Big Fight in Little Chinatown

May 25, 2024
Annual General Meeting at 6 PM | Event at 7 PM
SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts | 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

All across the globe, Chinatowns are under threat of disappearing – and along with them, the rich history of communities who fought from the margins for a place to belong. Big Fight in Little Chinatown documents the collective fight to save Chinatowns across North America.

Big Fight in Little Chinatown is a story of community resistance and resilience. Set against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic and an unprecedented rise in anti-Asian racism, the documentary takes us into the lives of residents, businesses and community organizers whose neighbourhoods are facing active erasure.

Coast to Coast the film follows Chinatown communities resisting the pressures around them. From the construction of the world’s largest vertical jail in New York, Montreal’s fight against developers swallowing up the most historic block of their Chinatown, big box chains and gentrification forces displacing Toronto’s community, to a Vancouver Chinatown business holding steadfast, the film reveals how Chinatown is both a stand-in for other communities who’ve been wiped off the city map, and the blueprint for inclusive and resilient neighbourhoods of the future.

POST-FILM PANEL DISCUSSION
– Karen Cho (Filmmaker)
– Gal Lee (Chinatown Together)
– Stephanie Leo (Chinatown Celebration Society)
– Moderator: Kevin Huang (hua foundation)

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Prior to screening the film, Reel Causes will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM). To attend the AGM, purchase a membership and register here.

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Hua foundation is a youth empowerment non-profit working on racial equity and civic engagement issues on unceded territories and lands, in particular, those of the three title-holding Nations: the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), colonially known as Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Their work lives at the intersection of cultural heritage and social change. They are based in Vancouver’s Chinatown and have been working for years alongside youth and community members from the Asian diaspora.

Chinatown Together aims to bring people together for Chinatown through inclusive and intergenerational public arts and cultural events rooted in the heart of Chinatown. Originating from Vancouver Chinatown’s anti-gentrification movement, their mission is to reclaim space and culture in the historic neighbourhood. They host a diversity of free community cultural events ranging from tea and paint gatherings to kung fu workshops and stand-up comedy — all with the goal of bringing the community in Chinatown together to advocate for Chinatown together.

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Reel Causes partners with filmmakers and Canadian causes dedicated to addressing global social justice issues. We host film screenings followed by panel discussions to educate and inspire our community, and provide a forum for authentic conversation around the issues that affect us locally.

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City of Vancouver
BC Arts Council
Canada Council for the Arts
SFU's Vancity Office of Community  Engagement
Consumer Protection BC