hiros
Oct 18, 11:54 AM by administrator
Hiros & Villians
Sat. Nov. 3rd, 11:00 AM
Asian characters portrayed in mainstream film and television historically have been the two extremes: either the geeky model minority or the ultra violent gang member. These shorts preceding our panel discussion reflect Asian filmmakers’ own interpretations of these images. First, in WINDOWBREAKER, things are not what they seem while the filmmaker in AnOther Western reflects on her childhood and her grandfather’s take on good versus evil. Finally, in RUNNING DRAGON, the audience is left to ponder the influence of mainstream stereotypes on the filmmaker. These shorts are followed by a panel discussion.
Windowbreaker
Director/Writer: Tze Chun | Producer: Bryan Wilson
Narrative | Beta | Colour | 2006 | 12 minutes | USA
When a string of break-ins occur in a racially mixed neighborhood, residents are abuzz as to who is the culprit.
Previous Screenings/Selected Awards:
Sundance Film Festival
Woodstock Film Festival
San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
Santa Barbara Film Festival
Woods Hole Film Festival
Philadelphia Film Festival
Canadian Premiere
AnOther Western
Director/Writer: Adeline Huynh | Producer: Kemi Craig
Documentary | Beta | Colour | 2007 | 6 minutes | Canada
Through the whimsical story of a Vietnamese girl, her grandfather and good ol’ American Westerns, this film humorously probes issues of race, identity, cultural dislocation and assimilation.
Previous Screenings/Selected Awards:
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
Beloit International Film Festival
Edges Film Festival
Calgary Pan Asian International Film Festival
Director in Attendance
Running Dragon
Directors: Kim Noonan, Neal Sickles | Writer: Kim Noonan | Producer: Neal Sickles
Narrative | Beta | Colour | 2007 | 20 minutes | USA
An “Americanized” young man discovers the painful truth about himself when his biological Vietnamese sister finds him in Los Angeles and arranges for them to meet for the very first time with her Vietnamese family in Little Saigon.
World Premiere | Director in Attendance
Panel Discussion to Follow
Gangsta to Geek: Asians in Western Drama
This dialogue will focus on the reality of Asian representation in media today from the outlook of where we are going tomorrow. When watching Asians in the media one can quickly find that there are many Asians being represented however when one dissects the roles, the limitations become apparent. From the doctor (Sandra Oh – Grey’s Anatomy) to the gangster (have you seen Intelligence on CBC?!) or to the combo Gangsta Geek (Hiro from NBC’s Heroes) Asians have found or been given their niche.
Has this process been positive? Is it natural or is this a designed effort by media that fails to account for reality? If an Asian writes a stereotypical role is this empowering? Is this changing or are the stereotypes here to stay? Through these questions and dialogue, we hope to understand better understand the past, we hope to dissect the past so we can be empowered to take command of the future representation of Asians in the media.
The Panelists
Jason Furukawa
Jason is a graduate of the Cinema, Television, Stage and Radio Arts Program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary. In 1989, Jason moved to Vancouver and climbed the ladder from PA to 1st Assistant Director. After being the 1st AD on COLD SQUAD for 2 seasons, Jason got his break in the director’s chair. Now a dual category member of the Director’s Guild of Canada, Jason has directed shows such as ROBSON ARMS, GODIVA’S, and the PBS children’s show MUSTARD PANCAKES.
Judy Lee
Judy Lee, a Vancouver native, works in film, in front of and behind the camera, taking her from LA to the Sierras of Mexico. Her career began as an actor in Hollywood North, then turned towards script development and production for Paramount Pictures and Centropolis Entertainment. She has worked with Insight Film since January 2006, participating in casting several MOWs, TV series and feature films.
Binky Mendez
Binky Mendez has directed several television commercials and the internationally broadcast docu-drama, BIRTH OF A GOD. She is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre. Her credits include NO PLACE TO HIDE, DAFFODILS, RESTORATION. Her feature script, GURU HOP, is in development with support from Telefilm and Movie Central. Recently, she Associate Produced the mini-series Iron Road.
B.C. Lee
B.C. Lee was born in Macao and raised in Taiwan. Mr. Lee traveled to New York for advanced studies at New York University before settling in Vancouver in 1992. Mr. Lee is a communications and public relations professional, specializing in cross-cultural communications and marketing, and was elected Vancouver City Councillor in 2005.
Nilesh Patel
Moderator: Nilesh Patel is a Vancouver based filmmaker who believes in telling the true stories of us all coming together. He has won awards nationally and internationally for his films. Nilesh splits his time between teaching film through the non-profit, Projections: Film and TV for street involved youth and creating his own works for public display. Currently he is traveling to screenings of his award winning feature documentary, BROCKET 99 – ROCKIN’ THE COUNTRY while also developing his next two films, BE A MAN, another documentary, and debut feature HIMALAYA & KUMBAYA COME TO FUNKY TOWN.
Celebrity Host for this program:
Byron Lawson
Byron Lawson, born and raised in Vancouver, is one of Canada’s busiest up-and-coming actors. Blessed with a wide and versatile range, Byron has come to be known for disappearing into every role, radically transforming his look for each new character. He recently played the supporting lead role in the blockbuster film SNAKES ON A PLANE starring Samuel L. Jackson. He can also be seen in various other TV and film projects.
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