ADMISSIONS GRANTED

Directed by Hao Wu, Miao Wang

Cast: Calvin Yang, Cecilia Nunez, Danielle R. Holley, Edward Blum, Jeannie Suk Gersen, Jeff Wang, Margaret M. Chin, Michael Wang, Natasha Warikoo, Neil Rudenstine, Sally Chen, Yukong Zhao

Democracy Series, Documentary Features
USA
Documentary
English
Subtitled
2024
90 mins
Los Angeles premiere

Filmmakers in attendance. Film program will be followed by Q&A.

Deep gratitude to all of our community organizations for the work that they lead. Special thanks to Asian American Documentary Network for their help in promoting this program.

Pre-reception starts at 5:00pm
Film program starts at 6:00pm

In June 2023, the 6-3 conservative majority at the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education in the landmark Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. HARVARD and SFFA v. UNC cases, dealing a crushing blow to progressives who had labored to address racism in America through race-conscious policies.

The film revisits the district court trial of this case and tracks the case’s emotional, high-stakes journey to the Supreme Court. It documents how Edward Blum and activists on both sides strategize and hustle to win in court and in public opinion, and highlights the ways the case has divided the Asian American community. Woven throughout are incisive observations from The New Yorker’s Jeannie Suk Gersen, former Harvard president Neil L. Rudenstine, former Dean of Howard University (now Mount Holyoke College president) Danielle Holley, and professor Natasha Warikoo, who dig deeper into why the heated debate of affirmative action sits at the intersection of American beliefs.

Combining interviews, news archive, and verité footage with dynamic animated sequences that bring the closed-door court hearings to life, ADMISSIONS GRANTED takes an honest and thoughtful look at the complexity of the affirmative action debate, the divisions within the Asian American community and our nation’s increasing polarization on matters of race, equity, and inclusion.

CREDITS
Producer: Hao Wu, Miao Wang
Executive Producer: Rashida Jones, Rebecca Kutler, Amanda Spain, Geralyn Dreyfous, Jenny Raskin
Director of Photography: Christopher Messina, Jia Li, Brett Wiley
Editor: Hao Wu, Jen Fineran
Composer: Tyler Strickland, Christopher Hoyt Knight
Sound Designer: Damon Smith
Music: Tyler Strickland, Christopher Hoyt Knight

Panelists