Film Categories: Asian

  • Beat Truths: A Portrait of Graeme Kirkland

    Based on autobiographical writings, “Beat Truths: A Portrait of Graeme Kirkland” is a 3-minute film that aims to capture the dynamics of the artist’s street performance. It is a marriage of spoken word, street samples and drumming to cinema verite-style filming, creating a collage of sound and vision which builds to a cacophony that captures the essence and honesty of the artist and his art. Never subtle nor sugar-coated, and always in your face.

  • Slice of Primal Pie

    “Slice of Primal Pie” takes on the challenge of capturing the excitement and spirituality of the percussion group Primal Rhythm in film. Using mixed mediums (Super 8mm, 16mm, animated 35mm stills, colour, b&w, infrared) the images were first shot and edited, then Primal Rhythm composed live to them in the recording studio. As a result this “visual rhythm film” has a very organic feel, as opposed to the traditional slick approach to music videos. “Slice of Primal Pie” is as much about the universal appeal of their music as it is about these self-proclaimed “urban primates.”

  • In the Garden

    A quiet moment with the plants. A home-grown film: shot in my garden, processed in my basement, and dried on the lawn. (LF) Selected screenings: Anthology Film Archives, New York, 2007; Images Festival, Toronto, ON, 2004; Pleasure Dome New Toronto Works, Toronto, ON, 2004; “Textured Traces,” Foreman Art Gallery, Montreal, QC, 2005; Best of the LIFT $99 Film Festival Tour, various locations, 2005

  • Nocturno

    A woman struggles with the emptiness of her life, her emotional landscape reflected in the images around her. Through macro photography of a bread-making process, a seemingly mundane domestic scene is transformed into something sensual and deeply emotional. Selected screenings & awards: CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival, Toronto, 2005; Jury’s Pick, CSIF $100 Film Festival, Calgary, AB, 2005; Best Canadian Film or Video Award, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, 2004; Doug Wandrei Award for Best Lighting Design, Ann Arbor Film Festival, 2004; Mill Valley Film Festival, Mill Valley, CA, 2003; Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax, NS, 2003

  • P

    “P” explores a single theme: excrements. Babies, worms and flies guide us through a compilation of facts and theories, approaching a theme often regarded as disgusting in a meaningful and humorous way.

  • U

    Facts on farts. An intimate introduction to the fine art of the fart. Starts and departs with a fart, with great music from rears to ears.

  • Third Tongue, The

    “The Third Tongue” explores the loss of historical identity in a post-colonial society. A haunting look at the legacy of war.

  • Chinese Cafés in Rural Saskatchewan

    A “television documentary” which researches the Chinese communities in rural Saskatchewan by tracing the popularity of Chinese cafés. Using archival photographs, the video presents the experiences of Chinese immigrants from the turn-of the-century to the present.

  • Flora’s Film

    In 1873, Eadweard Muybridge, commonly referred to as “the father of the motion picture,” succeeded in photographically freezing a horse mid-gallop. One year later, he shot and killed his wife’s lover. Using an evocative collection of found footage and sounds, Wilson channels the voice of Flora Muybridge, imagining her response to her husband’s act and subsequent acquittal at trial.

  • Fly

    Traces of birds become calligraphy. Handmade filmmaking creates impressions of flying. York University Award for Best Student Film, Images Festival, Toronto, 2005