Chinese Cinema Club 2011-12
The Chinese Cinema Club, a collaboration between dGenerate Films and Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), is a movie club screening Chinese and Chinese American films.
The Club is a first step towards addressing the disappearance of cinemas from Chinatown, and its subsequent lack of public screening options. The aim will be to draw diverse movie-lovers and provide a regular space to gather, watch, discover and interact around cinema.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 6:45pm
Thomas Mao | 小東西
2010, 80 min. Directed by Zhu Wen (朱文)
Set in the country side during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Zhu Wen’s third feature Thomas Mao recounts the farcical story of an unexpected friendship that develops between an American painter Thomas (Thomas Rohdewald) backpacking through the grasslands of Mongolia and an eccentric inn-keeper Mao (Mao Yan) who lodges him. Inherent to the narrative are issues of translation, domination, and desire.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Winter Vacation | 寒假
2010, 91 mins. Directed by Hongqi Li.
Winter Vacation is a hilariously dry look at the existential crises of a smalltown community in Mongolia. If you are patient with this movie you will find its bizarre sense of humour endearing. It is written to be slow-moving, with long pauses between the actors' deadpan delivery of dialogue. The everyday incidents of these ordinary lives are the stuff of much philosophical sighing, and some refreshing comedy.
Each scene frames a mundane interaction, the dialogue countering the bleakness of the characters' lives with effortless humour. The sets and cinematography are simple and minimalistic, letting the script have its quirky effect against breathtaking backdrops.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Meishi Street | 煤市街
2006, 85 min. Directed by Ning Ou.
Meishi Street shows ordinary citizens taking a stand against the planned destruction of their homes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In order to widen traffic routes for the Olympic Games, the Beijing Municipal Government orders the demolition of entire neighborhoods. Several evictees of Meishi Street, located next to Tiananmen Square, fight through endless red tape and the indifference of fellow citizens for the right to keep their homes. Given video cameras by the filmmakers, they shoot exclusive footage of the eviction process, adding vivid intimacy to their story.
Friday, May 11, 2012
The Transition Period | 書記
2010 , 114min. Directed by Zhou Hao
There are about 1,500 counties in China, of which county secretaries are perhaps the hardest working civil servants: attracting investors to boost local economic growth for their own benefits, while resolving and dissolving any conflicts among different stakeholders. A southern county secretary is going to be transferred in three months and dramatic changes occur in his life.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Crime & Punishment | 罪与罚
2007, 122 minutes. Directed by Liang Zhao.
On the North Korean border, Chinese military police enforce the law with a heavy hand, leading to moments of harrowing abuse and surreal satire.
Amidst the barren wintry landscape of Northeast China, Chinese military police officers rigidly enforce law and order in an impoverished mountain town. They raid a private residence to bust an illegal mahjong game, casually abuse a pickpocket accused of throwing away evidence, and berate a confession out of a scrap collector working without a permit. The police switch between precise investigative procedure, explosions of violent fury, and moments of comic ineptitude, all captured incredibly before the camera.
Each screening begins at 6:45pm. Tickets: $10/adult; $8/student & senior, Free for MOCA member. RSVP to programs@mocanyc.org.
