Event

DisOrient 2016 - To Climb A Gold Mountain

Feature Documentary (2015) 73 min English USA
Director and Executive Producer Alex Azmi
Co-Director and Producer Rebecca Hu
Executive Producer Raymond Bell

To Climb a Gold Mountain tells the story of the Asian American immigrant experience in the US. Its unique story is woven through with suffering and triumph, joy and violence, death and revival. This saga is displayed in no better fashion than the lives of woman who bore so many of the burdens on its path forward.

This film traces the lives of four of these women one from the 19th century, two from the 20th, and a fourth in our 21st these women appeared from starkly different backgrounds and lived dramatically different lives. Some have been all but forgotten, while others reached pinnacles of power and influence. Through the stories of these women destitute and forgotten prostitutes, a Hollywood star, a First Lady and a U.S Congresswoman, the film tracks the progression, evolution and legacy of the Asian immigrants in America as they form and integrate into the fabric of this Country.

In sharing each woman's experience, the film addresses multi-layered and sensitive issues including gender equality, social injustice, use of legislation as an oppression tool, and the opportunities available for immigrants to assimilate and pursue the new lives.

The film speaks to Asian and non-Asian alike. It speaks to both men and women, as it is about human experiences, such as displacement, injustice, identity and perseverance, which are integrated into the history of all genders and to ethnic groups in the world.

This film addresses many social issues including exploitation of women, violence, discrimination, immigration, and social injustices. It speaks to Asians and non-Asians alike addressing to the past while looking to the future.

Q&A with Director Alex Azmi after the screening.