[1] After immigrating to Canada from China over a century ago,[1] Cho’s father’s family came to the Chinatowns of Vancouver and Montreal.
[9] Karen Cho graduated from Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal, Quebec.
[6][9] In 2022, this work contributed to pressuring the Quebec provincial government to grant heritage status for two culturally relevant buildings, thus protecting them from demolition.
[8] After graduating from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, Cho made her first documentary, In The Shadow Of Gold Mountain (2004) at the National Film Board of Canada via a program for emerging filmmakers of colour.
[9][11] The Vancouver and Montreal Chinatowns featured in this documentary were key settings and communities in Cho’s earlier film, In the Shadow of Gold Mountain.