The 2006 Reel Asian International Film Festival
By Chris Chien
Issue date: 11/30/06 Section: Film & Music
2006 marked the 10th Anniversary of the Reel Asian International Film Festival and the four day festival brought not only filmmakers from everywhere in the Asian diaspora but also a new innovation, the 2006 Industry Series, which included workshops and seminars for aspiring filmmakers to network with the industry. Ticket holders were treated to numerous films from Canada, America, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan.
Unfortunately, I was only able to catch two movies from a large schedule of a variety of films: Cut Sleeve Boys and Little Red Flowers, but both were so different from each other that I still feel like I got a good taste of what the festival had to offer.
Cut Sleeve Boys
According to legend, a Chinese emperor awoke beside his favourite male concubine one morning and found that the boy was sleeping on his large silken sleeve. Not wanting to wake the boy, he cut the sleeve in order to get up, and thus the term "cut sleeve boy" was termed. Taking this legend and transporting the spirit of the story into modern day London, veteran director Ray Yeung brought his award winning Cut Sleeve Boys for its Canadian premiere at Innis Town Hall.
Before the feature film, however, the audience was shown a short film by director Michael Mew called Peking Turkey, about a gay Asian, Chris,
taking home his French-Canadian boyfriend Pierre home to meet the parents at Christmastime-and to announce their engagement. It's a simple story with a handful of hilarious scenes and ends with a heart-warming, if not a little unrealistic, ending of Chris' mother scolding his homophobic father into accepting Pierre with a hug. The feature film, however, was much different.
Be warned, if you are looking for an emotionally tortured story about coming out and the trials and tribulations of being gay, stay away. Yeung joyfully piles on the camp in this film that celebrates the stereotypes of gay culture as well as the reality of being an Asian both out and in charge in trendy London. Some had a few qualms about the representation of gays, but Yeung made his views on that clear when he was questioned during the question period about his use of the stereotypical "flaming homosexual", he replied, "what the fu** is wrong with camp?" Indeed, in an age of sometimes over-political correctness, it was actually refreshing to see a director and his actors relishing their campiness to such a degree.
Unfortunately, I was only able to catch two movies from a large schedule of a variety of films: Cut Sleeve Boys and Little Red Flowers, but both were so different from each other that I still feel like I got a good taste of what the festival had to offer.
Cut Sleeve Boys
According to legend, a Chinese emperor awoke beside his favourite male concubine one morning and found that the boy was sleeping on his large silken sleeve. Not wanting to wake the boy, he cut the sleeve in order to get up, and thus the term "cut sleeve boy" was termed. Taking this legend and transporting the spirit of the story into modern day London, veteran director Ray Yeung brought his award winning Cut Sleeve Boys for its Canadian premiere at Innis Town Hall.
Before the feature film, however, the audience was shown a short film by director Michael Mew called Peking Turkey, about a gay Asian, Chris,
taking home his French-Canadian boyfriend Pierre home to meet the parents at Christmastime-and to announce their engagement. It's a simple story with a handful of hilarious scenes and ends with a heart-warming, if not a little unrealistic, ending of Chris' mother scolding his homophobic father into accepting Pierre with a hug. The feature film, however, was much different.
Be warned, if you are looking for an emotionally tortured story about coming out and the trials and tribulations of being gay, stay away. Yeung joyfully piles on the camp in this film that celebrates the stereotypes of gay culture as well as the reality of being an Asian both out and in charge in trendy London. Some had a few qualms about the representation of gays, but Yeung made his views on that clear when he was questioned during the question period about his use of the stereotypical "flaming homosexual", he replied, "what the fu** is wrong with camp?" Indeed, in an age of sometimes over-political correctness, it was actually refreshing to see a director and his actors relishing their campiness to such a degree.
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