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 IT’S A WRAP!
Production on The Chinese in Hollywood Project has been completed. Shot on location in London, Vienna, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Berkeley, 16 interviews with stars, directors, writers, and cultural experts were conducted with filmmaker Arthur Dong at the helm. The project is now seeking underwriting for editing and post-production. Pictured, left-right: filmmaker Arthur Dong and cinematographer Hiroki Miyano. Photo by Jon Oh. For more information on The Chinese in Hollywood Project, please click here. |
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 ITVS FUNDING RECEIVED
The Chinese in Hollywood Project received funding from The Independent Television Service (ITVS) for research and development. ITVS, which previously funded Arthur Dong’s film, Coming Out Under Fire, brings to local, national and international audiences high-quality, content-rich programs created by a diverse body of independent producers. For more information about ITVS, visit their web site at: www.itvs.org. For more information on The Chinese in Hollywood Project, please click here. |
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 NEW WORK-IN-PROGRESS
The Chinese in Hollywood Project (working title) will be a multi-faceted look at American cinema through the lens of the Chinese American experience. Helmed by Oscar®-nominated and three-time Sundance award-winning filmmaker, Arthur Dong, this new feature length documentary will be a comprehensive look at the visual and social history of the Chinese in the Hollywood feature film, from the early 1900s up to present day. Interviews with key Hollywood figures will be combined with rare film clips, including excerpts from a recently discovered 1917 independently produced feature film by a Chinese American woman, as well as pop features like Flower Drum Song, to examine a fascinating chapter of American cinema history. |
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 CHINESE AMERICAN NIGHTCLUBS FEATURED IN FOOD JOURNAL
The Fall 2004 issue of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture features the menus of Chinese American nightclubs in 1940s San Francisco, including Forbidden City. Issued quarterly, Gastronomica explores food as a serious art and as a vibrant, sensual experience. Click here to download a PDF file of the story or visit www.gastronomica.org/pages/sample4.4.html |
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ARTHUR DONG VISITING ARTIST IN WARSAW POLAND As part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Visiting Artist Program, Academy governor Arthur Dong will participate in the Human Rights in Film International Film Festival to be held in Warsaw, December 10-15, 2004. This year’s festival will focus on issues of concern to sexual minorities, and Dong will present his trilogy of gay-themed films: Coming Out Under Fire, Family Fundamentals, and Licensed to Kill. Panel discussions and meetings with human rights specialists, non-government organization activists, politicians, and journalists will accompany the screenings. For more information: email: hfhr@hfhrpol.waw.pl website: www.hfhrpol.waw.pl/en |
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DISTRIBUTION UNDERWRITING FOR LICENSED TO KILL |
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A comprehensive study and discussion guide for Family Fundamentals is now available. This 45-page companion to the film includes practical suggestions on how to use the film effectively in classrooms, churches, libraries, and other community settings. The guide also features resources, a reading list, glossaries, and historical background. |
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A newly designed third edition of the study and discussion guide for Licensed to Kill is now available. Illustrated and with updated resources and listings, this 35-page manual is written for use in a variety of settings, such as: community organizing, diversity training, courses in gender studies, sociology, criminal law, psychology, urban studies, and gay and lesbian studies. |
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The Pioneering Performers of Forbidden City Former Rolling Stones editor Ben Fong Torres recently served as Emcee for the Forbidden City, U.S.A. DVD Launch Party in San Francisco. His column is a personal valentine to the entertainers and recalls a magical night that brought together 17 original Forbidden City Nightclub performers for a stroll down memory lane. Forbidden City, U.S.A. DVD Launch Party Photo Gallery A gallery of snapshots takes you to the glamour of this historic reunion where original entertainers from the Forbidden City Nightclub took the stage once again. AsianConnections' Arts & Entertainment Editor Lia Chang talked with filmmaker Arthur Dong about the recently released DVD of Forbidden City, U.S.A. and his latest film, Family Fundamentals. |
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NEA GRANT AWARDED
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ARTHUR DONG ON LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL JURY MONETTE/HORWITZ TRUST AWARDS ANNOUNCED
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HEFNER FOUNDATION GRANT AWARDED The Hugh M. Hefner Foundation has awarded DeepFocus Productions a grant to support the distribution of Stories from the War on Homosexuality: the Arthur Dong Collection, Vol. 1. Since 1977, the Foundation has awarded funds for post-production and distribution to a range of social change documentary films and videos. Dong’s Licensed to Kill and Family Fundamentals were past grant recipients. |
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The 2004 Arts on Radio and Television Program of the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded its second grant to support Arthur Dong’s new film with the working title, The Chinese in Hollywood Project. The project has also received support from the National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA) and is sponsored by the Film Arts Foundation.
The Monette/Horwitz Trust has honored filmmaker Arthur Dong for his significant contributions toward eradicating homophobia. The Monette/Horwitz Trust was established by celebrated author Paul Monette prior to his death from AIDS in 1995 and is named for himself and his lover, Roger Horwitz, who succumbed to AIDS in 1986. Other honorees include Soulforce, Inc., OASIS(Out Adolescents Staying in School), and art historian, Arlene Raven. The awards will be presented as part of the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony in Chicago on June 3, 2004.