The Chinese Exclusion Act (film)

The Chinese Exclusion Act is a 2017 documentary film about the United States Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Produced by PBS as a "special presentation" for the American Experience documentary program, it explores how the act's 61-year prohibition of Chinese immigrants to the United States had an effect on Chinese communities already living in the country. Directed by Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu, who also served as writer and editor respectively, the film premiered in the 2017 CAAMFest and aired on PBS in the United States on May 29, 2018.[3]

The Chinese Exclusion Act
Directed by
Produced by
Written byRic Burns[1]
Narrated byHoon Lee[1]
Music byBrian Keane[1]
Cinematography
  • Michael Chin
  • Buddy Squires
  • Brian Heller
  • Anthony Savini
  • Jon Else
  • Lincoln Else
  • Allen Moore[1]
Edited byLi-Shin Yu[1]
Production
company
Distributed byPublic Broadcasting Service
Release date
  • March 19, 2017 (2017-03-19) (CAAMFest)
  • May 29, 2018 (2018-05-29)
Running time
162 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Interviewees

Production

The documentary began production in 2012.[4]

Critical response

Mike Hale of The New York Times commended The Chinese Exclusion Act for its timeliness and stated that it serves as "a cautionary tale" for immigration in the United States, though he noted that the complex history recounted in the film "takes some focus on the viewer’s part to keep the thread."[5] Hanh Nguyen of IndieWire gave the film a "B+", praising it as "sobering and eye-opening" and singling out its interviewees' enlightening commentary as the film's "real value".[6]

Home media

The Chinese Exclusion Act was released on DVD by PBS on June 19, 2018.[2]

References

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