Sunday, September 13
Community Asian Theater of the Sierra (CATS) and
Asian Film Festival present
Anna May Wong
Frosted Yellow Willows: Her Life, Times and Legend
2:00PM, $10 Advance $15 at the door

Featuring a documentary on the Chinese-American Hollywood legend, Anna May Wong, who graced the silver screen from the silent era in the 1920’s to the 1960’s.  She was the first Asian American to achieve national and international acclaim. Her career included movies with Hollywood greats such as Douglas Fairbanks (“The Thief of Bagdad”, 1924) and Marlene Dietrich (“Shanghai Express”, 1932).  “Piccadilly”, in 1929, is considered her best role.  In addition to films, Anna May was a star on stage, radio, and television. Her natural acting ability, with its fluidity, charm, and exoticism, often “upstaged” the main star.  Her career often took her to Europe, where her work was very well received and her reputation grew.

In “Frosted Yellow Willows”, viewers will experience the heartfelt confines of her culture and her uphill climb to stardom in the midst racism and discrimination.  She was a Chinese-American woman ahead of her time.  Her talent and achievements are beginning to be recognized --  some 100 years after her birth.  She became an inspiration and her life a benchmark for Asian Americans in the performing arts.  “Frosted Yellow Willows” has screened all over the United States since 2007, including on Turner Classic Movies.  Abroad, it has screened in London and Italy, and it will make its way to Melbourne, Australia, this August, as well as to the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley on Sunday, September 13. 

Meet the producer and director Elaine Mae Woo, who will be conducting questions and answers after the screening.  The film is narrated by Nancy Kwan.  See www.anna-may-wong.com.   For more information on CATS, see www.catsweb.org or call Jeannie Wood, Executive Director, at 530-265-2990 or contact her at info@catsweb.org.

CATS address:  228 Commercial Street, #88, Nevada City, CA  95959

Advance tickets are available in Grass Valley at the Book Seller and Briar Patch Market; and in Nevada City at Gold Mountain and at the Nevada  City Postal Company and online at www.brownpapertickets.com.  Advance $10 and $15 at the door.  Contact Jeannie at 530-265-2990 for group rate of 10 or more.

Nancy Kwan , Narrator
Nancy Kwan made her acting debut in The World of Suzie Wong (1960) for which she was nominated Best Actress by the Hollywood Foreign Press.  It was followed by a memorable performance in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song (1961), the first major western film with an all-Asian cast. Since then, Miss Kwan has appeared on stage, screen, and television all around the world. She has also expanded her credits to include writer, producer, and ambassador for Hong Kong’s film community.

Elaine Mae Woo, Writer, Director, and Producer
Elaine’s background is in domestic and international marketing and sales for various American corporations and companies. She studied at U. C. Berkeley and San Francisco State University in the mid-1960s and has been taking film and new media courses at UCLA Extension since 1994. She considers herself a documentarian of Asians in Hollywood from circa 1900 to 1940.