Seattle filmmaker's "Made in China" on cable Monday

Seattle filmmaker John Helde's documentary "Made in China" will have its broadcast premiere at 8 p.m. Monday on the Documentary Channel. The film, which had its world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) in 2007, is Helde's exploration of his father's childhood as an American boy growing up in 1930s China. It is screening as part of a special collection of six China-themed documentaries, in anticipation of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, which begin Aug. 8.

"It's exciting to get some national exposure for the film," Helde said this week. "Of course, the film itself doesn't have anything to do with the Olympics, but it's a time when the world's eyes are focused on China for a lot of reasons. Hopefully it'll be a good time for some people to get exposed to an American connection to China that they may not have been aware of."

Since the SIFF premiere, Helde has brought "Made in China" to a number of film festivals, and released a DVD version last February. He's currently at work on a feature film, "Open Doors," to be shot in Seattle, and a documentary about 21st-century small family farms.

For more on "Made in China," see www.trythisfilms.com or www.documentarychannel.com. The Documentary Channel is available in Seattle through DISH Network.

Moira Macdonald: mmacdonald@seattletimes.com