The Donut King Premieres at SXSW
Photo by @thedonutkingfilm
626 Night Market is proud to present the documentary film The Donut King! As an executive producer on the film, we chose to help produce this film because the story of The Donut King resonates with us. Many Asian Americans in our community came from humble beginnings and have immigrant parents who started small businesses in the food industry like donut shops to support their families. It’s a story of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption.
The American Dream. A phrase used to describe many things. It could represent money and success for some or getting an education for others. The American Dream is different for everyone and it has evolved throughout the years, but we’ve all come to know it as an opportunity to better life in some way. People always think of the American Dream when they picture a new life in the United States. They dream of success and happiness, and who can blame them. The many rags to riches stories of immigrants power this opportunity and dream. Ted Ngoy is one of those stories.
Photo by @thedonutkingfilm
Originally from Cambodia, Ngoy came to America as a refugee in 1975. Having to create a new life for him and his family, he found this opportunity in a rather surprising form, donuts! Taking what he had and running with it, Ngoy was able to build a multi-million dollar empire with his chain of donut stores. Along the way he also helped and provided opportunities for other refugees by employing them and helping them start their lives in America. But despite establishing such a successful donut empire, he went through more ups and downs throughout his life.
The Donut King, directed by Alice Gu, is a documentary about Ted Ngoy. Not only is this documentary Gu’s feature-length directorial debut, but The Donut King will also be having its worldwide premiere at SXSW 2020. Show your support for this great American story by downloading the SXSW app and marking The Donut King as your favorite!
South by Southwest is an annual event lasting 10 days in Austin, Texas. It is full of unparalleled discovery, learning, and networking opportunities with creatives across tech, film, and music industries. Having a film selected for the festival is a great achievement. SXSW typically selects a little more than 250 projects for their program. This year, a total of 8,362 films submitted making that a less than 4% selection rate! Congrats to The Donut King and don’t forget to support them at SXSW and their future screenings and premieres!
