Lincoln Park’s Gilbert Gong featured in new Documentary
A new documentary by Oakland Originals featuring Gilbert Gong, Lincoln Park’s Center Director will debut at the Center for Asian American Media CAAM Fest on May 8th, 2026. The film will be shown as part of the Shifts and Dreams shorts program.
Everyone knows Gilbert. But not everyone knows his story.
Photo: Oakland Originals
In this inspirational documentary short, filmmaker J.P. Dobrin highlights the work and legacy of Gilbert and his dedication to Lincoln Square Park, the programming at the soon to be rebuilt recreation center, and most importantly, the Oakland Chinatown community.
Friends of Lincoln Square Park is thrilled to be a supporter of this film showcasing our local hero!
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From Oakland Originals
A neglected park in Oakland’s historic Chinatown becomes the unlikely stage for a neighborhood’s renewal as recreation director and local son Gilbert Gong rallies seniors, teens and children to confront growing fear and division by restoring safety, connection, and pride in their community.
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J.P. Dobrin is a multiracial Korean American documentary filmmaker based in San Francisco, California. He’s a two-time Emmy-winning/nominated producer and director of photography who often collaborates with news outlets, documentary production companies, and corporate clients.
J.P.’s projects have revolved around themes of immigration, wealth disparity, and criminal justice, often portrayed through the experiences of ordinary individuals. Notably, he co-directed the Al Jazeera Witness documentary “Irse – Leaving Venezuela” in 2020, delving into the Venezuelan exodus by focusing on the narratives of two expectant women. In 2022, he directed “The Lookout,” his latest film presented on World Channel/PBS, offering an Asian American outlook on deportation issues.
His directorial work has been supported by SFFILM, the Berkeley Film Foundation, the Center for Asian American Media, the Video Consortium, and the Asian American Journalist Association. He’s been commissioned to make documentaries for Verizon, Capital One, Voice of America, and Vox / Eater.
His educational journey led him to study photojournalism at the Academy of Art San Francisco before pursuing documentary filmmaking at U.C. Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism.
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