Documentary about Chinatown mural to screen at inaugural Edmonton edition of FascinAsian

A short film that embodies the spirit of a mural in Chinatown will screen at the first Edmonton edition of the FascinAsian Film Festival on May 10.

The mural and film are both called Azure Dragon of the East. Busyrawk, whose legal name is Young Ick Cha, created the mural, which is part of a series called The Four Guardians of Chinatown. He was part of the film team, led by director Jordon Hon. Odessa De Los Angeles and Joselito II De Los Angeles, of Intertwined Studios, made up the rest of the film crew. The mural is emblazoned with a poem by Catherine Wang and William Lau.

"The mural acts as the intersection where all these different disciplines converge, and it kind of holds as the gateway for people to get connected to this message," Cha told Taproot. "I wanted to extend muralism to be more than just urban vibrancy and visual beautification."

FascinAsian began in Winnipeg in 2021 and is focused on Asian-Canadian and Asian-American film talent. The festival now has editions in Calgary and Edmonton.

Two driving themes of the Azure Dragon of the East are inclusion and shared responsibilities, and that is conveyed by a voiceover in the film. The mural is located on Okîsikow (Angel) Way in what's sometimes called South Chinatown, just east of what's now referred to as downtown. The area was the original Chinatown in Edmonton before the construction of Canada Place, which displaced residents and business owners in the late 1970s. That history, as well as the legacy of Treaty 6, inspired Cha to honour all who have connections to the neighbourhood.

"Chinatown was built from exclusionary experiences," Cha said. "Chinatown was a safe haven for belonging. Fast forward to now, there's been encampment sweeps, and there's a lack of resources for our unhoused community members. These are exclusionary practices that we're perpetuating, and that's hypocritical."

Rather than a "making of" approach, Hon and his collaborators wanted to show people working together and depict the areas that surround the mural, not just the artwork itself. They shot parts of the film from rooftops at the Edmonton Chinese Freemasons Society building and the Hull Block.

"Chinatown is so visual," Hon told Taproot. "There are so many details, whether it's architecture or tiny things, like old menus from previous restaurants on display in some (currently operating) restaurants, and a lot of cultural decor. It's very exciting for me as a filmmaker to shed light and literally point the camera at these little things."

While Hon and Cha have screened the film for some Chinatown community members, it's only available to watch by scanning a QR code on the mural. That was partly to encourage people to actually visit the mural and community rather see the film from afar, Cha said. FascinAsian is something of a public premiere that provides a different viewing experience.

"Theatre spaces are still so important and valuable," Hon said. "Your phone is off, it's a dark room, and you're all focused on this one piece of artwork."

The documentary screens on May 10 at the downtown Landmark Cinemas. Lola Was Here, by Cynthia Jimenez-Hicks and Janice Saxon, is the other Edmonton-made film at the festival. That one screens on May 11 at the same venue. The full festival schedule is live, and it includes industry events, screenings, and an awards celebration.

The Azure Dragon of the East mural is the second in Cha's series, after the White Tiger of the West at China Marble Restaurant. The next in the project is the Black Tortoise of the North, which Cha said will explore grief and "unspoken tragedies." It is planned for the King Thunderbird Centre, the forthcoming facility for Boyle Street Community Services.

Correction: This story has been updated to include the correct rooftop filming locations.