the answers

Why am I doing this?

This is something that I had wanted to for a quite long time. I want to fish out the prejudice in people and reveal it in a uncondemning, reflective kind of way. It allows the audience to know about themselves on their own.

What is the film about?

It is about the Australian identity, how it had changed over the years, and how people have different opinions of what it means to be an Australian.


My Background

I think I can call myself a Chinese-American-Australian. I was born in Hong Kong and came to Sydney when I was 7. I lived in the southern part of Sydney in Kingsgrove and Beverly Hills. I went to a private school, St.George Christian School, for year 3 all to year 7. Then I and my family moved to Arcadia, California in the US. After 13 years away, I am back in Sydney, Australia. When I grew up in Sydney, I had a conflict in which although I knew I was different from most of my classmates in being a Chinese and born in a different place and not having English as my first language, yet, a part of me does love this place. However, being foreign born and Chinese, I was not accept as Australian by my peers. Even a Chinese who was born in Australia can only be half-Australian according to my peers. Chinese were recognized as people from another place, unlike the Europeans here, and I find that to be a conflict. Aren't we all from somewhere else originally? I believe there to be a racism but it was undefined or unrecognized. I think at the time, it was only the beginning that there was a mass population of young Asian Australians who were born here and growing up and the concept of people of other skin tones other than black and white can been seen as Australians or native to this place.

There was a concept of Australian way of life, which is a basically more of a Irish/British life mixed with their adapted customs to suit their lives in Australia. It was enriched by other European cultures as other came during the post-WWI and then the post-WWII period. Asians and others were considered as outsiders. Australia also has a history of discriminating against non-white. Chinese actually came during the gold rush but because of legislation and other ways of discrimination, there is very little of that history and the Chinese community disappointed and dispersed very quickly after the gold rush even though it was quite possible that Chinese would be able to benefit in some other trades outside of the gold mines.

I chose the story because I want to find the definition of what it means to be Australians in the 21st century in this multicultural Australia that we live in now. The Australia or the Sydney now is a lot different from the Sydney I grew up in 13 years ago. I used to feel people judging and staring at me because I was Chinese in restaurant, shopping center and etc. Being Chinese was a novelty. We were curious creatures to the general population but not anymore in this day and age. It was okay to discriminate back then but I think the general Australian population has matured about diversity, multiculturalism and about racial discrimination.

There is part of me that is Australian. I know that living in Australia changed me and I have inherited something from living in Australia. Part of me identify myself as Australian even though I also identify myself as a Chinese-American, a Hong Konger, Cantonese and Chinese.

So this is also a personal journey since while looking for the Australian identity, I am also looking for my own identity and how I fit into the puzzle or big picture if at all. Are there Australians that are kind of like me? Are there Australians who I can identify with?

writing...treatment

i m writing the synopsis and find myself actually or maybe writing the treatment...

i m getting confused.

FREAK!

I forgot to pick up the PMD from the shop...i totally forgot about it and now it's 6:28pm...i went down at 6:24pm when i looked at the time.

crap... crap... crap... i knew i needed a reminder. i should've picked it up earlier when i remembered it. it was my whole point for coming to UTS...

man... i just have to think of something else to work with... i need an organizer...

but then...i was a bit amazed at my concentration when editing...i was in the zone... that doesn't happen all the time.

by the way, chaparral pro is a cool font which i m using on Butterfly.

L'Aventure Australienne شعب استراليا
澳大利亞冒險 Australska avantura
Australská dobrodružství
những cuộc phiêu lưu Úc περιπέτεια της Αυστραλίας


Peuple de l'Australie



First Part

Introduction-Raising the question

Michael Koo was born in Bathurst, NSW. His father came over to Australia illegally 7 years before he was born here. His father came to Australia to work at his friend’s Chinese restaurant in Sydney. His father met his mother at the Chinese restaurant they worked both worked at. Later, his father went to work at another restaurant in Bathurst and there Michael was born.

Micheal grew up in southern Sydney in Illawara. –

lost in Australian Identity

I m getting a writer's block. And a bit lost in my Australian Identity documentary script/treatment process.

I think it's going to be somewhat autobiographical.

"I am a bit confuse about my identity I guess. I don't have an Aussie accent, I have more of an American accent, but I hold an Australian passport. I am a fan of the socceroos and I don't really care for the American football team."

"I think part of me is dealing with the memory that Chinese can not be Australian. We can only be half-Australian according to my old classmates from high school."

But now that I am back, Australia is a lot different now, especially Sydney. I feel less alone now being a Chinese.

I don't think there was or ever will be an absolute consensus on what is "Australian", a lot of it is personal.

Brave Faces and Australian ID Script/Treatment

BRAVE FACES

A documentary about ordinary heros.

Brave Faces is about a collection of a few ordinary people who

"Australia: a nation in search of an identity

July 3 2003

We embrace America's power, but fear its culture will overwhelm ours, writes Gregory Hywood.

Australian identity is a nebulous concept. We certainly are not an ethnocentric member of the old world. But nor have we taken on America's high moral role as refuge and land of opportunity for the dispossessed. We are multicultural but pick and choose whom we let in on a seemingly random basis.

As the lack of consensus on asylum seekers underlines, Australia is still figuring out what it stands for. We are a nation undecided - or at least lacking a consensus about some fundamental values."

I am writing my script/treatment for my Australian ID documentary and it's haven't been going on any progress at all.

Maybe I should use the mind map like Xin.