Opening Night: Children Of Invention

Thu. Nov. 5th, 7:30 PM

Seeing life through the eyes of children often magnifies the truth of adult decisions whether right or wrong. Youngsters can be convincingly cunning, imaginative, and fascinating to tell great stories in film. Tze Chun has proven so with CHILDREN OF INVENTION, in which two precocious siblings must cope with their mother’s sudden and mysterious disappearance. This feature is preceded by Andrea Wan’s colourful animated short, REVOLVE.

Children Of Invention

Director/Writer: Tze Chun | Producer: Mynette Louie
Narrative | DigiBeta | Colour | 2009 | 86 min | USA

One of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film”, writer-director Tze Chun makes his feature film debut with one of the most-awarded and best-reviewed films of the year. CHILDREN OF INVENTION is by turns humorous and heartbreaking, an “edge-of-your-seat family drama” (Spout) that’s both “powerfully moving and rigorously intelligent” (Boston Phoenix).

After being evicted, hardworking single mom Elaine Cheng (Cindy Cheung, LADY IN THE WATER) tries to maintain a normal life for her children, Raymond and Tina. Elaine juggles a number of jobs, including working for a questionable pyramid scheme. When Elaine doesn’t return home one night, nobody knows the kids are home alone, and they are left to fend for themselves. As the days pass, Raymond, a budding inventor, realizes he needs to come up with a plan to take care of his little sister.

Referencing both the mortgage meltdown and suburban Ponzi schemes, “the film finds delicate moments of beauty and grace as its child heroes are forced to make their way” (Filmmaker Magazine). Featuring “gifted child actors — off-the-charts cute, refreshingly free of Hollywood precociousness” (LA Weekly), CHILDREN OF INVENTION is “as close to cinematic purity as one is likely to see this year” (Film Society of Lincoln Center), a timely drama about the influence of the adult world on children and resilience in hard times.

VANCOUVER PREMIERE | DIRECTOR & PRODUCER IN ATTENDANCE

Previous Screenings/Awards: Official Selection: Sundance Film Festival; Grand Jury Prize: Independent Film Festival of Boston, Newport International Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival; Special Jury Award: Sarasota Film Festival, San Francisco Int’l Asian American Film Festival

preceded by:

Revolve

Going on a journey to the city on a slow-moving train, a little girl witnesses the world evolve around her as she matures. As the new life on the train, a little girl is the only person that consciously witnesses the changes in the world around her. Putting the viewers into the perspective of a child, Revolve takes the viewers into a journey which allows them to grow consciously with their environment, and finally come to a realization that the human evolution is a cycle.

WORLD PREMIERE | DIRECTOR IN ATTENDANCE

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