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American Knees
El Barrio Chino and My Mother's Names
The Chinese in Hollywood Project (working title)
Courage and Contributions: The Chinese in Ventura County
Him Mark Lai: The People's Historian
Island Mountain Days: Discovering Nevada's Chinese Miners
Look Forward and Carry on the Past: Stories from Philadelphia's Chinatown
Sam Fow Stories
What's Wrong with Frank Chin?
American Knees (sneak peek)
Presented by: Filmmaker Eric Byler
Synopsis:
Long after their breakup, Chinese American Raymond Ding (Chris Tashima) and Amerasian Aurora Crane (Allison Sie) struggle to let go. Torn apart by mismatched ideals, meddling friends, and the complexities of racial identities, they find other suitable mates but cannot stay away from each other.
The film also features actors Joan Chen (“Betty Nguyen”), Kelly Hu (“Brenda Nishitani”), Ben Shenkman (“Steve”), and Michael Paul Chan (“Jimmy Chan”). Based on the novel of the same name by Shawn Wong.
Biography:
Bi-racial writer-director Eric Byler grew up in Hawaii , Virginia , and California before graduating from Wesleyan University in Connecticut . Eric was nominated for a 2003 Independent Spirit Award for his first feature "Charlotte Sometimes" (2003), which also earned nominations for producer Marc Ambrose and actress Jacqueline Kim. His senior thesis film "Kenji's Faith" (1995) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win six festival awards, as well as a nomination at The Student Academy Awards sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Current projects include "American Knees" based on the Shawn Wong novel, "Kealoha: The Beloved," and Showtime's new series, "Infidelity." Eric's father is of European descent and his mother is Chinese American. |
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Chinese Couplet: El Barrio Chino and My Mother's Names
[full length features]
Presented by: Filmmaker Felicia Lowe
Synopsis:
Felicia Lowe writes, “ El Barrio Chino is a story about the power of truth and reconciliation and its impact on four generations in three countries: China , Cuba , and America . It is the journey of a Chinese-American woman trying to unravel the mystery surrounding her grandfather who went to Cuba in 1920, leaving behind his pregnant wife. It's about my mother, who was born in his absence and who met him for the first time when she was 15 years old.
“My Mother's Names explores the impact of my grandfather's absence on the people he left behind. My grandmother, essentially, became a single mother with two young daughters to support in Doo Tao village. In war-torn China , she managed to get her daughters out of the country. Buying a paper name was my mother's route, and it became her second name. She would have 4 others in her lifetime and the social and political context of those name changes will be at the heart of this piece.”
Biography:
Felicia Lowe is a veteran independent television producer, directory, and writer with more than 30 years of production experience. Lowe received an Emmy for Best Cultural Documentary for Chinatown , a lively hour long piece on the history of one of San Francisco 's oldest neighborhoods. Carved in Silence reveals the experiences of Chinese immigrants detained on Angel Island Immigration Station, and China: Land of My Father documented Lowe's journey to China to meet her paternal grandfather for the first time. Her works have been broadcast on PBS and abroad, and shown in film festivals, museums and classrooms across the country. Her latest project in progress is “Chinese Couplet: El Barrio Chino and My Mother's Names” which was inspired by the discovery that her maternal grandfather lived and worked in Cuba from 1920-1935. Lowe has taught film production and scriptwriting at San Francisco State University and Stanford University , and is a long standing member of the board of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. |
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The Chinese in Hollywood Project (working title) (sneak peek)
Presented by: Filmmaker Arthur Dong
Synopsis:
This latest documentary from the producer of Forbidden City , U.S.A. , and Sewing Woman, traces the cultural and social history of the Chinese in American feature films, from the early 1900s up to present day. Interviews combined with film clips show how Hollywood included and represented the Chinese to detail a neglected but fascinating chapter of movie history.
Biography:
Oscar-nominated and three-time Sundance award winning filmmaker Arthur Dong produced the seminal Chinese-American documentaries, Forbidden City , U.S.A. , and Sewing Woman. During the past twenty years, Arthur's work has been supported by fellowships from the National Endowment for Arts and both the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations. Recognition for his contributions to the Asian-American community include: the Community Visibility Award from the Asian Pacific Gays and Friends, the James Wong Howe Media Award from the Association of Asian Pacific Artists, the Steve Tatsukawa Award from Visual Communications, the Asian American Media Award from Asian CineVision, and the Historian Award from the Chinese Historical Society of America . A graduate of the Film School at San Francisco State University and the American Film Institute's Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies, Arthur currently serves on the Board of Governors at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and represents the Documentary Branch. |
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Courage and Contributions: The Chinese in Ventura County
(full length feature)
Presented by: Historian and Ventura County Chinese American Historical Society member Linda Bentz
Synopsis:
This film illustrates the lives of Chinese pioneers who came to Ventura County beginning in 1865. Featured in the documentary are the contributions of Chinese agricultural workers, the Chinese Fire Company, and the history of William Soo Hoo; the first Chinese mayor elected in the state of California.
Produced in 2003 by George Sandoval of WestEnd Production, this documentary opened to critical acclaim from both the academic and local community. A teacher's guide accompanies the documentary, copies of which will be donated for use in the Ventura County public school system. The film is available in public libraries and the Ventura County Museum of History and Art.
Biography:
The Ventura County Chinese American Historical Society was founded in December 2000 by the Ventura County Chinese American Association. Its mission is to perform original research, preserve, publish and teach the history and experiences of Chinese-Americans in Ventura County . Since 2001, the Historical Society has assisted the Ventura City Council in the construction and funding of the first memorial dedicated to the legacy of the Chinese pioneers in Ventura County . The Historical Society is working on oral histories with its book project: The Chinese in Ventura County. |
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Him Mark Lai: The People's Historian (full length feature)
Presented by: Filmmaker Evan Leong
Synopsis:
Him Mark Lai: The People's Historian is a personal journey into the world of Him Mark Lai. This project's goal is not only to pay tribute to an extremely accomplished Chinese-American scholar, but rather to preserve the persona and philosophical passion of the man behind the work that will last forever. Him Mark's dedication and determination is a passion that few are lucky enough to find in their lifetimes. The documentary will follow his life passion as it has developed throughout his life and explore the fundamental principles that govern his work and philosophy.
Biography:
Evan J. Leong is a 6th generation Chinese American native of San Francisco , California . He graduated from the University of California , Los Angeles , with a bachelor of arts in Asian American studies. His first introduction to filmmaking was through the EthnoCommunications program at UCLA. His shorts and documentaries have screened at several Asian American festivals. He was filmmaker of the month for the National Asian American Telecommunication Association, NAATA, in 2002. He has worked at Green Pastures Youth Center , an alternative high school in Koreatown, founding and teaching the Future Filmmakers program. |
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Island Mountain Days: Discovering Nevada's Chinese Miners (full length feature)
Presented by: Professor Sue Fawn Chung
Synopsis:
Against the backdrop of virulent anti-Chinese movements, the small mining community of Island Mountain , in northeastern Nevada , developed from 1873 to 1917. 75-80% of the town's population were Chinese who interacted in positive ways with EuroAmericans and Native Americans. Emanuel Penrod founded the town and Ng Hong Lem (“China Lem”) owned the merchandising store that served the residents in the region as well as travelers going between Boise, ID and Carlin or Elko, NV—major train stations. Photographs of the town were take by Hilda Matthey, a German immigrant from Iowa , in 1903. This educational film was produced by KLVX-Channel 10-Las Vegas.
Biography:
Sue Fawn Chung is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Nevada , Las Vegas , a member of the Board of Advisors and Diversity Council of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and a member of the Board of Museums and History for the State of Nevada . This year she received the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce “Outstanding Educator's Award” and the Las Vegas Summerlin Lion's Club “Outstanding Educator's Award.” |
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Look Forward and Carry on the Past: Stories from Philadelphia 's Chinatown (full length feature)
Presented by: NAATA Distribution Director Pamela Matsuoka
Synopsis:
This video program looks at Philadelphia 's Chinatown , its culture and complexity of issues as a part of the greater urban community. It focuses on the role of folk arts and cultural expression in its struggle to survive. It also takes a look at the community's effort to prevent a stadium from being built in the neighborhood.
Biography:
NAATA was founded in 1980 by Asian American film, video and radio producers and community activists to counter the scarcity of images of Asians in film and television, correct the often distorted portrayals of them in the mainstream media, and create opportunities for the full participation of Asian American producers in the public media. Once an association of groups around the country, NAATA is now a nationally recognized arts and cultural institution based in San Francisco , California.
NAATA's mission is to present stories that convey the richness and diversity of the Asian American experience to the broadest audience possible. We fund, produce, distribute and exhibit Asian American films, videos and new media. |
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Film Title: Sam Fow Stories
Presented By: Yuba Historical Society President Daniel Barth
Synopsis: Former residents of a rural Sacramento Valley community tell stories of growing up in their "wide-open" neighborhood during the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Topics include inter-ethnic relatinoships, poverty, close-knit family ties, brothels, gambling halls, paper sons, school, dating, religion, and a Chinese American festival.
Biography: Daniel Barth is president of the Yuba Historical Society and has organized dozens of historical tours in and around the Gold Rush era community of Marysville. In Fall 2000, Mr. Barth initiated the drive to preserve Marysville's Taoist shrine, the Bok Kai Temple, and wrote two grants that launched current efforts to preserve this unique place of worship. In Spring 2004, he started the oral history project "Sam Fow Stories - Memories from Marysville's Chinatown" which would become the film of the same name. Beginning in 2006, the Yuba Historical Society will collaborate with the California Historical Society on their "New Deal Legacy Project," with emphasis on preserving stories of the Dust Bowl migrants who settled in Marysville's "Peach Bowl" in the 1930s and 1940s. |
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What's Wrong with Frank Chin? (full length feature)
Presented by: Filmmaker Curtis Choy
Synopsis:
The ayatollah of modern Asian Americanism takes on the meaning of “Chinese,” selling out, Christianity, and more in this examination of 30 years of controversy and verbal mayhem. What's Wrong with Frank Chin? breaks out beyond the confines of one man's personal details and explores the larger implications of the literary, ideological and cultural changes in Asian America. (Best Documentary Feature, 2005 SFASSFF)
Biography:
Curtis Choy is the Producer/Director/Editor and everything else of What's Wrong with Frank Chin? He made his first sync-sound film while still in high school, and has been an independent producer and film worker since the early ‘70s. He's contributed to numerous independent and PBS documentaries, commercials and feature films as a production sound mixer. In 1977, he was a producer of Screaming Yellow Hordes, the very first Asian American Film Festival ever, which was held in Chinatown, San Francisco . His works as a sound mixer can be heard in Chan is Missing, The Joy Luck Club, Better Luck Tomorrow, and Academy Award-winning Breathing Lessons. His work as a Producer/Director include Manilatown Lives!, The Year of the Ox, Making Up, Dupont Guy: the Schiz of Grant Avenue, and The Fall of the I-Hotel. He is a Rockefeller Foundation Media Fellow, and has received the James D. Phelan Art Award in Filmmaking.
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