Alice in Big Noses' Land
(Alice au pays des gros nez)

Directed by Nicole Giguère
Vidéo Femmes
52 minutes • 2003
English & French w/ English sub-titles
Also available on DVD

In the late 1980s, Québec led the way in adopting children from the People's Republic of China. Since then, over 5,000 Chinese children, primarily girls, have found a home in Québec. Filmmaker Nicole Giguère and her adopted Chinese daughter Alice are one of these new families re-shaping Québec's cultural identity. "Big Noses" (da bi zi) is the familiar Chinese term for Westerners like Nicole.

This documentary follows Alice over a span of 10 years, as she and many of her friends face the challenges of growing up in North America within their hybrid families. With a personal voice, Giguère presents "big-nosed" parents and their Chinese daughters sharing their love, concerns and expectations as they learn to adopt each other. Members of Québec's long-established Chinese community also express their views on this emotional and sometimes controversial issue.

Subject(s): Adoption, Children, about, Chinese-Canadians, Family, Identity, Immigrants and Immigration, Intercultural studies, Racism