ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
May 20 to 22
Telus World of Science
There’s more to Asian movies than the latest Jet Li chop ’em up or Jackie Chan with a comedic sidekick, but unless you look beyond Hollywood you might not know that. In an effort to change that perception, Ben Tsui has curated Calgary’s first annual Asian Film Festival.
"People think when you say Asian it’s Chinese. It’s really a pan-Asian endeavour," says Tsui. "We can include great movies from Hong Kong that aren’t just kung fu and great films from India that aren’t Bollywood."
With more than 30 countries that have Asian designation, including Cambodia, Nepal, Tajikistan and India, the talent pool to choose from is huge. "There’s also some great movies coming out of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan," says Tsui. "There’s so many countries and so little time."
For its first year, the festival will highlight 25 films from all over the world with an emphasis on local filmmakers.
"It’s a push for local filmmakers," he says. "And we show some other award-winners from around the world. It’s a forum for us Asian artists to also take a look at other stuff that’s been done and give them a comparison or a boost and say, "Hey, if they can do that, we can do that, too.’"
As part of Asian Heritage Month, the festival will showcase several full-length features including the Alberta première of Pink Ludoos, an Indo-Canadian comedy shot in Vancouver and featuring Shaheen Khan of Bend it Like Beckham fame. Award-winning local filmmaker Afzal Huda will screen his documentary Call Me a Paki, and the short film School of the Dead will also make its première as Calgary director Hussein Juma sets zombies, kung fu and comedy to a techno score.
"It’s the best film to come out of the SAIT film program in a long time," says Tsui.
It’s not just directors that will show off their work – Tsui says Calgary is also home to great Asian editors, composers and shooters who help work on everything from music videos to public service announcements.
"There’s a country music video by an East Indian girl. She’s probably one of the top Asian filmmakers in Alberta," says Tsui. "The (selections) are very diverse, much like the Asian population."
To complement the wealth of diverse filmmaking, the festival has decided to hand out three awards. A Lotus Award will be handed out to the best locally produced documentary, best locally produced narrative short and most promising emerging Asian Canadian filmmaker. The awards will be judged by professionals of the Asian filmmaking community.
"It’s a way to nurture up-and-coming artists and get them excited about filmmaking," says Tsui. "It’s time we have a festival that Asians can call their own." |
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