Hong Kong Drama Series at Centre of Controversy Triggers Need for Greater Dialogue.

At the time of this article being published, a NextShark post on instagram has over 11,000 likes and 500 comments, with a majority full of hate and criticism towards a popular Hong Kong television drama that is currently being broadcasted and coming to a close. The issue being discussed two weeks ago was the disapproval of “brownface,” as make-up was used on a Chinese actor to darken her skin to portray a Filipina domestic helper for one half of her role, where she transforms from the first ethnicity to being Chinese, when the family she works for tries to turn her into the replacement for their late daughter who fatefully died years prior.

Current AffairsFête ChinoiseApril 29, 2022Comment

Canadian Actor Selena Lee’s Highly Anticipated Drama Sequel Takes Off This Week: 金宵大廈 2

Many fans of TVB’s supernatural drama 金宵大廈 can still hear the tune of theme song 今宵多珍重 in their heads from the blockbuster in 2019. Drama creator Ruby Law was inspired by the song, originally in Mandarin, to pen a story about a man and a woman who see each other in their dreams, which was the basis of the romance of the first series. This was also the song that Selena performed in 2020 on the stage of our Fete Chinoise Signature Event at the Royal York Hotel. Selena Lee not only plays the main character in this sequel, she also released her new single 相愛萬年, her first individual solo piece which she also had a part in writing.

Current AffairsFête ChinoiseApril 5, 2022Asian Representation, TV SeriesComment

Everything Everywhere All At Once is A Must Watch!

This long preamble is my way to wrap my brain around my stunned reaction after seeing EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. In my perfect world, all I’d write is “Trust me. It’s brilliant. SEE IT”. But I can’t, so please bare with me as I discombobulate my addled brain cells and convince you to be first in line to see the most original and bombastic movie in decades without any spoilers!

Mark Your Calendar, Current Affairs, Film, Film & BooksFête ChinoiseApril 1, 2022Asian Representation, FilmComment

Ronny Chieng in Toronto: This Is Not A Review

My day begin with delicious Pho for lunch, then on to exciting wedding planning activities, which eventually brought me to Nordstrom for some suit shopping. After an hour of unsuccessful consulting, I found myself rummaging through the ready to wear clearance section hoping to find some gems. I end up next to another frantic asian man – I could tell based on the slightly sweaty forehead and furrowed brows, and of course the pace of his browsing from hanger to hanger. I almost instantly had a hunch, wow, is this RONNY CHIENG? He made a remark to the associate helping him and I knew it had to be him based on his distinct Asian-Australian accent. Then, finally it was confirmed, I caught a glimpse of his cyan blue printed Ronny Cheng socks, and there was no mistake!

Current AffairsFête ChinoiseMarch 21, 2022Asian Representation, CommunityComment

Turning Red: A Disney Pixar Chinese-Canadian Fairytale

After the Canadian Premiere of Turning Red, Disney and Pixar’s newest masterpiece, we stepped out of the TIFF Lightbox onto King Street, where the historic two-storey brick buildings sat as a backdrop to a passing streetcar, CN Tower lit up in red and purple to the left. It felt like the scenes from the movie continued into the sidewalk. This is the first Disney film to be situated in (and featuring) Toronto in the early 2000’s, a coming of age story about a 13 year old Chinese-Canadian girl whose emotions turn her into a giant red panda… as the poster suggests, “growing up is a beast!”

Current Affairs, Mark Your Calendar, FilmDeborah Lau-YuMarch 11, 2022Asian Representation, Film, animationComment

Snakehead: A Riveting Film Based on Real Life in New York City's Chinatown

A Chinese immigrant is caught up in an international crime ring of human smuggling while attempting to make a better life for her family in New York City. Based on the real life story of notorious criminal Sister Peng, from Chinatown, NYC. Directed by Evan Jackson Leong.

Current Affairs, Community & People, Film, Film & BooksDeborah Lau-YuOctober 29, 2021chinese canadian, film review, Asian representatonComment

PANDEMIC STORIES: DIARIES OF 2020 TO 2021 PART 3 of 3

Part 3. During the unprecedented time of the global pandemic, Canadians across the country were adapting to new and innovative ways to face the disruptions caused by COVID-19. We document some of these moments in this chapter as a time capsule of what occurred when time stood still.

Community & People, Current Affairs, Personal StoriesFête ChinoiseOctober 19, 2021Comment

PANDEMIC STORIES: DIARIES OF 2020 TO 2021 PART 2 of 3

Part 2. During the unprecedented time of the global pandemic, Canadians across the country were adapting to new and innovative ways to face the disruptions caused by COVID-19. We document some of these moments in this chapter as a time capsule of what occurred when time stood still.

Community & People, Current Affairs, Personal StoriesFête ChinoiseOctober 19, 2021Comment

PANDEMIC STORIES: DIARIES OF 2020 TO 2021 PART 1 of 3

During the unprecedented time of the global pandemic, Canadians across the country were adapting to new and innovative ways to face the disruptions caused by COVID-19. We document some of these moments in this chapter as a time capsule of what occurred when time stood still.

Current Affairs, Community & People, Personal StoriesFête ChinoiseOctober 19, 2021Comment

Part 4 of Marvel's Shang-Chi: Six Reasons to Love the Film (Even More)

Have you watched Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Not only has it been the number one movie at box offices for two straight weekends, breaking records along its path and surpassing revenue expectations, it has also collected some of the highest praise and reviews! The audience approval is at an astounding 98% audience score and a 92% on the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.

Part 3 of Marvel's Shang-Chi: 陳法拉 Fala Chen's Courage, Performance, and Dazzling Transformation

How many of us can stop ourselves at the height of our careers or pursuits, and put the work into transforming ourselves? The introspective journey of self actualization may bring many of us to a point of realization and reflection, of self-awareness and authenticity. Then it requires action and change, the hard part. Fala Chen, a name that many American and Canadian-Chinese households have watched for over a decade via Hong Kong Television, is an inspiration for her dedication to her own journey and development as a person, as an artist.

Current Affairs, Film, Film & BooksDeborah Lau-YuSeptember 8, 2021film review, shang-chi, hong kong, fala chen, asian american, Asian representatonComment

Part 2 of Marvel's Shang-Chi: Tony Leung 梁朝偉 as Wenwu

A global icon through his many unforgettable performances in Hong Kong cinema, Tony Leung stars as Wenwu in Marvel’s Shang-Chi. Are you excited to watch his first Hollywood production? We are! Read on to reminisce the work of this highly acclaimed and decorated superstar, as well as our discussion on why his appearance in Shang-Chi holds utmost significance for so many Chinese-Canadians and North American diasporas. Two Canadians also had the privilege of acting opposite this industry giant — who were they?