女人世界 – Chinatown-Cha-Cha

synopsis
故事梗概

The 92-year-old previous nightclub dancer Coby Yee decides to get back on stage again after joining the senior dance troupe Grant Avenue Follies. Together they go on a tour for the last time, bridging once isolated Chinese communities in the US, Cuba and China.
作为旧金山唐人街黄金年代的亲历者，一群七旬至九旬的美国华裔舞者再度走上巡演之路，从美国、古巴，最终来到中国，谱写出一曲海内外华人世界交汇的动人乐章。

“Chinatowns are more than just footholds for the Chinese diaspora scattered across the world. Their rich cultural importance in relation to the history of migration has long been an inspiration for artists and creatives, including the Beijing-born visual artist and filmmaker Luka Yuanyuan Yang. ”

- Artnet

“Ultimately, Chinatown Cha-cha is a meditation on art as memory; how a once-glittering stage can still shimmer through the footsteps of those who danced upon it. By honoring both the glamour and grit of a vanishing era, Yang’s film ensures that Coby Yee—and the vibrant world she inhabited—will not be forgotten.”

- Asian American Arts Alliance

“Through the stories of these remarkable women, the film captures not only the passion they bring to the stage but also their reflections on aging, identity, and their lives framed within the broader tapestry of Chinese-American history. More than just a film, Chinatown Cha-Cha is a celebration of life and the unyielding spirit of these women who continue to dance through the rhythms of time.”

- China Minutes

"The project feels so compelling is less due to any ostensible shared 'roots' between the artist and her subjects than a result of the copious care and love with which Yang treats them in lens-mediated space."

- Frieze Magazine

FESTIVAL HISTORY
入围影展

NEW ZEALAND

Doc Edge [Academy Award Qualifying Festival] (2025)

Russia

The Arctic International Film Festival (2025)

Awards & Recognition

奖项

Nesnady and Schwartz Documentary Competition: Best Documentary Nominee
Cleveland International Film Festival (2025)

Best Feature & Audience Choice Award

MINT Chinese Film Festival (2025)

Kau Ka Hōkū Award Nominee

Hawaii International Film Festival (2024)

New Filmmaker Award

China Documentary Academy Award (2024)

Cross-Cultural Creator of the Year

BAZAAR Art Awards (2024)

Bvlgari Avrora Award: Inspiring Women

BVLGARI (2023)

Most Potential Project

Beijing International Film Festival WIP Project Pitches (2023)

Jinji Huayi Award

Pingyao International Film Festival (2021)

Best International Pitch

Doc Edge Pitch Forum (2021)

Production Timeline

2018
Encounter | 相遇
Director Luka Yuanyuan Yang meets the protagonists of “Chinatown Cha-Cha” in Las Vegas, and the film enters the pre-production phase

导演杨圆圆和《女人世界》的主角们相遇在拉斯维加斯，影片开始进入前期筹划阶段
2018
Start Filming | 开机
“Chinatown Cha-Cha” officially begins filming in Chinatown, Havana, Cuba
《女人世界》在古巴哈瓦那的唐人街正式开机
2019
Filming | 拍摄
Filming in San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Hawaii, USA
在美国旧金山、拉斯维加斯、夏威夷拍摄
2019
Filming | 拍摄
Filming in China. Pictured is Luka Yuanyuan Yang’s collaboration with a dance troupe at the Shanghai Bund Art Museum, in the form of video installation + performance.
在中国的拍摄。图为杨圆圆与舞团在上海外滩美术馆的合作，形式为影像装置+演出。
2020
Post-production | 后期
The film enters post-production
因为疫情，拍摄计划被迫终止，影片进入后期阶段。
2020
Film Venture Capital Conference | 创投会
Participates in CNEX CCDF-11 (2020)
参与CNEX华人纪录片提案大会（2020 CCDF-11）
2020
Film Venture Capital Conference | 创投会
One International Women’s Film Festival – WIP Program (2020)
山一国际女性电影展 – WIP创投会（2020）
2021
Kickstarter | 发起众筹
“Chinatown Cha-Cha” initiates crowdfunding for post-production funds, with the crowdfunding video receiving over 500,000 views in a week.
影片为筹措后期资金，发起众筹，众筹视频首周的浏览量超过50万次。
2021
Film Venture Capital Conference | 创投会
Doc Edge Rough Cut & Doc Edge Pitch
2021
Film Venture Capital Conference | 创投会
5th Beijing Documentary Week “8-Minute Pitch” Top 10 Proposals

第五届北京纪实影像周 “提案8分钟’ 十佳提案
2021
Film Venture Capital Conference | 创投会
Pingyao International Film Festival WIP Program – Jinji Huayi Award
平遥国际电影展WIP单元 – 金鸡华益奖
2023
Film Venture Capital Conference | 创投会
Aranya Wave Film Festival – WIP Project Award
AWFF海浪电影周·WIP制作中项目年度荣誉

Screenshot
2023
Film Venture Capital Conference | 创投会
Beijing International Film Festival WIP Project Pitches
北京国际电影节项目创投WIP项目
2023
Awards | 导演获奖
Luka Yuanyuan Yang receives the Bvlgari Avrora Award: Inspiring Women
导演获得宝格丽闪耀之辉奖项
2024
Film Festival | 入围电影节
Pingyao International Film Festival – Hidden Dragons (September 2024)
平遥国际电影展 – 藏龙单元（2024年9月）
2024
Film Festival | 入围电影节
Hawaii International Film Festival – Official Selection (October 2024)
夏威夷国际电影节 – 主竞赛（2024年10月）