The Chinese Exclusion Act (film)

The Chinese Exclusion Act is a 2017 documentary film about the United States Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Produced by PBS as a "special presentation" for the American Experience documentary program, it explores how the Act's 61-year-long prohibition of Chinese immigrants to the United States had an effect on Chinese communities already living in the country. Directed by Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu, who also served as writer and editor respectively, the film premiered in the 2017 CAAMFest and aired on PBS in the United States on May 29, 2018.

Interviewees

 * Martin B. Gold, attorney
 * Erika Lee, historian
 * David Lei, community advocate
 * Mary Ting Yi Lui, historian
 * Mae Ngai, historian
 * Jean Pfaelzer, historian
 * Kevin Starr, historian
 * John Kuo Wei Tchen, historian
 * Ling-chi Wang, scholar
 * K. Scott Wong, historian
 * Renqiu Yu, historian

Production
The documentary began production in 2012.

Critical response
Mike Hale of The New York Times commended The Chinese Exclusion Act for its timeliness and stated that it serves as "a cautionary tale" for immigration in the United States, though he noted that the complex history recounted in the film "takes some focus on the viewer’s part to keep the thread." Hanh Nguyen of IndieWire gave the film a "B+", praising it as "sobering and eye-opening" and singling out its interviewees' enlightening commentary as the film's "real value".

Home media
The Chinese Exclusion Act was released on DVD by PBS on June 19, 2018.