Film: Blurring The Color Line, Screening and Filmmaker Discussion

Blurring the Color Line is an award winning documentary directed by Crystal Kwok that centers on Chinese and Black race relations in the Jim Crow era South. The documentary moves beyond traditional Black‑and‑white racial narratives by examining the lives of Chinese grocers serving a Black community in Augusta, Georgia. By bringing this little well-known history to light, the film allows audiences to reexamine contemporary racial conflicts through the lens of a deeply linked past.

Based on stories from Crystal Kwok’s grandmother about her family’s grocery store, the film weaves together personal recollections that illustrate the complexities and contradictions of life within a racialized system.

After the screening, director Crystal Kwok will join a discussion moderated by Youth 1st Executive Director Renard Monroe, followed by an audience Q&A.

Crystal Kwok is an award‑winning filmmaker who began her career in Hong Kong as an actress, writer, director, and outspoken talk show host. Her debut feature, The Mistress (1999), won the Audience Choice Award at the Deauville Asiatic Film Festival. Her feature documentary Blurring the Color Line (2022) streamed nationally on PBS as part of America ReFramed in 2023 and earned multiple honors, including Best Documentary at the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival, the Courage Award at the DisOrient Film Festival, and the Mira Nair Rising Female Filmmaker Award at the Harlem International Film Festival.

This program is presented in proud partnership with SFPL’s African American Center and Chinese American Center.

Director: Crystal Kwok

NR, 77 mins., 2023. Closed captions (CC) in English. Chinese Subtitles.

Connect: Blurring the Color Line - Website |The University of Hong Kong - Website

《非黑非白》（Blurring the Color Line）是一部由 Crystal Kwok 執導、屢獲殊榮的紀錄片，聚焦於美國種族隔離時期（Jim Crow Era）南方地區華裔與非裔族群之間的關係。影片透過喬治亞州奧古斯塔（Augusta, Georgia）華人雜貨店主服務非裔社區的故事，突破傳統非黑即白的種族敘事框架。透過揭示這段鮮為人知的歷史，影片讓觀眾得以從彼此緊密交織的過去，重新思考當代的種族議題與衝突。

本片靈感來自 Crystal Kwok 外婆講述其家族經營雜貨店的故事，並穿插多段個人回憶，細膩呈現種族制度下生活的複雜性與矛盾。

放映結束後，導演 Crystal Kwok 將參與映後座談，並由 Youth 1st 行政總監 Renard Monroe 擔任主持，隨後開放觀眾問答交流。

Crystal Kwok 是一位獲獎無數的電影工作者，早年於香港以演員、編劇、導演及敢言的清談節目主持人身份展開演藝事業。她的首部劇情長片《The Mistress》（1999）榮獲杜維爾亞洲電影節（Deauville Asiatic Film Festival）觀眾票選獎。其紀錄長片《非黑非白》（2022）於 2023 年透過 PBS《America ReFramed》全國播映，並榮獲多項殊榮，包括矽谷亞太電影節最佳紀錄片、DisOrient 電影節勇氣獎，以及哈林國際電影節 Mira Nair 新銳女性電影人獎。

本活動由三藩市公立圖書館非裔美國人中心與華裔中心攜手合作呈獻。

導演：Crystal Kwok

NR（未分級），77 分鐘，2023 年。英語對白，附中文字幕（CC）。