blue_lotus13: (frida)
lex ([personal profile] blue_lotus13) wrote2006-09-08 06:25 pm

I'm going to be a panelist at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival

I received an email this morning asking me if I wanted to be a panelist for a forum at the Vancouver Asian Film festival . I don't get paid, but I do get a free festival pass. Plus, I'm just happy to be asked! Here's what I'll be speaking at-

PROGRAM SIX
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2006
11:00 A.M.
* *
*CANADIAN ASIAN vs. ASIAN CANADIAN:*
*POLITICALLY CORRECT LABELS*

Canada’s multicultural society often leads people to identify themselves with hyphenated labels. But, how does one choose a label? What are the implications of placing one’s ethnicity before nationality and vice versa? Moreover, as ethnicities become increasingly blended it is now more the norm to identify oneself as a hybrid or hyphenated.

This program begins with the screening of two films. The first is CANADIAN-CHINESE, a filmmaker's personal exploration of identity. Then in BETWEEN: LIVING IN THE HYPHEN, the documentary weaves several of its subjects’ experiences with self-identification while growing up bi-racial.**

These screenings will be followed by a panel discussion on “Politically Correct Labels”

CANADIAN-CHINESE
DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER: Felix Cheng

| Documentary | Beta | Colour | 2005 | 10 minutes | Canada |

Vancouver Premiere

Through the concept of language, CANADIAN-CHINESE is a documentary surrounding director Felix Cheng’s personal relationship with his family and cultural background. Simultaneously, he explores the issue of identity and the connection that one makes with the people and world around him simply through the act of understanding his own language.

BETWEEN: LIVING IN THE HYPHEN
* *
DIRECTOR Anne Marie Nakagawa
WRITER Anne Marie Nakagawa
PRODUCERS Bonnie Thompson, NFB

| Documentary | Beta | Colour | 2005 | 42 minutes | Canada |

Vancouver Premiere

In Canada, diversity often means “one ethnicity + hyphen +Canadian,” but what if you don’t fit into an easy category? What if your background is a hybrid of ancestries and you live somewhere between, where cultural identities overlap?

BETWEEN interweaves the experiences of a group of Canadians with one parent from an European background and one from a visible minority. They’re all struggling to find a satisfying frame of reference. Cultural identity, it seems, is more complex than what our multicultural utopia implies.

*PANEL DISCUSSION:*
The politics of identifying oneself such as Asian Canadian vs. Canadian Asian, can be extremely bewildering. Come join this distinguished panel of guests and get the low down on how to identify yourself and what it all means.

[identity profile] elizawrites.livejournal.com 2006-09-09 03:05 am (UTC)(link)
What an honor!

[identity profile] morag-gunn.livejournal.com 2006-09-09 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
That is SO cool. Congratulations!

[identity profile] sarrabellum.livejournal.com 2006-09-09 06:08 am (UTC)(link)
That is really, really cool! I am so happy for you!

[identity profile] zocalo.livejournal.com 2006-09-09 08:47 am (UTC)(link)
Very interesting! I wish I could attend! Maybe there'll be a podcast? lol

Asian-Cdn vs Cdn Asian....I rarely hear the latter. I think by common practice, minorities all use the former. Asian Canadian, Turkish-German, Chinese-Malay, etc.... To me the 2nd label always signifies the host/adopted country.

The only case I can imagine using Canadian Asian would be to refer to Asians living in Canada who are not naturalized (or not interested in being naturalized with passport). I have a Korean coworker in Vanc who holds like 2 other passports already (interracial marriage) and she's not interested in the Canadian one. For her I could imagine calling her Canadian Korean.

[identity profile] meli-mello.livejournal.com 2006-09-09 02:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I had an interesting conversation about labeling just last night. One of the guys I work with is very interested in where everyone is from or what their ancestry is and while I do see feel a tie to the "homeland" and my "heritage" (so-to-speak) I try not to define my Canadianism as the second characteristic: meaning, I don't think it is right for me to call myself an Irish-Canadian when my family has been here for almost 200 years. So I told him I was Canadian and he said he gets annoyed when people say they are Canadian b/c that is a given "but what are you really?" His family has been in Canada a really long time too but he has this need to categorize everyone which, at least for myself, I am trying not to do. I think if a lot of people started saying they were Canadian first we would have some sort of national identity beyond what Douglad Coupland is trying to create. And I hope I don't sound snobby here b/c I don't mean to and I don't think Canada needs to be a big melting pot either. I'm just thinking of myself - both sides of the family have been in this country for almost 200 years and for the most part only married other "Irish-Canadians" which to me seems pretty closed minded but was also just because they ran in the same circles and went to the same schools/churches.

/end rant.

I am very interested to hear how your panel discussion goes.

[identity profile] dramaqueen-23.livejournal.com 2006-09-10 09:52 pm (UTC)(link)
What a fantastic opportunity! I'd love to participate in such a discussion.