The Institute of Chinese Culture & Arts Chinese Community Television Network
Presents
2008 Asian Film & Television Festival
Date: Monday to Friday, May 12 to 16, 2008
Time: 2PM to 4PM; & 4PM to 6PM
Place: Chinese Community Center
64 Mott Street, Manhattan
Free Admission (Limited Capacity Available)
First-come, First-serve Basis
Note: All films are shown in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles.
This free five-day event will showcase films of varying topics that will help to assist in bridging the gap between Asian and American cultures. Another goal of the Asian Film & Television Festival is to draw in New York City residents to visit Chinatown, a bustling neighborhood of commerce, entertainment, and delectable cuisine. Since September 11, 2001, Chinatown’s economy has suffered tremendously through the loss of jobs, businesses and traffic access in Lower Manhattan.
| Festival Program | ||
| 2PM | 4PM | |
| Monday, May 12 | Opening Ceremony | Film The Wandering Generation |
| Tuesday, May 13 | Film Short Subjects |
Film Gua Sha: The Treatment |
| Wednesday, May 14 | Film Live in Peace |
Film Love Story by Tea |
| Thursday, May 15 | Film Taiwan Today |
Film Rice Rhapsody |
| Friday, May 16 | Film My 1919 |
Film The Wandering Generation |
Major funding is provided by New York State Senate, Parks Cultural & Arts Fund, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, and community funds.
Movie Lineup
BRAVO SOUTH CHINA
- Silk of South China
China is the birthplace of silk. In the mid –Neolithic Age, about 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, ancient people began to raise silkworms to get silk threads and weave silk cloth. In the 18th Century, the silk industries of South China reached its zenith, becoming an important pillar of the economy of the area below the Yangtze River. Following development and technological progress, modern fashion designers are giving contemporary qualities to the classical beauty of silk, injecting new vitality into this ancient industry. - Fascinating Boccaro Teaports
The history of Chinese tea culture can be traced back to ancient times. Aside from the various kinds of famous tea, Chinese people are particular about tea sets, which can not only be used to drink tea, but also be appreciated as works of art. Boccaro teapots produced in the city of Yixing are outstanding. With their appealing color and luster, boccaro teapots ingeniously combine pottery culture, teapot cultureand tea culture in creations sure to enchant all tea drinkers. - Love for Shaoxing
In ancient times, the city of Shaoxing was called Yuezhou. It was renamed Shaoxing in 1131. Shaoxing is known as a historical seat of culture, renown for its picturesque scenery and the birthplace of many famous people. A land of water. Shaoxing feature many rivers and bridges, riverside compounds. With connecting courtyards, mellow wine and delicious food, unique dark a winged boats and ancient towpaths creating cultural scenery special to South China.
Scenarist-Director: Xue Yaning
BREAKING THE SILENCE
Zheng Da, the son of the female worker Sun Li- Ying, is born deaf, which causes Sun Li-ying’s husband to divorce her. She shoulders the whole responsibility of supporting the family, helping her don to speak and study in the school. But for his bad pronunciation, Zheng Da fail to enter into the school and suffers a lot from other’s discrimination. In order to buy the expensive hearing aid for her son, Sun Li-ying works hard, but doesn’t receive the respect she deserves. With kind and warm help of the other persons, Sun Li-ying bravely faces the challenges of life. She and her son finally overcome the troubles in their life.
Duration: 86 minutes
Director: Sun Zhou
Colours of the Blind
Ding Lihua, blind girl, is full vigour and courage. She cherishes beautiful visions for life and love. At the sports school for the handicapped, she had the opportunity to be trained professionally as an athlete. Sports also built her character, and she came to understand that life is more than falling in love. With the help of her coach, she managed to improve her skills and learn more about truth in life. Ding Lihua finally won a gold medal as the world champion and found out her own way to lead a meaningful life.
Duration: 90 minutes
Director: Chen Guoxing
EXPERIENCING HONG KONG
Hong Kong is one of the areas with the most open, free and the most developed economy in the world. Its prosperous economy and trade, culture, science and technology, sports and public service activities help Hong Kong win many honors such as the “Metropolis in the Flourishing Age”, a “Shopping Paradise”, “Oriental Hollywood” and Gourmands’ Paradise”, etc. In the past decade, Hong Kong people have succeeded in overcoming the Asian Financial Crisis and defeated SARS Epidemic under the leadership of the SAS government, the Hong Kong economy has now reached its climax in nearly 20 years. This dynamic city, where Chinese and Western cultures converge, enjoys a variety of gaieties and is bound to usher in a more colorful and brighter future.
Duration: 30mins
GHA SHA-THE TREATMENT
After Year of hard work, Xu Datong, Chinese immigrant to the US. has finally achieved success as an outstanding video game designer. With his promising career and loving family, he feels he has became a true American. Datong’s father comes over from China, and uses a traditional Chinese medical technique, called guasha, to treat, Datong’s son, Dennis. Unexpectedly, an American doctor thinks the bruises on Dennis’ back left by the guasha treatment are signs of child abuse, and the finger is pointed at Dotong. The Treatment is a moving portrayal of the enormous gulfs between cultures and their possible repercussions.
Duration: 100 Minutes
Director: Zheng Shaolong
Live in Peace
Granny Axi, an old lady living in a big city , has an only son. After his marriage, the son lives in a wonderful modern apartment and strongly advises his mother to move into the apartment time and again. However, Granny Axi insists in living in the old one-storey house with the young housekeeper, Ashan, who is intelligent and fond of study. From Granny Axi, Ashan has learned to cook. Once, because of trying to help her boyfriend, Ashan falls out with Granny Axi . With the mediation of the neighbors, finally they are reconciled. Granny Axi takes out her savings and gives them to Ashan, encouraging her to start an undertaking in her hometown. In the end, Granny Axi moves into a geracomium and spend her remaing years in comfort together with other old people.
Duration: 93 minutes
Director: Hu Bingliu
Love Story by Tea
Ma Jianxin, a railroad worker, is a rather withdrawn and reticent person. He gets acquainted with his teacher Miss Li Weihua at a literary training class and finds that they have similar purpose and interests. After the short period of study, the two are deeply in love. Unfortunately Weihua has serious congenital heart disease, which means that if they get married, they can’t have sexual life. Despite of this helpless situation, the couple still love and support each other. They are determined to go ahead.
Duration: 92 minutes
Director: Jin Chen
One Day In The Yangtze Delta
Located at the western coast of the Pacific Ocean and the south of the Yangtze River, the Yangtze Delta is composed of fifteen cities in China including Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai. With neighboring areas, diverse cultures, mutually complementary economies, and close relationships among people, the region is descended from the Wu and Yue Culture. The street scenes and people’s lives here reflect the unique customs and culture of the south of China. It is also a region with the densest population, fastest economic development, largest economic scale, and most potential for further development. This documentary represents the economic and social development in the region through the activities in one day of several characters living in Yangtze Delta.
Duration: 30mins
Directors: Yu Haojiang, Li Ke
PRETTY BIG FEET
Zhang Meili is a common woman who lives in a remote mountain village in China. She doubts herself because of her big feet, as according to traditional Chinese thinking, small feet are a standard for female beauty. After her husband is executed for a crime he committed as a result of his lack of education, she decides to set up a school to teach the children of the village. Later, Xia Yu, a teacher from Beijing, volunteers to come to the school in this poor area, and after some initial problems, she, Zhang Meili and the children come to understand and respect each other. Zhang Meili is tragically killed in a car accident, but her students and their dreams live on…
Duration: 100 minutes
Director: Yang Yazhou
TOGETHER
Liu Cheng is a common person who has lived for many years in a small town in southern China working as a cook, along with his son, Liu Xiaochun. Xiaochun’s extraordinary talent in violin is a source of great pleasure and pride for his father and the entire town. To give Xiaochun a bright future, Liu Cheng takes him to Beijing to learn from a professional violin teacher. In the busting capital , the to undergo many personal experiences they cannot understand and the relationship between the father and son changes, as Xiaochun learns about his background. Liu Cheng decides to return home, but then Xiaochun gives up a chance to take part in an international competition and rushes to the train station, where he plays a song on his violin that expresses his deepest thanks and feelings for his beloved foster father.
Duration: 115 minutes
Director: Chen Kaige
Co-Sponsored by Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI), and Reflect-arts, Inc.
For more information, please contact Mr. Chung Lo by phone at 212-227-4828, or email at icca@reflect-arts.com.
Institute of Chinese Culture & Arts
Chinese Community Television Network
118 Baxter Street, Room 206
New York, NY 10013
URL: www.reflect-arts.com
