Film turns spotlight on rising tensions in Chinatown
Paint it Red underscores anger over proposed Keefer Street development
A new feature-length documentary on Chinatown is set to screen at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival on Sunday — the eve of a decision on the controversial development proposed for 105 Keefer St.
The timely movie explores rapid change and tension in Chinatown as young activists as well as seniors try to protect and shape the community they live in or want to see.
The film’s title, Paint it Red, is somewhat facetious, local filmmaker Eva Cohen explained.
“There are some examples in Chinatown right now where you have developers or expensive restaurants coming in where they think if they paint the outside and the inside red and put in a couple of lions that it makes it Chinese,” Cohen said.
Cohen’s camera has focused in part on community anger over the Beedie Group’s proposed 105 Keefer development. The proposal is now in its fifth version in four years and slated for a decision at the city’s development permit board Monday. The developer has reduced the size of the building, did not include social housing, and claims it is now within the existing zoning for the site and conforms to local policy and guidelines.
“It’s a very representative plot of land. It’s right across the street from the Sun Yat-sen Garden and the Chinese Cultural Centre. A memorial for Chinese-Canadian railway workers and veterans is right there,” Cohen said.
When developers build highpriced condos in Chinatown where local residents live on extremely low incomes, “there is definitely a disconnect,” said Cohen, who began filming last November.
Paint it Red also touches on intertwined issues like food and language accessibility and historical
They think if they paint the outside and the inside red and put in a couple of lions that it makes it Chinese.
discrimination against ChineseCanadians.
Among those who appear in the film is Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.
Earlier this week, Robertson and Vancouver city councillors voted to apologize for historical discrimination against early Chinese residents in the city.
Chinese residents were barred from civic jobs and from voting booths in municipal elections for decades, according to a report by an advisory group sparked by the city. Also, the city once advocated for increases to the head tax and attempted to segregate Chinese residents in schools, public areas, cemeteries and elsewhere.
Paint it Red screens Nov. 5 at 4:30 p.m. at Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas.