CASCADIA Presents: Donuts & A Movie
Did you know that nearly 80% of all independent donut shops in Southern California are operated by Cambodian refugees?
In fact, pretty much everything you thought you knew about the donut begins with Ted Ngoy––a Cambodian refugee who arrived in America in 1975 and began building an unlikely multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut.
Ted’s rags-to-riches story is profiled in the new documentary,?"The Donut King,”?directed by Alice Gu, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, who discovered Ted in Los Angeles while researching “Cambodian donuts.”
CASCADIA presents a screening of "The Donut King" at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3 at Boundary Bay Beer Garden (1107 Railroad Ave., Bellingham).
Gu learned later that Cambodian donuts are just regular donuts made by Cambodian people. She was, however, surprised to learn there are more than 5,000 independent donut shops in California and Cambodians own up to 80% of them.
Gu became so fascinated that one of the most American foods, the donut, is nearly entirely made by Cambodians west of the Mississippi that she tracked down the Donut King, now living in Cambodia, and two months later she was there filming. Watch the trailer.
Ted also sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business.
One of the film's executive producers, Freida Lee Mock, has been an active participant in The Action Project, a grassroots group of Asian-American Academy and Emmy Award-recognized creatives and leaders in entertainment and other fields, formed to help stop violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and to share their stories. Mock was also?CASCADIA's?Honored Guest in 2019.
“CASCADIA?is pleased to bring this inspiring film directed by Alice Gu to our audiences. Its story of Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy who built a donut shop empire in Southern California is moving and fascinating and illustrates the valuable contributions that immigrants and Asian Americans like him bring to our country,” said Executive Director Cheryl Crooks.
CASCADIA will also be providing donuts from Lafeens Family Pride Donuts and Ice Cream in Bellingham. Lafeen's owner, Chan Samuth, is also Cambodian and learned to make donuts in Southern California at Stanley's Donuts in Los Angeles' South Gate neighborhood.
Admission is by suggested donation of $10, which can be made on CASCADIA's website here:?https://bit.ly/3EEjF0S. All proceeds benefit CASCADIA.
Panel Discussion
CASCADIA?is taking the opportunity to present a panel discussion that evening prior to the film about the contributions Asian Americans, like those in the film, are making to our country and the ongoing problem of attacks against them. Baozhen Luo, a professor of sociology at Western Washington University and former?CASCADIA?board member, will lead the discussion on October 3.
Proof of vaccination is required by CASCADIA at the door and masks are required unless eating or drinking.?Boundary Bay Brewery?#beer?and food will be available for sale.
More info and RSVP here:?https://bit.ly/2WmX2wG
About CASCADIA
Now entering its sixth year,?CASCADIA?showcases and celebrates exceptional films directed by women. It is one of only a handful of festivals in the U.S. currently dedicated to this purpose. The organization also works year-round to provide film production, exhibition, and distribution education.
Since its first festival five years ago,?CASCADIA?has presented films by more than 125 women directors from around the world and more than half of the films shown at their 2021 were made by women of color. Last year's festival included eight full-length features and 19 short films including animated films, documentaries, and narrative films from 14 different countries. Films by students, emerging directors and Indigenous women are also usually in the mix.
More information about?CASCADIA?may be found on their website at www.cascadiafilmfest.org.
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A Note From “Donut King” Director Alice Gu
By Alice Gu, Director
As an LA-born and raised child of Chinese immigrants, I grew up like any other normal American kid––I had loads of friends, took ballet, tennis, piano, you name it. I went to sleepovers, ate hamburgers, and pursued the career of my dreams.
I learned of Ted Ngoy’s story after having a conversation with my nanny about “Cambodian donuts." I pressed her to explain what exactly a Cambodian donut was, and she said it was a donut made by Cambodian people. I argued that it was still just a donut, not a Cambodian donut. This seemingly innocuous conversation led me to research more about Cambodian donuts and I found an article about Ted Ngoy, “The Donut King.”
I discovered that there are an estimated 5,000 independent donut shops in California and Cambodians own up to 80% of them. I became fascinated by the irony that one of the most American foods, the donut, is nearly entirely made by Cambodians west of the Mississippi.
I found the “Donut King,” now living in Cambodia, and two months later I was there filming. Ted’s story was much more than I had initially imagined – as a man who escaped the Khmer Rouge and genocide, arrived as a refugee at Camp Pendleton (a military base in Southern California), and then by virtue of hard work he became a millionaire just three years later.
Though my parents were not shop owners, I instantly connected with the immigrant story of my parents’ own journey from China, fleeing the Communist Revolution. Through my travels, I came to realize that we all, collectively, are not so different from one another. We want the same basic things––to be loved, to feel secure, to have food, opportunity, and to be able to provide.
I couldn’t ignore the parallels regarding immigrants/refugees in 1975 and 2019. I couldn’t ignore the difference in attitudes and leadership between then and now. While making this film, I couldn’t have felt prouder to be an American and proud of American ideals, or rather, what I know American ideals to be. In a time of such divisiveness, I wanted to present a story of the American Dram and togetherness. I hope audiences have fun watching. The film — after all, it is about donuts — but it also gives a human face to refugees and dreams that can be realized, if just given a chance.?
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A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.
Upon first glance, “The Donut King” appears to be a documentary about a familiar, sugary, round pastry we all know and (mostly all) love. But, it’s about more than that. It’s with intentionality and love that I crafted this Trojan Horse.
Donuts are ubiquitous. They’re in pretty much every strip mall. Who even thinks about them? Who makes them? Well, if you’re walking into a mom-and-pop donut shop on the West Coast, there is a very high probability that your donut maker was a Cambodian refugee.
It was important for me to tell this story. It was important for me to tell this story in terms that people could easily understand. I wanted to do a bit of a “bait and switch”. The donuts are the lure or the Trojan Horse. A history lesson in American morality at the highest political level and its relationship with refugees are the unexpected army inside.
While this is a story about a particular refugee, Donut King Ted Ngoy, who achieved the American Dream, this is a story that is applicable on a global level. The refugee crisis is a global humanitarian problem. It is no secret that refugees find a difficult time finding acceptance and opportunity. The Donut King is a film that sheds light on American policy in the 1970s. As a military historian says in the film, “The world was watching.”
At the time, and even now, the world looks to America as the moral leader on how to navigate difficult situations, including situations of displaced persons. Refugees are looking for security. For countries and citizens hesitant to accept refugees, often looked upon with suspicion and hatred, The Donut King humanizes refugees and shows how they can thrive and become part of the community if given the chance. The film is even more timely now, with xenophobia on the rise around the world.
Currently, in the wake of COVID-19 In America, we have seen a 900% increase in hate speech and a new wave of assaults on Asian Americans. This was certainly encountered in the 1970s, featured in the film. However, this one refugee from Cambodia, through donut diplomacy, changed the hearts and minds of communities, who at the time, had rarely encountered any individuals from Asia.
With all the noise and clutter of sensationalized media, documentaries are the guiding voice on real storytelling for impact and change. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of “The Donut King” will be donated to Refugees International as part of our impact campaign. “The Donut King” joins?Refugees International?in its commitment to the protection of displaced people and will donate proceeds of any sale to help accomplish their work.