Who or What is Chonk Moonhunter?
Chonk Moonhunter.  The words in the name derive from "Chonk", a term created by
poets Curtis Choy and George Leong in San Francisco in 1970 to self-define (in the
manner of "Chicano" ) that which was "Chinese-American", and to escape an imposed
hyphenation/definition imposed by the lackeys, compradors, and apologists of the
power structure.
"Moonhunter" is a component of Iron Moonhunter, the legendary Chinaman-built
railroad created from stolen Central Pacific Railroad parts that would take them home
to China.  This is a story unearthed and promulgated by author Frank Chin, and
relayed as oral history until Kathleen Chang's interpretation in book form in 1974.
Chonk Moonhunter began with the intention of
creating Asian American works that would record
our history and define our identity.  This came on
the coattails of the civil rights movement
spearheaded by blacks, agricultural reforms led by
chicanos and Pilipinos, and the anti-Vietnam War
movement.  We produced segments for the
Dupont Guy radio show on KPFA and KFRC, aided
in the construction of a radio studio at Chinese For
Affirmative Action, produced the first Asian
American Film Festival, "Screaming Yellow
Hordes", in 1977. Curtis Choy designed and built a
sound recording/film editing facility in Oakland to
service Chonk Moonhunter projects, but also took
in commerical clients.  
Dupont Guy: The Schiz of
Grant Avenue
received the documentary award
from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences (yeah,
that Academy).   
illus by Curtis Choy
The Fall of the I-Hotel has won numerous festival prizes when released, but its lasting legacy is
its continuous use in Asian American Studies classes. Unfortunately, to this present day, banks
and private investors do not see these themes as sufficiently universal to produce revenue,
and thus, do not make the monetary commitments necessary to produce the work.  As always,
the real work is done ad hoc and guerilla-style.  Chonk Moonhunter, after completing
The Fall
of the I-Hotel
, was obliged to  go on a 20 year hiatus from its own work, while eking a livelihood
by serving commercial documentary and feature projects.  In the craft of location sound
recording, Curtis Choy has continued to aid other Asian American projects (
Chan is Missing,
The Joy Luck Club, Three Seasons, Better Luck Tomorrow
, American Fusion, Finishing The
Game...
)
Nancy Wong photo
Cinema verite is the truth told at 24
frames per second
        --- some French guy
No matter what anyone else says,
the very first Asian American Film
Festival in history was created by
Chonk Moonhunter.
illus. by Leland Wong
Thank you for bothering to make it this far down the page...

here's free admission to view art you'll never see in a
museum or commercial gallery...

               
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Curtis Choy photo