By Chris Chow
People who know me are pleased to see that I’m in a film, at last. After a 40-plus year absence as a media performer, 50 years since I broke into broadcasting as the first Asian American on-air TV news reporter in Northern California, I’m in the film Chinatown Rising.
This time, it’s in a feature-length documentary film directed by Rev. Harry Chuck (ret.) and his son Josh Chuck , co-produced with James Q. Chan, photographed by Anson Ho, edited by Greg Louie, post-produced with Christina Hoang and music composed by Miles Ito. It’s a two-hour film that depicts an era – the mid-1960s, ‘70s and early ‘80s – that changed San Francisco Chinatown and other Asian American communities forever – and changed their ability to more fully participate in the mainstream of American life.
I am one of several people who get to tell our story of how we made change – positive, cultural, social and political change that resounds now with the rise of folks like competitive presidential candidate Andrew Yang, performers Ali Wong and Akwafina, national news anchors like John Yang and Richard Lui, Ju Ju Chang, Joie Chen, Lisa Ling, mainstream movies like Crazy Rich Asians and TV shows like Fresh Off the Boat.
There’s ethnic studies founders/professors Laureen Chew, Ling-chi Wang, George Woo, bilingual educator Lucinda Lee Katz, public health manager and housing leader Linda Wang, housing leader Gordon Chin, labor organizer Warren Mar, activist Pam Tau Lee, late historian Philip Choy, architect Ed Sue, I Hotel leader Emil DeGuzman, and Fred Lau, the first Asian American police chief of San Francisco, among other community folk who tell stories in the film. Yes, they’re local to San Francisco, but not parochial or provincial as their aspirations and achievements are representative of and analogous to their peers in other Asian American communities across America.
Since I’m not a movie critic I won’t go on and on with a review of this film – and besides, nobody wants to read lengthy stuff online. So, let me show you what I looked like when I first went on television and what I look like now.
Future Screenings
Sat, Feb 15, 2020 10:30am BALBOA THEATER San Francisco, CA click for tickets
Sat, Feb 29, 2020 10:15am Vista Theatre 4473 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA click for tickets
Sat, Feb 29, 2020 7:00pm The Frida Cinema Santa Ana, CA click for tickets
Sat, Mar 7, 2020 11:00am SIFF Uptown Seattle, WA click for tickets
Fri, Mar 13, 2020 DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon OPENING NIGHT Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on the University of Oregon Cam. Tickets available soon
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story.
