Private Project

Oakland Originals – Gilbert Gong

A neglected park in Oakland’s historic Chinatown becomes the unlikely stage for a neighborhood’s renewal as recreation director and local son Gilbert Gong rallies seniors, teens and children to confront growing fear and division by restoring safety, connection, and pride in their community.

  • Jim McSilver
    Producer
    Judging Juries, Oakland Originals - Asiya Wadud, Blau Jeans, The Split Horn: Life of A Hmong Shaman in America
  • J.P. Dobrin
    Producer
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9280525/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
  • J.P. Dobrin
    Director
    https://jpdobrin.com
  • Jim McSilver
    Editor
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0574557/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
  • J.P. Dobrin
    Writer
    https://jpdobrin.com
  • Jim McSilver
    Writer
    https://www.mcsilver.net/
  • Gilbert Gong
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 3, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    16,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - J.P. Dobrin

J.P. Dobrin is a multiracial Korean American documentary filmmaker based in San Francisco, California. He's a two-time Emmy-winning/nominated producer and director of photography who often collaborates with news outlets, documentary production companies, and corporate clients.
J.P.'s projects have revolved around themes of immigration, wealth disparity, and criminal justice, often portrayed through the experiences of ordinary individuals. Notably, he co-directed the Al Jazeera Witness documentary "Irse - Leaving Venezuela" in 2020, delving into the Venezuelan exodus by focusing on the narratives of two expectant women. In 2022, he directed "The Lookout," his latest film presented on World Channel/PBS, offering an Asian American outlook on deportation issues.
His directorial work has been supported by SFFILM, the Berkeley Film Foundation, the Center for Asian American Media, the Video Consortium, and the Asian American Journalist Association. He's been commissioned to make documentaries for Verizon, Capital One, Voice of America, and Vox / Eater.
His educational journey led him to study photojournalism at the Academy of Art San Francisco before pursuing documentary filmmaking at U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism.

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