with

Yunah Hong
Documentary Filmmaker, Dangerous to Know: Anna May Wong

March 24 - November 3, 2005

Yunah Hong, a Korean American award-winning documentary filmmaker, explores the lives of Asian American female artists through the screening and discussion of her films. This year Hong concentrated on her work-in-progress, entitled Dangerous to Know: Anna May Wong. This documentary film examines the life and career of Anna May Wong (1905-1961), a premier Chinese American film star and stage actress who achieved worldwide fame in the 1920s and 1930s. It reveals how the all-American daughter of a Chinese laundryman struggled to eventually become an international star, a member of high society and an activist because, and in spite of, racism and sexism. The film also explores how Wong's cinematic images have shaped Americans' perceptions of Asian women in America over the past 80 years since Wong first appeared in film. The program venues and dates were as follows: California State University, Fullerton (March 24); Minnesota State University (March 31); Case Western Reserve University (April 5); University of Colorado at Boulder (October 26); and Texas A&M University (November 3).