A Hmong Hollywood Film to Hit Theater in This February

The soon-to-be-released Hollywood film “The Harvest,” which focuses on the Hmong-American community, is set to captivate audiences in theaters on February 12, 2023. The flourishing careers of Asian-American actors, as seen in acclaimed films such as “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and “The Farewell,” has propelled Asian actors to the forefront of the film industry. “The Harvest,” written, directed, and acted by Southeast Asian-Americans, will soon be added to their list of successes.

The film delves into the complexities of the relationship between Hmong and American cultures, presenting a nuanced portrayal of the Hmong community and debunking stereotypical beliefs about “Asian” culture. The main character, Thai, played by Doua Moua, is an aspiring writer who returns to visit his family and old friends, only to find himself facing his resistant and ill father. Thai must navigate his obligations to help his father, while also exploring the opportunity to reconnect with him.

Thai once left the Hmong community to pursue his dream of becoming a writer in the San Francisco Bay area, but upon his return, he discovers that some of his family members are envious of his new life and the obligations he has to the traditional Hmong culture he left behind.

The film’s director, Caylee So, was born in a refugee camp in 1981 as her family fled the brutal regime of Pol Pot in Cambodia, while the writer and lead actor, Doua Moua, was born in a refugee camp in Thailand as his family fled Laos in 1987. So is well-known for directing the musical film “In the Life of Music” (2018), and Moua for his roles as a Hmong gang member in “Gran Torino” and as Po in “Mulan” (2020).