Sacramento State will display a bit of film history. The university will show the first Chinese-American independent film produced in America Thursday.

Greg Mark is an Ethnic Studies professor at Sacramento State. In 1916 his great-aunt produced the film and his grandmother starred in it. Mark says the film was a secret until the 1960’s when his grandmother showed him the film canisters and asked him to do something with them. He says the film was sophisticated for its time.

"It tries to cover a social issue, but in reverse, of the acculturation of a group," says Mark. "In this case it was a Chinese- American family going to China to be blessed with their marriage and trying to acculturate to life in the village in China."

Mark says the film was eventually donated to the Motion Picture Academy, which digitized it. He says about half the film is missing.

It will be shown in the Sac State Student Union Thursday at 3 p.m.

Full interview on Insight with Beth Ruyak.

Follow us for more stories like this