''The Donut King'' is a 2020 American documentary film which tells the life story of California donut shop owner
Ted Ngoy
Ted Ngoy (born Bun Tek Ngoy; 1942) is a Cambodian American entrepreneur and former owner of a chain of doughnut shops in California. He is nicknamed the "Donut King."
Biography
Ted Ngoy was born in the Cambodian village of Serei Saophoan, Si ...
.
Development
The Donut King was directed by Alice Gu, and is her first
feature film.
Having grown up in
Los Angeles, she was doubtful when her children's nanny made a reference to "Cambodian" donuts; she thought all donuts were simply "American."
Upon looking into the matter, she learned about Ted Ngoy and became fascinated with the topic.
She reached out to Ngoy and other Cambodian families who ran donut shops, and within six weeks began principal photography.
Production
Ngoy was hesitant to return to California for the film; he was estranged from his children and former friends.
Gu persuaded him to and, ultimately, he regarded his return as a 'healing experience,' and his ex-wife and children have forgiven him.
Release
''The Donut King'' had its world premiere in the Documentary Feature Competition the
South by Southwest film festival
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...
.
Reception
Critical response
The film received 69/100 on
Metacritic, receiving "generally favorable reviews."
In a positive review, Richard Whittaker with
The Austin Chronicle said that "Gu does stellar work compiling and constructing Ngoy’s life story through interviews and archive and contemporary footage," and added "the animation sequences by
Chapeau Studios and
1881 Animation
Events
January–March
* January 1–January 24, 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkmen people, Turkomans.
* January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San ...
that make the perfect drizzle of icing."
Giving it three-out-of-four stars, Nick Allen of
RogerEbert.com
''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times' ...
called the ''The Donut King'' "a heartwarming albeit scattered documentary from director Alice Gu," and praised the film for "its balance of poppy visuals and detailed history."
In a mixed review,
Brad Wheeler
Brad may refer to:
* Brad (given name), a masculine given name
Places
* Brad, Hunedoara, a city in Hunedoara County, Romania
* Brad, a village in Berești-Bistrița Commune, Bacău County, Romania
* Brad, a village in Filipeni, Bacău, Romani ...
of
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
said the film is "well worth watching" while saying there "are holes in this doughnut story."
Impact
Whittaker said that "as
Asian Americans face increasing racism, its closing message about how immigrant communities...define America has only become more timely."
References
External links
*
*
The Donut King' at PBS.org
2020 films
2020 documentary films
American documentary films
Documentary films about businesspeople
Films about Cambodian Americans
2020s English-language films
2020s American films
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