ContemporAsian presents 13 film Lens on Tibet program at MoMA NY

Yartsa Rinpoche. 2013. China/France. Directed by Dorje Tsering Chenaktsang. 101 min.Courtesy of Chenaktsang and Trace Foundation

Lens on Tibet

When: August 21–31, 2014

Where: Museum of Modern Art

ContemporAsian, MoMA's showcase of Asian cinema, typically features weeklong engagements of films that capture the various styles, histories, and changes in Asian cinema. The series turns a Lens on Tibet with a 13-film program of recent Tibetan documentary and narrative films beginning this Thursday, August 21st.

Lens on Tibet includes the world premiere of Tashi Chopel's The Son of a Herder (2014), an unembellished portrait of the life of a plateau herder in eastern Tibet's remote Zehok region. The film highlights an existence caught between ideals and reality, modernity and tradition, and individual choices.

Yartsa Rinpoche (Precious Caterpillar) (2013), directed by Dorje Tsering Chenaktsang, follows Darlo, an elder in the Amdo region, and his family as they journey 800 kilometers to collect Cordyceps sinensis (in Tibetan, Yartsa-gunbu), which has been called "Tibet's golden worm" and "The Viagra of the Himalayas."

Yartsa Rinpoche—which is presented in a weeklong run—receives its North American premiere along with Jocelyn Ford's breakout Nowhere to Call Home (2014), Dan Smyer Yu's Embrace (2011), Khashem Gyal's The Valley of the Heroes (2013), and Dukar Tserang's They Are One Hundred Years Old (2014).

For further information about each film, showtimes and to order tickets here.

MoMA's ContemporAsian film series presents MANUSCRIPTS DON'T BURN for one week starting tomorrow

Manuscripts Don’t Burn / Dast-Neveshtehaa Nemisoosand

Written and directed by Mohammad Rasoulof

Iran, 2013, 125 minutes

In Persian with English subtitles

When: June 13–June 19, 2014

Where: MoMA
11 West 53rd Street, NYC

Clandestinely produced in disavowal of a 20-year filmmaking ban passed down by the Iranian authorities, the scathing Manuscripts Don’t Burn brings a whole new level of clarity and audacity to Mohommad Rasoulof’s already laudable career. Drawing from the true story of the government’s attempted 1995 murder of several prominent writers and intellectuals, Rasoulof imagines a repressive regime so pervasive that even the morally righteous are subsumed or cast aside. A lacerating and slow-burning thriller filmed in a frigid palate of blues and greys, Manuscripts Don’t Burn is perhaps the most subversive and incendiaryj’accuse lodged against an authoritarian regime since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Screening Schedule:

Friday, June 13, 2014, 7:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2 (Introduced by Jamsheed Akrami)

Saturday, June 14, 2014, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Sunday, June 15, 2014, 5:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Monday, June 16, 2014, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Tuesday, June 17, 2014, 7:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Thursday, June 19, 2014, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

MoMA's ContemporAsian film series presents COLD BLOOM for one week

Cold Bloom / Sakura Namiki no Mankai no Shita ni

Directed by Atsushi Funahashi

Japan, 2012, 120 minutes

In Japanese with English subtitles

When: May 16–May 22

Where: MoMA

11 West 53rd Street, NYC

Cold Bloom, the next film in the Museum of Modern Art's ContemporAsian film series, opens a one week run this afternoon, Friday, May 16th at 4:30 pm. Showtimes for all seven screenings can be found and tickets can be ordered here.

Synopsis: In Hitachi, a seaside town recovering, if slowly, from its 2011 devastation, the young couple Shiori and Kenji are working in a small factory and even thinking of children, until one day Kenji is killed in a work accident, leaving Shiori and the remorseful co-worker responsible for the accident to confront difficult questions of grief and forgiveness. Embracing a tender humanism and classical style, Cold Bloom’s distinctly contemporary setting and narrative infuse a rich tradition with vitality and aplomb.

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

ACF 1843: HIGHWAY to be showcased in MoMA's annual Asian film series

MoMA
presents
ContemporAsian

Highway

Directed by Deepak Rauniyar

Nepal, 2012, 80 minutes

When: April 25, 2013–May 01, 2013

Where: Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, NYC

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters

Map

ContemporAsian, MoMA’s annual showcase of Asian cinema, features weeklong engagements of films that capture the various styles, histories, and changes in contemporary Asian filmmaking. This series includes recent independent gems by both new and established filmmakers whose work represents the rapidly transforming visual culture of the region.

The sixth season of ContemporAsian opens with the New York premiere of Highway, the first Nepalese film to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. The most talked-about cinematic event in Nepal’s history has divided audiences at home and thrilled cineastes worldwide.

Organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film.

ACF 1593: ALMS FOR A BLIND HORSE screening at MoMA NY

Image courtesy of National Film Development Corp., India

Alms for a Blind Horse / Anhey Ghohrey Da Daan

Directed by Gurvinder Singh

India, 2011, 112 minutes

In Punjabi with English subtitles

When: August 22 - 28, 2012 (see schedule below)

Where: The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, NYC

Map and directions 

Based on a Punjabi novel, Singh’s debut feature follows a small-town family that gets caught up in a power struggle when a neighbor’s home is demolished.

A cast of nonprofessional actors delivers intensely committed performances, and Singh makes use of evocative formal compositions and meditative stillness to dramatize his characters’ discontent and unfulfilled desires.

The film calls attention to the latent violence that resides in those who see no possibility for a better life. Singh follows the highly stylistic approach to storytelling pioneered by his mentor, Mani Kaul.

Schedules and tickets:

Wednesday, August 22, 2012, 7:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Thursday, August 23, 2012, 4:15 p.m., Theater 3, mezzanine, Education and Research Building

Friday, August 24, 2012, 7:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Saturday, August 25, 2012, 1:30 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Sunday, August 26, 2012, 5:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Monday, August 27, 2012, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 7:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

These screenings of Alms for a Blind Horse are part of MoMA's ongoing ContemporAsian film series which focuses on a different film each month.

ACF 1538: LUNG NEAW VISITS HIS NEIGHBORS coming to MoMA

Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours

Directed by Rirkrit Tiravanija

Thailand/Mexico, 2011, 154 minutes

In Thai; English subtitles

When: Monday, July 16, 2012, 6:00 p.m., Theater 1, T1

(Introduced by the producer Cristian Manzutto)

Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 6:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Thursday, July 19, 2012, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Friday, July 20, 2012, 6:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Saturday, July 21, 2012, 7:30 p.m., Theater 2, T2

Where: Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, NYC

Map here

In Tiravanija’s second feature, Lung Neaw, a retired farmer, lives in a tranquil village in Chiang Mai, far from the recent political turmoil in Bangkok. At a moment when many people are demanding equality, opportunity, and democracy, we see in Lung Neaw an existence marked by compassion for his environment and his fellow villagers. The film offers a contemplative look at one man’s humble dialogue with his surroundings.

These screenings of Lung Neaw Visits His Neighbours are part of MoMA's ongoing ContemporAsian film series.

ACF 1384: U.S. Premiere of TATSUMI opens 5th ContemporAsian season at Museum of Modern Art

Images courtesy of The Match Factory.

Tatsumi

Directed by Eric Khoo

Singapore, 2011,  94 minutes

With the voice of Yoshihiro Tatsumi 

In Japanese with English subtitles

When: April 4–9, 2012
Where: The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd Street, NYC
Info and tickets here

ContemporAsian, MoMA’s annual showcase of Asian cinema, features weeklong engagements of films that capture the various styles, histories, and changes in contemporary Asian filmmaking. This series includes recent independent gems by both new and established filmmakers whose work represent the rapidly transforming visual culture of the region. The fifth season of ContemporAsian opens with the U.S. premiere of Tatsumi, a riveting animated documentary about the life and art of celebrated graphic novelist Yoshihiro Tatsumi.

A Drifting Life, Tatsumi’s epic graphic novel memoir, forms the foundation for Khoo’s animated documentary. In postwar Japan in the late 1950s, Tatsumi brought innovation to Japanese comics through works of social commentary aimed at an adult audience. Khoo, known in his native Singapore for such live-action films as Be with Me (2005) and My Magic (2008), brings Tatsumi’s art to life by juxtaposing Tatsumi’s autobiography with his short stories that focus on the effects of World War II and urban alienation on the Japanese people. This first-ever film adaptation of Tatsumi’s work adds depth and structure to his various narratives while remaining loyal to his vivid style. Print courtesy The Match Factory.

Synopsis: In post-war occupied Japan, young Tatsumi’s passion for comics eventually becomes a means of supporting his poor family. Already published as a teenager, talented Tatsumi finds even greater inspiration after meeting his idol, famous Disneyesque animator Osamu Tezuka. Despite his steady success, Tatsumi begins to question why Japanese comics should cater to children with cute and whimsical tales and drawings. In 1957, Tatsumi coins the term gekiga (dramatic pictures) and redefines the manga landscape by encouraging an alternative genre for adults. Realistic and disquieting, Tatsumi’s work begins to grapple with the darker aspects of life.

This exhibition is organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, and Jenny He, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film.

Screening Schedule:
Wednesday, April 4, 7:00. (New York premiere. Introduced by Khoo and Tatsumi)
Thursday, April 5, 4:00
Friday, April 6, 7:00
Saturday, April 7, 1:30
Sunday, April 8, 5:00
Monday, April 9, 4:00

ACF 1052: The High Life to screen at MoMA

The High Life
Directed by Zhao Dayong
Written by Dayong, Li Qing
With Qui Hong, Liu Yanfei, Dian Qui
China, 2010, 96 minutes
When: June 20th through June 26, 2011
(Complete schedule at end of this post)
Where: The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street, NYC
In Chinese, with English subtitles

Starting June 2oth, The High Life will screen for seven days at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is the latest film to be shown in MoMA's ContemporAsian film series.

In the slum district of Guangzhou, Jian Ming, the proprietor of a disreputable employment agency, becomes acquainted with 18-year-old Xiao Ya when he places her in a seedy hair salon. Dian Qui, a middle-aged guard (and aspiring poet) in a Guangzhou prison who forces his detainees to read his poems aloud, shows his softer side through his affection for a young woman who is convicted for working in a nightclub to support her family.

Though these two narrative strains hardly intersect, they inform and echo each other in their explorations of power and imprisonment. Dayong, director of the acclaimed documentary Ghost Town, uses his extraordinary skills of observation to fashion a bleak and tender portrait of a town with many faces. In Chinese; English subtitles.

Screening Schedule:
Monday, June 20, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011, 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, June 23, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, June 24, 2011, 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 25, 2011, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 26, 2011, 2:00 p.m.

All screenings will be in Theater 2 (The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 2), T2.