Oversea Chinese is an important topic among Chinese cinema, it can be the best reflection of Chinese identity. In history, there were 3 or 4 waves of Chinese emigration, which targetted to North America, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Europe. Oversea Chinese in different era and region presents totally diferrent life situations. They are not only the product of specific historical society, but also the narrative subject and object shining with the light of human nature. How do overseas Chinese in different eras and places think about their identity as a minority and their connection to their homeland?
CathayPlay selects 6 films of oversea Chinese, in order to present this topic. 'Golden Gate Girls' and 'Havana Divas' by Louisa Wei tell the stories of Chinese female artists in 20th; 'Arribeños' present an overview of a Chinese community from the perspective of a native Argentine. In 'Heidi in China' by Swiss filmmaker François Yang, with his mother returning to China to find her roots as a clue, the story of the political changes around 1949 is excavated. Tan Chui Mui's 'South of South' sets in kuantan in the 1980s, it reflects Chinese families with Vietnamese refugees at that time. Yi Chen's 'First Vote' looks at the new Chinese immigrants who voted for the first time in the U.S. election, we see the great tearing of America today.