Stories from the Diaspora
Half: The Story of a Chinese-Jamaican Son (Jamaica)
Singh in the Lion City (Singapore)
Kopitiam The Apprentice Portrait of an Invisible Man (Malaysia)
Dragons in Paradise (Samoa)
Monday, 19 February 2018, 6.00pm - 8.00pm UTS Library Haymarket, Level 2, Ultimo Rd & Quay St, Haymarket
‘Chindia’ consists of a visual art exhibition, a short film event and stories from the artists who explore issues of cultural and national identity, politics, displacement and diaspora histories. As part of the ‘Chindia’ exhibition, ‘Chindia: Stories from the Diaspora’ will screen six short films from Jamaica, Malaysia, Singapore and Samoa that reveal a snapshot of the lived experiences of the Chinese and Indian diaspora communities. The short films unpacks the multiplicity of identities in culturally diverse communities, and the various ways these identities have merged, grown and intersected with other communities. HALF: THE STORY OF A CHINESEJAMAICAN SON (Jamaica) Caught between two cultures and races – Vincent Lee was born to a Chinese father and a Jamaican mother. After his father’s pre-mature death, five-year-old Vincent sailed across the ocean to southern China where he endured a life of hardship and servitude. Separated from his mother and siblings for more than two decades, Vincent returned to his native Jamaica as an adult. In this compelling documentary told from multiple perspectives, Half reflects the complex, yet common practice of sending mixed race sons to China for acculturation in the 1930s. It reveals one man’s universal search for family, identity, and belonging. Duration: 24 minutes Director: Jeanette Kong Year: 2013 Filmmaker Bio Jeanette Kong is a Chinese-Canadian documentary filmmaker. Her feature directorial debut Finding Samuel Lowe won the Audience Choice Awards at the ReelWorld Film Festivals in Toronto and Markham and was shortlisted for Best Diaspora Documentary at the 2014 Africa Movie Academy Awards. Her short documentaries The Chiney Shop and Half: The Story of a Chinese-Jamaican Son both premiered in the Caribbean at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival. In July 2014, the films were selected to commemorate the 160th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Chinese to Jamaica at the Institute of Jamaica. www.mschinproductions.com
SINGH IN THE LION CITY (Singapore) A documentary about a Singaporean Sikh man’s personal quest to decode his cultural identity. This sets him on a journey of self-discovery along a shared heritage trail – which he encapsulates and celebrates via the creation of an app. This film on touches on wider themes of diaspora and shared heritage. Duration: 14 minutes Director: Upneet Kaur-Nagpal Year: 2018 Filmmaker Bio Upneet is a Singaporean filmmaker with a nomadic soul. Her documentaries thrive on a desire to refresh tired perspectives, often finding themselves amidst diverse niche communities whose voices struggle to be heard. She is keen to further explore the world of global collaborations and film/art through her platform, Uptake Media. www.facebook.com/uptakemedia
KOPITIAM, THE APPRENTICE & PORTRAIT OF AN INVISIBLE MAN (Malaysia) Kopitiam A short documentary filmed as part of the kopitiam photo essay project commissioned by TimeOutKL. This is a journey into the heart of coffee shop culture in Kuala Lumpur. Bronze winner for Best Online Video at the Asian Digital Media Awards 2014. Duration: 2.48 minutes Year: 2014 The Apprentice Low Kok Kee is 67. He runs a print shop in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Foto Pak Tai has been faithfully serving the photography and printing needs of the local community since the 1940’s. With the advent of the digital age and a rapidly fluctuating appetite of the young and hip, Pak Tai is a business in decline. Increasingly dependent on his long-standing arrangement that for the time-being still sees the continual patronage from law enforcement for their official photographs, Low is somewhat philosophical about the day when he will be forced to draw the curtains on Pak Tai. Duration: 4.59 minutes Year: 2015 Portrait of an Invisible Man Mr. Moorthy is quite possibly the last working film projectionist in Malaysia. He had spent the last 30 odd-years feeding reels of film into the projector, making sure the patrons of the cinema are entertained with their weekly, if not daily, fix of cinema escapism. Today his job is being replaced with an automated digital system. In this short portrait documentary, he speaks of his memories watching films at the cinema and the changes that he has witnessed over the decades. Duration: 4 minutes Year: 2012 Filmmaker Bio Mahen Bala is a visual documentarian based in Kuala Lumpur. Working with the medium of photography, film and writing, his works focus on researching, and documenting Malaysia’s rich culture and history. A careful, methodical observer, his works focuses on the human identity and its relation to the environment, both natural and artificial. www.mahenbala.com
DRAGONS IN PARADISE (Samoa) The first wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in Samoa in the late 19th Century. As time stretched on and the more that came (be it as free settlers or indentured labourers), they integrated into the culture, learnt the fa’asamoa, married Samoans, had Samoan families and eventually died in Samoa as Samoans. The legacy they left behind is powerful and can be seen in the culture and the people of Samoa today. Despite the history, the newest wave of Chinese to arrive in Samoa has upset a lot of the locals. Taking businesses that should be set aside for Locals, skirting laws set up to prevent them from doing so and funnelling money out of the Samoan economy, are just some of the issues being voiced by Samoans. This documentary delves into the past, meets the descendants of the people that changed the face of Samoa and takes a look at the potential problems that come with the new wave of Chinese arriving in Samoa today. Duration: 27 minutes Year: 2018 Filmmaker Bio Tikilounge Productions is a dynamic young team of Pacific creatives and curators who bring you stories from around the Pacific region. They kick open the curtains and shine some light on the issues, ideas and insights that diverse Pacific communities are engaged in. Delve into doco’s and crack up at the raft of comedy that showcases Pacific flavour - made by Pacificans for the world. Coconet TV www.thecoconet.tv
This short film screening is an accompaniment event to the Chindia exhibition, an associated event of the 2018 Sydney Chinese New Year Festival.
ABOUT CARNIVAL OF THE BOLD In 2013, Kevin Bathman and Zara Choy co-founded an art for social change initiative called Carnival of the Bold, that seeks to champion the arts for social change. It is a movement of social change to create deeper engagement around social, cultural and humanitarian causes. The initiative showcases artists who use their art to enrich our cultural identity, explore shared values, spark imagination and empower communities. BETH YAPH, Writer/Academic Originally from Malaysia, Beth Yahp is an award-winning author with 25 years of professional experience as a writer of fiction and non-fiction, whose work has been published in Australia and internationally. Beth has worked as an editor and taught creative writing for many years, including at the University of Technology, Sydney, Macquarie University, the American University of Paris, and currently at the University of Sydney in the Masters in Creative Writing Program. Her travel memoir Eat First, Talk Later has been contracted by Random House Australia for publication in 2015.
KEVIN BATHMAN, organiser Malaysian-born Kevin Bathman is a designer, storyteller, curator and social change advocate based in Sydney. He is interested in using creativity to address environmental, cultural and social justice issues, and believes that the arts is an untapped avenue for catalysing change. With a Chinese/Indian ancestry, Kevin has been researching the history, connections and cross-cultural stories between the Chinese and Indian culture for his project, The Chindian Diaries.
AMADEO ‘ARMI’ MARQUEZ-PEREZ, co-organiser Amadeo ‘Armi’ Marquez-Perez has over 18 years experience as a local and international producer working on a wide range of projects, including corporate, community development, and social engagement. Amadeo is a passionate story-teller and is driven to showcase high quality stories to audiences. He is especially committed to promoting the stories of diverse communities. He has represented Australian stories to numerous international film festivals and film markets around the world.
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