# Lost Years: A People's Struggle for Justice

Lost Years: A People's Struggle for Justice (Chinese: 失去的岁月) is a 2011 documentary directed by Kenda Gee and Tom Radford. The film premiered on December 5, 2011, at the Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, where it won the Best Documentary Award for history and culture. The film also aired as a two-part, national television mini-series for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. A series of extended episodes subsequently aired on CTV Two Alberta, June 8 and 15, 2013, with repeat broadcasts on November 16 and 23.
Gee and Radford began work on the film in late 1999, taking twelve years to fully research the movie. Of the film, Gee and Radford stated that they were "originally inspired by the tale of Larry Kwong of Vernon".

## Synopsis

The documentary centres on the family story of director Kenda Gee and the last 150 years of the Chinese diaspora in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. The movie begins documenting Gee's ancestors from 1910 China, further progressing through the years focusing on the racism that they and other Chinese emigrants experienced, and culminating with Hanson Lau and Gee's leadership in the campaign to redress the Chinese Head tax in Canada and abroad. The epic documentary follows "two journeys: one historical, in search of a new life; one modern, in search of justice." Lost Years features interviews with Chinese Canadians and Chinese emigrants such as Larry Kwong, the first Chinese Canadian to play in the NHL, Norman Kwong, former professional athlete and Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, and Gim Wong, decorated RCAF officer and Chinese head tax redress advocate, amongst others.

## Awards and nominations

Lost Years has been nominated for several awards, which includes the Golden Trailer Awards and Canadian Screen Awards. Director Kenda Gee has also received an Alumni Award of Excellence from the University of Alberta in recognition for his work with the documentary.
| Award | Category | Result |
| 2013 Sichuan TV Festival | Special Jury Award – International Gold Panda Award for Best Documentary (Society) | Nominated |
| 2013 International Film Festival Manhattan (Winner, 3 Awards) | Best of the Best Best Documentary Film Achievement & Social Advocacy | Won |
| 2013 Golden Trailer Awards | Best Documentary Poster | Nominated |
| 2013 Canadian Screen Awards (Finalist, 2 Nominations, excluding Canada Award Nomination) | Best Original Music for a Non-Fiction Program or Series, Best Sound in an Information-Documentary Program or Series | Nominated |
| 2013 Asians on Films Festival Awards | Best Feature Documentary | Won |
| 2012 Rhode Island International Film Festival | Best Feature Documentary Grand Award | Won |
| 2012 IMP Awards | Honorable Mention | Won |
| 2011 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival | Best Documentary Award and Prize for History and Culture | Won |
| 2012 Yorkton Film Festival | Golden Sheaf Award for Best Multicultural | Nominated |
| 2012 Park City Film Music Festival | Best Impact of Music in a Documentary | Nominated |
| 2012 Seattle International Film Festival | Official Selection | Nominated |
| 2012 Alberta Media Production Industries Association Awards (Finalist, 6 Nominations) | Best Documentary over 30 minutes, Best Cinematographer Non-Fiction Over 30, Best Editor Non-Fiction Over 30, Best Overall Sound Non-Fiction, Best Production Reflecting Cultural Diversity, Best Screenwriter Non-Fiction Over 30 | Nominated |
| 2012 Canadian Society of Cinematographers Awards | Robert Brooks Award for Documentary Cinematography | Nominated |