SFIAAFF 2010 | DAY III | Sing China! at Schema : more than ethnic

DAY III | BRUNCH & SING CHINA!

Woke up to glorious sunshine on Day 3 and took the MUNI bus along Geary to meet Chris of Reel Asian, Wendy from SFIAAFF (formerly DC APA), and filmmaker Soopum of "Make Yourself At Home" for brunch.

The bus ride? People watching at its best: A sharply-dressed Caucasian woman randomly carrying a red Japanese schoolgirl backpack. A girl in a purple silk dress with a plunging neckline that revealed her pillowy tatas, in contrast to her angelic curls framing her equally angelic face. A stoic African-American wearing a Rasta handknitted tam upon his head, delicately mending his burlap eco-bag with needle and thread. An elderly Asian woman, all curled-back and lived-in face, wheeling her cart bursting with bags of groceries, while shielding her face with a bright yellow and blue Marimekko print sunhat. A young Vietnamese woman with shiny black locks, bopping along and unabashingly singing out along to the V-pop tune thumping out of her Mp3 player. A young Latino man, biting his lower lip, with his Nike cap backwards atop his head. An elderly Asian man nodding off, with a lolling head, bumping his thick black-framed glasses against the rim of his Adidas cap.

Alas I arrived to meet my group at Hotel Tomo and we managed to slip off for brunch at Ti Couz, a Breton creperie in the Mission district. We're talking authentic buckwheat savory crepes filled with smoked salmon (mine) and decorated with creme fraiche; tall glasses of Bloody Mary's adorned with a pickled onion, olive, and a plump shrimp on a toothpick; a soft crepe soaked with lemon-sugar and a dollop of fresh cream; and a rustic bowl of organic pear cider. Sublime. Delicious.

SHOWTIME | SING CHINA!

Then it was up to the Clay Theater on Fillmore for the screening of the US documentary Sing China! . Here's the writeup from SFIAAFF crew (link):

Freida Lee Mock's 2001 Oscar-nominated short film SING! looked behind the scenes at the Los Angeles Children's Choir, and in her inspiring sequel she returns to the chorus seven years later, chronicling its groundbreaking tour of China.
Following the chorus' 60 members, all 11-17 years-old, Mock not only captures the excitement and drama of performance, but also paints a portrait of a changing China, one then on the cusp of hosting the 2008 Olympics.

Internationally acclaimed, the Los Angeles Children's Chorus includes youth from over 50 diverse communities across Los Angeles and has traveled around the world, bringing its young ambassadors of American culture from Brazil to Australia.

In the chorus' first trip to China, Mock captures the intimate moments of their rehearsals and performances, and also their interactions with host organizations and fellow Chinese singers.

From Shanghai to Beijing to Xi'an, SING CHINA! follows the children as they inquisitively learn how silk is made, haggle with street vendors and stand in awe of ancient buildings, and also provides incredible footage of their concerts and performances, featuring everything from Beethoven to Ellington to traditional Chinese songs.

For many of the children, the trip is a fascinating glimpse into another culture, but for others it is something quite more meaningful. These include Gianna, a Chinese adoptee returning to China for the first time who is in search of her orphanage, and the precocious Nathan, a Filipino American who is astonished to see so many Asians in one place.

Funny, heartful and moving, SING CHINA! is a celebration of performance, culture and the transformative power of music.

YAY FOR SING CHINA!

I cried with joy. Damn, Sing China! is a feel-good film. I got all tingly, so inspired by the children of this choir. So if you were too lazy to read the above synopsis: You get this choir from LA. They go to China. Sing their hearts out during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. They visit Chinese choirs. They sing Carmina Burana and Ode To Joy, among other classics. They tour and travel and see the sights. They experience a different world and appreciate the intricacies of another country. They find bits of themselves. They share their lives with others. They appreciate what they have at home. You basically want to adopt them all!

Weeping while the young singer Gianna, adopted by an American family after being abandoned in an orphanage in China, visits the orphanage and her amah. Hearing her wonder if she's Chinese or American or both...tears rolling down my face. Accepting her birth parents decision to give her a better life. Melts your heart.

And their teacher...she reminded the students to be ambassadors of America and to carry with them "kindness, grace, and understanding" wherever they go. If only we all learned to carry with us "kindness, grace, and understanding" -- a reminder to do so.

Sing China! will hopefully show in a festival near you...or you can always wait for it to premiere on public television. Worth every breathless moment of waiting.

Schema Magazine

SFIAAFF 2010 | DAY III | Sing China!

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