Their Chinese Canadian granddaughters set out across Canada and to China on a journey to discover their grandmothers’ stories

For Back Lane Studios’ next Extraordinary Women’s series event at the Revue Cinema on Sunday, March 29, 12:30 pm, we learn about the sacrifices, resourcefulness and accomplishments of Jean Lumb, above left, and Foon Hay Lum, against the backdrop of Canada’s restrictive immigration policies and the conditions in China during their lifetimes.

Both women had connections to our neighbourhoods.

In her documentary Exclusion: Beyond the Silence, filmmaker Keira Loughran, Jean Lumb’s granddaughter, sets out with Helen Lee, Foon Hay Lum’s granddaughter, to explore the lives of these two remarkable women and the history they lived through.

Through interviews, visits to museums and reconnections with family members the granddaughters discover some family surprises. They also chronicle the human impact of Canada’s policies that barred Chinese immigration from 1923 to 1947 and caused decades of family separation.

Joining us for the discussion after the screening are Helen Lee and Arlene Chan, the daughter of Jean Lumb and a Chinese Canadian historian.

Watch the trailer here.

Buy tickets for a suggested donation of $16 on Eventbrite or at the Revue Cinema. Please note that you can only buy one ticket at a time when payment is by donation on Eventbrite.