Chinatown Rising: A Cinematic Account of Chinatown’s Activism and Evolution

Join filmmakers Harry Chuck and Josh Chuck on Sunday, June 11 at 7 pm for a screening of Chinatown Rising at the Onyx Downtown at the Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street in Nevada City. Chinatown Rising is a first-person history of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Filmed over the span of 40 years, often at civic and cultural events in Chinatown, Chinatown Rising is an 85-minute documentary that provides invaluable insight into Chinatown’s importance in the development of San Francisco and also the civil rights movement.

Chinatown Rising is a fitting tribute to the cultural and political impact of Chinese American San Francisco residents. Falling just a few days into June, this film serves as a fine recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which celebrates the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the United States each May.

“As someone who grew up in SF Chinatown and knew many of the people in Chinatown Rising, this film is a revelation and a treasure as a reflection of a time, place, and measure of progress. I am so excited to bring it to the Nevada Theatre!”—Jeannie Wood, Community Asian Theater of the Sierra

In the 1960’s Harry Chuck was a young San Francisco Chinatown resident, armed with a 16mm camera. Turning his lens on the community, sometimes for TV, sometimes just to record these events, Chuck filmed more than 10 hours of footage. Artfully edited, Chinatown Rising crafts a story of change in the greater social fabric as well as the shift between generations within the Chinese community.

Forty-five years later, we have the opportunity to hear first-hand from these activists and what this fight for justice and self-determination looks like.

Understanding Chinatown—what was there, and how it was built, as well as those who fought to re-create it in a better vision—may be the difference between being a tourist and gaining real insight into San Francisco’s Chinatown. Harry Chuck and Josh Chuck capture an invaluable historical perspective. Wouldn’t you like to know how some of the current buildings in Chinatown came into being? Come join Harry Chuck and Josh Chuck for this special screening of Chinatown Rising at the Onyx Downtown at the Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street, Nevada City. $3 dollars of each ticket supports CATS Cultural Enrichment Program, which encompasses production, outreach, and educational costs.