by Jian Ping
CHICAGO, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Asian Pop-Up Cinema, a film festival showcasing diverse Asian cultures in America, kicked off its 15th season with a Chinese film Saturday in packed Claudia Cassidy Theater at Chicago Cultural Center in downtown Chicago.
Screened at the opening ceremony is Sun Haipeng's "I Am What I Am," an animated film of lively action comedy telling the story of three teenagers who are bullied and find their drive, joy, and passion in lion dance.
The film is "a major breakthrough from most animated films produced in China that often narrate fantasy stories or revolve around themes related to mythological characters," said Sophia Wong Boccio, founder and executive director of the film festival. "This film focuses on the ancient cultural tradition of the lion dance but sets in a contemporary and realistic content."
Other Chinese films to be featured in the first week of the festival include "Back to Love" by Lan Hongchun, "Embrace Again" by Xue Xiaolu, "Schemes in Antiques" by Derek Kwok and "Magical Craftsmanship of Suzhou," a documentary film about the handcrafts of Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu Province, directed by Sun Zengtian.
"Back to Love" is the first Chinese film in Teochew dialect with a heartfelt story about parents in a rural area coming to terms with their children's choices; "Embrace Again" provides a deep insight into how people respond to a pandemic at its early days; and "Schemes in Antiques" reveals some of the secrets behind the antiques business in China, Boccio said.
The film festival aims "to share a diverse mix of films with great story-telling," Boccio said.
Peter Wrzesien, 30, from Chicago, learned about the film festival on social media and came with a friend to watch "I Am What I Am."
"It's great," Wrzensien told Xinhua. "The film is wonderful and we get to experience a culture we wouldn't have been exposed to."
Deborah Siegel-Acevedo, 53, came to the cinema with her husband and 13-year-old daughter for the first time. "It's stunning," she said. "We are so moved by the film that we plan to come back to see other films at the festival."
Deputy Consul General of China in Chicago Huang Liming wished the Asian film festival a success, as well as a happy Mid-Autumn Festival to the audience.
"The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most ancient Chinese traditional festivals," he said. "It's a time we express our love for family members and celebrate family reunions. I'm glad to see so many of you are here."
A total of 31 films will be shown at the festival running through Nov. 6. ■
