Lights, camera and action in Chinatown

April 4, 2007

Lights, camera and action in Chinatown

By Laura Hendrick
lhendri@uwo.ca

The experience of Chinese immigrants adjusting to life in Canada is about to become small-screen entertainment. The hour-long drama series, Once Upon a Time in Toronto, has been picked up by OMNI-TV as well as one station in Beijing.

The show will touch on the contentious issue of educated immigrants working menial jobs. It will follow the plight of a former biologist who gives up her research on the monarch butterfly to run a motel in the city.

The show's premise has attracted some notable cast members, like Ni Ping, named best actress at last year's Montreal Film Festival.

Those wondering how Toronto will fare onscreen will have to brush up on their Mandarin. The series will not be broadcast in English, capturing instead the language of the Chinese characters.

But Chu assures viewers that the show is not meant to point fingers.

"We will put Canadians as being very good citizens. It's not going to be negative."

It is the first time a television show has been co-produced by companies in China and Canada, pushing the boundaries of a 1987 treaty that has historically been reserved only for film. Chu expects the show to be a precursor to a new agreement between the two countries.

For three years, she has worked to get the show on air, seeing permits granted and withdrawn, while watching scripts be written and tossed.

"For it to be a Canadian production, either the director or script writer has to be Canadian. One of the lead characters must be too. It's caused us a lot of setbacks."

Now facing a green light from both nations, Chu is taking her diverse cast to Queen Street East to begin filming.

Like a tour-de-southern-Ontario, she also plans to film in Niagara Falls and Hamilton, and at the University of Western Ontario in London.

Middlesex College at the University of Western Ontario

Photo by Laura Hendrick

The historic buildings at the University of Western Ontario could make it a unique backdrop for filming, says producer Irene Chu.

Chu said that the historic buildings that spot the UWO campus would be a treat for viewers in China if used as a site for filming.

"What got my attention was hearing about the old architecture and stone buildings," she said.

Although she had originally planned to focus on the experience of students, she has now expanded the age bracket of the show's characters.

"There are more problems in the older groups who face a cultural and generational gap."

This gap will likely strike a chord with Chinese viewers who have found their own way of honouring tradition in a multicultural landscape.

"Those barriers are in my own family," said Joanna Kelly Lau, community development coordinator for the Toronto Chinese Community Service Association. Lau said she thinks Chinese immigrants across Ontario would find it comforting to see others sharing their struggles on-screen. She also liked the idea that viewers in China and Canada could share in watching the show.

She noted that Chinese immigrants often make up their own translations of street names as they try to grasp the ins and outs of public transit.

Inside the show's motel, the bustle of staff and visitors will emphasize the fact that Toronto is home to these challenges every day.

"The show will have people from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico and Korea. I think viewers will be happy to see a true reflection of the Canadian fabric," said Chu.

It is a far cry from CTV's Corner Gas.

Rather than an offbeat comedy, the show is described as a "serious" drama that includes both tragedy and romance.

Chu doesn't think it will be a challenge attracting viewers across the ocean.

"China is preparing for the 2008 Olympics. They are very eager to learn about other countries. Toronto will be something new to them."

The show will be aired on Rogers OMNI.2 beginning this fall.