"A compelling consciousness-raiser of trenchant artistry, Amy Chen's 'The Chinatown Files' is a superb documentary, a triumph of organization, research and clarity that reveals the horrific impact of the McCarthy era upon the Chinese American community."
- Kevin Thomas, LA Times
“The 1950s and 1960s were an ugly time for thousands of Chinese Americans, clustered in Chinatowns across the country, who became the target of anti- communist fervor ignited by Sen. Joseph McCarthy and aimed at the Soviet Union and China. New York documentary filmmaker Amy Chen brings this era to life in "The Chinatown Files."
- Ryan Kim, San Francisco Chronicle
“The Chinatown Files… shows yellow-baiting is far from fresh. From animated cartoons to newspaper headlines, popular messages dubbed anyone who looked or sounded Chinese an oddity at best, at worst a threat. With testimony from the FBI, historians, and victims, the film recounts how thousands of Chinese Americans across the country—many of them U.S. citizens—were systematically spied on, interrogated, jailed, and often deported by government agencies, all in the name of national security and democracy.”
- Chisun Lee, The Village Voice
“In Amy Chen's revelatory documentary, "The Chinatown Files," some Chinese Americans tell of enduring endless harassment at the hands of government officials during the McCarthy-Cold War period. It's a part of both American and Chinese-American history that would have remained forgotten had Chen not felt spurred to tell this story, one that has been treated with 50 years of Silence.”
Honolulu Star-Bulletin“In Amy Chen's revelatory documentary, "The Chinatown Files," some Chinese Americans tell of enduring endless harassment at the hands of government officials during the McCarthy-Cold War period. It's a part of both American and Chinese-American history that would have remained forgotten had Chen not felt spurred to tell this story, one that has been treated with 50 years of Silence.”
- Honolulu Star-Bulletin
“Truth may be the first casualty of war, but justice and perspective were additional casualties of the cold war, as evidenced by The Chinatown Files (56 min.), Amy Chen’s riveting film about the hysteria surrounding Chinese-Americans during and just after the McCarthy era.”
- Chicago Reader
“Highly Recommended… It provides an appropriate background to the McCarthy era attacks on Chinese Americans, and examines the context for racism against the Chinese at the time.”
- Terry Plum, Educational Media Reviews Online
“Amy Chen's documentary is the first to explore Chinese-American experience during the "climate of fear" that McCarthyism produced, reminding viewers of the tenuous nature of civil rights.”
- VRT Notable Videos Committee, American Library Association
“Amy Chen’s documentary, The Chinatown Files, helped to illustrate the lingering bitterness, guilt, and sadness that resulted from the Confession Program."
- Lisa See, Shanghai Girls
