Queer East: a Sword, a Spectre, a Song

About this event

A Sword, A Spectre, A Song invites viewers into a realm where ancestry, mythology, and diasporic memory collide, reimagining East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) identities through experimental storytelling and vivid visuals. From matrilineal karaoke to ghostly echoes, neo-mythical figures to diasporic longing, these films delve into resilience, transformation, and belonging. Through personal histories, cultural legacies, and spectral recollections, the works offer a space for reflection, resistance, and reimagination—an invitation to reclaim the past, reshape the present, and reimagine the future. Featuring Bones Tan Jones, Eelyn Lee, Sadia Pineda Hameed, susan pui san lok, and Tianhui Wu.

Grandchildren

A celebration of queer community, challenging binaries and hetero-patriarchy through dance, spell-casting, and imaginative storytelling.

Dir. Bones Tan Jones (YaYa Bones), Jade Ang Jackman | UK | 2018 | 5min

Saam Sing 三星

A reimagining of ESEA identities through neo-mythical characters, blending ancestral stories to challenge stereotypes and redefine Asian and British identities.

Dir. Eelyn Lee | UK | 2024 | 8min

The Land Where Ghosts Could Speak

By unearthing buried memories, the tension between personal recollection and generational silence is revealed.

Dir. Tianhui Wu | UK | 2024 | 14min

The Song of My Life

Karaoke-style video that layers familial trauma with matrilineal storytelling.

Dir. Sadia Pineda Hameed | UK | 2020 | 10min

Trailers (RoCH Fans and Legends)

Martial arts fights unfold in suburban streets and mythical landscapes, blending Google Street View with memory to explore diasporic place-making.

Dir. susan pui san lok | UK | 2024 | 4min

Curated by Wingshan

Queer East is a cross-disciplinary festival that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, live arts, and moving image work from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities.

A Sword, A Spectre, A Song is presented as part of Queer East On the Road 2025, a nationwide touring season taking place from October to December in 15 cities across the UK.

Wingshan is an artist, curator, and witch based in Nottingham, UK, with Hong Kong Chinese and Celtic British heritage. Her work explores how bodies inhabit characters within imagined worlds, re-enchanting storytelling and envisioning futures. Rooted in ritual, community, and decolonial feminist methodologies, she creates immersive experiences that foster collective healing and new understandings.

Give What You Can

Entry to our exhibitions, events, fairs and our family activities is free but we need your support. Your donations make it possible to keep doing everything we do: from our world-leading exhibitions to our activities for families, young people and schools. With your support we can continue making a difference to the cultural, educational and social life of Nottingham and the East Midlands.

Please support us with a donation and register for Gift Aid to add 25% at no extra cost to you.

Access

This event will be held in The Space. Meet at Reception.

This event is wheelchair accessible.

If you have any questions around access or have specific access requirements we can accommodate, please get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] or phoning 0115 948 9750.