Canada’s Year of Asia Pacific is a many-faceted cultural and commercial celebration that is taking place throughout 1997 across Canada. Since the aim of the cyac is to further cultural and business ties, one of the components is a tv commercial initiative, which is culminating in a screening of the ‘best of’ spots from the Asia Pacific region.

Curators from the regions submitted spots to the culturecrats organizing the events, who then put together a panel of assorted media types to screen the tapes and winnow the field down to a palatable reel portion. Doug Lowe of Young and Rubicam, The Partners’ Film Company’s Ross McLean, cbc’s Laurie Brown and Media tv’s Karen Murray were among the discerning viewers who reviewed numerous tapes under the droll administration of Timothy Luginbuhl, tour coordinator for the cultural component of the cyac.

From personal experience with the material as a fellow spot rater, there is much to recommend checking out. The Singapore and Hong Kong commercials contained some beautiful little films with fabulous production values and craft levels, not to mention curious cultural revelations (did you know there was instant dim sum?).

As anticipated, Australia and New Zealand offerings were rife with animal and sexual humor (we’re not talking innuendo), but also contained some spots that turned sexual stereotyping on its head. Down Under also yielded some very compelling campaigns, and an Anchor Family soap opera (soft-selling dairy foods) that achieved a commendable degree of informality.

The many spots from India were worth an exhibit all to themselves. If you want to sell something there – any product – it would seem working it into a wedding tableau is key. The movement from traditional women’s roles (‘mom is a happy cooker’) to ultra modern approaches was apparent in the number of spots which addressed the issues of women’s increasing independence.

Some of the most humorous campaigns came from India, notably for Channel v (particularly a tongue-in-cheek old west reenactment) to a lot of toilet humor for mtv. It’s interesting to see how international brands adapt to the local market, with the range of mtv spots taking on some masala leads. It’s also intriguing to see how local cultures absorb and regurgitate North American culture. The best was watching cigarette commercials, which seem to have stopped developing a dramatic arc somewhere back in the Marlborough Man’s youth.

Spots from Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are also in the mix. The strongest spot, an anti-child prostitution ad out of Dentsu Young Rubicam, was from the Philippines.

The exhibition is traveling across Canada, and with the support of Cineplex Odeon, Bank of Montreal and Partners’, a debut Toronto screening will be held Nov. 5. Public screenings will be held on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at the Studio Theatre at Harbourfront, with additional screenings Nov. 8 and 9 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. In Ottawa at Carleton University there’s a 7:30 screening Nov. 6. For info on further public screenings (Nov. 3 in Montreal and Nov. 19 in Vancouver), contact Colleen Ostoforoff (416) 952-1936.

The reel is destined to flow into institutional channels to serve as an educational cultural/media tool. The reel will also tour abroad, going to all the countries represented on the reel. Hong Kong hosts the first exhibit.