Synopsis

Free admission and Q&A with filmmaker James Q. Chan!

Forever, Chinatown (Emmy-nominee, Documentary Cultural/Historical) is a story of unknown, self-taught 81-year-old artist Frank Wong who has spent the past four decades recreating his fading memories by building romantic, extraordinarily detailed miniature models of the San Francisco Chinatown rooms of his youth.

This film takes the journey of one individual and maps it to a rapidly changing urban neighborhood from 1940s to present day. A meditation on memory, community, and preserving one’s own legacy, Frank‘s three-dimensional miniature dioramas become rare portals into a historic neighborhood and a window to the artist’s filtered and romanticized memories and emotional struggles.

This screening is presented as part of UCR ARTS’ AAPI Film Series Supported by the Voy and Fay Wong Family Endowment.

Trailer

Film Details

Director: James Q. Chan
Studio: Good Medicine Picture Company
Country: USA
Release Year: 2016
Rated: Unrated
Running Time: 32 minutes

Reviews

“Wong’s craft is… fascinating…meticulous… bringing 1940s Chinatown back to life in miniature”
— Linda Poon (The Atlantic, CityLab)

“Masterfully directed…beautifully shot”
— Cindy Maram (Dig In Magazine)