This clip from director Felicia Lowe gives us a glimpse into
her documentary film Carved in Silence. Through the perspectives of several actual detainees, Carved in Silence reimagines the experiences of immigrants fleeing political and economic turmoil in China to journey across the Pacific Ocean for a better life. 

Lowe received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to make Carved in Silence, so like KQED’s rendition of the Angel Island experience, the film has education in mind, and has been incorporated in classroom settings to raise awareness about the history of Angel Island. The KQED video and Lowe’s film both act out the alternative histories through a similar voice-over technique, which invites the viewers to imagine how detainees might have told their own stories. 

In contrast to KQED’s interview and photograph-based style, Carved Silences personifies the stories of those immigrants by featuring live actors and including more artistic elements such as shots of a seagull circling high up in the sky and one shot of running water reflecting sunlight. Lowe’s rendition of the impact of detainment on Angel Island speaks to the personal, the individual experience, bridging the distance between the past and present.

By Samantha Ching

Media Credits: Lowedown Productions