After a decade of spirited resistance to the razing of Manilatown, the battle for housing in San Francisco ends in the brutal eviction of the elderly tenants of the International Hotel. "The Fall of the I-Hotel" serves as the witness to the community's fight to survive, and as a tribute to the dignity and strength of the “Manongs”, or elderly tenants of the hotel.

Viewed continuously by students of Asian American Studies since its original release in 1983, "The Fall of the I-Hotel" not only documents the struggle to save the I-Hotel, it also provides an overview of Filipino American history. This is not just a story about old men in an old building, but of multiple tragedies: ethnic communities redeveloped out of existence, housing gobbled up by realtors, the shabby treatment of the elderly, and the betrayal of American ideals learned in the Philippines by its American pioneers.

This is a restored and optimized version of the iconic "The Fall of the I-Hotel" documentary by Curtis Choy about a historic event that continues to be important to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Asian Pacific Islander communities.

DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER: Curtis Choy

INTERVIEWERS: Al Robles, Chris Chow, Norman Jayo, Emiko Omori, Nancy Wong

LENGTH: 60 min

LANGUAGES: English, Tagalog

COUNTRY: United States

GENRE: Documentary

ACCOLADES / FESTIVALS

1985 Atlanta Film Festival | First Prize

1985 Palo Alto Film Festival | First Prize

National Housing Festival
1985 Big Muddy Film Festival | Best of Fest
1985 San Francisco International Film Festival | Honorable Mention
2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
2023 Diwa Filipino Film Showcase of Seattle

Featured Community Partners: Asian Texans for Justice