By Michelle Ahn
Once home to notable artists and people, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nancy Reagan, John Williams, and Martin Scorsese, Flushing is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens and a thriving place of continuous creativity, movement, and enterprise.
Currently known for its connotation as “Little Taipei,” “Chinatown,” and “Long Island Koreatown”, Flushing was once the forerunner of Hollywood in the 20th century when the American film industry was still based on the U.S. East Coast and Chicago. During that time, it was home to the RKO Keith’s Theater, which presented entertainment from the Marx Brothers, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Jimmy Durante to name a few.
While some may know Flushing more as a diverse epicenter for various ethnic-American communities and recent immigrants, others remember Flushing’s influence on the arts and media and pay tribute to the vibrant neighborhood. In 1993, the Sheraton LaGuardia East hotel in Flushing’s Downtown served as the location for Ang Lee’s award-winning comedy hit THE WEDDING BANQUET. Flushing is also the location of the fictional Stark Industries munitions plant in the Marvel Comics original IRON MAN series. Furthermore, the Stark Expo in the movie IRON MAN 2 is set in Flushing.
To re-examine Flushing’s golden era in film and to pay homage to its continual birth to past, present, and upcoming creative artists, AAIFF’15 would like to present five days of free events and screenings under the theme of “Flushing Today” to the dynamic community many Asian-Americans have come to call home.
The AAIFF15 Flushing Opening Night, July 28th will feature a free surprise screening at Queens Botanical Garden. With an emphasis of ‘picnic on the lawn’ we hope to invite the entire community to experience one of Flushing’s greatest values—the family.
July 29th will feature “Health and Wellness” Night at Flushing Town Hall with a free screening of A SIMPLE LIFE, Hong Kong director Ann Hui’s masterpiece starring Deanie Ip and Andy Lau.
On Thursday July 30th, we will be presenting “Made In Flushing” programs produced and made in Flushing: the theatrical premiere of Swallowtail Studios web series FLUSHING WEB SERIES and the 2014 feature, REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS.
The following evening will feature Grace Lee’s OFF THE MENU: ASIAN AMERICA, which explores Asian American identity through its food. Last but not least, join us at the Flushing BID 2nd Annual Street Fair for free passes to the AAIFF15 Sheraton LaGuardia East Hospitality Lounge for free encore screenings and live entertainment.
We hope you will join us during these five days of great, free programming and get to experience the life, community, and animation of Flushing, NY.