This is a special screening of two Australian-Chinese films (China Dolls, directed by Tony Ayres, 1998, 30 mins and Chinese Take Away, directed by Mitzi Goldman, 2002, 52 mins).

China Dolls
Directed by Tony Ayres
1998, 30 mins, Australia

This film probes the uncomfortable reality of racial stereotyping and discrimination in the gay community in Australia, through interviews with Asian men who talk frankly, and often humorously, of their experiences of living within a ‘double minority’. Tony Ayres tells a highly personal story of coming to terms with his ethnicity and sexuality. His journey from denial towards acceptance of his identity highlights the stories of this generation of gay Asian men in Australia who endeavoured to overturn old stereotypes and forge new identities.

Chinese Take Away

Directed by Mitzi Goldman
Written and performed by Anna Yen
2002, 52 mins, Australia

A one-woman show based on the stories of writer Anna Yen's grandmother, her mother and herself, Chinese Take Away is a unique blend of storytelling, circus skills, clowning, movement and magic. Yen embodies episodes of her family history, from her grandmother's stories of survival in 1930s China and Hong Kong, to her mother's dislocation and sadness in suburban Sydney in the 1960s, to her own grief, confusion and peace-making with her family's histories.

This film is part of Asia and the Pacific Screens Season Four: Roots & Routes, sponsored by the Australian Centre on China in the World.