In 2019, students from New York City’s public school 124 staged stripped-down version of Disney’s musical Frozen. The elementary school is in New York’s Chinatown, and the overwhelming majority of the students there are of Asian descent, mostly Chinese. Directors Tong Hui and Kelly Ng were there to follow the teachers, students, and their parents, from audition to performance. Curtain Up is a documentary that deals with themes of identity, immigration, and generational conflict. 

Tong Hui, one of the directors of Curtain Up, is from Beijing.  He’s been screening the film in China.

If you're in the United States, you can watch the film on PBS until June 10 https://www.pbs.org/video/curtain-up-iii7ci/

The film's website is www.curtainupfilm.com

(1:50) clearing rights from Disney, (3:00) why Tong Hui wanted to make this film, (5:54) what's  the hardest thing about making a documentary with children, (7:54) the stereotype that Asians can't act, (11:00) minimizing the filmmakers' footprint in the classroom, (12:30) the American audiences' reactions to a character going to Chinese military school, (16:00) the different reactions to the film from Chinese audiences and American audiences, (18:54) why following William was a 'no-brainer', (21:23) the growth of the characters throughout the film,  (24:30) how the pandemic affected the rollout of the film, (28:00) feeling threatened in New York City, (31:30) what the children are up to now, (34:00) what's next for Tong Hui. 

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