The Donut King

Alice Gu's 2020 documentary tells how the Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy built a doughnut chain in California. Ngoy fled his country in 1975, started with one shop, and then created a statewide network by showing later refugees how to set up their own. The real subject is not a success story but how that story was shared. By spreading his own gains Ngoy kept hundreds of families afloat, and the present shape of independent doughnut shops in California largely grew from it. The second half covers Ngoy's gambling addiction and what he lost. Gu does not present this as a moment for a lesson; the way the second generation carries the business on gives the film a wider footing. Who it's for: those who like documentaries about migration, enterprise and food culture. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a detailed account of the genocide period in Cambodia; the documentary keeps that section short.