#4: Karen Chan (Asian Film Archive)

Lecture

Once thought to be lost, They Call Her... Cleopatra Wong was given a new life when prints were discovered in several European archives, making a restoration possible. While this project did give rise to questions on certain film restoration principles, its journey from rediscovery to its large screen presentation illustrates what collaboration can achieve for preserving cinematic heritage.

Our guest, Karen Chan, talks us through the restoration process and the work of the Asian Film Archive, an institution founded in 2005 whose mission is to save, explore and share the art of Asian Cinema.

Introduction by Giovanna Fossati (Chief Curator at Eye and Professor of Film Heritage at the University of Amsterdam). Q&A in collaboration with the Master students of the This is Film! class at the University of Amsterdam.

Screening: They Call Her... Cleopatra Wong (Bobby A. Suarez, SG/PH 1978, 111’)

This English language Philippine-Singapore action film follows Singapore's top policewoman, Cleopatra Wong, who is asked to solve a multinational counterfeit currency operation. The film earned global cult status and was a source of inspiration for directors such as Quentin Tarantino.

Guest

Karen Chan is Executive Director of the Asian Film Archive and President of SEAPAVAA (Southeast Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association). Over the last 24 years, she has focused on preserving and accessing collections, increasing film literacy, and training archivists. Karen writes, publishes, and presents at industry and academic platforms.