Fujian Blue (dir. Robin Weng)
The value of Asia Society’s series China’s Past Present, Future on Film… is that it exposes us to a diverse group of lesser-known artists at a time when much of the discussion of contemporary Chinese cinema still revolves around big names like Jia Zhangke.
Andrew Chan reviews several of the titles playing at the Asia Society series, giving special mention to Robin Weng’s Fujian Blue.
Read the full article.
Ghost Town (dir. Zhao Dayong)
Following its triumphant US Premiere at the 2009 New York Film Festival, Zhao Dayong’s Ghost Town will enjoy a weeklong run at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The MoMA will screen Ghost Town at the following dates:
Tickets can be purchased at the MoMA Film Box Office adjacent to the The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York, NY. Details at the MoMA site.
Further details and trailer after the break.
In conjunction with MoMA’s Jia Zhangke retrospective, the director hosts a screening March 8 at 7pm of his Wo men de shi nian (Ten Years,2007) and Black Breakfast (2008), a segment from the international omnibus film Stories on Human Rights, as well as a sneak preview of an excerpt from his latest film, Shanghai Legend aka I Wish I Knew. Followed by a conversation between Jia Zhangke and Howard Feinstein, independent curator and critic; and Kevin B. Lee, critic, filmmaker, and programming executive, dGenerate Films.
Event details and ticket information found at MoMA.
Our friends at the Asia Society are offering discounted tickets for their upcoming Film Series China’s Past, Present, and Future on Film, March 6 – April 16, 2010. You can use discount code asia725 to buy tickets at the $7 member rate. This includes tickets to see Jia Zhangke in-person on March 6! It’s also a chance to see several dGenerate titles on the big screen: Betelnut, Fujian Blue, Gai Shanxi and Her Sisters, and Little Moth.
WHEN:
Feb 24th and 25th, 7pm
WHERE:
UCCA (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art)
Don’t miss this showcase of Liu Jiayin’s Oxhide I and Oxhide II. The first film won the Fipresci Prize at the 55th Berlin International Film Festival, and the sequel debuted at Cannes in 2009. In Chinese with English subtitles. The showcase will also run on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28.
Venue and further details at Beijing City Weekend
Fujian Blue (dir. Robin Weng)
From the Asia Society website:
China’s Past, Present, Future on Film
March 6 – April 16, 2010
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021
Independent filmmaking in China is undergoing a renaissance, thanks to a fast-changing China that provides limitless inspiration and the availability of affordable digital technology. This film series begins with a documentary about leading Sixth Generation filmmaker Jia Zhangke, whose works like Xiao Wu (1997) and Platform (2000) propelled Chinese independent films to worldwide admiration. It continues with other recent films, two of them produced by Jia, that examine a dark chapter of China’s past, take penetrating looks at current social phenomena, and explore the hearts and minds of China’s future generations.
Tickets: $7 members; $9 students/seniors; $11 nonmembers.
Series discount: buy tickets to 4 or more films in one transaction to receive $1.50 off each ticket. Click here to buy discount.
Box Office:
Phone: 212-517-ASIA
Web: https://tickets.asiasociety.org
Full schedule after the break.
dGenerate Films is proud to present a special US screening of
Du Haibin’s 1428 at the Documentary Fortnight at the Museum of Modern Art.
1428, directed by Du Haibin, won last year’s Best Documentary Award at the Venice International Film Festival. A stunning exploration of the 8.0 earthquake that shook China’s Sichuan province in 2008, causing 70,000 deaths and 375,000 casualties, the film has an eerie resonance to the recent tragedy in Haiti.
PLEASE JOIN US AT THE FOLLOWING SCREENINGS:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 3:30 pm
MONDAY, MARCH 1, 4:30 pm
Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 St
New York, NY 10019
Click through for more information.
dGenerate Films is teaming up with the Apple Store in Beijing to present a new monthly series to showcase China’s newest filmmakers powered by digital technology. Digital tools, from digital video cameras to editing software, have placed filmmaking in the hands of the people. Listen and watch how award-winning directors use digital technology to create their latest movies, attracting worldwide attention and acclaim.
All events will be held at the Apple Store in Sanlitun, Beijing, starting at 7pm.
Events are listed below in English; scroll further to read them in Chinese.
Petition (dir. Zhao Liang)
In the recent Top Ten Chinese Films of the 2000s poll, one of the top-ranked documentaries was Zhao Liang’s Petition: The Court of the Complainants. A pretty impressive showing, given that the film was just released last year and has been seen by relatively few people, even in Chinese cinema circles. Tonight folks in Minneapolis will have a chance to see what some are calling the most exciting Chinese documentary since West of the Tracks.
Zhao Liang will be visiting the Walker Art Center this weekend to present his films Petition and Crime and Punishment. Then he will visit the East Cost to present his work at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, the Harvard Film Archive, the China Institute in New York, and the Center of Religion and Media at New York University.
Information on his films and a full schedule of his programs after the break.
Winner of several international festival awards, Taking Father Home is the debut feature of radical independent filmmaker Ying Liang, who borrowed equipment and recruited friends and family to realize his fierce vision of an emotionally scarred society. The film presents “a side of China that is rarely, if ever, seen on film.” (Richard Brody, The New Yorker)
More details can be found on the film here.
Friday, January 29 2010 ~ 6:00–8:00 PM
$5 member / $10 non-member
This film series is made possible through the generosity of the public and private grantors, and the support of the general public. Free popcorn and refreshments will be served and an open discussion will follow the screening. Seating is LIMITED. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. To purchase tickets, please visit the China Institute website. For further information, please contact sinomatheque@chinainstitute.org, or call 212-744-8181 x137.
Location Details:
China Institute
125 65th Street
New York NY 10065
