Shenzhen has no culture, the saying goes. But that all depends on what you mean by “culture.”
The ongoing Chinese-American film festival in OCT-Loft (itinerary here) definitely seems out to prove the adage wrong. How much more “cultural” can you get than a series of film screenings and discussions about a racial and ethnic minority on the other side of the world? Observers might wonder how interested local residents could be in an admittedly niche film fest. But turnout at the event on June 29, housed in an auditorium that’s hosted many alt-rock/post-punk bands, was not bad at all. Almost all the seats in the front half of the hall were taken, and a fair number in the back as well.
The films everyone had gathered to see that night were a documentary short entitled Sewing Woman (1982), followed by the full-length documentary Hollywood Chinese (2007).
Both were made by director Arthur Dong, who was present at the screening and also stuck around afterwards for a short discussion and Q&A with the audience. As he explained after the showing, the award-winning Sewing Woman was a piece produced for his senior thesis in college.
In a short span of around 20 minutes, it tells the life of a humble 1st-generation Chinese immigrant, from her arranged marriage to her husband’s departure to the US to surviving the Japanese invasion. Eventually she also makes her way to the States, where she began a new life as a humble sewing woman.
The short is very much rooted in the director’s background, with inspiration for the story drawn from both his mother and the “hundreds” of female Chinese immigrants he encountered during his time as a social worker in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The film went on to be nominated for an Oscar; although Dong didn't get it, the film still marked the start of an illustrious documentary-making career.
If you’ve never heard of Arthur Dong, though, you’ll probably at least recognize some of the directors, actors, and even authors that make important cameos in the second documentary screened on Wednesday night, Hollywood Chinese.
Ang Lee is one of the interviewees in the film, sharing his thoughts on the films he's made, and expressing his wish to be seen as a “pure artist” rather than pigeonholed as Taiwanese, Chinese, or American.
Amy Tan, known most for her novel The Joy Luck Club, is another prominent figure featured in the documentary. The author discusses her experiences of film in her youth, and how they impacted her work.
Other Asian or Asian-American celebrities appear, contributing their perspectives: Nancy Kwan, known for her role in The World of Suzy Wong; Justin Lin, who has directed four Fast and Furious films; and Joan Chen, who starred in the Academy-Award-winning film The Last Emperor, among others.
In fact, the documentary boasts a veritable pantheon of the contemporary 'greats' in Chinese-American film and culture. The director weaves their expertise and opinions all together to give a strong, yet balanced view of obstacles overcome as well as issues still at hand in the Chinese-American film community.
Roland Winters as Charlie Chan, in The Chinese Ring.
There’s the necessary highlighting of indignities and injustices done towards Asians in the past, including yellowface, or typecasting actors based on their race. But there’s real joy in the documentary too, as when it points out earlier films such as The Curse of Quon Gwon (1917) and Flower Drum Song (1961), progressive works that deserve a place in any history of Chinese-American film.
Afterwards, the director explained that he had purposefully crafted Hollywood Chinese to be relatable to a general American audience: “I’ll get some celebrities, I’ll make it fun, and I’ll make it about film history in general.” It must have worked, because the documentary won a Golden Horse Award in 2007 and was also chosen to be broadcasted on PBS in 2009.
The audience in Shenzhen seemed to enjoy it as well. Most stayed for the discussion and Q&A sessions afterwards.
Although some of those who stood up to ask questions seemed to be new to the Chinese-American perspective, as might be expected, a surprising number showed familiarity with contemporary racial issues in the US.
When the director commented on the ongoing occurrence of Caucasian actors being selected for Asian roles – “it’s like being slapped in the face” – and brought up Chris Rock’s infamous Asian joke at the Academy Awards this past February, several audience members nodded along.
On the issue of educating a general American audience, Dong said: “We have to be patient… but we’ve been patient.” It seemed an appropriate summary of his life work, expressing both the enthusiasm and frustration of trying to spread knowledge of Asian-American issues to a broader crowd.
How does the Chinese audience fit into all this? When asked about it, he freely admitted he hadn’t come to Shenzhen with a specific educational goal in mind, joking: “I’m here because they [the event organizers] invited me.”
Getting serious, he then pointed out that he sometimes saw a gap in awareness of these minority issues among Asian scholars in the US. Although he didn’t wish to criticize them, spreading more knowledge of Asian-American culture to China could only be a good thing: “the experiences are not necessarily told here.”
Since the ongoing film festival has a “distinct Chinese-American perspective,” it was the perfect place to begin spreading the word. And that goes both ways too: Dong said he had “shown these films many times,” but that Shenzhen offered the chance for him to interact with a “new audience."
Until July 17; free entry. OCT-Loft. See schedule here.
[Images via Deep Focus Productions, IMDB]
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