“Everything Everywhere All at Once” and its Oscar-winning star, Ke Huy Quan, are among the honorees to be feted Saturday night at Gold House’s annual Gold Gala.
Oscar winner Quan will receive the Leading Man Award, while Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Turning Red,” “Killing Eve”) will receive the SeeHer Award for redefining gender roles.
Iman Vellani, breakout star of “Ms. Marvel” on Disney+ and the upcoming feature film “The Marvels” will be celebrated with the New Gold Award.
Other onstage honorees include:
- Eva Longoria, actress/producer/director (Gold Ally Award)
- Bela Bajaria, Chief Content Officer at Netflix (A1 in Entertainment and Media)
- Geena Rocero, transgender advocate (A1 in Activism and Journalism)
- Neal Mohan, Director of Product, YouTube (A1 in Business and Technology)
- Radhika Jones, Editor-in-Chief, Vanity Fair (A1 for Fashion and Lifestyle)
- Peggy and Andrew Cherng, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Panda Express (Gold Legend)
- Dominic Ng, CEO of East West Bank (Gold Legend)
- Lea Salonga, singer (Gold Legend)
- Cast and creators of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (gold icon)
- Cast and creators of “The Joy Luck Club” (Gold Generation Award)
They are also celebrated 2023 A100 honoreesAAPI’s 100 Most Impactful People and Groups Across All Industries Over the Past Year.
In addition to Quan and Vellani, honorees in the entertainment category this year include rapper Saweetie, comedian Joel Kim Booster, Oscar nominee Hong Chao, K-pop group New Jeans and the cast of the upcoming “American Born.” Chinese” and “Joy Ride,” among others.
Despite the huge success of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” at the 95th Academy Awards in March, the visibility and awareness of Asian-Pacific Islander people remains low.
According an annual study published this week by the STAATUS-Index, 26% of respondents could not name a single famous or prominent Asian-American. Among those named, the two most popular three years in a row were Jackie Chan (who is not American) and Bruce Lee (who died 50 years ago). Chan was named by 12% of respondents and Lee by 6%. Vice President Kamala Harris came in third with just 5%.
Gold House seeks to increase visibility in the media and entertainment industry by ensuring authentic and affirmative representation on and off the screen. The organization accomplishes this by providing cultural consulting, investing in future API creatives and accelerating their growth, promoting API-driven projects, and rewarding API excellence.
This May, which is AAPI Heritage Month, Gold House and HBO Max are partnering to showcase the reach, diversity and spirit of the AAPI community. Also, the Voices of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders collection on the streaming service, the partnership kicks off in New York with an inspiring celebration of powerful Asia Pacific women and non-binary leaders trailblazing across industries, featuring a talented panel of Olivia Cheng and Dianne Doan of the upcoming Max Original Series “Warrior”; author and filmmaker Geena Rocero (one of the aforementioned Gold Gala nominees); HBO Vice President of Documentary Programming Tina Nguyen; and Squarespace CEO Kinjil Mathur.
Later this month, there will be a celebration surrounding the premiere of “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” on Max. The new animated series features the voices of Izaac Wang, Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, and James Hong, among others. It opens on May 23.