's new series, THE BRINK) brands himself and others like him as “crazy” for wanting to pursue acting in the first place. Jimmy O. Yang, a self-confessed attention- whore, relates how his burgeoning career stood out in sharp relief against his parents’ career aspirations for him. And veteran actor Russell Wong ponders whether he has “made it” as an actor of Asian Pacific descent before offering a surprising answer. Through a carefully curated and edited parade of on-screen talents, director Yi distills a multitude of disparate voices into one, with common experiences, common concerns, and in the end, common affirmations. As Kim declares, he (and all the other interviewees) pine for the day when their achievements aren’t qualified through an ethnic hyphenate.  

— Abraham Ferrer