30 For 30’s American Son captures a pivotal moment in sports and history, as it chronicles the remarkable journey of Michael Chang, a young tennis prodigy whose ascent to fame coincided with an unfathomable and unforgettable upset of Ivan Lendl at the 1989 French Open.
The film’s director Jay Caspian Kang said: “I’ve been a fan of the 30 for 30 series since it debuted and am very excited for “American Son” to be part of that proud tradition. When I set out to make the film, I was hoping to capture the moment when an immigrant family becomes American. Michael and his mother Betty’s story takes us through both the emotions and the work that it takes to become American, but also the inevitable regrets and nostalgia that one might have for their homeland. For Michael, who was born in America and raised on the tennis courts of middle-class San Diego, I wanted to show how an American kid can sometimes be forced to understand his parents in a different light.”
“This fundamental question: How does a person become an American has been the central preoccupation of my career, whether as a journalist or as a filmmaker and I hope that this film will be a clear and evocative answer to that question,” added Kang.
ESPN Films’ upcoming 30 for 30 “American Son” will air on July 29th at 7pm on ESPN and ESPN+.