Parents and community members are invited to join in a special viewing and Q&A with the Director of the documentary, Chinatown Rising!
Local filmmaker Josh Chuck will host a special viewing for CAIS Middle School students and interested CAIS community members on Tuesday, November 4 from 9:30-11:30 in the CAIS Theater. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the rich yet undertold history of activism and Asian-American-led social change efforts that took place right here in our own San Francisco backyard.
What is Chinatown Rising About?:
Against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-1960s, a young San Francisco Chinatown resident armed with a 16mm camera and leftover film scraps from a local TV station, turned his lens onto his community. Totaling more than 20,000 feet of film (10 hours), Harry Chuck’s exquisite unreleased footage has captured a divided community’s struggles for self-determination. Chinatown Rising is a documentary film co-directed by father-son team Harry and Josh Chuck, about the Asian American Movement from the perspective of the young residents on the front lines of their historic neighborhood in transition. Through publicly challenging the conservative views of their elders, their demonstrations and protests of the 1960s-1980s rattled the once quiet streets during the community’s shift in power. Forty-five years later, in intimate interviews these activists recall their roles and experiences in response to the need for social change.
CAIS is proud to have collaborated with filmmaker and activity Josh Chuck in many ways over the past number of years, including:
- 2021 and 2022: Zoom documentary viewings and director interviews for CAIS fourth and fifth graders, adding texture to their social studies curricula throughout the pandemic
- 2024: CAIS faculty Chinatown tours led by director Josh Chuck, a fourth-generation San Franciscan
*Parents and community members who would like to attend, please plan to park in the neighborhood and check in with security at the main 19th Avenue gate before proceeding to the theater.
Josh Chuck Bio:
Josh Chuck is a fourth-generation resident of San Francisco’s Chinatown, where his family has deep roots, including doctors, merchants, teachers, and pastors. With over 25 years of experience as a youth worker, filmmaker, and fundraiser, he is deeply committed to his community. He co-directed his first feature documentary, CHINATOWN RISING, alongside his father, Rev. Harry Chuck and has presented the film in various forms to over 300 audiences. He also recently co-directed the film Making Waves: The Rise of Asian America, which premiered in March, 2025. Josh takes great pride in the rich history of activism in his community and is passionate about sharing these vital stories in a personal and engaging way.