Join filmmaker Michael Smith in examining how images of Chinese-American life have been created and received from the silent era through the present day in films produced both in America and abroad.
Charles Yu's novel INTERIOR CHINATOWN tells the story of Willis Wu, a young man who dreams of becoming "Kung Fu Guy," the pinnacle of success for Chinese-American actors looking to make it in contemporary, predominantly-white Hollywood. Yu brilliantly juxtaposes scenes written in screenplay format with a more stream-of-consciousness narrative style in order to take on themes of race, identity and nationality in a satirical and innovative way. This installment of "Mike at the Movies" acts as a companion to the novel by focusing on films produced both in America and abroad in order to examine how images of Chinese-American life have been created and received from the silent era through the present day. Among the clips screened: Piccadilly (w/ Anna May Wong), John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China, An Autumn's Tale (w/ Chow Yun-Fat) and Wayne Wang's The Joy Luck Club.
Michael Smith is an independent filmmaker, author and Film Studies instructor based in Chicago. His first feature film, Cool Apocalypse, premiered in 2015 and has won multiple awards on the film festival circuit. Since 2009, he has taught film history and aesthetics at Oakton Community College, Triton College, Harold Washington College and the College of Lake County. He is a regular contributor to Time Out Chicago and Cine-File Chicago, and his film writing has appeared in the Chicago Reader, La Furia Umana, Isis Magazine and on Nobudge.com.
All who register to attend will receive a Zoom link for the event prior to the start of the program.
Learn more about Interior Chinatown, Charles Yu, and the full programming schedule for One Book, Everyone Reads here.
One Book, Everyone Reads is funded by Friends of the Wilmette Public Library.
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