Forbidden City, USA: Chinatown Nightclubs, 1936-1970

12/05/2026

Hear from and see early works from the directors of Wicked, Crazy Rich Asians, The Wedding Banquet, Fire Island, and Forbidden City, USA. May 13, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. TICKETS: https://www.academymuseum.org/programs/detail/an-evening-of-short-films-from-asian-american-filmmakers-019be210-a94b-d065-dfac-b8b273f32904

08/05/2026

Join us May 13 for an evening of short films at the Academy Museum — in person: Academy Governor Chris Tashima, and filmmakers Andrew Ahn (Wedding Banquet, Fire Island), Nazrin Choudhury (Red, White and Blue), John Chu (Wicked, Crazy Rich Asians), and Arthur D**g (Hollywood Chinese, Forbidden City, USA).

Tickets: https://www.academymuseum.org/programs/detail/an-evening-of-short-films-from-asian-american-filmmakers-019be210-a94b-d065-dfac-b8b273f32904

Program notes: The Academy is celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage month with this selection of short films featuring Asian American filmmakers and stories. The evening includes two animated films, Ishu Patel’s Oscar-nominated Bead Game (1977), and Soar (2014), from filmmaker Alyce Tzue. Arthur D**g’s Oscar-nominated documentary short, Sewing Woman (1982), tells the life story of the filmmaker’s mother, while Sean Wang (Dìdi) was nominated for his documentary Nai Nai & Wài Pó (2023), depicting the close friendship of his elderly grandmothers. Jon M. Chu (Wicked, 2024) won a DGA Student Film Award for his musical short Gwai Lo: The Little Foreigner (2002). Filmmaker Andrew Ahn (Fire Island, 2022) made his short film Dol (First Birthday, 2011) partly as a way of coming out to his parents. Masami Kawai’s Nami (2015) depicts a day in the life of a grieving widow in her journey across Los Angeles. In Amrita Singh’s Winning in America (2021), a teenage girl faces the challenges of a spelling bee and her coach father.

10/04/2026

April 18, 12-2pm: Come meet the authors of ForbiddenCityBook.com, HollywoodChineseBook.com, and Crusing J-Town at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books!

12/06/2025

Going out-of-print. There's only one remaining copy of ForbiddenCityBook.com left for sale — after it's gone, the book will be out-of-print. Folks will probably still be able to find it used on Amazon and reseller sites like eBay, but this is the last NEW copy officially from the publisher.

WINNER of the 2015 American Book Award, now in a luxurious HARDCOVER edition! FORBIDDEN CITY, USA captures the magic and glamour of a Chinese American nightclub scene that peaked in San Francisco during World War II. Meet the "Chinese Sinatra," the "Chinese Ginger Rogers," the "Chinese Fred Astai...

31/05/2025

June 17 at 6:30pm: The Chinese American Museum presents trailblazing icon NANCY KWAN —Flower Drum Song! The World of Suzie Wong!— at the Los Angeles launch of her book, "The World of Nancy Kwan: A Memoir by Hollywood’s Asian Superstar." Join director/writer Arthur D**g in conversation with Ms. Kwan for this special free event and book signing. RSVP: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/fcamla/hong-kong-to-hollywood-the-world-of-nancy-kwan

21/04/2025

"Forbidden City, USA" director Arthur D**g joins host Curtis Chin on the InfatuAsian Podcast for a deeply personal and inspiring conversation. From childhood days in a Chinatown sewing factory to filming his first high school movie, and on through five decades of groundbreaking filmmaking, Arthur shares the journey that led to the release of THE ARTHUR D**G COLLECTION from Kino Lorber.

🎧 Listen free at infatuasian.podbean.com

While you’re there, don’t miss Curtis’s conversations with a stellar lineup of Asian American trailblazers, including journalist Connie Chung, Michelin-starred chef Brandon Jew, playwright Lauren Yee, graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, celebrity chef Ming Tsai, actor Kelvin Han Yee, and many others.

More on the Arthur D**g Collection here: https://www.deepfocusproductions.com/arthur-dong-collection/

08/04/2025

In this new series, SFist highlights the stories of Bay Area residents and the communities they support, featuring Arthur D**g, San Francisco native and filmmaker; Hafeth “Omar” Mansouri and his canine colleague Major of "Corner Stories;" and trans barber Santana Vasquez. Read the full article here: https://sfist.com/2025/04/06/interesting-humans-arthur-dong-film-collection-showcases-pioneering-queer-and-asian-american-stories/

26/03/2025

"The Arthur D**g Collection is a fitting tribute to a great filmmaker. His stories are our stories, and they need to be told." — Bay Area Reporter

Read the full review here: https://www.ebar.com/story/153646/Arts%20%26%20Culture/Movies/Arthur%20D**g%20films%20rereleased%3A%20celebrating%20LGBT%20and%20Asian%20stories%20on%20Blu-ray?fbclid=IwY2xjawJQ__1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHb2HNZz5g_LHHP4wkVuIyIRAUM0NSzGpA-tbD5zbe7TYBCHUcY6hVPpokw_aem_XvBzsSfvY1FZR3hMUjsoiA