Baldwin Chiu, film producer of “Far East Deep South,” explores his family’s complex history in Mississippi. Submitted photo

As a salute to May’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Camden Public Library’s Friday Film Club plans to watch and discuss the 2020 award-winning documentary “Far East Deep South.”

The film explores the seldom-told history of Chinese immigrants living in the American South during the late 1800s to mid-1900s. The film should be viewed prior to the discussion, scheduled to occur online at 4 p.m. Friday, May 20, according to a news release from the library.

In the film, a Chinese-American family’s search for their roots leads them to the Mississippi Delta, where they stumble upon surprising family revelations and uncover the racially complex history of the Chinese in the segregated South.

“Far East Deep South” presents a personal and eye-opening perspective on race, immigration, and American identity. Along the way, the family meets a diverse group of local residents and historians who help them discover how deep their roots run in America. The film also explores the interconnected relationship between the Black and Chinese communities in the Jim Crow era and the generational impact of discriminatory immigration policies, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act.

The film is told in a cinéma vérité style and also features interviews with Congresswoman Judy Chu, former Mayor of Pace, Mississippi; Levon Jackson, Chinese American Citizens Alliance past president; Carolyn Chan; and historians such as Gordon Chang, Stanford History Department and author of “The Chinese and the Iron Road,” John Jung, author of “Chopsticks in the Land of Cotton,” and Jane Hong, author of “Opening the Gates to Asia.”

“Far East Deep South” has won multiple awards at film festivals, including at Cinequest, CAAMFest, Oxford Film Festival, and Seattle Asian American Film Festival. The film made its broadcast premiere on PBS/World Channel’s series “America ReFramed.”

To request information about how to stream the documentary and to receive a Zoom link to participate in the discussion, email jpierce@librarycamden.org. For more information, contact Julia Pierce, programs and events coordinator, at 207-236-3440.