The Chinatown Pop Up Movie Club Local Filmmaker Showcase

The Chinatown Pop Up Movie Club is excited to celebrate the 2025 Lunar New Year with a local filmmaker showcase including the world premiere of Ginger Beef’s latest music video TAKEOUT!

The program will also include Seventy-Five Cents a Day (Rob Lockwood, early 1970s), What They Left Behind (Vicky Xingyu Gu, 2022), and Off to the Races (Vicki Van Chau, 2021).

After the shorts program, there will be a Q&A with the local filmmakers in attendance!

Doors open at 1pm, screening begins at 1:30pm with Q&A to follow

Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase

For more information, visit https://chinatownpopupmovieclub.com/.

This screening was made possible by the and .

ABOUT THE VENUE:

The Calgary Chinese Elderly Citizens’ Association (CCECA) is a non-profit social service organization located in the heart of Calgary's Chinatown. It has been serving Chinese seniors citywide since 1985. It provides a great variety of services and programs including social services, community support, health services and more. Its current membership exceeds 2,000 members.

Accessibility: The whole building has wheelchair accessible facilities; handibus can use the loading zone at the rear of the building.

SHORTS PROGRAM:

SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS A DAY
Rob Lockwood | Early 1970’s | 26:22 min.

A documentary about Calgary’s Chinatown in the early 1970’s that will be screened in its original 16mm format by Joe Kelly.

Seventy-Five Cents a Day is a black and white 16 mm film produced and directed by Rob Lockwood in the early 1970’s, with support from the University of Calgary. It offers a poignant examination of the Chinese immigrant experience in Canada, focusing particularly on the community in Calgary's Chinatown. It begins by tracing the contributions of Chinese labourers who helped construct the Canadian Pacific Railway under harsh conditions, earning little pay and enduring significant hardships. Through personal stories, it highlights the enduring legacy and struggles of the Chinese-Canadian community.

The narrative then transitions to Calgary's Chinatown, which serves as a microcosm of the broader cultural and economic contributions of Chinese Canadians. It explores how restaurants became the backbone of Chinatown's economy, providing employment and serving as cultural hubs. However, the film also delves into challenges, such as generational divides, internal community fragmentation, and the threat of urban renewal projects that sought to demolish Chinatown in the name of modernization.

Amid these struggles, a grassroots effort emerges, led by organizations like the Sien Lok Society, to preserve Chinatown's heritage and advocate for its future. The film captures the tensions between preserving cultural identity and adapting to a rapidly changing urban landscape, ultimately posing questions about the value of cultural preservation in the face of progress. Through its deeply personal stories and broader social commentary, the film paints a vivid picture of resilience, unity, and the fight for recognition in a multicultural Canada.

WHAT THEY LEFT BEHIND
Vicky Xingyu Gu | 2022 | 6:49 min.

A beautiful animation about the memory of grandfathers.

A young woman dreams about her earliest memory of her great-grandfather’s death. While walking home, she recalls her teenage self attending her paternal grandfather’s wake. She goes further back to her memories with her grandfathers as a child. Seeing her grandmothers mourning for her grandfathers in present day, she starts to let go and make peace with her past.

Vicky Xingyu Gu (顾星宇) is a Chinese animator currently based in Calgary, Alberta. She received her MFA degree in Digital Arts & Animation at the University of Southern California. Her works are inspired by cultural conflicts, emotional struggles, as well as societal issues that she witnesses. She enjoys experimenting with different techniques and materials in both digital and traditional media.

For more information, go to: xingyugu.com

OFF TO THE RACES
Vicki Van Chau | 2021 | 12:26 min.

A documentary about a Calgary Chinese Orchestra project made during the pandemic, that involved over 70 musicians from all around the world.

Part music video and part documentary, Off to the Races is a new arrangement of the classic Erhu song, Horse Race. The film is a collaboration between the Calgary Chinese Orchestra, filmmaker Vicki Van Chau, and music producer Warren Tse. Through an open call process, the film features 72 participants from the global music community playing with the members of the Calgary Chinese Orchestra, in celebration of the Lunar New Year.

Vicki Van Chau (周倩瑜) is a second generation Chinese-Vietnamese Canadian filmmaker, curator and cultural worker based in Calgary, Alberta on Treaty 7 territory. She is currently the Executive Director of the Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society (AMAAS) and is one of the co-founders of the Chinatown Pop Up Movie Club. She has produced and directed several award-winning short films that have screened across Canada and internationally.

For more information, go to: vickichau.com

TAKEOUT
Ginger Beef (Jiajia Li & Warren Tse) | 2025 | 5 min. | WORLD PREMIERE

A strange new immigrant searches for community in his strange new home.

Ginger Beef is the collaboration of the husband and wife team of award-winning flutist Jiajia Li and veteran producer/multi-instrumentalist Warren Tse (AKA MSG). The result: a gleaming pop artifact which balances dazzling instrumental performances and catchy melodies with deep grooves.

For more information, go to: gingerbeefband.com

Host or Publisher Chinatown Pop Up Movie Club