“A deep and personal portrait of a neighborhood and the activists who helped shape it.” -San Francisco Chronicle
“Revelatory.” -The Globe and Mail
“an intimate look at the role Chinatown plays in the history of San Francisco.” -Fox KTVU
About the film
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 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.
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The Team
HARRY CHUCK
Co-Director, Producer, Director of Photography
Former Youth Director and later Executive Director of Cameron House, Harry was an early mentor for thousands of Chinatown youth. Harry was the catalyst in Chinatown’s fight to save the Chinese Playground from being developed into a parking garage, leading to the formation of the Committee for Better Parks and Recreation in Chinatown. He was co-founder of the Chinatown Coalition for Better Housing, which led the fight to develop the Mei Lun Yuen affordable housing project. He was appointed by five separate mayors to city commissions, which included the Public Housing Authority and Juvenile Justice Commission. Harry was one of the first Asian American religious leaders to speak out for same-sex marriage. In 1981, he earned his MA from the SF State University’s Film Arts Department where he served as a student assistant in film history. His footage for this film was shot as a student/activist and Chinatown Rising is his official return to filmmaking.
JOSH CHUCK
Co-Director, Producer
Josh 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.
JAMES Q. CHAN
Producer
James Q. Chan is a two-time Emmy-nominated, award-winning creative producer and director based in San Francisco. Rooted in community storytelling, his films have aired nationally on PBS, screened globally through the American Film Showcase, and earned audience, cinematography, and grand jury awards at major festivals. A former SAG-AFTRA talent agent, James is a 2024 Asian Cultural Council fellow, YBCA 100 honoree, and recipient of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Certificate of Honor. He was among the inaugural artists-in-residence through the SF Arts Commission’s collaboration with the San Francisco Public Library. A member of the Directors Guild of America and a proud producer on Chinatown Rising, James continues to serve his community through film at www.goodmedicinefilms.com.
GREG LOUIE
Editor
Greg is currently a Video Editor and Producer based out of Culver City. He has also been the lead editor on several films, including UNDOING and FINISHING THE GAME (directed by Justin Lin and premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival), LINSANITY, (directed by Evan Jackson Leong and premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival), and SNAKEHEAD, (directorial narrative feature debut of Evan Jackson Leong). He recently edited EVOLUTION OF THE BLACK QB, 2024 (Amazon Prime) and BLACK COMEDY IN AMERICA, 2024 (Vice). Greg has over 20 years experience editing with 15 years of experience editing live sports television.
ANSON HO
Director of Photography
Anson is a San Francisco native rooted in the Chinatown community. While serving in the US Navy he found his passion in film and tv when he produced and filmed his own closed circuit television show on his naval ship, USS OLDENDORF. He followed his passion by moving to Los Angeles and worked on various short films, music videos and documentary projects. Notable projects included sundance film FINISHING THE GAME as an associated producer and thereafter worked on Universal's Studio FAST & FURIOUS as an assistant to the director both directed by Justin Lin. He also help develop and film numerous webseries and comedy sketches on a Youtube Asian American channel called YOMYOMF which gained over 35 million views within a year. As a traveling cinematographer, he's filmed documentaries all over China, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Mt Everest base camp. He was the 1st Assistant Director on the feature film SNAKEHEAD and currently works as Acting Production Supervisor/Producer for SF Government TV (SFGovTV).
MILES ITO
Composer
Multi-Award-Winning Film, TV, Video Game, and Media music composer Miles Ito has scored, recorded, and produced soundtracks and albums for dozens of feature films, commercials, TV and web series, video games across multiple genres and platforms. His work has premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, and SXSW film festivals with distribution on networks such as Fox, Netflix, Amazon Prime, PBS and American Public Television. Whether creating suburban dystopian electric music for the suspense thriller, "Murder RX," 70's grooves for the period documentary, "Like A Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres," of the vintage-expressionist, film noir orchestral score for "Silent Thunder," miles' musical versatility and empathic abilities enables him to craftily compose and produce unique high-quality music and film scores for all types of genres. He won "Best Original Score" at the 8th annual Indie Series Awards ceremony for his music score for "Here We Wait" and won "Best Original Music" for his score for the series, "After." Miles Ito's music and versatile style is unique and highly engaging. His music can sweep you from the sweet calm of a mid-summer's day to an instance of relentless heart-aching passion and yearning.
JEREMIAH MOORE
Sound Design/Sound Mix
Jeremiah Moore operates an independent studio in San Francisco specializing in high-craft sound with attention to environment, detail, and creative process. Recent and notable projects include Harrod Blank’s feature doc “Why Can’t I Be Me Around You” (SXSW 2019), Pete Lee’s narrative short “Don’t Be A Hero” (Sundance 2018), and Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman’s short animated doc “Last Day of Freedom” (Oscar nominee, 2016). In addition to film work, he maintains a sound art practice and consultancy creating original works and performances, helping realize works with artists such as Doug Hall and exhibitors such as FOR-SITE Foundation, and helping build place-based sound org The TANK Center for Sonic Arts in Colorado.
CHRISTINA HOANG
Post-Production Supervisor, Marketing Director
Christina Hoang was born and raised in Northern Virginia and moved to Los Angeles 12 years ago to pursue a career in Producing. She has since worked for E! Entertainment, WB, ABC, CBS, and various indie films, web series, and corporate videos. Utilizing her storytelling ability from her entertainment background, Christina has been able to connect communities with the brands that matter to them in the Marketing world. She joins Chinatown Rising as their Post-Production Supervisor and Marketing Director, combining both her professional expertise and personal passion to share and promote Asian American stories.