The Transition Period (dir. Zhou Hao)

The Transition Period at Museum of Chinese in America

Description: 

Filmed with unprecedented access to a Communist Party leader, investigative filmmaker Zhou Hao offers a startlingly candid look inside Chinese politics at the local level.

As Chinese Communist Party secretary, Guo Yongchang was the most powerful man in his county, located in the rural inland province of Henan.  Guo invited acclaimed documentary filmmaker Zhou Hao to record his final months in office. Through Zhou’s lens, we see Guo work tirelessly to achieve his greatest desire: for Henan to match the affluence of booming coastal areas.  Zhou also captures the sordid details of local-level politics in pursuit of growth: lavish parties with foreign investors, threats to local workers protesting unpaid wages, and offers of bribes and kickbacks.

Hailed by international press as an exceptional work of investigative filmmaking, The Transition Period captures the daily life of a Chinese official with incredible ground-level detail. With boastfully candid interviews from Guo and fly-on-the-wall coverage of closed-door dealings, Zhou lays bare the unsavory dynamics within China’s top-down power structures. Penetrating in scope yet objective in its approach, The Transition Period reveals the conflicting forces shaping China’s path to prosperity.

Address:
215 Centre Street New York, NY 10013
(212) 619-4785

For more info, click here.

Friday, May 18th at 6:30 pm and Saturday, May 19th at 3:00pm 

Old Dog (dir. Pema Tseden)

Old Dog at Seattle International Film Festival

Description: 

A family on the Himalayan plains discovers their dog is worth a fortune, but selling it comes at a terrible price.

The Tibetan nomad mastiff is an exotic prize dog in China, fetching as much as millions of dollars from wealthy Chinese. When a young man notices several thefts of mastiffs from Tibetan farm families, he decides to sell his family’s dog before it is stolen and sold on the black market. His father, an aging Tibetan herder, is furious when he discovers their dog missing. When the father seeks to buy the dog back, it leads to a series of tragicomic events that threaten to tear the family apart, while showing the erosion of Tibetan culture under the pressures of contemporary society.

Pema Tseden (The Silent Holy Stones, The Search) is the leading filmmaker of a newly emerging Tibetan cinema and the first director in China to film his movies entirely in the Tibetan language. His third feature Old Dog is both a humorous and tragic allegory and a sober depiction of life among the impoverished rural Tibetan community. The masterful HD cinematography “perfectly incorporates the desolate living conditions of these outpost towns whilst magnificently capturing the majestic Himalayan scenery which surrounds them” (Patrick Gamble, CineVue). Pema Tseden “shows Tibet through Tibetan eyes, as it is lived and experienced by ordinary people” (The Culture Trip).

Address: 

Harvard Exit Theatre
807 East Roy Street
Seattle, WA 98102

(206) 781-5755

Tickets & More Information here.

]]> http://dgeneratefilms.com/chinese-cinema-events/weekly-events-the-transition-period-in-nyc-old-dog-in-seattle/feed/ 0 http://dgeneratefilms.com/chinese-cinema-events/montclair-state-university-seeks-chinese-professor/ http://dgeneratefilms.com/chinese-cinema-events/montclair-state-university-seeks-chinese-professor/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 17:52:16 +0000 mayarudolph http://dgeneratefilms.com/?p=9766 Montclair State University seeks one-year replacement position in Chinese (with possibility of conversion to tenure track thereafter)

Responsibilities include expanding the Chinese program, student advisement, and scholarly research. Proof of excellence in teaching and an active research agenda required. The successful candidate will be expected to participate in departmental and university-wide committees and to oversee the curricular offerings in the Chinese program as well as the extra-curricular offerings of the Chinese Club.

QUALIFICATIONS
Ph.D.; teaching experience; native or near-native fluency (Mandarin).

SALARY RANGE
Dependent upon qualifications.

STARTING DATE
Sept. 2012

SEND COVER LETTER AND RESUME ONLY:
Dr. Lois Oppenheim, Professor and Chair
Dept. of Modern Languages and Literatures
Conrad J. Schmitt Hall, 222B
Montclair State University
Montclair, New Jersey 07043

Tel: 973-655-7423
Dept:973-655-4283
Fax: 973-655-5515

http://chss.montclair.edu/modlang/

Does The Art Movement Exist?

The first ISAAS series last year brought over twenty films to numerous Chinese cities with the theme “To Live In China,” and was profiled in Chinese Artforum. This year’s series will feature work by Jia Zhangke, Ai Weiwei, Hu Jie, Zhao Liang, Li Ning and many more. The objective of this mobile screening series and art exhibition is to encourage the spread of Chinese independent narrative and documentary, promote new thinking on independent arts practice, and create an environmental of accessible artistic exchange. More information (in Chinese only) can be found here.

"When The Bough Breaks" (dir. Ji Dan)

Ji Dan, whose film When The Bough Breaks unfolds the story of a family enmeshed in a struggle of harrowing personal and financial stakes, was awarded the top prize at the 2012 Millenium International Documentary Film Festival in Brussels. Lauded for is technical and artistic merits, as well as close examination of some of China’s most wide-reaching social issues, the film was awarded the Objectif d’or earlier this month.

A video interview with Ji Dan, complete with clips from the film, can be seen here. Congratulations to Ji Dan and When The Bough Breaks!

Pema Tseden

Pema Tseden, whose past work includes The Silent Holy Stones and The Search is the leading figure of Tibet New Wave cinema, as well as one of Cinema Scope‘s “50 best filmmakers under 50.”

The film will screen at the Pacific Film Archive Theater, 2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch), Berkeley, CA

Tickets & More Information can be found here.

"The Other Half" (dir. Ying Liang)

The Other Half at  UC Berkeley

Address: 
International House, Chevron Auditorium
2299 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94720

Description:

Working as a secretary for a legal office, Xiaofen records clients detailing the sordid aspects of their lives: divorce cases, medical malpractice suits, financial corruption and old-fashioned personal revenge. Xiaofen starts to question her own relationship with her boyfriend (Deng Gang), fresh out of prison and looking to get into trouble again with his gambling habit. While Xiaofen deals with the overwhelming social malaise surrounding her, rumors spread of a disaster at the local chemical plant, threatening to poison the entire city.

Indie director Ying Liang follows up his celebrated debut Taking Father Home with a brutally frank portrait of the social and environmental problems plaguing contemporary China. “A vivid angle into ordinary life in China” (David Bordwell, Film Art: An Introduction), Ying Liang’s filmmaking examines multiple facets of society with a deceptively direct filmmaking style “that has few parallels in modern cinema.” (Richard Brody, The New Yorker)

Tickets & More Information here.

Friday, April 27, 2012, 8:50 p.m.

"Old Dog" (dir. Pema Tseden)

Old Dog at San Francisco International Film Festival

Address:
Pacific Film Archive Theater
2575 Bancroft Way (at Bowditch), Berkeley, CA 94704

Description:

This poetic film, heralded as the forefront of Tibet New Wave cinema, tells the story of a Tibetan herder whose struggle to preserve his culture, the dignity of his family, and his beloved mastiff crescendos in a tragic moment of sacrifice.

Tickets & More Information can be found here.

"Timber Gang" (dir. Yu Guangyi)

Timber Gang at University of Michigan

Address: 
Angell Hall, Auditorium A
435 South State St., Ann Arbor, MI

Description:
Yu Guangyi’s stunning debut explores a grueling winter amongst loggers in Northeast China as they employ traditional practices through one last, fateful expedition. Armed with a digital camera and survival gear, Yu Guangyi spent months filming the lumberjacks of his hometown, offering a privileged peek into some exceedingly harsh lives (Neil Young, Jigsaw Lounge). A lasting testament to disappearing traditions, Timber Gang “is a fascinating glimpse at a rare way of life that few will ever witness.” (Ain’t It Cool News)

More information and ticketing details can be found here.

Monday April 10 at 7pm and 9:30pm
Tuesday April 11th at 7pm and 9:30pm 

"Fortune Teller" (dir. Xu Tong)

Fortune Teller at The Trylon

Address: 
3258 Minnehaha Ave S, Minneapolis, MN

Details:
Armed with an HD camera, Xu Tong takes a long look at Li Baicheng, a traditional Chinese fortune teller, and his wife Pearl Shi, two people left behind in China’s dramatic push towards capitalism. A riveting portrait of life on the fringes, this brave documentary achieves a rare intimacy with its subjects that is both rewarding and heartbreaking.

Promotional support provided by the Hamline University Department of East Asian Studies. Fortune Teller appears as part of The Trylon‘s Premiere Series, coordinated by Take Up Productions 

More details can be found here.

Huang Weikai's Disorder will screen April 3rd

Presented as part of the Maysles Cinema’s Street Views series curated by Paul Dallas and Anthony Titus, Disorder will screen at 7:30pm and will be preceded by a short film, Incident by a Bank (dir. Ruben Ostlund, Sweden, 2009). $10.00 suggested donation.

Following the screening will be a Q&A with Cathryn Dwyre and Chris Perry (Pneumastudio), moderated by Paul Dallas, and an opening night reception.

More information about Maysles Cinema and how to get there can be found here.

More information about Disorder can be found here.

About “Fashioning the East-Asian Screen”

It is no coincidence that almost simultaneously in the 1890s the very first issue of Vogue appears and the birth of cinema takes place. The invention of modern life involves this parallel between fashion’s history and the screen. However, most of the emphasis in this relationship is celebrated and documented through American and European cinema. While the relationship between fashion and Western cinemas has already been explored in a number of important publications there has been scant attention to similar themes and issues when it comes to non-Western cinemas, for example, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and so on. This two-day event seeks to address this gap both in our knowledge about fashion and the screen and the role that fashion, clothing, style, costume, and design plays in East-Asian cinemas. We are also interested in how the screen has influenced fashion cultures in the region. Furthermore, we wish to consider the concept of the screen and East-Asia in their broadest sense to include all screens not just cinema but also television to new media and similarly we intend the concept of East-Asia to be fluid and transcultural rather than limited and fixed. Our primary aim with this event is to begin to map an East Asian context in terns of the multiple and mutual contacts between fashion and the screen.

Call For Papers

We seek 20 minute papers or 40 minute workshop presentations and we would invite all proposals that consider the connection between fashion and the screen in the context of East-Asia. We would like to see a spread of historical periods represented as well as different disciplinary perspectives and positions. Some suggested topics might include fashion and costume as an element of mise en scene, film stars, costume design, studio films, fashion in film magazines and film in fashion magazines, period films and fashion/costume orientated genres, fashion Orientalism in Western-Cinemas, the influence of the screen on the broader East-Asian fashion culture.

Deadline for paper submission is Monday the 9th of April 2012. Please send abstracts and proposals with a short bio to gary.needham@ntu.ac.uk.

Event Details

This event is a collaboration between Nottingham Trent University and Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery running in tandem with the exhibition of Chinese textiles Living in Silk and will take place on the 3rd and 4th of May 2012. Attendance is free but places are very limited due to the unique Castle venue and priority will be given to participants who propose a paper or workshop. There are two confirmed keynote speakers Dr Pamela Church-Gibson (London College of Fashion) and Dr Tamar Jeffers-McDonald (University of Kent). The Thursday evening reception in Nottingham Trent University’s Bonington Gallery will include a performance based installation by MA Framework students and Lucia Tong choreography for Dance4 relating to the theme of the event.

For further information regarding the event themes and call for papers, contact gary.needham@ntu.ac.uk, School of Arts & Humanities.

For information regarding the Bonington Gallery, Dance4 and the MA Framework, contact yvonne.trew@ntu.ac.uk, School of Art & Design.

For more information about the Nottingham Castle venue and the Living in Silk exhibition, contact deborah.dean@nottinghamcity.gov.uk, Visual Arts and Exhibitions Manager, Nottingham Castle.

"Petition" (dir. Zhao Liang)

CALL FOR WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS
DEADLINE: 15 APRIL 2012

Workshop dates & themes:
4 June 2012 ­ Activism and Aesthetics
5 June 2012 ­ Documentary as a Research Method

Public Film Screenings:
1-2 June 2012
7-8 June 2012

Organizers: Dr Jenny Chio and Professor Wanning Sun
China Research Centre
University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)
Contact: Jenny.Chio@uts.edu.au

Independent documentary film production inside the People¹s Republic of China has flourished in the past twenty years and shows no sign of abating, despite increased public and political attention to Chinese filmmakers and their projects.

“Seeing China” will explore the range of contemporary practices in documentary filmmaking in China today with screenings of recent documentaries, most selected from the Yunfest catalogue.  Two day-long workshops at the University of Technology, Sydney, led by Chinese filmmakers, scholars, and the lead curator of Yunfest, will provide an opportunity for researchers to explore documentary filmmaking in China as a social, cultural, and political phenomenon.  A list of films to be screened will be available on the UTS China Research Centre website in April 2012 (china.uts.edu.au); films under consideration include Petition (Zhao Liang, 2009), Apuda (He Yuan, 2010), and When the Bough Breaks (Ji Dan, 2010).

We are now inviting scholars and postgraduate students to participate in the workshop series to be held on 4-5 June 2012 at UTS.  We are especially interested in bringing together a dynamic, interdisciplinary group of participants (from fields such as ­ but not limited to ­ China Studies, Media Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Film Studies, and Journalism), and we welcome academics as well as filmmakers to apply.  All workshop participants are highly encouraged to attend the film screenings, which will take place before and after the workshop dates.

Limited travel funding will be available to support ECRs and postgraduate students traveling from outside Sydney.  Workshops will be held in English; some knowledge of Mandarin Chinese is helpful, but not required.

The first workshop, on 4 June 2012, will investigate the current conditions of independent documentary film production and circulation in China today, with a focus on the question of activism and aesthetics in documentary filmmaking.  This workshop will be jointly led by Dr Yi Sicheng (Yunfest curator), Mr He Yuan (filmmaker), and Dr Luke Robinson (Lecturer in Film and Media Studies, University of Nottingham).  The second workshop, on 5 June, will explore documentary as a research method and will include special screenings of student work from China.  Mr Li Xin (Lecturer in Media Production, Yunnan Arts Institute) and Dr Jenny Chio (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UTS) will lead this workshop.  All participants will be expected to participate in both workshops, in order to encourage the greatest possible exchange of ideas and to develop research collaboration opportunities.

We hope to facilitate intensive conversations on documentary film practice in the context of contemporary China, cultural studies, and media production.  To be considered for this workshop series, applicants should submit by 15 April 2012:

1) A statement of your current research interests/production projects and
how you will benefit from participation in the workshop series (500-800
words)
2) Your full contact and affiliation information, including email, phone
number, and mailing address.

Please email your statements and information to Dr Jenny Chio (Jenny.Chio@uts.edu.au) as a Word or PDF attachment.  Participants will be notified by 1 May 2012, at which time we will also circulate a few key background readings in preparation for the workshops.

“Seeing China: The Yunnan Multi Culture Visual Festival” is supported by a Special Projects Resources grant from the ANU Centre on China in the World and the UTS China Research Centre.