CEAS Film Series
Intro and Q&A with Filmmaker Miao WangBeijing Taxi78 min | DVD | 2010Mandarin w/English subtitlesA Three Waters ProductionBeijing Taxi vividly portrays modern-day China through a humanistic lens, documenting a profound transformation in an era of Olympic transitions. The intimate lives of three Beijingers connect a morphing cityscape and a lyrical journey through fragments of a society riding a bumpy road to modernization.http://www.beijingtaxithefilm.com/Yellow Ox Mountain27 min | DVD | 2006Mandarin w/ English subtitlesA Three Waters...
Hidden Fortress (Kakushi-toride no san-akunin)Directed by Kurosawa Akira, 1958 (35mm, 139 min., black & white). Print courtesy of the Japan Foundation. Synopsis: A general helps a princess regain her lost fiefdom with the help of two bumbling sidekicks. Sound familiar? George Lukas got the outline for Star Wars from this entertainment spectacular by Kurosawa Akira that stars Mifune Toshiro (Seven Samurai).SINGULAR SAMURAIA series of samurai films slightly off the beaten track, featuring singing samurai, a samurai Cyrano de Bergerac, and even the samurai who inspired Star Wars, directed by...
Japanese Summer: Double Suicide (Muri shinjû: Nihon no natsu)Directed by Nagisa Oshima (1967, 98min)FORMS OF INDEPENDENCE Although it remains less well known than its European counterparts, the new Japanese cinema that emerged in the 1960s was as diverse, complex, and ambiguous as any in the world. This series highlights the work of two contemporary directors with very different backgrounds and artistic itineraries who worked ardently to make films that were as formally adventurous as they were thematically dense. For More Information...
I Will Survive / 生者.绵竹Directed by Jia Ding (2008, 46mins, English subtitles); Yang Tingquan, more than 70 years old, is a survivor from the major Wenchuan Earthquake. After the earthquake, Qingping County, his homeland, became a isolated island completely cut off from the outside world. The barrier lake on the top of the hill is very unstable and may be about to collapse. Here, our story begins. 70多岁的杨庭全是2008年四川汶川大地震的幸存者，他的家乡绵竹市清平乡在地震中成了与世隔绝的孤岛，堰塞湖随时可能把清平乡吞没，大家劝说杨庭全离开家乡，杨庭全却执意留下，于是，一个劝说与反劝说的故事开始了。 Survivors, One Year Later / 生者一年间.绵竹Directed by Jia Ding (2009, 50mins, English subtitles)Yang...
Blood Splattered at Takadanobaba (Chikemuri Takadanobaba) Directed by Ito Daisuke (1929, 6 minutes) The Adventurer Directed by Charlie Chaplin (1917, 20 minutes) Starring: Charlie Chaplin Serpent (Orochi) Directed by Buntaro Futagawa (1925, 75 minutes) Starring: Tsumasaburo Bando, Misao Seki, Utako Tamaki Shown with English subtitles and a music soundtrack An informal Q&A session will follow the performance The term “benshi” refers to a live performer who provides dramatic narration and commentary, and lends his or her voice to characters during silent film screenings. Benshi were an...
Xinjiang, Xinjiang! / 新疆，新疆！ Directed by Zhang Zhi-tuo, 2008 (73mins, English subtitles)In western China, every year in late August, millions of migrant workers flood into Xinjiang, where they are from a single name - agricultural laborers. This film follows a group of them from the capital of Ning County, Gansu. It offers a group portrait of the seasonally flowing narrative, showing a large labor force unprecedented in human history. In the process, it also displays the living conditions and a means of survival for contemporary Chinese farmers and a series of associated social problems....
Wings of Defeat 特攻 (tokko): Directed by Risa Moritmoto Produced by Linda Hoaglund and Risa Morimoto 2007 USA/Japan, English and Japanese with English subtitles, 90min) Internationally, Kamikaze pilots remain a potent metaphor for fanaticism. In Japan, they are largely revered for their selfless sacrifice. Yet few outside Japan know that hundreds of kamikaze pilots survived the war. By the spring of 1945, when all Japanese planes were reassigned to kamikaze (Tokkotai) attacks, Japan could no longer defend its airspace and its naval fleet was demolished. Old airplanes and inadequate training...
Empire of Passion (Ai no borei) Directed by Nagisa Oshima (1978, 105min)FORMS OF INDEPENDENCEAlthough it remains less well-known than its European counterparts, the new Japanese cinema that emerged in the 1960s was as diverse, complex, and ambiguous as any in the world. This series highlights the work of two contemporary directors with very different backgrounds and artistic itineraries who worked ardently to make films that were as formally adventurous as they were thematically dense.
Brave Records of the Sanada Clan (Sanada fuunroku)Directed by Kato Tai, 1963 (35mm, 100 min., color)Print courtesy of the Japan Foundation.Synopsis: The legend of the ten Sanada warriors who fought against the Tokugawas is turned into a musical by the masterful Kato Tai, but it is all really about the alienation of 1960s youth. Starring Nakamura Kinnosuke. SINGULAR SAMURAIA series of samurai films slightly off the beaten track, featuring singing samurai, a samurai Cyrano de Bergerac, and even the samurai who inspired Star Wars, directed by such masters as Kurosawa Akira, Inagaki Hiroshi, and...
Nanking Even in the Darkest Times, There is Light Directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, 2007, 89 minutes, DVD This film draws on eyewitness accounts and documentary footage to tell the story of the Japanese occupation of Nanjing in 1937. It reveals not only how traumatic that invasion was for Chinese people, but also points to why the Nanjing Massacre has remained a focal point in the memory of war across East Asia. The screening will be followed by comments and discussion session with the audience. For More Information http://...
SINGULAR SAMURAIA series of samurai films slightly off the beaten track, featuring singing samurai, a samurai Cyrano de Bergerac, and even the samurai who inspired Star Wars, directed by such masters as Kurosawa Akira, Inagaki Hiroshi, and Kato Tai. Vendetta at Sozenji Temple (Adauchi Sozenji baba)Directed by Makino Masahiro, 1957 (16mm, 92 min.) Synopsis: Revenge meets resentment against authority meets love. A thrilling samurai story from the master of genre cinema, Makino Masahiro. Starring Otomo Ryutaro (Tampopo). Print courtesy of the Japan Foundation. For More Information...
The Face of Another (Tanin no kao) Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara (1966)FORMS OF INDEPENDENCE Although it remains less well known than its European counterparts, the new Japanese cinema that emerged in the 1960s was as diverse, complex, and ambiguous as any in the world. This series highlights the work of two contemporary directors with very different backgrounds and artistic itineraries who worked ardently to make films that were as formally adventurous as they were thematically dense. For More Information...
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence Directed by Nagisa Oshima (1983, 124min.)FORMS OF INDEPENDENCE Although it remains less well known than its European counterparts, the new Japanese cinema that emerged in the 1960s was as diverse, complex, and ambiguous as any in the world. This series highlights the work of two contemporary directors with very different backgrounds and artistic itineraries who worked ardently to make films that were as formally adventurous as they were thematically dense. For More Information...
Dersu UzalaDirected by Akira Kurosawa, 1975 (144 min)Japanese Film Series: The Postwar Period Epic The most enduring and codified of all Japanese film genres, the period film is also the most sophisticated and expansive, reaching its artistic and commercial peak at a time when the major studios were rapidly adopting various offshoots of Cinemascope. From the highly formal architectonics of Masaki Kobayashi’s revisionist samurai dramas to the lush landscapes of Kurosawa’s famous Soviet coproduction, these four films reveal the full creative possibilities of the new formats and exemplify a...
Special Screening and Q&A with Project Coordinator and Director Jian YiChina Villager Democracy Documentaries(55 minutes - selected scenes only, 2005)For the first time, public and political lives of Chinese villages are captured through the lens of the people who belong there. Villages can never be so real if filmed by an outsider.This video is a collection of ten short documentary films, each approximately ten minutes in length. They are ten films made by ten amateur villager filmmakers (ranging in age from 24 to 59 at the time of filming) selected from around China. The ten filmmakers...
Harakiri (Seppuku)Directed by Maski Kobayashi, 1962 (133 min.)Japanese Film Series: The Postwar Period Epic The most enduring and codified of all Japanese film genres, the period film is also the most sophisticated and expansive, reaching its artistic and commercial peak at a time when the major studios were rapidly adopting various offshoots of Cinemascope. From the highly formal architectonics of Masaki Kobayashi’s revisionist samurai dramas to the lush landscapes of Kurosawa’s famous Soviet coproduction, these four films reveal the full creative possibilities of the new formats and...
Woman In The Dunes (Suna no onna)Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara (1964, 123min)FORMS OF INDEPENDENCE Although it remains less well known than its European counterparts, the new Japanese cinema that emerged in the 1960s was as diverse, complex, and ambiguous as any in the world. This series highlights the work of two contemporary directors with very different backgrounds and artistic itineraries who worked ardently to make films that were as formally adventurous as they were thematically dense. For More Information...
Come explore two documentaries from East Asia about immigration and migration! Two screenings as part of the PIER Global Film Series 2009. Screenings are free and open to the public.Seoul TrainProduced and Directed by Lisa Sleeth and Jim Butterworth, 2005 (55 min., English Subtitles)The gripping documentary by Incite Productions, Inc. into the life and death of North Koreans as they try to escape their homeland.SEOUL TRAIN, with its riveting footage of a secretive “underground railroad,” delves into the complex geopolitics behind this growing and potentially explosive humanitarian crisis....
Screening & Q & A with Director Jian Yi - Yale World FellowSUPER, GIRLS! follows ten female teenagers on their quest to become instant superstars on China’s biggest television show. (2007, 72 min, documentary)The Chinese equivalent of ‘American Idol,’ the ‘Super Girls Singing Contest’ spawned an unprecedented pop culture phenomenon. Drawing over 400 million viewers, the show’s runaway popularity spurred the Chinese government to ban it after only two seasons.The film provides unparalleled, intimate access into the contestants’ lives over several months. Through candid interviews and...
KwaidanDirected by Maski Kobayashi, 1964 (183min)Japanese Film Series: The Postwar Period Epic The most enduring and codified of all Japanese film genres, the period film is also the most sophisticated and expansive, reaching its artistic and commercial peak at a time when the major studios were rapidly adopting various offshoots of Cinemascope. From the highly formal architectonics of Masaki Kobayashi’s revisionist samurai dramas to the lush landscapes of Kurosawa’s famous Soviet coproduction, these four films reveal the full creative possibilities of the new formats and exemplify a...
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