From Spikes to Spindles

This portrait of New York's Chinatown captures the early days of an emerging consciousness in the community in the 1970s.

Genre : Documentary

Contemporary Issues : Community Organizing , Police Brutality & State Violence , Anti-Asian Hate

Activism, Organizing and Social Movements American Studies Archival Stock Footage Available for Licensing Asian American and Pacific Islanders Studies Films Civil Rights Films

This raw, gutsy portrait of New York's Chinatown captures the early days of an emerging consciousness in the community. We see a Chinatown rarely depicted, a vibrant community whose young and old join forces to protest police brutality and hostile real estate developers. With bold strokes, it paints an overview of the community and its history, from the early laborers driving spikes into the transcontinental railroad to the garment workers of today.

Poster design by Starr Jiang

Directors : Christine Choy

Producers Credits :
Third World Newsreel

Original Format : 16mm

Available Format : DCP , Apple ProRes , MP4 , DVD

Markets : Documentary

Year Released : 1976

Running Time : 46

Color : Color

Country : US

Original Language : English/Cantonese

Streaming Partner : Alexander Street Press

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Voices of Impact: Our Community Speaks

"The work of veteran filmmaker Christine Choy has often been concerned with revising our commonly and uncritically held views, most often with hard-hitting footage that simply marvels."

All Movie Guide

'FROM SPIKES TO SPINDLES' established Choy as a significant force in the development of Asian-American cinema."

Scott MacDonald, A Critical Cinema 3: Interviews with Independent Filmmakers

"... A rare archive of the social and economic life, the urban fabric of Chinatown of the time and serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles of the residents and workers in the community faced with a widening wealth gap, rampant gentrification, and continued discrimination and unequal treatment."

Zhen Zhang, Professor and Director of Asian Film & Media Initiative, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University

"Documenting the Asian American movement in New York City with footage from community-based meetings, garment factories, protests, and the streets, in addition to interviews with Chinatown residents and Asian American activists, From Spikes to Spindles showcases the urban-based global politics of the mid-1970s, when Asian New Yorkers confronted the Cold War, fiscal crisis, and urban change."

Minju Bae, Assistant Professor of Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, New York University Gallatin