Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond

The Lookout

By J.P. Dobrin

As a young refugee from a single-parent family, Chanthon Bun joined a gang; he was later convicted of second-degree robbery at 19 years old and lost his legal protection to live in the U.S. Bun was released after spending two decades in prison but not into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to await deportation proceedings. By a strange twist of luck, and the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, he was allowed to walk away on his own.

Full of teenage exuberance and gratitude, Bun is now enjoying the things he dreamed about in prison: reuniting with family and fishing with friends. But the aspiring tattoo artist knows he must tread carefully as he attempts to legally reintegrate into society - if ICE were to locate him, he would be detained and slated for deportation. Silver Winner, 2nd Annual Anthem Awards, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - Partnership or Collaboration.

MEET THE MAKERS: IMMIGRANT HERITAGE MONTH

As a nation of immigrants, we celebrate our shared heritage. In this panel, filmmakers J.P Dobrin and Quyên Nguyen-Le and thought leaders will discuss immigration, their families, and the sacrifices that they have made to belong.