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YANG FUDONG
"Art is definitely not my profession, but it has become an integral part of my life. It's like going to sleep every night and dreaming. It's something that is always going to happen, something that ends and then begins again. It's like when you wake up in the morning knowing that you had a dream last night, but you cannot recall what it was that you dreamed. Still, a feeling lingers in the back of your mind that you had a strange or even frightening dream last night. You know if you try to tell the dream to someone else, they just won't be able to relate. So you can only keep it inside you. You live in a big city, hiding in your little corner, and it's doubtful that even a few people know of your existence. Yet you are a part of the city. It's you and a lot of other such people that make up this city. The feeling of the city depends on all of these people living in their own dreams. My relationship with society to a large degree is a kind of metabolic relationship. Society needs ever-changing relationships, just like those that are occurring today. I too am ever-changing. I was unable to choose which generation I was born into, yet I have to learn to adapt to the times." -- Yang Fudong 32-year-old Yang Fudong, whose work is currently on display at TRANS>area Gallery in New York, January 29-March 27, and was recently featured in the Museum of Modern Art's China Now survey, February 12-16, is among a new generation of Chinese filmmakers currently making a splash in the art world.
"Part of the fascination surrounding Mr. Yang," wrote Jane Perlez in a New York Times profile of the artist from December 3, 2003, "is founded on his place at the center of a digital whirlwind in China, where a new generation of artists have spurned the canvases of Mao-like heads that the West considered so avant-garde in the 1990s. Instead, he and his friends are creating videos about personal feelings and anomie amid the warp-speed change in China."
Born in Beijing and currently living in Shanghai, Mr. Yang, a 1995 graduate of the China Academy of Fine Arts in Hangzhou, may edit on a G4, but he still prefers to shoot film -- mostly 35mm B&W -- and one would be hard-pressed to characterize his work as "modern." Although Yang's work features depictions of alienated youth ubiquitous in contemporary Chinese independent cinema, his films are distinctly reminiscent of an earlier era.
"The relationship between my work and the films of the '20s is pretty vague," explains Yang. "Artists today can appropriate any medium to express their way of living and seeing, and make that choice according to their need to say something specific. I see the sensitivity that marks my films as a personal thing having its roots in my past and my experience."
Yang's first feature, the semi-autobiographical An Estranged Paradise, opens with a dissertation about a Chinese landscape artist. As a brush painting is created on-screen, a voiceover lists various rules used to establish harmony between the visual motifs. The story that follows depicts a young hypochondriac in Hangzhou -- China's "Paradise on Earth" -- as he wanders between home and hospital, and between encounters with his girlfriend. The film is poetically structured with recurring visual motifs that echo the rules of Chinese landscape painting, but the harmony of the film's structure lies in subtle contrast to the story of the film's protagonist, whose restlessness arrives with the rainy season and disappears with its end. "After graduation, my friends and I were not sure what to do with our lives," says Yang. "We felt lost." Like the character in his film, which was begun in 1995, but only completed in 2002 with the assistance of a curator from Documenta 11 in Kassel, Germany, "I had the feeling of being a long way from my family in a city that isn't really mine, unsure of the direction life would take me."
In his latest work, the 30-minute Seven Intellectuals in a Bamboo Forest, Part I, "Mr. Yang films actors and actresses (all his friends) as they ascend Huangshan Mountain, talk with one another and meditate on life. An original musical score accompanies their musings. Some of the dialogue seems a bit hokey: 'I believe in nothing except fate and constellation,' and, 'If you leave next week, be my lover this week.' But the overall effect of the well-dressed wanderers on a misty mountaintop is dreamlike, eerie and compelling," writes Perlez."Every educated Chinese person is very ambitious, and obviously there are obstacles, obstacles coming either from society or from inside oneself," says Yang, who claims he has not experienced any pressure from Chinese censors in shaping his work, despite his growing international acclaim. But then, his visually elegant films are not overtly political and are rooted instead in personal stories deceptively complex in their modesty. "I'd like to move into cinema, but not to go completely into a narrative mode. I'm tempted by the idea of seeing my films shown in movie houses, but at the same time I want to stay experimental."
# posted by Steve Gallagher @ 2/19/2004 12:44:32 PM
Jim McKay's Everyday People, which had its world premiere in Sundance's American Spectrum program, will open the 33rd New Directors/New Films series.
The line-up, which was announced this morning, includes two more U.S. selections, both documentaries: Jehane Noujaim's Control Room and Ondi Timoner's DIG!, which took home Sundance's Grand Jury Prize for nonfiction.
Other films in the 22-film program, which is co-presented by MoMA and the Film Society of Lincoln Center and runs March 24-April 4, includes several hits from the world festival circuit, including Kim Ki-duk's Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring and Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni's The Story Of The Weeping Camel.
The complete lineup is as follows:
Opening Night: Everyday People, Jim McKay, USA, 2003, 91 min. HBO Films. Raskin's is the kind of neighborhood Brooklyn restaurant where young and old, black and white, artists and professionals have mingled for generations. But now everything is about to change. Faced with a business slump, Ira, the stressed-out Jewish owner (Jordan Gelber) decides to shut down -- or rather, sell out to a corporate gentrification plan implemented by Ron (Ron Butler), an ambitious young black real estate developer. Smack in the middle of the controversy is Arthur (Stephen Henderson), the loyal maitre-d' and the restaurant's oldest employee. The story follows these three, as well as waiters and kitchen staff, over the course of a single tense day as all face an uncertain future with very mixed emotions and from diverse ethnic and cultural perspectives. Writer/director McKay (Our Song ND/NF 2000) is our populist poet of everyday life and he weaves together many diverse characters who, in their complexity, make up the fabric of a beautiful, multi-cultural New York.
B-Happy, Gonzalo Justiniano, Chile/Spain/Venezuela, 2003, 90 min.
Kathy is fourteen-years old and lives with the hope that her life's about to get better; her father will get out of jail, and things at home will be normal. Gradually, though, she realizes that this is not meant to be: her family life, already fragile, will disintegrate, and she'll be on her own. Yet with that realization comes another: she's a lot stronger than she imagined. Maybe she can even use adversity to her advantage. Working with a remarkable young actress (Manuela Martelli), Gonzalo Justiniano avoids the romance and sentimentality associated with the coming-of-age genre and instead gives a clear-eyed look at how someone digs deep within themselves to find the strength to carry on.
Berlin Blues, Leander Haussman, Germany, 2003, 105 min.
A wry and disarming story set in Kreuzberg, West Berlin's slacker Bohemia, in1989, just weeks before the fall of the Wall. In this lively city quarter inhabited by misfits, dropouts, and hungry but determined artists, Frank is prince. Except for a standoff with a local dog, and the unwelcome knowledge that his 30th birthday, if not his next girlfriend, are just round the corner, Frank is a relaxed guy. Then life happens. Everything, but everything changes -- surprisingly, speedily and irrevocably. Director Leander Haussmann takes pleasure both in charting Frank's reluctant adjustments and recreating a yesterday, now spiritually vanished, that sported its own ragged virtues.
Captive, Gaston Biraben, Argentina, 2003, 115 min.
Fifteen-year-old Cristina lives a charmed life in Buenos Aires in the early '90s. Happy, and as well-adjusted as a teenager can be, she loves her parents and has many friends. Her biggest problem is coping with her strict Catholic school. One day, out of the blue, she is informed that her real parents were, in fact, political prisoners of Argentina's "dirty war," who disappeared soon after her birth. Her world changes in an instant. Suddenly, Cristina becomes Sofia, and is forced to live with people she doesn't know. In trying to establish her true identity, she questions everything: the couple she believed were her parents, how she came to them, and her place in the world. In this political coming-of-age drama, director Gaston Biraben spotlights his country's struggle to come to terms with a national nightmare.
Checkpoint, Yoav Shamir, Israel, 2003, 80 min.
Three million Palestinians live in the occupied territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Scattered throughout the region are dozens of checkpoints where Israeli soldiers detain Palestinians trying to get home, visit relatives, or receive medical treatment. Israeli documentary filmmaker Yoav Shamir filmed at various checkpoints from 2001 to 2003 and the images are a powerful testament to the impasses that have been created. A young Israeli soldier describes his job as "putting on a show" and at times that is how the encounters between top dog and underdog appear. The guards inconvenience, humiliate, and otherwise make the desperate, defensive pilgrims as uncomfortable as possible. The Palestinians, in turn, are obedient, reproachful, imploring, and belligerent. "Terrorists don't come through checkpoints," one man insists as he is turned away. This extraordinary documentary is a chilling look at the destructive impact of enforced boundaries on both societies.
Control Room, Jehane Noujaim, USA/Egypt, 2003, 83 min.
With amazing access and great curiosity, Jehane Noujaim explores the inner workings of the Middle Eastern news agency Al Jazeera. Reporters and editors at the news network speak frankly about their views of journalistic integrity, world politics and humanitarian responsibility. Several exchanges with the U.S. military's Central Command highlight the differences in perspective, and place in context Al Jazeera's belief in a counter-narrative that foregrounds the pain and suffering of the victims of the war. By challenging our assumptions and cataloguing countless differences in coverage, the film shrewdly exposes the myth of journalistic impartiality during wartime is exposed. Noujaim offers food for thought and endless discussion with this timely film.
DIG!, Ondi Timoner, USA, 2004, 105 min. Palm Pictures.A rousing chronicle that is as much about contemporary American rock as the bad behavior of rock stars, DIG! follows the spectacular ascents and descents of Anton Newcombe, leader of indie band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. For over seven years filmmaker Ondi Timoner had unmediated access to Newcombe, a self-styled Brian Jones acolyte, and her film is a raw, energetic portrait of an artist and his nose for trouble. Newcombe's fervent notion of integrity takes him to the brink of self-destruction and to the limits of friendship with the film's narrator, Courtney Taylor, leader of the Dandy Warhols, who sees Newcombe as his "greatest inspiration, and ultimately, greatest regret." Replete with handheld concert footage and great music, DIG! is the ultimate backstage pass.
Eager Bodies, Xavier Giannoli, France, 2003, 94 min.
Xavier Giannoli makes an audacious feature debut with this complex love triangle. Charlotte and Paul are attractive, fun-loving and cool twenty-somethings-in-love. Then Charlotte discovers she has lung cancer. Paul is determined to see his girlfriend through this crisis but Charlotte, frightened and angry, doesn't make it easy. In the midst of tests and treatments, enter Charlotte's cousin Ninon. A bond develops among the three, complicated by Charlotte's doubt and jealousy. Her erratic behavior only succeeds in fueling the mutual attraction that Paul and Ninon, in their isolation, begin to feel for each other. Less concerned with plot than mood and emotion, the film develops a deep compassion for three characters caught in a dilemma beyond their control.
Fuse, Pjer Zalica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2003, 105 min. Global Film Initiative.
Pjer Zalica's debut feature starts with a jolt emblematic of the dangers buried beneath the surface of a small rustic village, where, two years after the civil war has officially ended, Serbs and Muslims try to live and work together. A dryly humorous tone as well as a shrewd sense of reality, even in the tragic legacy of post war Bosnia, balance this beautifully wrought political satire. Times are tough indeed, and everyone in town seems to make their living the unlawful way. It's an unflinchingly honest and funny look at the struggle of a poor, corrupt community struggling to hide its illegal activities and unhappy alliances and establish democracy -- 'cause President Clinton is coming to visit!
In Your Hands, Annette K. Olesen, Denmark, 2004, 101 min.
An insightful drama about a woman caught in a moral wilderness. Anna, a theologian desperate to have a child, takes a temporary job as a prison chaplain. While she tries to lead her new flock on the path of righteousness, she encounters inmates who turn her world upside down, especially Kate, an outsider who really gets under her skin. Director Annette Olesen takes advantage of the Danish Dogme movement approach to narrative, stripping her story of any distraction and focusing on strong performances in which seemingly ambivalent motives lead to frightening consequences. Unsettling and provocative, the film features complex, intensely human desires and failings that cannot easily be dismissed.
Kounandi, Apolline Traore, Burkina Faso, 2003, 49 min.
A stranger appears in an African village, gives birth to a baby girl, and dies. The child becomes a young woman who is cursed and blessed. So begins Apolline Traore's elemental and timeless story about the transformative power of love and magic. Traore's direction is at once direct and subtle: her telling invites rich ambiguities that speak to the cycle of life and the need to belong.
The Middle of the World, Vicente Amorim, Brazil, 2003, 85 min. Film Movement.
Thoroughly charming but with a tough and determined undercurrent, this captivating story (based on true events) follows a family of seven as they bicycle 3200 kilometers from Paraiba in the north of Brazil to Rio de Janeiro in pursuit of a better life. As the landscape changes, the inner workings of the family subtly shift. As each member becomes a fully defined character director Vicente Amorim lets the tension between the open road and the bonds of family work its magic. Amorim often had to film under difficult circumstances, but with handheld camera he elicits marvelous performances from everyone but especially from the unforgettable Claudia Abreu
Le Monde Vivant, Eugene Green, France, 2003, 75 min.
This fairy tale is a witty medieval romance of the human heart in modern guise, a living world that mixes castles and ogres with knights in blue jeans and a lion played by a golden retriever. The narrative, alternately quaint and ironic, is set in a lush French landscape of rolling green fields and enchanted trees. Nicolas, a young man on a quest into the unknown, has many adventures, by turns surreal, touching and wryly amusing. Re-inventing the world of damsels, troubadors and monsters to his own purpose, theater director Eugene Green creates a visually stunning, intellectually stimulating meditation that will appeal to children of all ages -- a minimalist medieval epic that startles as it delights.
No. 17, David Ofek, Israel, 2003, 76 min.
A suicide bomb attack outside Tel Aviv leaves seventeen people dead. Sixteen victims are claimed and identified, yet weeks after the incident no one has come forward with information on the seventeenth victim, a man mutilated beyond recognition who lies in an unmarked grave. With the determination of a homicide detective, documentary filmmaker David Ofek sets out to discover who this mystery man might have been. Was he connected in some way to the attackers, or simply an unfortunate soul without friends or family? The only definite piece of information the filmmaker has is that the man was traveling with a tent. Interviews with police, survivors, and witnesses create a revealing, unsettling portrait of a society accustomed to living in the shadow of death.
Seducing Doctor Lewis, Jean-Francois Pouilot, Canada, 2003, 110 min.
This rollicking story describes in witty detail how a ragtag community on a small island in Quebec attempts to snare a young doctor from the big city who craves cosmopolitan cuisine and foreign sporting activity. (To say more would be criminal). Reminiscent of Britain's glorious Ealing comedies, like the classic Tight Little Island, Jean-Francois Pouliot's beguiling and sophisticated debut feature proves that with pluck and imagination, anything can be made irresistible. Not only may Doctor Lewis be seduced, but judging from the public who voted it the Audience Award at Sundance, so will everyone else who sees it.
Silent Waters, Sabiha Sumar, Pakistan/France/Germany, 2003, 99 min. First Run Features.
A woman's fragile destiny provides a rare window on a tumultuous period in Pakistani history -- the late '70s when the country, under military rule, swung toward Islamic extremism. Ayesha, an impoverished woman with liberal values, supports herself by giving Koran lessons to girls in her small village and dedicates herself to her 18-year-old son Saleem. Saleem secretly loves Zoubida, an upper-class girl following a traditional path. Unwilling to submit to a rural life like his mother, Saleem looks to further his ambitions in town, where student activism is taking hold. As tensions tighten Ayesha's painful past returns to haunt her. Gritty yet exquisite in its picturesque setting and assured pacing, this powerful drama is cast with gifted non-actors guided by documentarian Sabiha Sumar in her feature film debut.
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, Kim Ki-duk, South Korea, 2003, 103 min. Sony Pictures Classics.
In a beautiful temple on a secluded lake live an old monk and his young charge, a boy of barely school age. Under the old monk's tutelage, the youngster learns the secrets and lessons of the world around him. When he gleefully ties stones to a fish, a frog and a snake, his master binds a rock to the child's back. As a teenage boy, the young monk experiences carnal passion and attachment; as an adult, jealousy and profound despair. He leaves and returns cyclically, each season a stage in his progress from novice to enlightened human being. This ravishingly beautiful film never leaves the floating monastery and its breathtaking vistas, yet its seemingly hermetic world is a window on life's mysteries. Director Kim Ki-duk has created a deeply personal work of extraordinary elegance and spiritual feeling.
The Story of the Weeping Camel, Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni, Germany/Mongolia, 2003, 93 min. THINKFilm.
Living a way of life that may be nearing extinction, the nomadic shepherds of Mongolia take great care of their camels, their livelihood and only asset. When one of the animals rejects her newborn calf, the shepherds try everything they can think of to connect the two since, without his mother's milk, the baby will die. Finally the nomads send their two young sons on a journey from the desert to the city to find a special musician, one whose music may reach the mother camel's heart. Filmmakers Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni have meticulously woven fact and fiction to capture the harsh realities of nomadic life, and the rugged beauty of both the Gobi desert and the actual ritual that these nomads use to save their herd -- and, yes, the camels do weep. A stunning achievement and a unique cinematic experience.
Strong Shoulders, Ursula Meier, Switzerland/France/Belgium, 2003, 96 min.
At a special school for athletes, where intense physical training is the curriculum, fifteen-year-old Sabine (an extraordinary performance by Louise Szpindel) is determined to become a world-class runner. Not the best female runner, but simply the best. She therefore wants to run with the men in the 400 meters. The methods of her coach (French film star Jean-Francois Stevenin) don't suit her, so she goes her own way. But in addition to fighting the notion that she can't compete with men, she must also struggle with her maturing body and sexual awakening. And it doesn't help that her boyfriend is faster than she is. She wants to be a high performance machine, but her body and heart may not cooperate. Ursula Meier's debut feature film is a rare achievement -- a moving, vibrant portrait of young female athletes who have full and complex inner lives.
Three Step Dancing, Salvatore Mereu, Italy, 2003, 107m.
Salvatore Mereu's richly textured first feature is as timeless as its earthy Sardinian setting, and marks a new direction for Italian cinema today. The magic of childhood is depicted in scenes of Andrea and his frisky buddies as they go for a wild ride and encounter the spectacle of the sea for the first time. Michele, a handsome young shepherd loses his virginity to a glamorous aviatrix. Simona, a Carmelite nun comes home, with mixed feelings, for a bustling (and stormy) family wedding. And Old Giorgio sets a fancy table for a tryst with the town tramp. The events mirror the changing seasons, photographed in delectable, sensual colors, the characters coming together in a life-affirming Fellini-esque finale that borders on the mythic. A work of intense beauty and startling originality.
Untold Scandal, E J-Yong, South Korea, 2003, 124 min.
This masterfully crafted costume drama is a luscious, sexy and sly retelling of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, brilliantly transposed to Korea during the eighteenth-century Chosun dynasty. More a comedy of manners than a savage satire, director E J-yong's adaptation concentrates on the hypocrisy of a society in which slander, seduction and gossip have a field day among the aristocrats. For this visually gifted filmmaker, a single barbed remark or sidelong glance conjures up a world ruled by artifice. Korean TV idol Bae Yong-jun makes his big screen debut as the philandering aristocrat, the stunning Lee Mi-Suk is charming and chilling as his royal cousin and arch manipulator, and Jeon Do-yeon elicits sympathy as the pure young widow who is the object of the scheming.
Vodka Lemon, Hiner Saleem, France/Armenia, 2003, 88 min.
Rarely has a potentially grim predicament been treated with more humor and insight. In a remote, isolated village in post-Soviet Armenia, Hamo, a widower with a pitiful pension and three worthless sons, travels daily to his wife's grave. There he meets the lovely Nina, who is communing with her late husband. The two are penniless -- she works in a local bar that is about to close down, while he has been forced to start selling his meager possessions, including his prized military suit. Could anything be bleaker? Yet as Hamo begins to court Nina, they are revitalized by their unexpected union. Director Hiner Saleem invests each incident with marvelous sight gags (one thinks of Otar Iosseliani) and a sense that these quirky inhabitants cannot help but endure.
For more information, or to buy tickets, visit the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Web site.
# posted by Matthew Ross @ 2/19/2004 08:38:40 AM
SING ALONG
For the past eight years, Jack Lechner, a former Miramax executive now in charge of entertainment development at @radical.media in New York, and his wife Sam Maser, have sent out a greeting card to their friends featuring parodies of many of the films nominated for Academy Awards set to music.
Below are some of this year's choice selections:
Mystic River (to the tune of "Mr Sandman")
Mystic River
Dark as can be
The feel-bad movie of Two-Thousand-Three
It proves a man'll do the things a beast would
If he's in a picture by Clint Eastwood
Mystic River
Maybe I'm dense
But did that ending even remotely make sense?
Though the critics don't agree
Mystic River mystified me!
Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (to the tune of "All of Me")
Sodomy
Where is the sodomy
That a sea-
Faring voyage was known for?
If a tar
Went below decks then
Chances are
He would have sex then
Peter Weir
Checked all his facts, it's clear
And they're here
In meticulous detail
But in the dash
From rum to the lash
Where is the sodomy?
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (excerpt, to the tune of "My Favorite Things")
...
Give my regards to the riders of Rohan
(Though it's unlikely they know George M. Cohan)
Pelennor Fields -- that's where Aragom sings --
So many endings in Lord Of The Rings
Now it's finished
We're diminished
It was great, but long
I hope Peter Jackson will rest for a while
Before he remakes
King Kong!
And, lest you think Miramax escaped unscathed, Cold Mountain (excerpt, to the tune of "Old Smokey"):
On top of Cold Mountain
All covered with mist
I wait for my lover
A man I once kissed
...
And if he should perish
That would be a shame
Because then I'll never
Find out his first name!
If you enjoyed these, tune in to the telecast of the IFP Independent Spirit Awards, February 28 on IFC and Bravo, when Lechner and Maser will skewer the indies in five featured ditties.
Also check out Movie City News's Miramax Songbook 2004.
# posted by Steve Gallagher @ 2/18/2004 01:42:47 PM
SARAH JACOBSON MEMORIALS
We were sad to receive this note from Ed Halter today about the filmmaker Sarah Jacobson:"As many of you know, Sarah Jacobson was battling terminal cancer for the past half a year or so. Well, I'm sorry to report that last night she passed away. Because Sarah knew so many film people, I'm helping her family spread the word about two memorial events happening this week in her memory.
On Monday, February 16th, at 3pm, there will be a memorial service for Sarah at the synagogue on 17th Street between 2nd and 3rd street in Manhattan. (Sorry, I don't know the name of the synagogue, just the location, but all are welcome).
On Wednesday, February 18th, there will be two screenings at the Pioneer Theater in the East Village of films and videos by Sarah. Sarah actually curated this show herself -- it was something she was determined to do in the past month or so, and she did it, which is pretty amazing. With the help of her boyfriend Aaron, she even dug out some old pixel tapes she's never shown. The Two Boots Pioneer Theater is at 155 East 3rd Street at Ave. A. ph 212 254 3300.
At 7pm on Wednesday at the Pioneer, there is a program of shorts by Sarah, and at 9pm, a screening of her feature film Mary Jane's Not A Virgin Anymore. (I'm pretty sure it will still be going on as a regular ticketed event, but the door profits are going to the Jacobson family in any case).
Also, I just created a quick Web site bulletin board where people can share their memories of Sarah, even if you can't come to these events. It will be passed on to her family and boyfriend ...."
For those who don't know Jacobson's fresh and spirited work, try to attend the screening or at least read more on the filmmaker's own site which contains excerpts of great reviews from Amy Taubin, Roger Ebert and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon.
# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 2/15/2004 05:10:28 PM
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