The Chinatown Files (2001)

Synopsis: THE CHINATOWN FILES, a powerful documentary that charts the effects of the Cold War on Chinese Americans during the 1950s and '60s, took director Amy Chen and her film crew over 10 years to make. Well-researched and stunningly honest, the film includes archival footage taken from Chinese and... THE CHINATOWN FILES, a powerful documentary that charts the effects of the Cold War on Chinese Americans during the 1950s and '60s, took director Amy Chen and her film crew over 10 years to make. Well-researched and stunningly honest, the film includes archival footage taken from Chinese and American propaganda films, old cartoons stereotyping Chinese Americans, home movies of San Francisco and New York Chinatowns, and old photographs. In addition, a group of Chinese Americans are interviewed throughout the film, and their stories deliver this historical, cultural narrative. Henry Chin, one of the more prominent voices in the film, tells his story of immigration to the United States. Seeking a better way of life than the one he lead in China, he settled into a laundry business that allowed him to send money back home. However, the government made this practice illegal, then accused Chin of exchanging money with an enemy nation. Followed and questioned by the FBI, Chin's story was not unique, as Chinese Americans were frequently being accused of communist activity and spying. An educational film telling an often ignore chapter of America's past, THE CHINATOWN FILES is a rigorous work. This film was screened at New York City's Museum of Modern Art as part of a New Documentaries series, featuring films of a political and social nature. [More]