Free screening of Nora NOH in NYC next Tuesday, April 29th

Korean Cultural Service New York

presents

Korean Movie Night 2014

Series Two

Korean Girl Power: Embracing What Matters

 Nora NOH

Directed by KIM Seong

South Korea, 2013, 93 minutes

When: Tuesday April 29, 2014 @ 7:00 pm

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Where: Tribeca Cinemas 54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal, NYC

Near the A, C, E @ #1 Canal Street subway stops

Map

Admission: FREE!!!
North American Premiere

Nora NOH was considered one of the Korea’s greatest fashion designers, and dominated the Korean fashion scene – and culture – of the 1980s. She was the first person to host a fashion show in Korea, brought miniskirts to the forefront of fashion, and became the first Korean designer to secure placement in Macy’s department store. Join us for this exhilarating story of a trailblazing feminist’s struggles and successes – brought to life through interviews, rare photos, and absolutely amazing footage. This celebratory documentary from director KIM Sung is a special kind of film that young and old, men and women, simply cannot miss.

[Note; Although this trailer does not have them, the
film that will be shown does have English subtitles]

ACF 2044: GOOD MORNING, KARACHI - an SAIFF review

Amna Ilyas as Rafina (Photo courtesy of Vidhi Films)

Good Morning, Karachi

Directed by Sabiha Sumar

Pakistan, 2013, 85 minutes

Languages: Urdu (with English subtitles) and English

When: Friday, December 6, 2013 at 7:30 PM

Where: NYIT Auditorium, 1871 Broadway 

Between 61st and 62nd Streets

Buy Tickets

Good Morning Karachi will be shown tomorrow evening as the Centerpiece Film of the 2013 South Asian International Film Festival, which runs through Sunday, December 8th. It's the story of Rafina (played by the stunning Amna Ilyas), a sweet, simple and lovely young woman living in modern day Pakistan with her mother and younger brother. She dreams of working and seeing a bit of the world. From the balcony of her family's apartment she gazes across the way at a large billboard featuring a beautiful model. The billboard is hated by fundamentalists, who brand it as an obscenity against Islam and an example of the decadent influence of the West on traditional Pakistani values. Thus is set up the conflict between Rafina's aspirations and widespread religious extremism.

Rafina gazing at the billboard featuring a beautiful model

There are other forces aligned against her desires. Her mother wants her to get married and set up a family as a traditional Pakistani wife and mother. Rafina does become engaged to Arif, a young man who lives in a neighboring apartment. While he does give her driving lessons and is politically progressive, a follower of Benazir Bhutto, he has traditional views of what Rafina's role will be as a wife and that role does not include working.

Rosie Khala, Arif's mother, agrees to let Rafina assist her in her work. She provides beauty services to wealthy Pakistani women, both freelancing and at an upscale salon called Radiance. It is there that Rafina's determination and resourcefulness, aided by her beauty and slim figure (Amna herself is a model) lead to breaks that could result in her realizing her dream. But such a path will not come without its costs and conflicts, not only with those she knows and loves, but with others who hate what such a dram represents.

Rafina serving tea at Radiance, a beauty salon

I had some difficulties with the DVD screener I received, problems that turned out to be related to the player I was using, not the screener itself. These difficulties made viewing the film less than optimal, but I stuck with it because the story was so compelling, as was Amna's performance. For a Westerner, it can be all too easy to dismiss Pakistan (and certain other countries) as being inhabited by right-wing, ultra-conservative religious zealots. Good Morning, Karachi remarkably portrays the fact that there are those who do not share those extremist beliefs, but who look forward to living there own lives and attempting to realize their own dreams in a modern Pakistan, one in which the role of women will not be horribly confined and restricted.

ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very highly recommended

After Friday night's screening, there will be a post Film Q&A with Nayyareen Chhapra (production designer), Harune Massey (first assistant director) & Malia Scotch Marmo (co-screenwriter).

ACF 2097: THE SPLENDID INDIAN CLOSET debuts three clothing lines

Joy Mitra's Chokher Bali collection

India Unlimited’s Inaugural Event, ‘The Splendid Indian Closet,’ Opened

Its Doors To Reveal NYC Debuts of Three Inspired Clothing Lines

More than 250 fashion lovers packed the Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Performing Arts last Sunday night to witness splendid, Indian collections that showcased in New York City for the first time. Top Chef Canada host and actor/author/activist Lisa Ray unveiled her “Ray of Hope” line for veteran label Satya Paul, inspired by the Sayta Paul sari she wore at her own wedding to Jason Dehni last year. Fresh off the runway of Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week in Delhi last month, designer Joy Mitra stunned audiences with his Rituparno Ghosh-inspired “Chokher Bali” collection.

Mitra, after designing costumes for some of Ghosh’s films, was inspired by the late actor/director/producer’s vision of a new world of cinema and a new language of fashion. Set against the backdrop of the bustling, sweaty, energetic streets of Kolkota, India, Mitra’s clothes evoked the memories of a bygone era, where class, culture and creativity collided. Bollywood actress and India’s “What Not to Wear” host, Soha Ali Khan, took the audience by surprise as a showstopper for the “Chokher Bali” line.

Lisa Ray showstopper - Ray of Hope collection

Ray’s collection of saris, on the other hand, was bold and vibrant with words like “hope,” “faith” and “love” jumping off the nine yards of fabric. Inspired by her recent battle with Multiple Myeloma, cancer of the plasma cells, the collection illustrates Ray’s experiences with life, love and fighting her disease; she calls it “wearable art.” As a prelude to her collection, modern dancers re-created a fight between good and evil to symbolize Ray’s battle with cancer. Recently-crowned Miss New Jersey USA, Emily Shah, walked the ramp to show her support for the cause.

The hour and a half of fashion programming was part of India Unlimited’s inaugural NYC event, “The Splendid Indian Closet,” presented by Etihad Airways and conceptualized by Evolve. The India Unlimited platform was created by Evolve to bring India closer to the world through fashion, dance, food and cultural events. “We want Americans to learn about our beautiful land, its achievements, festivals, culture and royal traditions, while experiencing some of our rituals first-hand,” said Sapna M Vats, co-founder of Evolve. “Over the next few months, the India Unlimited brand will launch several more events around the country in an attempt to demonstrate our country’s infinite potential and accomplishments.” This fashion show, choreographed by Ayesha Hakki of Bibi Magazine, will travel to Texas next, where it will engage audiences in Dallas on Nov. 15th, 2013 at the Park Plaza Tower. For more information, visit www.indiaunlimited.co.in.

Soha Ali Khan for Chokher Bali collection

In addition to a runway show, “The Splendid Indian Closet” also featured an eclectic trunk show, where various Indian brands showcased their unique products. They included: Tina Tandon’s Indo-Western clothing line, Posh Pari, Sejal Jhaveri and Bhavana Gupta’s jewelry line and Ami Bhansali’s soothing collection of Indian teas, Chai Diaries. Some of the event’s splendid sponsors included: Print Early and New York Banner Stands, Maharajas’ Express, Royal Challenge, Kingfisher, Flow Vodka, Zee TV, News India Times, Desi Talk & Indian Express.

About Evolve:
Evolve is among the youngest and fastest-growing global players in the sphere of event conceptualization and production. With offices in the capital cities of Delhi, New York, and London, Evolve has built an impressive roster of clients, with some of the biggest brands across a vast spectrum of industries across the world. Evolve delivers insightful and creative solutions via events, experiential marketing, and corporate hospitality. With a wealth of knowledge and successful partnerships, Evolve is a full-service events agency that strives to provide benefits through experiences. For more information, visit www.eems.in.

ACF 1251: Japanese Pop Fashions and Products sale for the holidays at NEW PEOPLE, The Store in S.F.

NEW PEOPLE Store Interior

NEW PEOPLE is kicking off the 2011 holiday shopping season with a variety of special sales and promotions that will take place throughout the venue beginning on Black Friday, November 25th.

NEW PEOPLE, The Store will offer several Thanksgiving Weekend Shopping Specials on select items in the store on sale for 30%-50% off! Visit NEW PEOPLE’s very on retail location, located in the venue’s lobby, and explore a vast collection of fun and inventive products inspired by Japanese pop culture. Shoppers can browse a fantastic selection of carefully selected Japanese products that include apparel, accessories, books, toys, DVDs, music, and design items for the home and office.

Also announced is a special DVD pre-order promotion for the upcoming release of the DOCUMENTARY of AKB48 to be continued, which traces the incredible rise to international stardom of AKB48, one of Japan’s hottest pop idol groups. Pre-orders are now being accepted for the new film, which will be sold exclusively online for $19.99 through the NEW PEOPLE store at: store.newpeopleworld.com. For a limited time, NEW PEOPLE, The Store is offering a FREE bonus DVD title from its catalog to all pre-order purchasers. The film will be released December 1st.

NEW PEOPLE’s newest apparel boutique, the edgy Goth fashion brand, h. NAOTO, will also hold a sale with items available for between 30% and 50% off. The sale runs thru November 27th. The first 50 customers that purchase over $100.00 of merchandise will also receive a special invitation to attend h. NAOTO’s Holiday Party on December 10th More details are available at the boutique.

Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, the renowned Japanese Lolita fashion brand, will have a special sale with over 250 items marked 30% to 50% off. Shoppers are invited to take advantage of some of the best deals of the season on hand-crafted Lolita-inspired baby doll dresses and accessories.

Finally, Japanese Tabi shoe manufacturer SOU • SOU will hold a Holiday Sale beginning November 25th thru November 27th. SOU • SOU has developed a unique line of Japanese classic “Tabi” shoes based on a design originally favored by Japanese construction workers. SOU • SOU’s combination of form-fitting soles and colorful graphic patterns has attracted a huge following, from dancers to the sneaker-obsessed. During the sale, shoppers that purchase at least $100.00 of SOU • SOU products will receive a free pair of Tabi socks. Offer applies to in-store purchases only; limit one pair of socks per customer. SOU • SOU will also offer free shipping to online purchases over $75.00. (U.S. shipping only)

ACF 1136: : "COOL JAPAN: OLD MEETS NEW IN KYOTO" at J-Pop Summit Festival in S.F. this Saturday

NEW PEOPLE AND CONSULATE GENERAL OF JAPAN PRESENT

COOL JAPAN: OLD MEETS NEW IN KYOTO

WITH SOU • SOU FASHION DESIGNER AT

2011 J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL

SOU • SOU Founding Designer Explores Ideas Of Creating Modern Designs

Based On Japanese Tradition With Discussion And Fashion Show

The Consulate General of Japan, in cooperation with NEW PEOPLE will present Cool Japan: Old Meets New in Kyoto, a unique fashion show and cultural discussion set to take place on Saturday, August 27th as part of the 2011 J-Pop Summit Festival.

The Fashion Show (1:15pm - 2:15pm): A SOU • SOU fashion show, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 1:15pm - 2:15pm on the Pagoda Stage at Japantown’s Peace Plaza. It will feature innovative apparel and footwear products from the SOU • SOU brand, designed by Takeshi Wakabayashi, as well as a new collaborative line launched with NEW PEOPLE! Catch a variety of prominent local individuals who will act as models, including Japanese Consul General Hiroshi Inomata, famed food critic Patricia Unterman, and Graham Leggat, former Executive Director of San Francisco Film Society.

Designer Talk (4:00pm to 5:30pm): Invitation only event at NEW PEOPLE SUPERFROG Gallery (3rd Floor) SOU • SOU designer Takeshi Wakabayashi will discuss his ideas of, “Creating modern designs based on Japanese tradition.” Kyoto, where Wakabayashi resides, is an ancient capitol of Japan and a stronghold of traditional Japanese arts and culture with an accumulation of artisanship and related technology going back centuries. The city has also become a bustling center for modern creative design, where these cultural and industrial assets are to survive. Wakabayashi will also discuss how these innovative ideas are being passed to the young generations, based on his ongoing career as a professor at the Kyoto University of Art and Design.

“I’m very proud to present this special event in cooperation with NEW PEOPLE as part of the ‘Cool Japan Project,’ sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” says Consul General Hiroshi Inomata. “I invite the San Francisco Bay Area, potential business partners, and J-Pop Summit visitors to discover some great examples of Japanese innovation and high-quality products in the SOU • SOU brand, which also won two prizes at the Visit Japan Campaign - Japan’s Attractive Souvenir Contest 2010.”

Consul General Inomata will also host a reception party following the end of the lecture at 6:00pm at the near-by Hotel Kabuki in the Mezzanine Lounge. A variety of SOU • SOU products will also be on display and more information will be available on the Cool Japan Project.

Wakabayashi ‘s SOU • SOU brand has developed a unique line of Japanese classic “Tabi” shoes based on a design originally favored by Japanese construction workers. SOU • SOU’s combination of form-fitting soles and colorful graphic patterns has attracted a huge following, from dancers to the sneaker-obsessed. Designed to be fresh and fun, each shoe is handcrafted in Japan and made for durability using traditional techniques and puts a vibrant, modern twist on the ultra-comfortable, traditional Japanese work shoe.

The 2011 J-Pop Summit Festival is a showcase for Japanese pop culture events and is highlighted by live bands and DJs, fashion shows, a vocaloid music conference, theatrical film premieres, dance workshops and performances, and assorted arts, crafts and food vendors. Full details and programming schedules are now available at J-pop.com.

More information about the Consulate General of Japan is available at: http://www.sf.us.emb-japan.go.jp.

NEW PEOPLE opened in 2009 and has become a unique must-see attraction of San Francisco’s cultural landscape. The 20,000 square foot contemporary venue features the latest examples Japanese popular culture expressed though film, art, fashion, and a variety of specialty boutiques and ongoing monthly events. NEW PEOPLE is located at 1746 Post Street in the city’s Japantown.

ACF 877: Japan Fashion Now exhibit extended at The Museum at FIT (NY)

JAPAN FASHION NOW at FIT has been extended! The show has been getting great feedback and is now extended through April 2nd. JAPAN FASHION NOW is the first exhibition to explore contemporary Japanese fashion in all its radical creativity, from designer fashion to street style, including menswear. Some of the most interesting designers have their pieces showcased, including Jun Takahashi of Undercover, Daisuke Obana of N.Hollywood, Takeshi Osumi of Phenomenon, and others. Check here for more info!

ACF 693: Japan Fashion Now exhibit at The Museum at FIT (NY)

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (MFIT) presents Japan Fashion Now, the first exhibition to explore contemporary Japanese fashion in all its radical creativity, from avant-garde high fashion to street and subcultural styles, from menswear to new designers.

Approximately 100 ensembles from featured designers, Jun Takahashi (Undercover), Hirooka Naoto (h.NAOTO), Takeshi Osumi (Phenomenon), and others will be showcased.

The exhibition is on view through Jan. 8, 2011. For more info, visit the museum's website.

ACF 297: Grand Opening Celebration of NEW PEOPLE in S.F. scheduled for August

VIZ PICTURES PRESENTS THE FIRST ADVENTURE OF THE
J-POP CENTER PROJECT WITH THE GRAND OPENING OF
NEW PEOPLE IN SAN FRANCISCO THIS SUMMER

UNIQUE DESTINATION IN HISTORIC JAPANTOWN BRINGS THE LATEST JAPANESE POP CULTURE, FILM, ANIME, FASHION AND ART TO NORTH AMERICA; OPENING CELEBRATIONS COMMENCE IN AUGUST 2009

VIZ Pictures, a Japanese live-action film distributor and producer of the J-Pop Center Project, adds a captivating new dimension to the city of San Francisco with the opening of a vivid new attraction – NEW PEOPLE – in the heart of the city’s historic Japantown.

This unique entertainment destination will epitomize the latest examples Japanese popular culture expressed though film, art, fashion, and a variety of specialty boutiques and ongoing monthly events. The project, three and a half years in the making, celebrates its Grand Opening this summer with an all day outdoor music and performance event and gala to be held this August. Specific details will be announced shortly.

A dedicated NEW PEOPLE web site is also now available at: http://www.newpeopleworld.com/

NEW PEOPLE is a 20,000 square foot contemporary building located at 1746 Post Street in the city’s Japantown (one of only three remaining in the country), an area steeped in more than a century of history. The structure features a striking 3-floor transparent glass façade that invokes a fun and exotic new environment to engage the imagination for the 21st Century.

With three stories above and a basement cinema below, NEW PEOPLE will offer the latest films, art, and retail brands from Japan. The spacious 143-seat underground cinema space is equipped with cutting edge High Definition digital projection and THX®-certified sound and is the soul of the NEW PEOPLE experience.

Its core focus will be on some of the latest and hottest films from Japan, as well as an incredible legacy of classics, documentaries and anime – making it the only cinema of its type in the United States. These film genres are some of the most recognizable examples of Japanese pop culture and have captured the world’s attention.

Film lineup and details will be announced closer to the Grand Opening date.
NEW PEOPLE will also feature an entire floor devoted to several distinctive, trend-setting clothing labels from Japan including Baby, The Stars Shine Bright (Tokyo), Black Peace Now (Tokyo), 6% DOKIDOKI (Tokyo), and a short-term rotating storefront to showcase a new brand every two to three months

These shops will all mark their retail debut in United States at NEW PEOPLE. Baby, Black Peace Now, and 6% are pioneers of Harajuku street fashion, which has turned this vibrant district of Tokyo into an internationally-respected fashion Mecca of renowned for its unique designers.

NEW PEOPLE will also tout a café featuring organic roast Blue Bottle Coffee and Japanese delicatessen Delica rf-1, an inventive NEW PEOPLE retail store, and a 2,000 square foot art gallery providing an important showcase for a new generation of artists inspired by Japanese pop culture. The opening exhibit is expected to draw worldwide interest not only from anime fans but also serious collectors of Japanese pop art.

Details on the opening art exhibit will be announced in coming weeks.

“NEW PEOPLE is a truly unique space devoted to creativity and self expression, and will become a cultural destination unlike any other in the United States,” says Seiji Horibuchi, the founder and CEO of VIZ Pictures and the founder of VIZ Media as well as the J-pop Center Project.

“NEW PEOPLE will help nurture Japanese pop culture and also connect the public with its diverse creators. As North America continues to embrace a variety of hip trends from Japan, we look forward to expanding the vision of NEW PEOPLE globally through film, art and other multimedia and forging innovative cross-cultural creative partnerships.”