Flora Lau’s BENDS to kick-off MoMA's 7th ContemporAsian film series

MoMA Presents

ContemporAsian

 Bends

Written and directed by Flora Lau

With Carina Lau, Chen Kun, Tian Yuan. 

Hong Kong, 2013, 97 minutes

In Cantonese, Mandarin; English subtitles

When: April 21–27, 2014

Where: Museum of Modern Art 

11 West 53 Street, New York
The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters
Buy tickets here

 
The seventh season of the Museum of Modern Art's ContemporAsian film series will begin next Monday with a one week run of Flora Lau’s classical drama, which debuted in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section. The film is a two-character piece in which each personifies the differences between Hong Kong and mainland China, and their somewhat uneasy coexistence.

A wealthy Hong Kong housewife, Anna, lives a spoiled, bored life. When her husband suddenly leaves, taking the money and prestige with him, she refuses to accept her changed circumstances. Her chauffeur, Fai, who lives in an ugly barrack across the border in Shenzhen, is trying to get his wife—whose second pregnancy is a violation of the Chinese one- child policy—over the border so she can give birth in Hong Kong. With beautiful camera work by the incomparable Christopher Doyle, the film’s elegant look and languorous rhythms create an affecting reflection of the characters’ emotional isolation. As they become increasingly desperate, the sharp distinctions between their two worlds become ever clearer. In Cantonese, Mandarin; English subtitles

Schedule:
Monday, April 21 at 7:00 - at this screening the film will be introduced by director Lau, who will also participate in a post-screening discussion
Tuesday, April 22 at 7:00
Wednesday, April 23 at 4:00
Thursday, April 24 at 4:00
Friday, April 25 at 7:00
Saturday, April 26 at 4:00 
Sunday, April 27 at 5:00

BEIJING LOVE STORY opening on Valentine's Day in North America

China Lion

Presents

Beijing Love Story

Directed by Chen Sicheng

China, 2014, 122 minutes

China Lion will be offering a Valentine's Day treat with the North American theatrical release of the Chinese romance movie Beijing Love Story on Friday, February 14th. The film, which stars Tony Leung Ka Fai and Carina Lau, takes a look at love and commitment from multiple generations. It's a spin-off from the hit Chinese TV series of the same name and marks the feature film directorial debut of Chen Sicheng, who also wrote the screenplay and has a starring role.

Beijing Love Story is slated to open in these locations:

- DC Area: AMC Loews Rio (Gaithersburg)
- Los Angeles: AMC Atlantic Times Square 14 (Monterey Park)
  - an additional Los Angeles area location for the 14th is likely to be added
- New York: AMC Empire 25 (Manhattan)
- San Francisco/San Jose Area: Camera 12 Cinemas (San Jose)
  - an additional San Francisco proper location for the 14th is likely to be added
- Toronto: Cineplex Odeon Yonge Dundas
- Vancouver: SilverCity Riverport

AsianCineFest is expecting a screener to arrive in time for a review on or shortly before the Valentine's Day opening, so be sure to check back here.

ACF 218: Wong Kar-wai's Days of Being Wild at Lincoln Center

Days of Being Wild / A Fei zheng chuan
Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Hong Kong, 1990, 94 min.

One of Wong Kar-wai's great Hong Kong films, Days of Being Wild will be shown at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater on Thursday, February 5, 2009 at 7:30pm. The theater is a terrific venue, with comfortable stadium seats. Here's the info put out by the FSLC:

“A rapturous film about cool men, hot women and the thousand and one nights and cigarettes they share. - Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

Few films are able to evoke the bittersweet path from romanticism and heartbreak as seamlessly as Wong Kar-wai’s vibrant second feature. Set in Hong Kong in 1960, Days of Being Wild follows a charming playboy (the late Leslie Cheung) and the lives of the women he exploits: a baby-faced concession stand girl (Maggie Cheung) and an energetic showgirl (Carina Lau).

Considered the first in a trilogy of provocative romantic explorations that includes In the Mood for Love and 2046, this erotically charged, sumptuously shot film stands among recent cinema’s world-class achievements and with Hong Kong’s best films. An official selection of New Directors/New Films 1991.

Jaime Wolf, a journalist and screenwriter, will introduce the screening and there will be a post-film party with an open bar and hors d’oeuvres in the Furman Gallery, adjacent to the Walter Reade Theater's lobby.

Admission (includes screening and reception):
- Young Friends of Film members receive one complimentary ticket.
- Admissions for guests of Young Friends of film members, regular members and the public is $25.

Please note: there is a $2.50 service charge per ticket ordered online and cash only transactions at the box office. No passes ~ no vouchers accepted to this event.

FSLC webpage for Days of Being Wild, including link to order tickets.

Due to construction, access to the Walter Reade Theater is on the north side of West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. Look for the FILM banner and use the escalator, elevator or stairs.