News

Classical Voice reports on Boston Lyric Opera’s re-imagined production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, inspired by stories from the golden era of San Francisco Chinatown nightclubs as documented in Arthur Dong’s book and film. Read the article here.

September, Boston: World premiere of a radical re-imagining of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which sets the story in a 1940s San Francisco Chinatown nightclub on the eve of Pearl Harbor. ForbiddenCityBook.com author Arthur Dong serves as historical dramaturge for this new production from Boston Lyric Opera. Read the article here.

An acquisitions deal for DeepFocus Productions films will be announced shortly. To implement our new marketing plans, the films will be temporarily out of circulation in North America.

For now, a limited number of existing DVDs for personal and home use are available until sold out. Educational DVDs will be available only until June 26, 2023. VOD is also available until June 26, 2023.

See below for links to purchase or stream the affected titles. FYI, these deadlines only apply to North American markets, and the films will be in circulation again when our new distribution strategies are in place.

We’ll send out a formal announcement with full details — it’s very exciting — we’ll be working with the leading distributor of independent films to make sure my films will be available in the future on the newest platforms and formats!

Drawing upon his expertise on Chinatown nightclubs, Arthur Dong has been appointed Historical Dramaturge for the Boston Lyric Opera’s re-imagined production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. Phil Chan, co-founder of the advocacy group Final Bow for Yellowface, directs this brand-new production that takes place in 1940s America under the shadow of World War II in San Francisco. Amid Puccini’s lush and sweeping score, Chan’s radical re-envisioning unfolds through the story of Butterfly, a Chinatown nightclub performer, and Pinkerton, a young soldier on the eve of his deployment. Performances are slated for September 14-24, 2023 at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston. More info here. Download the Boston Globe feature story here.

Hollywood Chinese book publisher,  Angel City Press, is the subject of a new documentary in production by KCET for their Artbound series. Pictured: writer Arthur Dong is interviewed at the Formosa Cafe by senior producer Nic Cha Kim and director Richie Kulchar as one of five authors profiled for the one-hour film. Broadcast is slated for Fall 2023.

Congress woman Judy Chu, performer Kristina Wong, and East West Player’s artistic director Snehal Desai are among AAPI’s who reflect on EEAO‘s political and cultural impact. Filmmaker Arthur Dong says: “We’ve arrived; we finally have a seat at the table. But why don’t we make our own table? Heck, I’d rather have a ten-course Chinese banquet than dine at Spago!” Read the article here.

“[Dr. Haing S. Ngor] knew his Oscar was a weapon, a magnet to get people’s attention so that they would listen to him tell the story of what was going on in Cambodia” —Arthur Dong, Director, The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor. Read the full article here.

The Hollywood Chinese exhibit at the Formosa Cafe is spotlighted in this Spectrum news story, featuring curator Arthur Dong. View it here.

We’re honored our documentary, The Killing Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor, is included in a new boxset by acclaimed director Roland Joffé as a bonus disc to his feature film, The Killing Fields. This is a limited 6-disc Blu-ray edition, with a printing of only 1500 copies, in deluxe hard-box packaging along with new transfers, audio commentaries, exclusive bonus features & more. More info and a trailer here.

November 27, 2022: The Last Emperor actresses Joan Chen and Lisa Lu share a lighthearted memory at closing night of the Academy Museum series, Hollywood Chinese: The First 100 Years, curated by Arthur Dong. Topics included #OscarsSoWhite and the omission of acting honors for the film’s brilliant cast, despite garnering nine Academy Award® nominations (the film won all nine). See more event photos here. (Photo by Michael Baker, © Academy Museum Foundation)