| |
What inspired you to make this piece?
I started my life in the United States living in a loft on Canal Street. I've been living in the neighborhood for 30 years. This is the most vibrant, dirty, and exiting street in New York City.
 |
| From CANAL STREET. |
Tell us a little about the process involved in making this work.
My co-producer, Peter Kwong, is an expert on Chinese Immigration History and the Labor Movement in Chinatown. Both of us walked Canal Street and checked every building and took notes. We picked topics and sent Chinese-, Spanish-, Portuguese-, and Korean-speaking researchers to the street.
 |
| From CANAL STREET. |
Do you have any interesting and/or amusing behind-the-scenes stories about the making of this particular work?
We went to sweatshops in Chinatown. I shot scenes with a hidden camera. The working conditions in the sweatshops are far worse than the standards in the U.S. Many immigrants' living conditions in Chinatown are also sub-standard.
Is there a relationship between your work as a video/filmmaker and life in the New York metropolitan area?
I always choose subjects from my own environment, neighborhood, or experiences as an immigrant.
How has the burgeoning independent movement affected your life and work as a video/filmmaker?
Not at all. I started video-making before the movement started.
|
|
