Lost Years: A People's Struggle for Justice

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Lost Years: A People's Struggle for Justice
Directed by
Written by
  • Kenda Gee
  • Tom Radford
  • Brenda Terning
Produced by
  • Kenda Gee
  • Tom Radford
StarringKenda Gee, Took Gee, Hanson Lau, Gim Wong, Larry Kwong, Norman Lim Kwong, Grant Din, Bettie Luke, Donnie Chin, Emmy Mah, Arthur Loo, Esther Fung, David Fung, Kirstin Wong, Loong Wong, William Dere, May Chiu, Walter Tom, , Junaid S. Khan, Roderick A. Macdonald, Grace Chi, Constance Backhouse et al.
Cinematography
  • Rene Jean Collins DoP
  • Grigori Ozerski
Edited by
  • Brenda Terning
  • Perry Blackman
  • Brett Ardiel
Music byDarren Fung
Production
companies
Lost Years Productions, Inc.
Distributed byLost Years Media, Inc.
Release date
December 5, 2011
Running time
90 minutes
CountryCanada
Languages
  • English
  • Chinese
  • French

Lost Years: A People's Struggle for Justice (Chinese: 失去的岁月) is a 2011 documentary directed by Kenda Gee and Tom Radford.[1][2][3][4][5] The film premiered on December 5, 2011, at the Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, where it won the Best Documentary Award for history and culture.[6][7] The film also aired as a two-part, national television mini-series for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[8][9][10] A series of extended episodes subsequently aired on CTV Two Alberta, June 8 and 15, 2013, with repeat broadcasts on November 16 and 23.[11]

Gee and Radford began work on the film in late 1999, taking twelve years to fully research the movie.[12] Of the film, Gee and Radford stated that they were "originally inspired by the tale of Larry Kwong of Vernon".[13][14]

Synopsis[edit]

The documentary centres on the family story of director Kenda Gee and the last 150 years of the Chinese diaspora in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia.[15][16][17] The movie begins documenting Gee's ancestors from 1910 China, further progressing through the years focusing on the racism that they and other Chinese emigrants experienced, and culminating with Hanson Lau and Gee's leadership in the campaign to redress the Chinese Head tax in Canada and abroad.[18] The epic documentary follows "two journeys: one historical, in search of a new life; one modern, in search of justice." Lost Years features interviews with Chinese Canadians and Chinese emigrants such as Larry Kwong,[19] the first Chinese Canadian to play in the NHL,[20][21] Norman Kwong, former professional athlete and Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, and Gim Wong, decorated RCAF officer and Chinese head tax redress advocate,[22][23] amongst others.

Awards and nominations[edit]

Lost Years has been nominated for several awards, which includes the Golden Trailer Awards and Canadian Screen Awards. Director Kenda Gee has also received an Alumni Award of Excellence from the University of Alberta in recognition for his work with the documentary.[24][25][26]

Award Category Recipient Result
2013 Sichuan TV Festival Special Jury Award – International Gold Panda Award for Best Documentary (Society) Nominated[27]
2013 International Film Festival Manhattan
(Winner, 3 Awards)
Best of the Best
Best Documentary
Film Achievement & Social Advocacy
Won[28][29]
2013 Golden Trailer Awards Best Documentary Poster Nominated[30]
2013 Canadian Screen Awards
(Finalist, 2 Nominations,
excluding Canada Award Nomination)
Best Original Music for a Non-Fiction Program or Series,
Best Sound in an Information-Documentary Program or Series[31]
Nominated[32]
2013 Asians on Films Festival Awards Best Feature Documentary[33] Won
2012 Rhode Island International Film Festival Best Feature Documentary Grand Award Won[34]
2012 IMP Awards Honorable Mention Won[35]
2011 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival Best Documentary Award and Prize for History and Culture Won[6]
2012 Yorkton Film Festival Golden Sheaf Award for Best Multicultural Nominated[36]
2012 Park City Film Music Festival Best Impact of Music in a Documentary Nominated[37]
2012 Seattle International Film Festival Official Selection[38] Nominated[39]
2012 Alberta Media Production Industries Association Awards (Finalist, 6 Nominations) Best Documentary over 30 minutes,
Best Cinematographer Non-Fiction Over 30,
Best Editor Non-Fiction Over 30,
Best Overall Sound Non-Fiction,
Best Production Reflecting Cultural Diversity,
Best Screenwriter Non-Fiction Over 30
Nominated[40]
2012 Canadian Society of Cinematographers Awards Robert Brooks Award for Documentary Cinematography Nominated[41]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Documenting a personal past – Kenda Gee examines the Chinese immigrant experience in Canada". Edmonton Journal. Post Media. August 18, 2011. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  2. ^ "Filmmakers off to China to capture immigrant experience" (PDF). Edmonton Journal. CanWest Media. Retrieved 26 January 2013 – via Lost Years.
  3. ^ "Dialogue 2012-01-19 Journey of discovering justice". CN TV (CCTV). Archived from the original on Mar 3, 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  4. ^ "THE LOST YEARS - KENDA GEE and TOM RADFORD". CBC RadioActive (Peter Brown). Retrieved 13 January 2013.[dead link]
  5. ^ Cohen, Tobi (December 30, 2012). "Canada at 150 - Ethnic communities to mark 150th by focusing on Canadian values". Canada.com. Post Media. Archived from the original on Mar 24, 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  6. ^ a b "GZ DOC 2011 Prizewinners". GZ Doc 2011. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  7. ^ "Kenda Gee's LOST YEARS at the 38th Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) 2012". OCA Seattle. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  8. ^ "Filmmakers off to China to capture immigrant experience". Canada.com. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  9. ^ "CBC TV – Absolutely Canadian, Episode 1 – Feb 18, 2012". CBC TV. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  10. ^ "CBC TV – Absolutely Canadian, Episode 2 – Mar 3, 2012". CBC TV. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  11. ^ "CTV Two Alberta Schedule". BellMedia. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  12. ^ "Lost Years chronicles 150 years of Chinese diaspora history in Canada and beyond". Straight.com. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Documentary shines light on Chinese-Canadian experience". CHBC News. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  14. ^ "As Boston Bruins Takes 2:1 Stanley Cup Finals Lead, Larry Kwong Celebrates 90th Birthday". bostonese English-Chinese Online Journal. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  15. ^ "Lost Years - Exploring 150 years of the Chinese diaspora in Canada, USA, New Zealand, and Australia" (PDF). Schema Magazine. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  16. ^ "At Random: Remembering the past". Vernon Morning Star. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  17. ^ "Hockey legend immortalized in film". BC Local News. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  18. ^ "Lost Years documentary series on Chinese Canadians". Channel APA. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  19. ^ "Crowning B.C. sports hall glory for King Kwong". Postmedia Network, Inc. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  20. ^ "Talking about the 'Lost Years'". BC Local News. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  21. ^ "A Hockey Pioneer's Moment, February 19, 2013". New York Times. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  22. ^ "Gim Foon Wong's motorcycle ride turned the tide on Chinese head-tax redress". The Globe & Mail. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  23. ^ "Kenda Gee: Gim Wong was one of a kind". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  24. ^ "Lost Years (2011) Awards - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  25. ^ "Prominent Alberta Filmmakers to Receive Distinguished Alumni Awards from U of A". Media Mag. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  26. ^ "Recipient Biographies D-J – Alumni and Friends – University of Alberta". University of Alberta. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  27. ^ "The 12th Annual Sichuan TV Festival". SCTVF. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  28. ^ "Lost Years Program 8 & Awards Night Gala". IFFM-NYC. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  29. ^ "Lost Years Wins Best of the Best at International Film Festival Manhattan 2013". ASIANINNY. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  30. ^ "14th Annual Golden Trailer Award Nominees Honoring the Best in Motion Picture Previews". Trailer Central LLC. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  31. ^ "2013 CSA Nominations" (PDF). CSA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  32. ^ "Edmonton Productions Nominated for Canadian Screen Awards". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  33. ^ "2013 AoF Awards". AoF. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  34. ^ "2012 Film Festival Award Winners Announced". RIIFF. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  35. ^ "IMP Awards - Best Canadian Movie Posters of 2012". Face3media. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  36. ^ "Nominees" (PDF). Yorkton Film Festival. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  37. ^ "2012 Award Winners". PCFMF. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  38. ^ "SIFF Films & Events". SIFF. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  39. ^ "Kenda Gee's Lost Years at the 38th Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), May 23, 2012". Seattle Chinese Times. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  40. ^ "The 2012 Alberta Film and Television Awards Finalists" (PDF). AMPIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on Mar 4, 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  41. ^ "Canadian Society of Cinematographers Awards". Retrieved 13 February 2017.

External links[edit]