page_title: To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey
section_title: Synopsis
hierarchical_section_title: To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey / Synopsis
caption_attribution_description: English: Nancy Kwan was in Cambodia for the documentary To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey on March 5, 2007. The photo was taken by the documentary's unit photographer, Jonathan Lee.
context_page_description: To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey is a 2009 docudrama about actress Nancy Kwan. Directed and written by former Warner Bros. executive Brian Jamieson, the film depicts Kwan's meteoric rise to fame when she was selected to star in the 1960 film The World of Suzie Wong and the 1961 film Flower Drum Song. In an era when White people played the Asian roles in Hollywood, Kwan's achievement was groundbreaking. The film portrays Kwan's being cast for inconspicuous roles after her early success.
  To Whom It May Concern was filmed in locations in several countries, including Cambodia, Hong Kong, and the United States. In Cambodia's 12th-century temple Angkor Wat, Kwan grapples with the death of her son, Bernie Pock, from AIDS at the age of 33 in 1996.
  The film is being screened in film festivals internationally. It was awarded "Best Feature Documentary" by American International Film Festival and WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. Reviewers praised the documentary for its judicious use of archival footage and poignant interviews with Kwan. Several reviewers characterized the clips of Kwan's watching "The World of Suzie Wong" as unnecessary and unpolished.
context_section_description: The film largely proceeds chronologically with Kwan serving both as the person being interviewed and as the narrator. Her colleagues in Hollywood were generally interviewed in Los Angeles. Her family members and companions in her youth were interviewed in Hong Kong.
  Born to a Chinese architect and a Scottish model, Nancy Kwan was more interested in dancing than acting. In her adolescence, she attended the Royal Ballet School in London. After returning to Hong Kong from London, she mingled with people who were in a fervor that Hollywood's The World of Suzie Wong would be filmed there. Following the withdrawal from contention of France Nuyen, who played Suzie Wong on Broadway, Kwan auditioned for the role, clinching it. Producer Ray Stark had noticed Kwan while she was watching the auditions and asked her to do a screen test.
  Actress Joan Chen and film producer Bey Logan commented about Kwan's impact on the film industry for Asian actors. In an era when Caucasian actors played Asian roles because studios doubted Asians could achieve comparable success to whites at the box office, Kwan shattered the glass ceiling.  When Kwan was cast in the lead role for the 1961 Flower Drum Song, she seemed to be in an era in which Asian actors were embraced. The entire cast was Asian. However, the time of Asian actors being cast in prominent roles proved fleeting. In the late 1960 to 1980s, she was able to land only a string of inconspicuous roles in films and TV series, such as The Wrecking Crew, Kung Fu (TV series), Hawaii Five-O, and The A-Team. In 1972, Kwan returned to Hong Kong to assist in caring for her sick father. Remaining in Hong Kong for ten years, she not only continued acting but also became a producer.
  Director Brian Jamieson transitions from Kwan's stardom to her absolute love for her son, Bernhard Pock. Pock became a "poet, martial artist and stuntman". In 1995, he directed Rebellious, a small-budget film in which Kwan had a leading role. To Whom It May Concern depicted Nancy Kwan contending with the heartbreaking death of her son, Bernie, in 1996 at the age of 33. Pock had been infected with HIV from his girlfriend. He pleaded to his mother to visit and comfort his ailing girlfriend. Kwan said: "He asked me to go (help her) and I went. I did it for my son." Kwan was initially reluctant to talk about her son's death. Taking her to Cambodia on a spiritual trip, where she strode around the ruins of Angkor Wat, Jamieson convinced her to talk about the disheartening experience.
caption: Nancy Kwan in Cambodia on March 5, 2007
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