For Reel Asian, Asian Heritage Month provides an opportunity to reflect on our community’s cinematic history and to revisit past favourites that have made historic contributions to the Asian Canadian experience.
Think of past trips you’ve taken across Canada, around the world, or even during a walk through your home city — chances are, you’ve come across a Chinese restaurant. Surely you’ve wondered about the stories behind the people and the food.
In the early 2000s, filmmaker Cheuk Kwan travelled the globe over the course of four years and documented stories for his beloved Chinese Restaurants series, which takes us from Turkey to Mauritius, India to Norway, Trinidad to South Africa, and many points in between. Throughout the 15 episodes, Kwan weaves together profiles of these small businesses to tell the story of migration, adventure, and an enduring spirit of the Chinese diaspora.
Reel Asian is proud to present the complete Chinese Restaurants documentary series for the first time since its initial release nearly 20 years ago. Grouped into five programmes of three episodes each, all 15 episodes are available exclusively online throughout the month of May. Enjoy the films, and please join us for a conversation between author and filmmaker Cheuk Kwan and Toronto Star food reporter Karon Liu on May 2nd!