Culture-Canada.ca

Screening: In the Shadow of Gold Mountain
(a National Film Board documentary)
hosted by: UWYR Chinese Community Council

Date:	Friday, December 10, 2004
Time:	7:30 pm
Place:	Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School - Markham
Admission:	$10.00 (proceeds going to United Way of York Region)
More Info:	http://www.onf.ca/intheshadowofgoldmountain

It is an incredibly powerful documentary about the impact Canada's Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act (1885 - 1947) had on the Chinese community. Director Karen Cho will attend the screening - creating the opportunity for what I'm sure will be an interesting
and enlightening discussion after the viewing. The Overseas Chinese Music Society will
perform as well.

Similar screenings have been held in other parts of the country --- to rave reviews.

THE FILM: In the Shadow of Gold Mountain

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.

Running Time: 43 min 4 sec