Who Killed Vincent Chin? is a 1987 American documentary film produced and directed by Christine Choy and Renee Tajima-Peña that recounts the murder of Vincent Chin. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[2] It was later broadcast as part of the PBS series POV.[3]
| Who Killed Vincent Chin? | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Christine Choy and Renee Tajima-Peña |
| Produced by | Christine Choy and Renee Tajima-Peña[1] |
| Cinematography | Kyle Kibbe |
| Edited by | Holly Fisher |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Filmakers Library |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Cantonese |
In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4]
Overview
editOn a summer night in Detroit in 1982 (during a time of anti-Asian sentiment due to Japan being blamed for America's decline in the auto industry),[5] two white autoworkers fatally beat Vincent Chin, a 27-year-old Chinese engineer, with a baseball bat.[6] The film tracks the incident from the initial eye-witness accounts through the trial and its repercussions for the families involved, and the American justice system at large.[7] After an outcry from the Asian American community, led by Vincent's mother Lily Chin, the case becomes a civil rights Supreme Court case. The case ends with tried killer Ronald Ebens' being let go with a suspended sentence and a small fine.[8]
Awards
edit- Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award, Silver Baton (1991)[9]
- Hawaii International Film Festival, Best Documentary Award (1988)[10]
- Academy Awards, Best Documentary Feature Nominee (1989)[2]
See also
edit- Vincent Who?, 2009 documentary about the same case.
References
edit- ^ Documentary Winners: 1989 Oscars
- ^ a b "THE 61ST ACADEMY AWARDS (1989)". Oscars.org. The Academy Awards. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ^ "POV | Who Killed Vincent Chin: Filmmaker Interview | Season 2". Pbs.org. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (December 14, 2021). "National Film Registry Adds Return Of The Jedi, Fellowship Of The Ring, Strangers On A Train, Sounder, WALL-E & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ Academy Museum
- ^ Xing, Jun (1998). Asian America Through the Lens. CA: AltaMira Press. p. 109. ISBN 9780761991762.
- ^ Who Killed Vincent Chin?. PBS. 1987. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ Who Killed Vincent Chin?. Filmmakers Library at filmmakers.com. 1987. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ "All duPont-Columbia Award Winners". Columbia Journalism School. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ^ "8th Annual Hawaii International Film Festival". Hawaii International Film Festival. Retrieved September 2, 2015.