Crossing the Line: Multiracial Comedians (2008)

Freedom of Speech: Where are the limits? Who gets to say what? The N-word, Race, Bigotry, Power, Freedom, Denial, Pain...Healing. The day we arrived in LA to begin shooting this documentary, TV's Seinfeld star Michael Richards lost his cool to hecklers and retaliated with the 'N' word. In today's world of race-relations, immigration and entertainment, the ultimate question is: where is the line, and who can cross it? In the midst of heated debates over racial and ethnic identity, and with Obama in the presidential race, Americans consider the choice - to give up ethnic designations, or celebrate co-existing diversity. Caught in the cross-fire are millions of bi-racial and multiracial Americans. Competing against the mainstream on all counts, humorists and comedians provide meaningful insight into what really divides us. Exploring these questions exposes the very nature of where pain and laughter come from in a racially divided world. From the research of Dr. Darby LiPo Price, and multiracial comedian/Producer/Director Teja Arboleda, comes this fascinating discovery of comedy, from the perspective of multiracial/bi-racial comedians. This full-length documentary analyzes how mixed race comedians mediate multiracial identities and humor. Crossing lines of racial, ethnic, and cultural acceptability by their very existence, multiracial comedians reveal that meanings of race vary across ethnic combination, gender, place, and time. The film features the experiences, perspectives, and performances of 14 American comedians of more than one racial ancestry.