From October 2021 through March 2022, The Criterion Channel presented Stories of Resistance: Documentaries by Arthur Dong, a retrospective of seven award-winning films.
Over the course of a career that spans five decades, Oscar®-nominated activist documentarian Arthur Dong has established himself as one of American independent cinema’s most daring pioneers, bringing powerful untold stories that center queer and Asian American experiences to the screen. Whether exploring the devastating effects of antigay prejudice, the complexity and vitality of Asian American culture, or the extraordinary life of a survivor of the Cambodian genocide, Dong approaches each project with a rare rigor and a quietly forceful empathy, braiding personal, historical, and political strands into compelling narratives.
Taken together, his body of work serves as a stirring testament to the power of individual resistance and resilience in the face of social oppression.
The retrospective comprised of:
Sewing Woman, 1982
Forbidden City, USA, 1989
Coming Out Under Fire, 1994
Licensed To Kill, 1997
Family Fundamentals, 2002
Hollywood Chinese, 2007
The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor, 2015
Watch the retrospective interview with Arthur Dong, in conversation with author Oliver Wang:
