[Feb 26] TORONTO: Taiwan Cinema: Yesterday and Today

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2010

Taiwan Cinema Yesterday and Today, the third Asian Institute film conference (festival), to be held on February 26-28 is co-presented by the Asian Institute at the University of Toronto and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto.

Miss Canada, Lena Ma, will emcee a closed pre-Gala, VIP reception at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at 5:00-6:00 p.m., as well as the Opening Night Gala at the Innis Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. on February 26. There will be a keynote address Bentu: Taiwan Cinema’s Sentiments and Marketplace by Professor Emilie Yeh of the Hong Kong Baptist University, followed by the Toronto-premiere screening of Tears directed by Cheng Wen-Tang. The Opening Night Party will be held at the Innis Café to be transformed by Dinah Koo of Koo & Co and In the Kitchen with Dinah. Ms Koo will cater Taiwanese night market fare, and Dufflet will bring the dessert.

On February 27, the festival continues at the Innis Town Hall with a Saturday morning – suitable for children – film at 10:00 a.m. with Orz Boyz directed by Yang Ya-Che. The second film of the day is City of Sadness directed by Hou Hsio-Hsien. The screening will be followed by a lecture Hou Hsiao-hsien and City of Sadness as Taiwan’s Cultural Ambassador with Professor James Udden, Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. Next on the Saturday program at 5:00 p.m. is a symposium Contemporary Taiwan Cinema with speakers, Lee Carruthers, Professor of Cinema and Media Studies, University of Calgary; Shelly Kraicer, Curator, film programmer, and freelance film critic, Beijing based; and Bart Testa, Professor of Cinema Studies, U of T. The last film on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. is Parking directed by Chung Mung-Hong.

The final day of the festival on February 28 is also at the Innis Town Hall and starts at 2:00 p.m. with Dark Night directed by Fred Tan. The second and closing film is Growing Up directed by Chen Kun-Hou at 5:00 p.m.

We would like to invite the media to cover the entire weekend event, particularly the VIP reception and Opening Night Gala on February 26.

WHAT: Asian Institute’s film conference (festival)

WHERE: Feb 26 | 5:00 – 6:00 pm | VIP reception | Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
120 St. George Street
Feb 26 |6:30 – 9:30 | Opening Night Screening | Town Hall
Innis College at the University of Toronto
2 Sussex Street, at St. George, south of Bloor
Feb 26 | 9:30 – 12:00 | Opening Night Party | Innis Café

Feb 27 & 28 | films, lecture and symposium | Town Hall

CONTACT: Eileen Lam
Asian Institute at the University of Toronto
Munk Centre for International Studies
t: 416-946-8997 | e: [email protected]
url: www.utoronto.ca/ai