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Unwanted Soldiers
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Unwanted Soldiers (2000)
This year, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is proud to present
the Canada Award to the documentary, Unwanted Soldiers.
The Canada Award, supported by the Multiculturalism Program of the Department
of Canadian Heritage, honours excellence in mainstream television programming
that reflects the racial and cultural diversity of Canada. It aims to promote
greater opportunity for ethnic and visible minority professionals within the
broadcasting industry on both sides of the camera.
Written and directed by Jari Osborne and produced by Karen King for the National
Film Board, Unwanted Soldiers is an important and uniquely Canadian story. From
the back alleys of Vancouver's Chinatown to the treacherous jungles of Japanese-occupied
Malaya in World War II, Ms. Osborne charts an historical journey that leads to
heroic victory for Canada's Chinese community.
Unwanted Soldiers documents the shocking story of Ms. Osborne's father, Alex
Louie and his legacy as a member of the Special Operations Executive (S.O.E.)
- a top-secret military initiative that saw the political manipulation of Chinese-Canadians
during a period of intense racism. Using a combination of rare archival footage
and present-day interviews, the story reveals long-guarded testimony from several
Canadian-born Chinese men who were sworn to secrecy. The result is an edifying
chronicle of the lives of brave soldiers who volunteered for duty with the hopes
of securing the solid credentials that would bring them full citizenship rights.
In her outstanding directorial debut, Jari Osborne pays tribute to her extraordinary
father who made a courageous leap of faith to become Canadian. She describes, "In
making Unwanted Solders, I discovered a story that I needed to hear and my father
needed to tell."
Along with the Multiculturalism Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage,
the Academy is honoured to raise the awareness of cultural significance in Canadian
television programming in bestowing Unwanted Soldiers with the Canada Award.
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