I was born in Sydney, Australia, as the only child of parents who immigrated from China with little financial security or knowledge of English. I spent most of my childhood in Sydney’s Chinatown, by my mother’s side during school holidays as she worked the checkout at a Chinese supermarket.

As a child I was mystified by the magnificent lions that would appear, as if from nowhere, on the streets of Chinatown and the Sydney suburbs. I would watch with awe as they performed elaborate dances during cultural events.

My work as a filmmaker is dedicated to Australian immigrant communities like the one I grew up in. When I was commissioned by the Powerhouse Museum to direct this short documentary, I discovered that almost every Asian person I spoke to has a friend or a family member in the lion dancing community.

The commitment of lion dancers to their craft is astounding, and I want to draw attention to the people inside the performance, people who dedicate a significant part of their lives to this tradition.

– Film and Text by David Ma (https://www.instagram.com/davidmaa/?hl=en). This short film was commissioned by the Powerhouse Museum (https://www.instagram.com/powerhousemuseum/).

More from The New York Times Video:
Op-Docs: https://www.nytimes.com/column/op-docs
Subscribe: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n​​
Watch all of our videos here: http://nytimes.com/video​​
———-
Op-Docs is a forum for short, opinionated documentaries by independent filmmakers. Learn more about Op-Docs and how to submit to the series. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@NYTopinion).