News Archive - 2023

Chinatown Nightclubs Inspire Opera

Classical Voice reports on Boston Lyric Opera’s re-imagined production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, inspired by stories from the golden era of San Francisco Chinatown nightclubs as documented in Arthur Dong’s book and film. Read the article here.

Madama Butterfly: Re-Imagined

September, Boston: World premiere of a radical re-imagining of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which sets the story in a 1940s San Francisco Chinatown nightclub on the eve of Pearl Harbor. ForbiddenCityBook.com author Arthur Dong serves as historical dramaturge for this new production from Boston Lyric Opera. Read the article here.

New Marketing Plans

An acquisitions deal for DeepFocus Productions films will be announced shortly. To implement our new marketing plans, the films will be temporarily out of circulation in North America.

For now, a limited number of existing DVDs for personal and home use are available until sold out. Educational DVDs will be available only until June 26, 2023. VOD is also available until June 26, 2023.

See below for links to purchase or stream the affected titles. FYI, these deadlines only apply to North American markets, and the films will be in circulation again when our new distribution strategies are in place.

We’ll send out a formal announcement with full details — it’s very exciting — we’ll be working with the leading distributor of independent films to make sure my films will be available in the future on the newest platforms and formats!

Educational use DVDs, available until June 26, 2023: https://www.deepfocusproductions.com/educational-library…/
VOD, streaming until June 26, 2023: https://vimeo.com/channels/arthurdongfilms
HOLLYWOOD CHINESE: Home and personal use DVDs:
FORBIDDEN CITY, USA: Home and personal use DVDs:
THE KILLING FIELDS OF DR HAING S NGOR: Home and personal use DVDs:
COMING OUT UNDER FIRE: Home and personal use DVDs:
LICENSED TO KILL: Home and personal use DVDs:

Dramaturge Appointment

Drawing upon his expertise on Chinatown nightclubs, Arthur Dong has been appointed Historical Dramaturge for the Boston Lyric Opera’s re-imagined production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Phil Chan, co-founder of the advocacy group Final Bow for Yellowface, directs this brand-new production that takes place in 1940s America under the shadow of World War II in San Francisco. Amid Puccini’s lush and sweeping score, Chan’s radical re-envisioning unfolds through the story of Butterfly, a Chinatown nightclub performer, and Pinkerton, a young soldier on the eve of his deployment. Performances are slated for September 14-24, 2023 at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston. More info here. Download the Boston Globe feature story here.

Angel City Press Documentary In-progress

Hollywood Chinese book publisher,  Angel City Press, is the subject of a new documentary in production by KCET for their Artbound series. Pictured: writer Arthur Dong is interviewed at the Formosa Cafe by senior producer Nic Cha Kim and director Richie Kulchar as one of five authors profiled for the one-hour film. Broadcast is slated for Fall 2023.

Congress woman Judy Chu, performer Kristina Wong, and East West Player’s artistic director Snehal Desai are among AAPI’s who reflect on EEAO‘s political and cultural impact. Filmmaker Arthur Dong says: “We’ve arrived; we finally have a seat at the table. But why don’t we make our own table? Heck, I’d rather have a ten-course Chinese banquet than dine at Spago!” Read the article here.

“[Dr. Haing S. Ngor] knew his Oscar was a weapon, a magnet to get people’s attention so that they would listen to him tell the story of what was going on in Cambodia” —Arthur Dong, Director, The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor. Read the full article here.

Hollywood Chinese Exhibit in the News

The Hollywood Chinese exhibit at the Formosa Cafe is spotlighted in this Spectrum news story, featuring curator Arthur Dong. View it here.