ABOUT THE PROJECT

SYNOPSIS:
Set in the late 1800’s Utah Territory, an Asian American gold miner must overcome racism and violence in order to reunite with his forbidden love.
Based on a true story.

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY
Stevo Chang | Fran Ervin

Project Backstory:

Our filmmaking Team (Stevo Chang, Fran Ervin, and Jeff Dickson) have been developing this project for the past several years, and during our research and travels, we found remnants of Chinatowns throughout Old West towns like Tombstone and Park City. However, we had no idea the extent and impact Asian Americans had on the Old West as far back as the mid-1800's, let alone the hatred and violence they endured.

The Legend of JohnJohn

Our project is based on the “alleged” true tale about an Asian laundryman during the Gold Rush. The story was not told by JohnJohn himself, but rather, from an Anglo gold prospector who did not even know JohnJohn’s real name. From his first chronicling of his tale, the story of JohnJohn has been used by American newspapers and society as a racist, cautionary tale intended to portray Asian folk as cunning, gold thieving heathens.

Not much else is known about JohnJohn, but this xenophobic story exploded across mining towns throughout the Old West, and soon the legend of JohnJohn expanded into more elaborate schemes with the same intensions of grifting Anglo miners of their gold.

Asian Americans were denied basic human rights

The history of Asian laborers in the Old West is a tragic one. They were denied basic human rights by the US Govt, and even condemned as “inferior” and “subhuman” by the California Supreme Court. They were banned from bringing their wives and families from their countries of origin, and shunned from American society.

Despite constructing the most treacherous portions of the Transcontinental Railroad, Asian laborers were paid so little that upon its completion, most could not afford to travel back to the West Coast. They lived their lives alone or in small, wandering enclaves, traveling from one gold rush to the next, all while surviving lynch mobs and bandits.

Asian-Hate in the 1800’s

During our research, we discovered that Asian-hate violence was not only propagated by Anglo-American individuals, but also by federal, state, and local governments. One such instance can be found in Park City, Utah, which had a thriving Chinatown throughout the 1800's. Shortly after the establishment of Park City's Chinatown, Park City constructed a racist, segregationist bridge over the rooftops of Chinatown so that its Anglo townsfolk didn't have to interact or see their Asian neighbors, except to hurl an occasional rock or bottle.

At the end of the 1800's, Park City's Chinatown was burned down, and to permanently keep Asian Americans out of town, the city passed laws banning Chinese and Asian Americans from working, living, or even setting foot in the town.

Today, all that’s left of Park City’s Chinatown is the China Bridge Parking Garage, named after the same racist, segregationist bridge that separated Asian Americans from their Anglo neighbors.

To request a screener, please contact director@stevochang.com

PRODUCED BY
Stevo Chang
Jeff T. Dickson
Fran Ervin
Danielle Dzurik

STARRING
Stevo Chang
Ramses Arceo
Rachel Matheiu
Jeff T. Dickson
Joshua Bowling