SOUL
OF
CHINATOWN
OF
CHINATOWN
Soul of Chinatown is a non-profit community group based in Sydney’s Chinatown, whose mission is to uplift and advocate for the area. It does so by putting a spotlight on Chinatown, working to preserve the culture, history and tradition of Sydney’s Chinatown and its community, but also looking to the present and the future. Founded by Hayden Wong Wing Kee, Kevin Cheng and Peter Wong Wing Kee in 2021, Soul of Chinatown aims to inspire and foster positive change in Chinatown through advocacy, community, events and storytelling. Soul of Chinatown represents all different generations of Chinatown, from the glory days of yesteryear, the tough times during COVID-19 but also now in its revival and growth.
Written and Directed by
Tyler Kang
Tyler Kang is an award-winning Malaysian-Australian filmmaker, graduating from AFTRS BA in 2025. He was raised between Hong Kong and Australia, and is interested in exploring themes of Asian-Australian cultural identity, diaspora and memory through documentary and neo-realist fiction.
His recent work, Chinatown's Last Emperor has screened internationally, winning Best Australian Documentary at Doc Sydney where he has been awarded the 2025 Tarkovski Grant.
Produced by
Elle Charalambu
Elle Charalambu is a producer, writer, filmmaker based on Gadigal / Sydney. Working across narrative and documentary forms, her films explore memory, ritual, love, and the emotional weight of personal and cultural histories. She blends realism with abstraction and dream logic, inhabiting the space where the figurative meets the subconscious.
Recently, she produced Soo, directed by Tyler Kang, a short documentary that traces the life of 100-year-old grandfather Colin Soo as he revisits the places in Sydney that shaped his identity.
Elle holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from Sydney College of the Arts and is completing a Bachelor of Screen Arts: Production at AFTRS. She is also the gallery manager at CHALK HORSE, Sydney.
Based on the stories of
Susan Pang
Susan Pang was born on 84 Dixon Street, Chinatown and lived there for 70 years of her life. Growing up, she was one of the only girls in the neighbourhood – the rest were male workers. She soon became one of the main faces behind the family store – Kwong War Chong, and opened up a restaurant next to it, called Hingara. She eventually moved when the building was sold in 2019 to developers.
Susan was a lead participant in our last documentary, Chinatown's Last Emperor. During her interview, she shared many stories about her childhood which weren't included in the documentary but would later resurface in the hybrid docu-fiction form of Susan I'm Disappearing. On this project, Susan has taken on a key role in shaping the story from her memories of growing up in Chinatown.
A Film by
Tyler Kang
Story by
Susan Pang
Produced by
Elle Charalmbu
Producers
Paris Piccolo
Beatrice Nell
Pascal Hutchinson
Associate Producers
Peter Wong
Hayden Wong
Kevin Cheng
Production Company
AFTRS
Soul of Chinatown
Director of Photography
Gustav Devylder
Sound Designer & Mixer
Christina Booth
Production Designer
Tyler Pease
Costume designer
Madison Mccreath
First Assistant Director
Luke Huang
Gaffers
Kyan Paltoft
Jake Frazer
First Assistant Camera
Felix Leung
Location Managers
Valentine Yee
Chris Lam
Titles and Credits Design by
Louis Wyeeeth
Graphic Designer
Alejandro Burns
