San Diego Chinese Museum Screens “Frosted Yellow Willows”

Film screening, Q&A with producer Elaine Mae Woo, and reception

Saturday, January 24, 2015 from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Join the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum for a special screening of this documentary that chronicles Anna May Wong’s (1905-1961) ascent from humble beginnings in a Los Angeles Chinese laundry to international film stardom.

With disarming sensuality and commanding screen presence, Wong defined the role of “Dragon Lady,” before pushing the boundaries of stereotypical female Asian roles. This film uses photographs, interviews, and film footage to trace the four-decade career of the first Chinese American actress to achieve international fame. At the age of sixteen, Wong starred in Technicolor’s first two-strip color movie, The Toll of the Sea (1922), co-starred in Shanghai Express (1932) with Marlene Dietrich, and was Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.’s choice for a role in The Thief of Baghdad (1924). She also performed numerous roles on stage and was the first Asian American to have her own television show, The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong (1951).

Award-winning actress, writer, and producer Nancy Kwan narrates this story of struggle and triumph in an age rife with legal and social discrimination. This film, nearly ten years in the making, utilizes interviews with the Wong family, Anna’s childhood friends, and people who worked with her. Since being released in 2007, this film has been screened in Europe and the United States, and aired on the Turner Classic Movies television network.

Producer Elaine Mae Woo will introduce the film and answer questions at the Chuang Archive & Learning Center, located at 541 B Second Avenue, a reception with light refreshments will follow. Admission is $4.00; members and children under 12 are free.

For more information, please visit our website at San Diego Chinese Historical Museum.