Queer East is a London-based cross-disciplinary festival that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, live arts, and moving image work from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities. Their next event is a must-see for all avid fans of women film directors as this openly lesbian Chinese-American was really making waves in the 30s and 40s.

Esther Eng was a San Francisco native who achieved prominence at a time when the industry was heavily male-dominated, and succeeded in breaking gender and racial boundaries. Sadly, her contribution to film history is often overlooked,  and her feature films are mostly lost but this affectionate documentary juxtaposes Eng’s story with the experiences of two other pioneering women of her time:  Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American actress to rise to international stardom, and film director Dorothy Arzner.

Through archive and newly-found images, and interviews with those who knew her, Louisa Wei’s documentary paints a vivid picture of this forgotten queer pioneer.

Queer East’s screening is followed by an in-person Q&A with dir. Louisa Wei, and hosted by Dr, Kiki Tianqi Yu, Queen Mary University of London.