Free screening of Ra Choi at Macquarie University
Critically acclaimed Australian film Ra Choi will screen at Macquarie University on Sunday 11 March, followed by a discussion of the movie with the film's star Paul He and leading academics.
Winner of the 2005 AWGIE Award for Best Feature Film - triumphing over box-office hits Little Fish and Look Both Ways to take out the prestigious prize - Ra Choi tells the story of four Vietnamese teenagers struggling to carve lives for themselves on the streets of the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta.
The film is a moving and emotional journey where the strength of the human spirit is often the only hope the four have left in their intertwined lives. Each is on a path of discovery, fighting for a level of existence that most of us take for granted - a roof over their head, a warm meal, new clothes and a job. 'Ra Choi', a Vietnamese expression which translated means 'Coming out to play', refers to the immersion into street life.
"Ra Choi is about what I saw as the real Cabramatta," explains writer/director Michael Frank. "It's about a group of young kids who have been labelled a Vietnamese gang but they are really just a group of kids who hang together because they don't really have any other option. It follows their individual stories as well as their group story with each inspired by real events."
Following the screening Macquarie University's Pal Nyiri; Mitzi Goldman of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School; Ashley Carruthers of the Australian National University; and star of the film Paul He will discuss a number of issues raised by the film.
"In the last two years, Australia has been abuzz with talk about the integration of second-generation migrants," explains Nyiri. "There has been a noticeable trend in public debates away from 'multiculturalism' and towards enforcing a set of 'common values'.
"Although Muslims are at the centre of the current debates, Vietnamese youths have in the past been the most stigmatised immigrants. The film audience will gain an important insight into the life of young people subjected to parental and street pressures, beyond the surface of celebratory multicultural prattle and xenophobic reporting on 'ethnic crime'."
This special one-off screening kicks off the seventh year of Movies at Macquarie - Fact or Fiction? - an innovative concept that allows members of the community to watch FREE screenings of popular movies and then participate in a question and answer session hosted by Macquarie experts.
Ra Choi (rated R 18+) will screen on Sunday 11 March at 5pm in Macquarie Theatre, Macquarie University. This special event has been co-organised with Macquarie's Centre for Research on Social Inclusion and the Macquarie Asia Network.
Admission to Movies at Macquarie is free, however parking fees apply (tickets can be purchased from vending machines in the car park). Drinks and snacks will be on sale in the foyer. Bookings are not required and everyone is welcome.
For further information on the Movies at Macquarie series contact Emma Norton emma.norton@mq.edu.au or visit the www.pr.mq.edu.au/mqmovies/