Arts & Entertainment PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26
(TENTATIVE) AGENDA SPECIAL and REGULAR MEETINGS Week of November 30, 2009
The Special Policy & Services Committee Meeting will be held on Monday, November 30, 2009 at 7:00 PM regarding 1) Report on the Status of Audit Recommendations, 2) Economic Development Strategy, and 3) Legislative Program The Finance Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. regarding 1) Auditor’s Office Quarterly Report as of September 30, 2009 and 2) 2010 Budget Update and 2009 Financial Update
Jean-Paul Jeanne
STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Filmmakers Rae Chang and Adam Tow, photographed in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Wielding pen and sword Filmmakers focus on a powerful Chinese women’s-rights icon
NOTICE OF A SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING of the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commision Please be advised the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) shall conduct a special meeting at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, December 9, 2009 in the Civic Center, Council Chambers, 1st Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. Staff reports for agendized items are available via the City’s main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org. and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, after 2:00 PM on the Friday preceding the meeting date. Copies will be made available at the Development Center should City Hall be closed on the 9/80 Friday. NEW BUSINESS. Public Hearing: 1.
Private Streets Ordinance: An Ordinance Amending the Subdivision Code (Title 21) of the Municipal Code to Revise the Definition of “Private Street”; California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Review: Categorically Exempt.
Study Session: 2.
Review of Housing Element – Housing Needs, Policies and Programs
3.
Review of Comprehensive Plan Business & Economics Element Programs and Policies
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes of November 4, 2009. NEXT MEETING: Regular Meeting of January 13, 2010 at 7:00 PM (CCR) Questions. Any questions regarding the above applications, please contact the Planning Department at (650) 329-2440. The files relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This public meeting is televised live on Government Access Channel 26. ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. *** Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment
Page 26ÊUÊ Ûi LiÀÊÓÇ]ÊÓää ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
by Be’eri utumn Gem” is about a woman who wielded the wushu sword and the calligraphy brush with equal grace. It is the story of Qiu Jin, a woman who lived in turn-of-the-century (1875-1905) China and fought for women’s rights. Qiu Jin’s tale inspired Bay Area independent filmmakers Rae Chang and Adam Tow to produce an hour-long documentary, which will be screened at Stanford University on Nov. 30. The couple spent almost two years producing the film, investing almost $60,000 of their own savings. In July 2007, Chang quit her job at a graphic design company to work full-time on the film. Tow, a Stanford graduate and former Palo Alto Weekly photo intern, kept his job in digital-media consulting but also made time to work on the film. The first six months of pre-production involved extensive research, script writing and story-board drawing. In the next six months of production, the duo grabbed their video camera and traveled to China to film on location. The third step, post-production, took eight months of editing, fixing, organizing and publicizing. Finally, Chang and Tow took the film on a cross-country tour that spanned from San Diego to Wisconsin to New England and dozens of locales in between. “We are slowly recouping the costs of the film,” Chang said. “It is not a profitable venture.” But, Tow said, “I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” saying he had the privilege of working alongside his wife on a longtime dream. Neither Tow nor Chang went to film school. Tow studied symbolic systems at Stanford and Chang got a degree in art and anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. Both call the project a “learning experience,” especially on the legal end — filming permits and releases had to be obtained. With the help of Chang’s parents in China in persistent appeals, permits were granted relatively easily, the couple said.
“A
Moalem “Qiu Jin is not a controversial figure,” Chang said. She speculated that had they chosen to profile a more divisive personality, permits might not have been granted. During her own lifetime, however, Qiu Jin was mired in controversy. She fought to end a millenniumold tradition of binding women’s feet, and sought societal equality for women. She joined an uprising against the Qing Dynasty that ultimately failed: Qiu Jin was captured and executed. Yet her struggle was an important step in the struggle for human rights, echoing the now popular (thanks to the Disney animation) legend of Hua Mulan. Qiu Jin was also a prolific writer. In one poem quoted on Wikipedia in a translation by Zachary Jean Chartkoff, she wrote: Don’t tell me women are not the stuff of heroes, I alone rode over the East Sea’s winds for ten thousand leagues. My poetic thoughts ever expand, like a sail between ocean and heaven. I dreamed of your three islands, all gems, all dazzling with moonlight. Tow says of Qiu Jin’s tale, “We felt it a story worth telling.” Chang added, “Qiu Jin is famous in China but no one knows of her here.” “China remains an enigma to many in the U.S. There is little knowledge of the country’s history, and even less regarding the history of its women. As China emerges as a prominent player on the global stage, it becomes crucial to understand its recent past and the often-neglected role of its women,” their film’s website states. As they take the film from city to city, Tow and Chang have learned from their audiences as well. “We’ve had people come up to us after the screening and say that their grandmother or other relative worked with Qiu Jin or participated in the
Li Jing plays the lead role in “Autumn Gem.” same revolutionary activities. It was inspiring to meet these people who had a personal connection with her story,” Tow said. “Autumn Gem” (the title is an English translation of the heroine’s name) tells Qiu Jin’s story with a balanced use of dramatic reenactment and academic research. Martial-arts sequences are juxtaposed with historical narrative; poetry selections are read alongside interviews with scholars on the era. The part of Qiu Jin is acted by Li Jing, a former member of the China National wushu team. She carries the part with few words yet conveys Jin’s determined resolve with a powerful gaze and elegant sword choreography. Chang and Tow’s passion for martial arts is evident — Chang practices wushu and Tow does t’ai chi. They went back to their respective alma maters, Stanford and Berkeley, sending out casting calls at Asian martial-arts clubs for some of the larger scenes. Throughout the production process Tow and Chang recruited friends and acquaintances for roles in the film. Friends also recorded the music on the gu zheng, a Chinese stringed instrument, as well as on ethnic flute and drums. A portion of the film was filmed in Qiu Jin’s home province of Hunan in China, but many scenes were also filmed locally. Viewers might recognize a vista point off Interstate 280, Saratoga’s Hakone Gardens and Tilden Park in Berkeley. Tow and Chang also built a set in their garage. The two have high aspirations for their new film company, “Adam and Rae Productions.” Their goal is to have their film shown on KQED or PBS, and they call themselves “serial filmmakers.” Their next project, “Abacus to iPhone,” will explore the history and future of handheld computers. N What: Adam Tow and Rae Chang screen their new film, “Autumn Gem,” with an introduction by Thomas Mullaney, a Stanford assistant professor of history. Where: Cubberley Auditorium, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford University When: 7 p.m. Nov. 30 Cost: Free Info: Go to www.autumn-gem. com.