Choice cuts
FOOD IN ASIA isn't just a matter of sustenance, it's a central element in most social events, festive celebrations and family gatherings. So, it's no surprise that the Asia Society has chosen food as the theme for its new summer film series, 'A Taste of Asia'.
Starting on July 22, the event showcases features and documentaries from across the region, with each production exploring food in a different cultural context and looking at its links to identity, heritage and traditions.
'We were looking for films that were a bit different and films that haven't been widely screened in Hong Kong,' says series organiser Gillian Tso. 'All the films are fairly recent, too - made within the past few years. We also wanted a wide range of films, so there are two documentaries, a romantic comedy, an independent thriller. One film, Himalaya, was nominated for a best foreign film Oscar a few years ago.'
Founded in 1956, the Asia Society is a non-profit educational organisation dedicated to increasing the understanding of Asian countries and cultures. It runs almost 100 programmes a year locally, from lectures to seminars, exhibitions and artistic performances. This is the second time the society has organised a summer film series.
Tso says she has artistic and personal motives for this year's theme. 'Well, unofficially, I love eating, so that's one reason why I chose this subject,' she says, with a laugh. 'The main reason is food tells you a lot about a culture. But food is the backdrop for these films, not the main issue. They aren't movies about food or cooking.
'I don't think there's one general message in the series, but there are several common themes. One is cultural identity: how one looks at oneself in a community. Another issue is the concept of migration and the search for home. The other topic is family. That's an important element in almost all the films.'
Opening the series is French director Eric Valli's Himalaya. The acclaimed 2000 film is set in the remote villages near the world's highest mountain range. The inter-generational story tells of a struggle for leadership during the annual salt-for-grain trade between Tibet and Nepal.
Event organisers will also show the irreverent Singaporean comedy Chicken Rice War. The variation on Romeo and Juliet by Cheah Chee Kong chronicles two feuding families who run competing Hainan chicken rice stalls. When the two families' eldest siblings fall in love with each other, it becomes a recipe for drama, laughs and a tasty look at the Lion City's distinctive food culture.
Take Out is an independent New York feature by first-time filmmakers Tsou Shih-ching and Sean Baker about a Chinese fast-food delivery boy in America who is in debt to loan sharks. The gritty, realistic thriller was shot in a restaurant and depicts the harsh, lonely life of those living an underground existence in foreign lands.
Cheuk Kwan's Chinese Restaurants: Song of the Exile features the first three episodes of an ambitious 13-part documentary series about restaurants run by Chinese in remote corners of the globe. Hong Kong native Kwan looks at the heartbreaking stories of three family-run eateries in Israel, South Africa and Turkey.
'Kwan uses Chinese restaurants as a background to explore the issues of migration, the diaspora and just what it means to be Chinese,' Tso says. 'Lastly, there's Dream Cuisine, a touching look at another culinary tale of immigrants longing for home.
'The documentary is about an elderly Chinese couple who run a restaurant in Japan. The wife is a master chef in Shandong cuisine. She wants to move back to China to reintroduce her authentic cooking, but the husband doesn't want to move. It's ironic because she's a master chef in this lost art, but in China the cuisine was lost because of the Cultural Revolution. So, the Chinese were actually not interested in what she's doing. It's a very moving documentary.'
A Taste of Asia, Jul 22 to Aug 28, Agnes B Cinema, Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai, $40, $80. Tickets: 2103 9508 or 2103 9502; or HK Ticketing: 3128 8288.'
