‘The Lost Arcade’, A Documentary About the Legendary Chinatown Fair Arcade in New York City

The Lost Arcade is a documentary by filmmakers Kurt Vincent and Irene Chin about the legendary Chinatown Fair arcade in the heart of New York City’s Chinatown. The longstanding landmark first opened in 1944 and has served as a unique haven for the community over the years.

Chinatown Fair opened as a penny arcade on Mott Street in 1944. Over the decades, the dimly lit gathering place, known for its tic-tac-toe playing chicken, became an institution, surviving turf wars between rival gangs, changing tastes and the explosive growth of home gaming systems like Xbox and Playstation that shuttered most other arcades in the city. But as the neighborhood gentrified, this haven for a diverse, unlikely community faced its strongest challenge, inspiring its biggest devotees to next-level greatness.

We originally wrote about the project previously in 2011 when they began raising funds through a Kickstarter campaign and now the documentary will have its world premiere on November 14, 2015 at the IFC Center as part of DOC NYC.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Glen Tickle
Glen Tickle

Amelia's dad. Steph's husband. Writer, comedian, gentleman. Good at juggling, bad at chess.