An actor from Burnaby is featured with other Asian-Canadian filmmakers and artists on Shaw Multicultural Channel's second annual Filmmakers Showcase this weekend.

Yvette Lu, who balances a part-time career as a family doctor with her acting ventures, stars in the short film A Table for One. It's one of a collection of shorts in the showcase, all of which explore in some way the Asian-Canadian experience.

A Table for One, directed by Walter Ricarte, tells the story of Lisa (Lu), an independent, hard-working but insecure woman who is unable to let go of her past after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend.

"As a family doctor, I see people in my practice who are coping with all kinds of life changes," Lu said in a press release.

"A relationship breakup is a common trigger for depression, and Lisa's situation and the emotions she experiences are likely to be familiar to many people.

"To continue struggling and living day by day with mental illness can take immense strength, and perhaps, through art, those of us who haven't experienced these feelings can develop increased understanding and empathy."

Lu was also featured in last year's Filmmakers Showcase as the lead in Food for the Gods, a futuristic sci-fi/romance that has since screened in festivals across the continent.

A Table for One is part of a program of short films on the Shaw Multicultural Channel (Cable 119) on Sunday, May 10 from 9 to 11 p.m., with a repeat airing from midnight to 2 a.m.

The Filmmakers Showcase, presented in celebration of Asian Heritage Month, is a co-production with ExplorASIAN, a month-long celebration of Asian and Asian-Canadian arts and culture in the Lower Mainland. For details on the filmmakers showcase, visit http://vancouver.shawtv.com and follow the link for Shaw Multicultural Channel.

For more about Lu, see her website at www.yvettelu.com.

jmaclellan@burnabynow.com


© Burnaby Now 2009

Cultural experience: Yvette Lu in a scene from A Table for One, a short film being shown on Shaw Multicultural Channel Sunday as part of the second annual Filmmakers Showcase, which focuses on the work of Asian-Canadian filmmakers and other artists.

Photo contributed/BURNABY NOW