Filmmaker: Alice Gu
Additional Representative: José Nuñez
Runtime: 99 min
Synopsis: In 1975, Ted Ngoy escaped the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, arriving in America via Camp Pendleton, California. Starting as a gas station janitor, he parlayed diligence and luck into the purchase of his first donut shop, launching an unlikely multi-million dollar fried pastry empire. Starting in Orange County, California, his Christy’s Doughnuts consortium continued to expand, providing a unique opportunity for Ngoy to lend a helping hand to his former countrymen and women. He sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming Cambodian refugees and offered them steady employment in his donut shops. By the mid-1980s, Ngoy was living his version of the American Dream: owner of multiple homes, driving fancy cars, taking lavish vacations, and officially becoming an American citizen. But a great rise often comes with a great fall. The Donut King explores immigration, assimilation, prejudice, and who gets access to The American Dream—and what happens when you achieve it.
About the Filmmaker
A Los Angeles native, Alice began her career as a Director of Photography, working with renowned directors Werner Herzog, Stacy Peralta, and Rory Kennedy, among others. Her commercial clients for print and live action include TBWA/ Chiat Day, Media Arts Lab, Deutsche, Edelman, Berlin Cameron, Cole & Weber, Pereira & O’Dell, Doremus, Publicis, Beats by Dre, Laird Hamilton, ESPN, FIFA, NFL, NHL, NBA, the WSL, Apple, Peta, and the American Humane
Association.
“The Donut King” is Alice’s feature directorial debut and has been selected to premiere in competition at SXSW 2020. A feature-length documentary about the rise and fall of a Cambodian refugee turned donut tycoon, “The Donut King” is executive produced by Academy Award-winner Freida Lee Mock and produced by Logan Content in association with Scott Free Productions.