Re:Orientations (2016)

68 minutes

A fascinating look into the lives and thoughts of seven queer pan-Asian Canadians as they look back on a 1984 documentary in which they featured. How have they changed? And how has the world around them evolved and changed?

In 1984, Richard Fung released his seminal first documentary Orientations: Lesbian and Gay Asians. Featuring 14 women and men in Toronto of South, East and Southeast Asian backgrounds, Orientations was the first documentary to explore the experiences and perspectives of queer Asians in North America. Capturing pivotal moments in Toronto’s history, it presents an intimate portrait of the texture of gay live and politics at that time. Re:Orientations revisits seven of the original participants as they see anew the footage of their younger selves, and reflect on their lives and all that has changed over the intervening three decades. Their interviews are deepened and contextualized by conversations with six younger queer and trans activists, scholars and artists.

World premiere: Inside Out: Toronto LGBT Film Festival, 12:30pm, Saturday May 28, TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2
For tickets: http://insideout.ca/

Orientations participants: Sylvia Alfonso, Paul Cheung, Gary Joong, Prabha Khosla, Alan Li, Mary Woo-Sims and Tony Souza
Re:Orientations conversations: Ponni Arasu, Robert Diaz, Judy Han, Nathan Hoo, El-Farouk Khaki, Gein Wong
ILL NANA Diversity Dance Company: Jelani Ade-Lam, Sze-Yang Ade-Lam, Kumari Giles

Written & Directed by Richard Fung
Research Collaborators: Roland Sintos Coloma, Amar Wahab
Camera: Kwoi Gin, Iris Ng
Editor: Dennis Day
Original Score Orientations: Glenn Schellenberg
Original score and sound design Re:Orientations: Phil Strong & Thomas Hoy
Adaptation of Orientations score: Phil Strong and Thomas Hoy
Sound recording: Chandra Bulocon, Huan Nguyen
Additional camera: Richard Fung, Nathan Hoo, Kim McNaughton
Camera assistance: Raj Nandy
Production management: Faraz Anoushahpour, Annette Mangaard
Research assistants: Byron Chan, Alvis Choi, Madison Cooke, Naomi Dodds, Fritz Pino, Alyssa Teekah


RE:ORIENTATIONS (TRAILER) from Richard Fung on Vimeo.

Distributors: www.vtape.org, www.twn.org

68 minutes

A fascinating look into the lives and thoughts of seven queer pan-Asian Canadians as they look back on a 1984 documentary in which they featured. How have they changed? And how has the world around them evolved and changed?

In 1984, Richard Fung released his seminal first documentary Orientations: Lesbian and Gay Asians. Featuring 14 women and men in Toronto of South, East and Southeast Asian backgrounds, Orientations was the first documentary to explore the experiences and perspectives of queer Asians in North America. Capturing pivotal moments in Toronto’s history, it presents an intimate portrait of the texture of gay live and politics at that time. Re:Orientations revisits seven of the original participants as they see anew the footage of their younger selves, and reflect on their lives and all that has changed over the intervening three decades. Their interviews are deepened and contextualized by conversations with six younger queer and trans activists, scholars and artists.

World premiere: Inside Out: Toronto LGBT Film Festival, 12:30pm, Saturday May 28, TIFF Bell Lightbox, Cinema 2
For tickets: http://insideout.ca/

Orientations participants: Sylvia Alfonso, Paul Cheung, Gary Joong, Prabha Khosla, Alan Li, Mary Woo-Sims and Tony Souza
Re:Orientations conversations: Ponni Arasu, Robert Diaz, Judy Han, Nathan Hoo, El-Farouk Khaki, Gein Wong
ILL NANA Diversity Dance Company: Jelani Ade-Lam, Sze-Yang Ade-Lam, Kumari Giles

Written & Directed by Richard Fung
Research Collaborators: Roland Sintos Coloma, Amar Wahab
Camera: Kwoi Gin, Iris Ng
Editor: Dennis Day
Original Score Orientations: Glenn Schellenberg
Original score and sound design Re:Orientations: Phil Strong & Thomas Hoy
Adaptation of Orientations score: Phil Strong and Thomas Hoy
Sound recording: Chandra Bulocon, Huan Nguyen
Additional camera: Richard Fung, Nathan Hoo, Kim McNaughton
Camera assistance: Raj Nandy
Production management: Faraz Anoushahpour, Annette Mangaard
Research assistants: Byron Chan, Alvis Choi, Madison Cooke, Naomi Dodds, Fritz Pino, Alyssa Teekah


RE:ORIENTATIONS (TRAILER) from Richard Fung on Vimeo.

Distributors: www.vtape.org, www.twn.org