INTERVIEW: What is Yellow Fever?

Interracial dating is becoming more accepted with each passing year; in the United States, almost 90% of today's "Millennial" generation approves of it. So what's the problem with the most common pairing, White males and Asian females? It's called "Yellow Fever," or the strong romantic interest that some men have in (exclusively) Asian women.

"Seeking Asian Female" follows Steven, who fell in love with a Chinese woman online.

In her award-winning documentary, "Seeking Asian Female," Debbie Lum examines yellow fever by following 60-year-old Steven on his quest to find an Asian wife. The film exploded in popularity after premiering at SXSW last month, attracting attention from not just the Asian-American community, but also media outlets including Variety Magazine, Boing Boing, and This American Life. According to WSJ columnist, Jeff Yang, yellow fever is "a hotbed of controversy for Asian-Americans." With the success of "Seeking Asian Female," the conversation has been taken to a national, and even global level.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Debbie Lum about the challenges of making the film and her personal experience with yellow fever at the CAAMFest Opening Night Gala. Watch the Viki TV Exclusive interview below:



In the Viki TV interview, Lum reveals that even though Steve and his Chinese bride, Sandy, had corresponded online for two years, they could barely communicate after meeting in person. Being Chinese-American, Lum was able to help translate for the couple, and in doing so even improved her own Chinese language skills.

"Seeking Asian Female" will premiere on PBS on May 6th. If you've had experience with yellow fever, join the discussion and let us know in the comments.

You can follow the Viki TV channel here to see more exclusive interviews with filmmakers and celebrities in global entertainment.