Amy Tan's celebrated immigrant family saga "The Joy Luck Club" will be the inaugural screening in "Big Trouble in Little Tokyo," the Japanese American National Museum's new film series, on February 11. 

In this 1993 take on Tan's bestselling book, a reluctant Chinese-American woman must fill her deceased mother's spot in a weekly mahjong game among a circle of Chinese immigrant women. The stories she hears of their acclimation to post-World War II America bring her a new respect for them and her heritage. The film's screenplay was nominated for BAFTA and WGA awards.

WATCH: An interview with Wayne Wang, director of The Joy Luck Club

The film will be followed by a Q&A with director Wayne Wang, the Hong Kong-born director of "Eat a Bowl of Tea" and "Maid in Manhattan."

Also included in the series are John Carpenter's "Big Trouble in Little China" on April 8 and "The Curse of Quon Gwon: When the Far East Mingles with the West," the earliest known film directed by a Chinese-American woman (Marion Wong, 1916), on May 13.

The series runs bi-monthly until November, with more films TBA. Advance tickets are $8 for JANM and Visual Communications members, $10 for the general public; tickets at-the-door are $12 for JANM and VC members, $15 for the general public.

The  Japanese American National Museum is at 100 N. Central Ave., LA CA 90012.