Book Club: The Joy Luck Club
Book Club
Sun
21
Sun 21 Sep 1:00 PM
Arc Cinema
Allocated Seating
139 Mins | Book Club at the NFSA
September
1993 | DCP | US | D: Wayne Wang
BOOK CLUB AT THE NFSA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CANBERRA WRITERS FESTIVAL
The interwoven stories of four Chinese American mothers who reflect on the traumatic history that caused them to leave China, while their daughters grapple with the demands of American life.
Amy Tan collaborated in the adaptation of her best-selling novel for the screen in a script that packs an emotional punch.
“If The Joy Luck Club doesn’t make you cry, nothing will. In an age of contrived and mechanical sentimentality, its deeply felt, straight-from-the-heart emotions and the unadorned way it presents them make quite an impact. No matter how many hankies you bring with you, it won’t be enough.” – Los Angeles Times
The screening will be followed by a discussion of the film and the memoir with special guest Alice Pung OAM, in conversation with Beejay Silcox.
ABOUT ALICE PUNG
Alice Pung OAM is an award-winning author from Naarm. Her non-fiction books Unpolished Gem, Her Father’s Daughter and Growing Up Asian in Australia have been set texts at schools and universities across Australia, Asia and the US. Her Father's Daughter won the Western Australia Premiers' Award, and her novel Laurinda won the Ethel Turner Prize at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Her first novel for adults, One Hundred Days, was shortlisted for the 2022 Miles Franklin Award and has been optioned for film by Australian writer and actress, Michelle Law.
Alice is currently Artist in Residence at Janet Clarke Hall, University of Melbourne, and is an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University's School of Media and Communication. In 2022 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for services to literature. She is also the author of several award-winning children’s books.
ABOUT BEEJAY SILCOX
Beejay Silcox is a writer and book critic renowned for her resolute (some might say, foolhardy) honesty. In addition to her writing, Beejay works as a professional reader: she's a literary interviewer, festival programmer, editor and prize judge. Beejay has stories to tell. She eloped to Las Vegas, escaped from quicksand, and drove to Timbuktu in a car held together with a bra-strap. She once had to be rescued – unironically – from a picnic at Hanging Rock.
BOOK CLUB AT THE NFSA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CANBERRA WRITERS FESTIVAL
The interwoven stories of four Chinese American mothers who reflect on the traumatic history that caused them to leave China, while their daughters grapple with the demands of American life.
Amy Tan collaborated in the adaptation of her best-selling novel for the screen in a script that packs an emotional punch.
“If The Joy Luck Club doesn’t make you cry, nothing will. In an age of contrived and mechanical sentimentality, its deeply felt, straight-from-the-heart emotions and the unadorned way it presents them make quite an impact. No matter how many hankies you bring with you, it won’t be enough.” – Los Angeles Times
The screening will be followed by a discussion of the film and the memoir with special guest Alice Pung OAM, in conversation with Beejay Silcox.
ABOUT ALICE PUNG
Alice Pung OAM is an award-winning author from Naarm. Her non-fiction books Unpolished Gem, Her Father’s Daughter and Growing Up Asian in Australia have been set texts at schools and universities across Australia, Asia and the US. Her Father's Daughter won the Western Australia Premiers' Award, and her novel Laurinda won the Ethel Turner Prize at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Her first novel for adults, One Hundred Days, was shortlisted for the 2022 Miles Franklin Award and has been optioned for film by Australian writer and actress, Michelle Law.
Alice is currently Artist in Residence at Janet Clarke Hall, University of Melbourne, and is an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University's School of Media and Communication. In 2022 she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for services to literature. She is also the author of several award-winning children’s books.
ABOUT BEEJAY SILCOX
Beejay Silcox is a writer and book critic renowned for her resolute (some might say, foolhardy) honesty. In addition to her writing, Beejay works as a professional reader: she's a literary interviewer, festival programmer, editor and prize judge. Beejay has stories to tell. She eloped to Las Vegas, escaped from quicksand, and drove to Timbuktu in a car held together with a bra-strap. She once had to be rescued – unironically – from a picnic at Hanging Rock.
September