Christine Choy (born 1952) is a Chinese-born American filmmaker.Choy
was born in Shanghai, China as Chai Ming Huei to a Chinese mother and
a Korean father. For the most part, Choy was raised by her mother,
because her father abandoned the family shortly after Choy's birth to
return to his original home in South Korea. Growing up, the mother and
daughter struggled financially. Following the Cultural Revolution, the
family fled mainland China via Hong Kong. They moved to South Korea,
where Choy was reunited with her father. During this time, Choy
developed a strong appreciation for American films released in South
Korea. Although she enjoyed the films, Choy noticed there was
discrimination towards the Asian people in American films.In 1965,
Choy was given a scholarship to attend Manhattanville College of the
Sacred Heart in New York, where she studied architecture. While
attending, she made friends with a group of hippies that were a part
of Newsreel. At Newsreel, Choy worked as an editor and animation
director for some amount of time.In 1974, Choy directed her first
documentary, which was called Teach Our Children. After working at
Newsreel, she moved to a branch called Third World Newsreel. Because
Choy was able to relate to the poverty and the migration issues that
people around her faced, she was inspired to make another documentary,
that fused the issues she faced while back in China and South Korea
with the struggles she faced in the U.S. She finished the film, From
Spikes to Spindles, in 1976. This film focused on Chinese migration,
and focused on Chinese citizens being treated equally.
was born in Shanghai, China as Chai Ming Huei to a Chinese mother and
a Korean father. For the most part, Choy was raised by her mother,
because her father abandoned the family shortly after Choy's birth to
return to his original home in South Korea. Growing up, the mother and
daughter struggled financially. Following the Cultural Revolution, the
family fled mainland China via Hong Kong. They moved to South Korea,
where Choy was reunited with her father. During this time, Choy
developed a strong appreciation for American films released in South
Korea. Although she enjoyed the films, Choy noticed there was
discrimination towards the Asian people in American films.In 1965,
Choy was given a scholarship to attend Manhattanville College of the
Sacred Heart in New York, where she studied architecture. While
attending, she made friends with a group of hippies that were a part
of Newsreel. At Newsreel, Choy worked as an editor and animation
director for some amount of time.In 1974, Choy directed her first
documentary, which was called Teach Our Children. After working at
Newsreel, she moved to a branch called Third World Newsreel. Because
Choy was able to relate to the poverty and the migration issues that
people around her faced, she was inspired to make another documentary,
that fused the issues she faced while back in China and South Korea
with the struggles she faced in the U.S. She finished the film, From
Spikes to Spindles, in 1976. This film focused on Chinese migration,
and focused on Chinese citizens being treated equally.
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