Excellence in Video Storytelling, Short-Form
Alex Lo, Richard Lui, “Paper Sons and Daughters: Secrets of Angel Island,” NBC News
ABOUT THE WORK: In the early 20th century, Chinese immigrants arriving at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay were forced to adopt new family names due to restrictive immigration policies. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act—the first major U.S. law to ban a specific racial or national group—compelled many Chinese migrants to falsely claim familial ties to Chinese Americans who had legal residency. To circumvent this discriminatory law, they relied on forged or purchased identity papers, adopting new family names and becoming known as 'paper sons and daughters.' Many took their secret to their graves. Today, an estimated one in three Chinese Americans are descended from this system, a testament to resilience in the face of systemic exclusion.
Alex Lo is an Emmy award-nominated documentary film and broadcast news producer whose extensive portfolio has been seen everywhere from NBC’s TODAY Show, to the United Nations, to the private cinema at the White House. He is the producer of two feature films on caregiving: “UNCONDITIONAL”, screened at the White House, U.S. Capitol and the European Parliament, is 2023’s most widely-distributed documentary; “Sky Blossom”, his $3.1M debut effort, was an Academy Award® qualifier that premiered at the Kennedy Center. He has negotiated distribution deals with Peacock, American Public Television/PBS, produced top-rated broadcasts for MSNBC, and forged an unprecedented community partnership between Universal Pictures Distribution and AMC Theatres to release impact-driven films in all 50 U.S. states. Lo’s reporting for NBC News helps guide breaking coverage on NBC’s TODAY, Nightly News, and MSNBC. He has produced exclusive interviews with newsmakers like Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, and also contributes to NBC's Olympics coverage. Lo is a longtime volunteer with the Asian American Journalists Association, and also a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA).
Richard Lui is an award-winning journalist with over 30 years in media, technology, and business, and is the first and longest-serving AAPI Male news anchor on national television, currently broadcasting for MSNBC/NBC News, and previously for CNN Worldwide. As a documentary filmmaker he recently released the Oscars- and Grammy-qualifying films ‘Sky Blossom’ (2021) and ‘UNCONDITIONAL’, (2023) which were honored with an unprecedented series of premieres at the White House, U.S. Congress, United Nations, and European Parliament, along with nationwide distribution from Universal Pictures & AMC Theatres. Before journalism, Richard spent 15 years in business, launching six brands over three tech cycles and patenting a fintech model with Citibank Singapore. He has held board seats at fintech and AI firms, as well as various non-profits, including the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and Freedom United. He is a fellow at the National Association of Corporate Directors, one of 200 US State Dept. Traveling Speakers, a Senior Fellow at think tank German Marshall Fund, and ambassador for NGOs focusing on gender equality and human trafficking.Lui is the author of the bestselling and award-winning book "Enough About Me: The Unexpected Power of Selflessness" from HarperCollins Zondervan, as well as author of the groundbreaking Impact at Work risk reports released at Davos, SXSW, CES, and Cannes Lions. Lui is seen as an authority on inclusion and the care economy, serving as an ambassador for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s Hidden Heroes campaign, AARP, and the Alzheimer’s Association.
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