Asian American Film: Reviews

Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival 2002

12.09 - Posted by Editor

Romeo Candido's "Lolo's Child"

Report on the sixth Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival

November 27 - December 1, 2002

By Allan Tong

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12.09.02 -- The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (Nov.27-Dec.1) surprised audiences in its sixth year, offering a brassier, more mature line-up of films and events. Rock music, Oedipal rebellion and cinematic history comprised this year's program which focused on Thai cinema and Asian Canadian film pioneer, Mary Stephen.

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Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival 2002

Downtown's venerable rep cinema, The Bloor, was packed for opening night film, "Lolo's Child," by hometown director Romeo Candido. The audience warmly received this drama about a young Filipino Canadian coming home to resolve his relationship with his abusive father who's dying. "Lolo" is an uneven, but sincere debut that suffers from excessive narration and a patchy script, but is stylishly edited to a tremendous soundtrack. Candido has a sharp ear and eye that will yield great rewards in the future.

Generational conflict ran through two other visceral films, both American shorts: Helen Haeyoung Lee's "Sophie" and Georgia Lee's "Educated." "Sophie" is a chilling piece about a Korean American girl desperately trying to whisk her and her mother from her tyrannical father. Writing, acting and direction are solid. "Educated" is an angsty satire about an Asian American girl who can't stand the pressure of scoring top marks to get into university. With a nod to "Heathers," "Educated"'s kids are led on leashes by their overbearing parents.

The festival paid respect to two pioneers. Hong Kong immigrant Mary Stephen returned to Canada from France (where she now edits Eric Rohmer's movies) to deliver a Q&A and host two of her pictures, the drama "Ombres de Soie" and the profile documentary "Vision From The Edge: Breytenbach Painting The Lines." The festival unearthed the 1966 Canadian feature, "The Offering," a gem by David Secter about an Anglo Canadian stagehand who falls in love with a dancer from the visiting Peking Chinese Dance Troupe. Readers must remember that nobody made films in Canada in the sixties, so "The Offering" is an historical landmark in Canadian cinema as well as Asian North American film. A solid, engaging movie, "The Offering" is long overdue for a revival.

Based in the second-largest Asian centre in North America, the Toronto fest balanced Asian arthouse pics with lowbrow, homegrown fare more starkly than ever. Festival circuit darling "Mysterious Object At Noon" by Thailand's Apichatpong Weerasethakul played alongside the VHS-rawness of "Scumrock" by San Francisco's Jon Moritsugu. In other words, Art and Fun co-mingled at this year's fest, as reflected in the many parties that featured live bands and DJs making music at downtown spots, Una Mas nightclub, Lee's Palace, and the SPIN Gallery.

Credit goes to the new programming triumvirate of executive director Sally Lee, and artistic directors Jane Kim and Nobu Adilman for opening up this niche festival. This year's filmmakers expanded beyond the traditional themes of identity and race, and examined more diverse personal issues. The Asian population in North America is expected to double in a decade, yet Asian cinema remains marginalized by the Western mainstream. This is where the film festivals come in. They must encourage filmmakers and challenge audiences. So far, Reel Asian is succeeding. Now, will Asian filmmakers seize this opportunity?

Allan Tong is a Toronto filmmaker and freelance journalist. His film "The Red Album" features a North American Asian cast and is scheduled to shoot next year.

Comments

Tom, you can find the organizers' contact info at http://www.reelasian.com/contact.htm

Posted by: Editor on May 14, 2003 02:51 PM

Who are the organizers for this film festival? And how do contact them?

04/13/03 23:01

Posted by: Tom on May 14, 2003 02:06 PM

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