Jalena Keane Lee
BARRIO CHINA HAVANA
HEARD CITY Post Production (sound editing and mixing) Grant
About the project: BARRIO CHINO HAVANA bears witness to how the last of the original Chinese immigrants in Cuba strive to keep their legacy alive through art in Havana’s fading Chinatown. The film explores the rich, but forgotten history of the Chinese in Cuba through the stories of four elders: Pedro, Mauro, Georgina, and Carridad — and their descendants. Barrio Chino, Havana’s once-vibrant Chinatown, one of the oldest and largest in Latin America, is now deteriorating along with its history.
It’s believed that one in 6 Cubans have a Chinese ancestor. But of the original Chinese who helped build Barrio Chino, there are only a handful left. Our story arc follows the life stories of some of the last remaining Chinese in Cuba as they share their experiences. Through their eyes, we will see the beauty and range of the Chinese diaspora, how the past often informs the present, and how history lives on through the legacies we leave.
About the filmmaker: Jalena Keane-Lee she/her (director) is a filmmaker who explores intergenerational trauma and healing through an intersectional lens. She’s currently directing her first feature length film, Standing Above the Clouds which follows Native Hawaiian mother daughter activists. Her short film by the same name screened at over 40 film festivals, won best short documentary at LA Asian Pacific Film Festival and Special Jury Mention from the Center for Asian American Media, streamed on the Criterion Collection, and broadcast on POV. Jalena co-founded Breaktide Productions, an all women of color production company that has won two Cannes Lion awards for branded content. She’s produced commercial series for Nike and Facebook, and won Tribeca Through Her Lens 2020. REST STOP, the short film she produced, premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2022 and won Best Short Film at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. She has been supported by the Sundance Edit Lab, NeXt Doc, Jacob Burns Film Center, Pacific Islanders in Communication, The Wyncote Fellowship, Nia Tero, CNN Films, and Points North Institute.
Doctor Kiona (co-director). Cady Lang (producer). Adrienne Wong (executive producer).