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Western Eyes

2000 39 min
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This documentary presents two Canadian women of Asian descent who are contemplating eyelid surgery. Maria and Sharon, of Philippino and Korean heritage respectively, believe their looks--specifically their eyes--get in the way of how people see them. Layering their stories with pop culture references to beauty icons and supermodels, filmmaker Ann Shin looks at the pain that lies deep behind the desire for plastic surgery.

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Western Eyes

Details

This documentary presents two Canadian women of Asian descent who are contemplating eyelid surgery. Maria and Sharon, of Philippino and Korean heritage respectively, believe their looks--specifically their eyes--get in the way of how people see them. Layering their stories with pop culture references to beauty icons and supermodels, filmmaker Ann Shin looks at the pain that lies deep behind the desire for plastic surgery.

Cultural Diversity and Multiculturalism Women Film and Video Arts All subjects
  • director
    Ann Shin
  • producer
    Gerry Flahive
  • director of photography
    Stanislaw Barua
  • editor
    Nick Hector
  • additional cinematography
    Ricardo Diaz
    Ann Shin
  • sound recordist
    Adrian Tucker
    Patrick Skehan
    Hartley Wynberg
  • original music composer
    Mark Korven
  • music performer
    Mark Korven
  • assistant editor
    Colin Mackie
    Irina Vigdortchik
  • production manager
    Beverly Haffner
  • camera assistant
    David Johns
    Lainie Knox
  • production assistant
    Enrico Pradal
  • online editor
    Warren Chinn
  • colourist
    Joanne Rourke
  • sound design
    Steve Munro
  • additional sound effects editor
    Colin Baxter
  • dialogue editor
    Tim Roberts
  • foley artist
    John F. Thompson
  • foley recordist
    Steve Polley
  • foley assistant
    Timothy Mehlenbacher
  • re-recording mixer
    Steve Munro
    Tim Roberts
  • post-audio facility
    Trackworks Inc.
  • title sequence
    Command Post, Toybox
  • title design
    Jeff Campbell
  • title design producer
    Debbie Cook
  • archival research
    Marianne Kushmaniuk
  • stills
    David Griffith
  • production supervisor
    Kemp Archibald
  • assistant production supervisor
    James Fiege
  • technical intern
    Kevin Drysdale
  • production administrative assistant
    Lea Marin-Jara
  • program administrator
    Ida Di Fruscia
  • executive producer
    Louise Lore
  • participant
    Sharon Kim
    Maria Reba Estante
    Ceres Estante
    Julie Kim
    Andrea Watts
    Leslie Davis
    Theresa Kong
    Michael Farago
    Nicole LaSelva

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Education

Ages 14 to 17
School subjects
Diversity - Diversity in Communities Diversity - Identity Health/Personal Development - Body Image Media Education - Body Image
Take a vote (private or public) on whether the young woman in the film should get the surgery. Set up debate teams and have students prepare arguments for and against. What role does the media play in the woman’s self-image? Have students make a collage of images from magazines. What is the message? Images from magazines could be divided into categories to examine the stereotypes for each ethnic group and sex.
Western Eyes
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