Floating in Ecosystems

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This screening brings together the work of queer East and Southeast Asian artists based in Scotland, showcasing bold explorations of identity, transformation, and community. The films in this programme experiment with dynamic visual narratives that challenge cultural and bodily boundaries, blurring the lines between reality and fiction, self and other. From fictional work to artist moving image work, these films offer a range of experiences where body and identity intersect with culture and memory.

Florence To will introduce this event by presenting an expansive overview of queer East and Southeast Asian filmmaking in Scotland today.

Curated by Indigo Korres.

 

Tickets are on a pay what you can sliding scale of £3, £6, £9, £12, £15. To book, click here or call the Rio Cinema Box Office on 020 7241 9410.

 

Accessibility

This programme has:

• British Sign Language, Chinese, and English audio with English language descriptive subtitles
• English-BSL interpretation for the introduction.

This screening is 90 minutes long.

 

Films in this programme include:

 

Strangers, Dir. Klarissa Webster, 2023, United Kingdom, 4 min

2 peoples worlds collide in a graveyard. One dealing with a near loss, another still harbouring the pain after many years.

 

In the penumbra, the strange wave, Dir. Wei Zhang, 2022, United Kingdom, 11 min

This 11-minute collage film explores Zhang’s personal trauma through a blend of various media forms and techniques, creating an alternate reality with symbolic characters representing complex emotions.

 

Fluid, Dir. Wei Zhou, 2016, United Kingdom, 13 min

An autobiographical story traces the filmmaker’s very own personal growing-up experiences of love and desire as a Chinese born and raised queer woman.

 

body is/as landscape, Dir. Joanne Lee, 2020, United Kingdom, 13 min

‘Body as/is Landscape’ shows the landscapes of St Andrews, Dunoon, a human body and the now demolished site of the Red Road flats in Glasgow. Lee asks what frames of references we are using to understand and relate to these landscapes? Attempting to situate the self among these places of privilege, absence, ruin and industry by observing in front and behind the camera. Questioning how we relate to and consume these landscapes – through the frame of the phone, the lens of the digital camera.

 

In Conversation with, Dir. Eye Suriyanon, 2024, United Kingdom, 11 min

In Conversation with (2024) was commissioned by The Children’s Parliament.

The drawings and sound effects were created by the students from Doune Primary School, Stirling, Scotland. As part of their ongoing investigation and conversation about Children’s Rights and AI. This collaboration between the children and Eye Suriyanon highlights their expressions towards the subject matter.

 

Narratives and Counternarratives, Dir. Chaoying Rao, 2022, United Kingdom, 9 min

This work examines representations of the self, dissecting the persistent fetishisation of Asian women through collaging and reviewing memorable moments in Western culture. Questioning the ideas of the ‘Asian mystique’ and how it manifests in popular culture, this film examines how the legacy of orientalism continues to manifest in spaces both physical and digital.

Content notes: Depiction of nudity, physical violence, body modification, fetishisation, racism, sex, sensual dancing, death, gun violence, knife violence, sword violence, decapitated head, blood. Discussion of harassment, violence.

 

Wah Yen, Dir. Wei Zhang, 2024, United Kingdom, 29 min

Set in 1970s Glasgow, the film explores the rich inner world of young, queer, and neurodivergent Chinese immigrant Chen through their emerging kinship with Scottish shipbuilder, James. Wah Yen employs a non-linear narrative, underpinned by Wei’s interweaving of 3D animation, archival footage, and drag performances, creating a dynamic and compelling visual language. The visually diverse film highlights the intimate relationships and struggles of marginalised identities, resonating particularly with Glasgow’s Chinese and queer residents.

 

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Image Credit: Wah Yen, Dir. Wei Zhang, 2024