February 28 2008

On Thursday, February 28, celebrate the publication of Reel Asian: Asian Canada On Screen on Canada’s west coast with a book launch at VIVO Media Arts. The first anthology of its kind, Reel Asian, co-published with the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, examines East and Southeast Asian Canadian contributions to independent film and video and marks the eleventh year of the groundbreaking film festival. From artist-run centres, theories of hyphenation, gay and lesbian cinema, new media technologies and sweet 'n' sour controversies, Reel Asian is a multi-faceted picture of independent Asian film in Canada and features a substantial selection of images and stills.

Reel Asian features the work of B.C.-based filmmakers such as Karin Lee, Mina Shum, Wayne Yung, Paul Wong, Anne-Marie Fleming and Ho Tam, among others. The Vancouver launch will feature a program of short screenings of work by some of the filmmakers and a night-long party.

Reel Asian: Asian Canada On Screen Vancouver Launch
co-presented by VIVO Media Arts, Cineworks Independent Filmmaker Society, Centre A and On Edge
sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, British Columbia and the City of Vancouver
VIVO Media Arts Centre, 1965 Main Street
Thursday, February 28, 2008
7:00 pm
Free

Reel Asian: Asian Canada On Screen brings together creators of award-winning features and acclaimed experimental shorts; critics, curators, artists and activists; enemy aliens, impersonators, ex-pats and 'Food Jammers' to explore how history and culture have played out on screen. Whether calling geopolitical and generic categories into question or finding new ways of unleashing the magic of the cinematic image, the anthology, edited by Elaine Chang, showcases the ways in which Asian Canadians are making their distinctive mark on screens from the multiplex to the iPod, across Canada and beyond.

Contributors include Nobu Adilman, Jason Anderson, Leon Aureus, Cameron Bailey, Romeo Candido, Elaine Chang, Lily Cho, Nicole Chung, David Eng, Ann Marie Fleming, Richard Fung, Monika Kin Gagnon, Colin Geddes, Kwoi Gin, Mike Hoolboom, Alice Ming Wai Jim, Cheuk Kwan, Julia Kwan, Anita Lee, Helen Lee, Karin Lee, Keith Lock, Pamila Matharu, Christine Miguel, Tan Hoang Nguyen, Midi Onodera, Mieko Ouchi, Alice Shih, Mina Shum, Mary Stephen, Ho Tam, Loretta Todd, Khanhthuan Tran, Phil Tsui, Paul Wong, Su-Anne Yeo, Iris Yudai and Wayne Yung.