《無聲之戰》加州首映：讓亞裔家庭的精神健康故事被看見 California Premiere of Silent War Brings Asian American Mental Health Stories Into the Open

On July 25, the documentary Silent War: Asian American Reckonings with Mental Health held its California premiere in San Francisco. The screening brought together a full audience of community members, mental health professionals, public officials, media representatives, and advocates for a film screening and post-film discussion.

The free event was jointly presented by the San Francisco Public Library, the Mental Health Association for Chinese Communities (MHACC), and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), with support from the Asian American Journalists Association Bay Area Chapter.

Held during National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, the premiere also marked ten years since MHACC founder and Executive Director Elaine Peng received NAMI’s Multicultural Outreach Award.

The event was more than a film screening. It brought experiences that often remain private within Asian American families into a public space.

Five years of documenting family experiences

Directed by Chinese American scholar and filmmaker Changfu Chang, Silent War was developed over five years. The documentary follows Asian American individuals and families navigating mental illness, migration-related stress, intergenerational conflict, and cultural stigma.

Within many Chinese families, mental illness is rarely understood as an individual health issue alone. It may become connected to family reputation, parental responsibility, a child’s future, or the belief that private family matters should remain inside the home.

These responses do not always come from a lack of care. Families may not have the language to understand what is happening or know where culturally and linguistically appropriate help can be found. Yet when silence becomes the primary way a family preserves stability, the person who most needs support may become increasingly isolated.

The room remained quiet throughout the 75-minute film. Many audience members recognized familiar family dynamics, unspoken pressure, and the long hesitation that often comes before asking for help.

From family crisis to community service

Elaine Peng’s family story is one of the experiences documented in the film.

Years ago, a member of her family experienced a severe mental health crisis. Like many Chinese American caregivers, Peng initially struggled to understand the illness and to locate services that could respond in her family’s language and cultural context.

That experience changed the direction of her life. She moved from being a family caregiver to becoming a community mental health advocate and eventually founded MHACC.

Since then, MHACC has developed Chinese-language mental health education and support services, including its Warmline, peer and family support groups, community workshops, peer services, and free bilingual mental health apps.



“This documentary is not only about the people we serve,” Peng said after the screening. “It is also about my own family. Like many Asian American families, we have experienced the profound effects of mental illness. To see those experiences transformed into education, understanding, and hope is deeply meaningful.”

Private experiences enter public conversation

The post-screening discussion was moderated by Kevin Nguyen, a board member of the AAJA Bay Area Chapter.

Participants included Dawn Brown, National Director of Cross-Cultural Innovation and Engagement at NAMI, along with public officials, mental health professionals, and community leaders.

Several speakers described how mental health had shaped their own families and professional lives.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu spoke about losing a close friend to suicide when he was young and how the experience influenced his later path in public service. California Deputy Treasurer Stephanie Tom shared that she sought mental health support after her son was injured in a shooting in 2022.

Medical social worker Kana Lee emphasized that mental health services cannot be designed only around the language and experiences of mainstream populations. For Chinese and other immigrant families, language access, cultural understanding, and trusted community relationships can determine whether someone feels able to seek help at all.

Certificates of recognition were also presented to the filmmakers and community advocates whose work has helped bring Asian American mental health into wider public discussion.

The conversation continues after the film

The stories in Silent War are not simply isolated accounts from a small number of families.

The documentary leaves the audience with a more difficult question: when silence has become part of how a family maintains its relationships, what does the first person who speaks have to risk? And when someone finally names their distress, is the community prepared to hear them?

A film cannot eliminate stigma or immediately resolve the shortage of culturally and linguistically responsive services. It can, however, bring experiences that once felt private and isolated into a room where they can be recognized collectively.

That may be where a different conversation begins.

MHACC will continue supporting community screenings, public dialogue, and bilingual mental health education. Through its Warmline, support groups, and digital resources, the organization also provides individuals and families with practical pathways to further support.

MHACC Warmline
1-800-881-8502
Daily, 9AM–9PM PT

Learn about MHACC’s free services
www.mhacc-usa.org