The first time you hear my voice, it plays over present-day ICE raids and scenes of sanctioned state violence in the U.S., "Protecting American Worker" rhetoric, folded together as if happening all at once. “I never understood why some workers deserve better, while some workers deserve…this.” That inquiry becomes my way into the story – my starting point.

My name is Thien. I’m a filmmaker based in the United States. My family is here because the U.S. dropped more than just American-made bombs in Southeast Asia, where I was born. The U.S. also planted ideas of the American Dream.

For the past 4 years, I’ve been working on a documentary called AMERICAN WORKER. This film provides a personal and politically urgent interrogation of the myth making behind the American Dream, and asks a simple question:

How did the story of the American worker get written — and who was left out?

To answer this question, we meet AAPI workers across the country — workers whose lives are shaped by migration, organizing, and domestic work. Through their stories, we witness the realities of labor today and begin to reimagine who the American working class really is in a time of deepening inequality and political divide.

Throughout the film, historians weave analysis into the visual story to unravel the myth that we have been taught. Historians reflect on how race, fear, and economic insecurity shaped the national identity of the American Worker. Their voices weave the rarely-seen-together archival materials to contextualize the racialized labor that made way for this moment. Behind the camera, I pose questions that break down the boundaries between expert and witness, past and present.

The film unfolds in three acts anchored by my narration. In the final act, contemporary organizing mirrors past defiance. Through these juxtapositions, AMERICAN WORKER shows that history is not behind us. It’s unfolding again, in new forms that demand we reckon with the old narratives still holding us back.

In times of political and economic crisis, immigrant and nonwhite workers are scapegoated and treated as disposable. This film is our response to this critical moment in history. It challenges racialized myths, redefines the U.S. working class, and reclaims the dignity of workers who keep this country running.

This story feels urgent because it’s personal. As we make this film, we’re asking how the legacies of racial capitalism and labor exploitation show up in the lives of people who look like us. We see it in the precarity facing AAPI, immigrant, and other nonwhite workers. They are our families, our communities, living with the fear of deportation and shrinking access to healthcare, housing, and labor protections. We see it in who is pushed into caregiving, food service, agriculture, and gig work – the essential jobs that hold up this country, yet are rarely seen as the face of the “American worker.”

Stories shape what people imagine is possible. By reframing AAPI and immigrant workers not as exceptions but as leaders, we aim to transform both cultural narratives and movement strategies. If successful, this film would ignite a shift in public consciousness: making immigrant labor visible, exposing racialized myths that divide workers, and inspiring a new generation to claim interracial, transnational solidarity. We see this documentary as a narrative intervention, challenging who gets to be seen as "American," "working class," and a protagonist in the fight for a multiracial democracy.

Our goal at this stage is simple: to raise funds to complete our post-production. We have worked independently up until this point, and now, we need your help!

We have now completed a first rough cut of the film with our editor, and are taking time to review this cut internally with our team as well as with a group of trusted colleagues. While we remain on schedule, our focus at this stage is on raising funds to sustain the edit and to plan our impact campaign.

How will your money help us finish our film?

If we hit $10,000, we’d be able to pay for a Colorist, Title Graphics, and a Sounds mix.
If we hit $20,000, that money would go towards either a Composer & Animation, or 8 additional weeks with our Editor.
If we hit $40,000, we can do both of the above, clear the archival materials, and get just that much closer to getting our film out in the world.

In parallel with post-production, we have begun outreach to AAPI, immigrant, and labor organizations to start building networks of communities who will watch and share the film once it is finished. We intend to invite these partners into the process early through test screenings, ensuring that the film resonates and reflects their perspectives. Would you want to be part of these test screenings? Reach out to us at thiendinhfilms@gmail.com! We can continue to keep you in the loop for any upcoming screenings!

(An excerpt screening in 2025. Photo: CineSpeak)

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Now more than ever, working class people are under attack, from the rights to live to our access to public education and independent media. Our film is more urgent than ever, lifting up the voices and stories of those fighting back. But we can’t do it without you.

Help us finish this film. Your donation, big or small, will push us to the finish line and support a vision for justice, dignity, and truth.

🔗 If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit twn.org/support-us and select "Through Our Hands" from the dropdown menu. Thank you for being part of this movement!

AMERICAN WORKER Doc: Help us finish our film!

An AAPI Working Class Story

Team Members