2020
Greenwich Entertainment
1 h 30 m

2020
Greenwich Entertainment
1 h 30 m

Summary Ted Ngoy's story is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. It’s the rags to riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975 and building an unlikely multi-million-dollar empire baking America’s favorite pastry, the donut. Ted sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get...

Directed By: Alice Gu

Written By: Carol Martori, Alice Gu

2020
Greenwich Entertainment
1 h 30 m

2020
Greenwich Entertainment
1 h 30 m

The Donut King

Name: The Donut King
Genre: Documentary, Animation
Released: 2020-10-30
Duration: 1 min 30 s
Rating: 69
Cast: Ted Ngoy, Christie Suganthini, Chet Ngoy, Savy Ngoy, Chris Ngoy

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews

User Score Available after 4 ratings

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Where to Watch

Directed By: Alice Gu

Written By: Carol Martori, Alice Gu

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews

86% Positive
6 Reviews

14% Mixed
1 Review

0% Negative
0 Reviews

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Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews

86% Positive
6 Reviews

14% Mixed
1 Review

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Austin Chronicle

Oct 29, 2020

Gu keeps her camera on how the community he helped build thrived and flourished without him, even as it acknowledged his role. As Asian Americans face increasing racism, its closing message about how immigrant communities – like the Cambodians who came over in 1975 with guns at their backs – help define America has only become more timely.

By Richard Whittaker FULL REVIEW

The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Nov 19, 2020

It’s a fine yarn spiced up with moments of hip hop, animation and pop culture references, all packaged nicely in something like the hot-pink doughnut boxes that the cruller maestro Ngoy supposedly invented.

By Brad Wheeler FULL REVIEW

RogerEbert.com

Oct 30, 2020

What’s impressive about the documentary in particular is how it captures a wide range of personal histories, placing viewers in the various emotional journeys of different Cambodian refugees who call Ngoy "Uncle Ted."

By Nick Allen FULL REVIEW

Variety

Oct 30, 2020

Gu’s to be commended for recognizing that the hollow part of a donut might provide such a rich window into another culture. There’s much to learn about the immigrant experience from her research, even if the movie leaves us craving two things: donuts, obviously, but also a more well-rounded sense of all the incredible personalities she too-politely engages with along the way.

By Peter Debruge FULL REVIEW

Los Angeles Times

Oct 29, 2020

The filmmaker deftly moves backward and forward in time to chronicle Ngoy’s remarkable journey from war-torn Cambodia to the strip malls of Orange County while becoming a multimillionaire.

By Kevin Crust FULL REVIEW

Wall Street Journal

Oct 29, 2020

And The Donut King is about the doughnuts themselves — how they’ve evolved over the decades from a sturdy staple into a fantasy, if not quite a delicacy, of prismatic colors and preposterous toppings.

By Joe Morgenstern FULL REVIEW

The New York Times

Oct 29, 2020

Too sentimental in its final act, “The Donut King” doesn’t quite manage to connect the dots between Ngoy’s financial troubles and the voracious capitalism that enabled his rise. The result is a cheery portrait of immigrant entrepreneurship that lacks political punch.

By Devika Girish FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company Logan Industry

Release Date Oct 30, 2020

Duration 1 h 30 m

Genres

Website https://thedonutkingfilm.com/

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Awards

SXSW Film Festival

• 1 Win & 2 Nominations

Sun Valley Film Festival, US

• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

Bentonville Film Festival

• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

The Donut King

Where to Watch

Where to Watch

Top Cast

Ted Ngoy

Self

Christie Suganthini

Self

Chet Ngoy

Self

Savy Ngoy

Self

Chris Ngoy

Self

Mayly Tao

Self

Chuong Pek Lee

Self

Michelle Ly Sivutha

Self

Susan Wahid

Self

Amanda Tang

Self

Adam Vaun

Self

Daewon Song

Self

Chhay Bun Ngoy

Self

Dao Tak Lim

Self

Annette Ngoy

Self

Lena Lao

Self

Gwendolyn Lao

Self

Olivia Cuff

Self

Chhun Heng Lim

Self

Linda Ngoy Cuff

Self

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Reviews

Details

Details

Awards

Awards

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