Christine Choy
Christine Choy, the pioneering documentary filmmaker and educator whose work unflinchingly explored issues of race, justice, and the immigrant experience, passed away on December 7, 2025, at the age of 73. Born in Shanghai, Choy co-founded Third World Newsreel, an activist media collective that gave voice to marginalized communities.
She is perhaps best known for co-directing 'Who Killed Vincent Chin?' (1987), an Academy Award-nominated documentary that examined the murder of a Chinese-American man in Detroit and the subsequent miscarriage of justice. The film remains a seminal work in Asian American cinema. As a professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts for over three decades, she mentored countless young filmmakers, known for her brash, no-nonsense teaching style and fierce advocacy for independent media.
Choy died in the Bronx, New York. Her legacy lives on in her provocative films and the generations of storytellers she inspired to speak truth to power.
Those who wish to honor Christine's memory are invited to plant a tree in their name.