The team behind viral 2020 project Call it COVID, alongside global creative agency Wieden+Kennedy, have released a follow-up film entitled The Myth. The new film aims to dismantle the insidious ‘Model Minority’ myth, a harmful and dangerous stereotype that mischaracterizes Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and flattens the diverse experiences of Asian Americans into a singular, narrow narrative. It’s a false narrative; one that weaponizes Asian Americans against other ethnic groups. As with Call it COVID, Fandom has once again partnered with Wieden+Kennedy to amplify this important message.
The Myth was created by the team behind Cannes Lion award-winning 2020 film Call It COVID, which began as a self-initiated project in response to the rising discrimination against Asians around the world as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition to numerous recognitions the film garnered, it earned millions of dollars in donated support from media companies. It transcended advertising, and reached pop culture, politics, and even education, where it was published in a McGraw Hill classroom textbook.
The Myth dispels an Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) stereotype that minimizes the role racism plays in the persistent struggles of other racial/ethnic groups. It addresses what is keeping communities apart, and reclaims what it has deprived them of: belonging. It poses the idea of belonging not as something to be fought and won but instead something to be offered and accepted—between each other, and within ourselves.
The Film’s Uncomfortable Ending
Commenting on the inspiration of the film, Titania Tran, Wieden+Kennedy Senior Writer and one of the creators of both Call it Covid and The Myth states, “The Myth is a response to the times. It’s an attempt to protect our most vulnerable communities. Also, like Call It Covid, it is born from a truth of the Asian experience. It is more expansive however. It goes beyond the Asian experience and builds bridges to other affected communities.”
Wieden+Kennedy Senior Art Director Dan Koo adds, “My hope is that when people see this film, we can start a conversation where people start to understand why the ‘Model Minority’ myth is so harmful to all of us. A conversation that comes from a place of humanity first and how the ‘Model Minority’ myth strips us of that basic right to be seen and treated as humans”.
Tran says that the film has an uncomfortable ending, without clear next steps but she hopes that the questions raised will encourage viewers to consider how the ‘Model Minority’ myth has shown up in their own lives, and affected their relationships – including the important one with themselves.
The film was directed by L.A. photographer and cinematographer Jackie Bao with creative direction from veteran ad director Isaiah Seret of Biscuit Filmworks.
About Wieden+Kennedy
Wieden+Kennedy, founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1982, is an independent, privately held global creative company with offices in Amsterdam, Delhi, London, New York City, Portland, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Wieden+Kennedy works with some of the world’s most innovative brands to make best-in-class creative advertising and communications.
