Pioneers of X-Ray Technology

“In Ann Marie Fleming’s ‘Pioneers of X-Ray Technology’ (a film about Grandpa), super-8 home movies are only one part of the film’s cooly complex structure. The first time I saw ‘Pioneers’ it looked like an uncomplicated portrait of Fleming’s grandfather, Dr. Ernest To, who was a photographer, amateur filmmaker and Hong Kong radiologist. On second viewing, the film’s ambivalence towards its subject becomes clear. “Fleming (‘You Take Care Now,’ ‘New Shoes’) is known for the ‘quirkiness’ of her films, but she’s above all a brilliant editor, both cinematographically and conceptually. Like nearly all her films, ‘Pioneers’ benefits from remarkable compression. Ideas comes at you from around corners, images and lines of dialogue pack an immediate punch, then resonate through the film and beyond it.” – Cameron Bailey, Now Magazine “’Pioneers of X-Ray Technology’ is a portrait of the filmmaker’s grandfather. A 91-year-old Chinese man, his gravelly voice answers in response to the filmmaker’s questions – turning over the subjects of his schooling, profession, the war and his trips abroad. In each of these incarnations he is an insatiable producer of images – setting up the first public darkroom facility in a Hong Kong, winning awards as an amateur photographer, x-raying potential immigrants and shooting miles of 16mm footage on his innumerable travels. Now, nearing the end of his days, he has been brought before the camera to tell the story of these images, the story in which he names himself.” (Mike Hoolboom)