Browse By
Watch
Similar Films by Category
Genres
Description
Karen Cho, a fifth-generation Canadian of mixed heritage, discovered that half
her family wasn't welcome in the country they called home. While Canada
encouraged and rewarded immigration from Europe, it imposed laws that singled
out the Chinese as unwanted and unwelcome.
Cho's film, In the Shadow of Gold Mountain,
takes her from Montreal to Vancouver to uncover stories from the last living
survivors of the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act. This dark chapter in our
history, from 1885 until 1947, plunged the Chinese community in Canada into
decades of debt and family separation.
At the centre of the film are personal accounts of extraordinary Chinese
Canadians who survived an era that threatened to eradicate their entire
community. Through a rich melding of history, poetry and raw emotion, this
documentary sheds light on an era that shaped the identity of generations,
with deeply moving testimonials, it reveals the profound ways this history
still casts its shadow.
In the Shadow of Gold Mountain was produced as
part of the Reel Diversity Competition for emerging filmmakers of colour. Reel
Diversity is a National Film Board of Canada initiative in partnership with
CBC Newsworld.
2004, 43 min 04 s
Awards
Honorable Mention: Category: Humanities
International Film and Video Festival
November 9 to 13 2005, Columbus - USA
Golden Sheaf Award - Category: Best Multicultural Documentary
Golden Sheaf Awards /Short Film and Video Festival
May 26 to 29 2005, Yorkton - Canada
