Saving Chinatown

What started off as a documentary project in 2017 to explore the forgotten historical contributions to Canada made by the first Chinese immigrants and to raise awareness about the gentrification of Montreal’s Chinatown quickly expanded its mission and shifted its focus when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a rise in anti-Asian hate. This short documentary explores the growing threat of gentrification and the rise in anti-Asian racism that Montreal’s Chinatown and Asian community has been facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result of racial connotations associated with the COVID-19 virus, the residents and businesses in Montreal’s Chinatown have been experiencing a rise in anti-Asian racism, vandalism and robberies. This documentary explores how the government’s lack of action and support towards Chinatown reveals an underlying issue of gentrification and racism. With developers looking to buy off historical buildings in Chinatown and convert them into commercial and real estate projects, the Chinese community of Montreal has been struggling to convince the government to designate Chinatown as a heritage site so that its historical and cultural value can remain.

With the city lockdown and restrictions, the businesses in Chinatown have been suffering due to lack of traffic and tourism; many of the businesses have been forced to close permanently and the remaining ones are struggling to survive.

The lack of police presence and security in Chinatown has left its businesses and residents vulnerable to increased racial attacks, vandalism and burglaries during the pandemic. Documentary producer and community leader Jimmy Chan has taken matters into his own hands and has started a Security Patrol group to ensure the safety of Chinatown’s residents, businesses and patrons.

This documentary is also based on the 30 years of experiences that film producer Jimmy Chan has went through growing up in Montreal’s Chinatown.

Although the documentary takes place in Montreal, it highlights issues that all Chinese communities across North America and America are facing. This documentary not only aims to raise awareness, but also aims to educate the viewer about the historical contributions made by the Chinese that helped build the country of Canada. Additionally, this documentary aims to fight anti-Asian racism by educating and empowering viewers and by promoting diversity and solidarity.

We must remember our roots so that we may plant the seeds of a brighter future.

With the rising success of our documentary, we are proud to announce that we have completed our second documentary, which explores the forgotten history of the first Chinese immigrants of Montreal, re-telling never-before-heard stories passed down to film producer Jimmy Chan from his elders, the elders of the Chinese community, and similar stories from other families.

Our second documentary highlights the sacrifices and hardships that the first Chinese immigrants went through to establish a home in Canada as well as highlighting the contributions they made to help build the country. It connects these past events with the recent situation regarding the gentrification of Montreal’s Chinatown, the rise in Anti-Asian hate and discrimination, following-up on the issues explored in our first documentary.

As our first documentary was self-financed, pulling $100k of funds from our own pockets, we have self-financed our second documentary as well. Our second documentary entitled SAVING CHINATOWN – OUR HERITAGE. OUR LEGEND. premiered on July 31st, 2022 at the CCIFF Canada China International Film Festival in Montreal. Despite our limited budget, our team managed to produce an excellent film. Our documentary was very well-received by the audience! Another great success!