Minari director Lee Isaac Chung has described the rise in attacks on Asian Americans as "disturbing".
The Oscar-nominated director said: "It's honestly been very... I don't even know the word for it. It's definitely disturbing. To me, it's always community. I just feel like we as a community, we have each other, is maybe the way I would say it. We have each other and we have each other's backs. And I think everybody feels that way.
"And let's just hope that this passes in some way and it really reflects the work we all have to do as a country, to not let difficult times turn into scapegoating."
"We've been on the bad end of that many times in history," Chung added.
Chung, who was born in Denver, Colorado to parents from South Korea, said he was "disheartened" by the rise in attacks.
Minari is a semi-autobiographical drama, following a South Korean family's pursuit of the American Dream in rural Arkansas in the 1980s, partially inspired by 42-year-old Chung's own upbringing.
Chung said it has been a challenge to know how much of his personal life to divulge after using his family history as inspiration for the script.
"I realise there's a lot about my life I haven't talked about from that time. And that's been sometimes emotionally challenging and difficult. It's been difficult to know how much to divulge.
"That aspect of it is all very new to me and to my family as well. Because there's bit more of a spotlight on my parents in Korea and on my sister. So we're all trying to figure that out."
The film is also up for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, with further nominations for its screenplay, score and the performances of stars Steven Yeun and Yuh-Jung Youn.
Minari is available on VOD from 2 April.
Source: Press Association
