ROLE

VIDEOGRAPHER

GENRE

DOCUMENTARY

YEAR

2022

Directed by Kimberlee Bassford, this documentary explores the filmmaker’s family ties to Honolulu’s Chinatown and the resilience of its Chinese community across two public health crises – the 1899–1900 bubonic plague and COVID-19. The film features interviews with key figures including Wing Tek Lum, Eddie Flores Jr., and Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm.

Themes

• Family history and generational connection to place
• Resilience of Chinatown’s Chinese community through crisis
• The neighborhood’s transformation across two public health crises, then and now

Reception

Contributed cinematography to a documentary that connects personal family history with a broader public health narrative, featuring interviews with respected Chinatown figures, and helping bring Bassford’s vision of the neighborhood’s resilience – past and present – to the screen.