Ethnicity at the Flicks: Do We Need It?

Ethnicity at the Flicks: Do We Need It?

Georgia Lee, director of the feature film "Red Doors," will be joining Mary Lui of American Studies, Paize Keulemans of EALL, and Ron Gregg of Film Studies

Friday, November 30, 2007 - 4:00pm to 5:30pm
Auditorium (Room 101), Henry R. Luce Hall See map
34 Hillhouse Avenue
New Haven, CT 6511

At 4:00 PM on Friday, November 30, 2007, in the Auditorium of Henry R. Luce Hall, Georgia Lee, director of the feature film “Red Doors,” will be joining Mary Lui of American Studies, Paize Keulemans of EALL, and Ron Gregg of Film Studies in a panel of discussion on the topic of “What Makes ‘Red Doors’ an American Movie.” Please note that there will be a special screening of “Red Doors” with Director Georgia Lee at 7:00 PM in the Auditorium of Henry R. Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Avenue, on Thursday, November 29, 2007. The panelists will be exploring questions such as whether movies made in America need labels like Asian-American or Hispanic-American; whether a film should reflect the director’s ancestry or place of origin; what role do these labels play in marketing films to audiences; and which immigrant directors were able to be simply American directors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RED DOORS Three Chinese-American sisters from New York try to reconcile their loves and lives in this family comedy which won Best Picture at the Tribeca Film Festival. After their recently retired father Ed (Tzi Ma) suddenly disappears, sisters Samantha (Jacqueline Kim), Julie (Elaine Kao), and Katie (Kathy Lee), are forced to abandon their hectic and disparate lives looking for him. On their way to finding him - and themselves - Samantha courts infidelity, Julie falls for another woman, and Katie flirts with expulsion. RED DOORS has captivated audiences, festival jurors, and film critics alike while also winning awards at CineVegas and Outfest. Funny and moving, absurd and painfully real, RED DOORS provides a unique view of the modern American family. Georgia Lee is a writer-director working in film and television. After graduating from Harvard University, she worked for management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. While at McKinsey, Ms. Lee was selected by director Martin Scorsese to apprentice on “Gangs of New York” after he saw her first short film, “The Big Dish: Tiananmen ‘89”. Her subsequent short film, “Educated”, showed in over 30 festivals around the world. Ms. Lee’s first feature film, “Red Doors” won the Best Narrative Feature Award at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. “Red Doors” went on to win the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Acting at CineVegas, as well as the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Award for Screenwriting at Outfest in Los Angeles. “Red Doors” was theatrically released in the U.S. in fall 2006. Ms. Lee has received fellowships from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Jerome Foundation. She has been a juror for both the Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. She is currently writing a drama pilot for CBS/Paramount TV and developing her next film projects.

Co-sponsored with the Asian American Cultural Center
Region: 
China, Taiwan, Hong Kong