You're invited to a film screening of the documentary "Rally" followed by a discussion with filmmaker Rooth Tang, moderated by Wentao Ma, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Literature at UC San Diego.

This event is presented by the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts with co-sponsorship from the Institute of Arts and Humanities Film Studies Program, Institute of Arts and Humanities Chinese Studies Program, the Department of Communication and the Department of Visual Arts at UC San Diego.

Event is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be provided. Space is limited - please rsvp!

ABOUT THE FILM: (100 mins)

Who is Rose Pak? Here are three facts: 1. She was often seen at San Francisco’s annual Chinese New Year Parade loudly roasting local politicians on a PA system as they passed beneath her podium. 2. She was an undocumented immigrant for decades, and bravely spoke in front of the very same immigration service that could deport her. 3. Nobody was neutral about Rose Pak. Some considered her a political activist that protected and advanced the lives of people in Chinatown, while others accused her of being a foreign agent.

For better or worse, Pak was the unofficial “kingmaker” of San Francisco who aided or orchestrated the election of at least five mayors of San Francisco, including Ed Lee, the first Asian American to hold the job. “Auntie Rose,” as she was called by her fans, represents the free spirit of U.S. democracy: the savviness to speak your mind, the care for community, the determination to make a change, and the strategy to make all these ideas impossible to decline.

Through this portrait of Rose Pak in the documentary “Rally,” we witness the backroom dynamics of city politics, the rise of civil-rights engagement within Chinese American communities since the 1970s, as well as the distrust, discontent and discrimination from white liberals. Tensions emerge, allyships form, and the rest is the tale of a woman who decisively was the spine of San Francisco’s Chinatown.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:

Born in Bangkok and raised in Los Angeles, Rooth Tang is an international filmmaker crisscrossing between Asia, Europe, and the United States. His work as an editor includes the Sundance award-winning feature “Gook” (2017). He made his own feature directing debut with the narrative “Sway” (2014). “Rally” is his first documentary.

__________________________________________________________________

EVENT AGENDA

4:00PM: Introduction

4:10PM: Film starts (100 mins)

5:50PM: Q&A

6:20PM: Reception

LOCATION

The event will be held in the Mosaic building auditorium #113 in the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood (NTPLLN) at UC San Diego.

PARKING

The closest visitor parking is located in the Scholars Parking underground parking structure (map). Weekend parking is $2.10/hour.

QUESTIONS

Email surajisranicenter@ucsd.edu.

By registering for this event you agree to receive future correspondence from the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts, from which you can unsubscribe at any time.