Date: March 28, 2010

Time: 2:00pm

Title: A Moment in Time/聲光轉逝

Language: English, Cantonese, with Chinese subtitles

Directed By: Ruby Yang
Admission: Free
Location: CCC Auditorium, 750 Kearny St., 3rd Floor, inside Hilton Hotel, San Francisco

CCC Members, please RSVP now, or get your tickets at CCC Gift Shop. Gift Shop Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10-4, Sunday, 12-4.

Through a warm, intimate pastiche of multi-generational interviews and rare film clips (from both old Cantonese movies and early Chinese American works), Oscar-winning director Ruby Yang explores the evolving role of Chinatown movie theaters in San Francisco’s Chinese American community. For generations of moviegoers, Chinatown theaters were a place to remember—or learn about—their roots, and to create bonds with family and community. In the ‘20s and ‘30s, the theater riveted Chinese bachelors and brought matrons to tears as they connected with China through Shanghainese cinema and Cantonese opera adaptations. In the ‘50s, local Chinese actors shared live updates on political events in China before the beginning of a film. The Chinatown theatres also presented affirming role models to combat the racism many found around them: in the ‘60s Hong Kong musicals proved that Chinese kids could be cool, and in the ‘70s Bruce Lee and the martial arts craze showcased a new vision of Chinese masculinity. Produced by Lambert Yam (Yang’s husband, who for over ten years was the owner of the World Theatre, one of the premiere movie houses in San Francisco’s Chinatown), A MOMENT IN TIME includes interviews with many residents, artists and activists, as well as noted figures like director John Woo and cinematographer Christopher Doyle. While Chinatown’s theaters are now closed, their legacy remains.