Press Quotes for Thousand Pieces of Gold:

"Independent in the best sense of the word."
— Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times

"We see the opening of the West through the eyes of the ultimate outsider, a poor Chinese woman sold into slavery by her father."
— Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times

"A small but genuine triumph."
— Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times

"A film with real feeling, a warmth surging up naturally from the performances. And, at the core of “Thousand Pieces,” fittingly for a film made by an interracial couple, (Kelly and her producer-editor husband Kenji Yamamoto), is an interracial love story of poignancy and conviction."
— Stephen Holden, New York Times

"As the lissome, indomitable Lalu, Rosalind Chao makes her role as stunning bid for stardom."
— Bruce Williamson, Playboy

"For some measure of the progress of women, consider Thousand Pieces of Gold, set in the 19th century and telling the story of a Chinese woman sold from man to man as if she were property."
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"Rosalind Chao’s performance is a wonder…she gives us a character who begins as a child in grief and confusion, and prevails in a strange land until she is finally able to stand free as her own woman. It is quite a story."
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"An extraordinarily successful historical drama that was a major hit at the Seattle International Film Festival."
— William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"A Chinese woman who was sold into slavery in 1880, refused to become a whore and eventually became a legend in the Pacific Northwest is a heroine worth her weight in Thousand Pieces of Gold."
— Judy Stone, San Francisco Chronicle

"This independent, low-budget film has an epic sweep and the compelling human interest that often eludes multi-million dollar productions."
— Judy Stone, San Francisco Chronicle

"Vividly realized under the sensitive direction of Nancy Kelly, who also co-produced with her husband, Kenji Yamamoto."
— Judy Stone, San Francisco Chronicle

"Rosalind Chao is terrific from the first moment she experiences the anguish of being sold by her desperate father in the drought-stricken northeast of China."
— Judy Stone, San Francisco Chronicle

About the Director:
Nancy Kelly — Producer, Director, Writer
Nancy directed and produced the critically acclaimed dramatic feature film Thousand Pieces of Gold, which stars Rosalind Chao and Chris Cooper. Nancy also wrote, produced and directed the PBS documentary short Smitten which won the Audience Award at the DC Independent Film Festival and shared the Audience Award at the Aspen Shortsfest. Additionally she wrote, produced and directed Downside UP, which aired on the PBS Independent Lens series. Her short documentaries Cowgirls: Portraits of American Ranch Women, Sweeping Ocean Views and A Cowhand's Song: Crisis on the Range won many awards.