2001 Annual Chinese Showcase

Generation Y: The Impact of the 1997 Hong Kong-China Reunification on Chinese Youth

Host: Asian Media Access
Date: March 22 - April 8, 2001
Place: Metropolitan State University Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota

Please note the following changes:

Thursday, April 5

7 pm, Zhang Yuan's Seventeen Years (China) (Xiao Wu is cancelled)

9pm, Zhang Yuan's Sons (China)

Friday, April 6

7 pm, Zhang Yuan's Seventeen Years (China)

9 pm, He Jianjun's Postman (China)

Saturday, April 7

1 pm, Lawrence Ah Mon's Gangs (Hong Kong)

3 pm, Lawrence Ah Mon's Spacked Out (Hong Kong)

5 pm, Andrew Lau's Young and Dangerous (Hong Kong) (Spring Cactus is cancelled)

About the Chinese Film Showcase

Started in 1996, Asian Media Access' annual Chinese Film Showcase (CFS) is a nationally-recognized, theme-oriented film festival that takes place in March - April every year in the Twin Cities. Each year, CFS assembles a collection of seldom seen, commercially unavailable Chinese films and documentaries under one socially relevant theme. The showcase serves to entertain as well as to bring public awareness to relevant social issues taking place in Greater China.

The Chinese Film Showcase forwards Asian Media Access' (AMA) mission to use media, specifically, film exhibition for social betterment. Film plays a significant role not only in reflecting culture, but also in shaping culture. This property makes film a medium that can simultaneously entertains and educates. These projects not only help to extend Asian culture to mainstream audiences, but also provide a common forum for the Asian American communities in the Twin Cities.

The 2001 Chinese Film Showcase is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Minnesota State Arts Board, the McKnight Foundation, the St. Paul Companies and the Minnesota Humanities Commission. In-kind support is also provided by Metropolitan State University.

About This Year's Theme

In every culture, there are formal and informal rites of passage to initiate young people into adulthood. In most cases, the physical transition tends to be easier than the psychological transition. Many youth face uncertainty, anxiety, and depression. Sometimes for the simple reason of rebellion, the youth have made their own assessments of the forbidden activities that distinguish them from adults. Most of these activities which become the rites of passage deal with rebellious acts, such as joining gangs, using of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. The inner anxiety and rebellious acts make the transition into adolescent the most difficult task that youth has to face.

The return of Hong Kong to China is a rite of passage for the former British colony and it is more than a simple case of a lost child returning to its mother. 'Identity' has often been thrown around when it comes to discussing Hong Kong, but rightfully so considering the intersection of histories, languages, interests and cultures that have come together to forge this Special Administrative Region (SAR).

This year's Chinese Film Showcase (CFS) represents the most ambitious series to date in the six years history of the annual event.

The 2001 collection features a total of 13 films - 3 from Taiwan, 5 from China and 5 from Hong Kong and personal appearance by directors - Mr. Lawrence Ah Mon and Ms. Yu shan Huang.

The showcase features four HK films that touch on the right to abode and identity issues in post 1997 Hong Kong. Fruit Chan's highly acclaimed Durian, Durian and Little Cheung (Walker Arts) offer a very frank look on the right to abode issue. South African-born Lawrence Ah Mon's experimental docudrama, Spacked Out follows a group of teens (reminiscent of Kids) with little sense of belonging or identity in today's Hong Kong. For sheer realism, Ah Mon made the film with a group of teenagers who have never acted before. In Tsui Hark's Time and Tide, the best of HK action cinema meets youthful rites of passage. Time and Tide which is actually named after Basia's Time and Tide features the next generation of Chinese stars, Nick Tse and Wu Bai.

From the People's Republic of China, 2000 Cannes Film Festival best director, Jiang Wen's (Devil on the Doorstep) first film as a director, In the Heat of the Sun will be making a rare appearance in the US. Following his controversial East Palace, West Palace which was banned in China for its gay theme, Zhang Yuan continue to make his presence felt with the acclaimed Seventeen. The 2001 CFS also features his 1996 film, Sons. Also from the PRC are He Jianjun's Postman and Jia Zhangke's Xiao Wu.

Yushan Huang (Twin Bracelets) is perhaps one of the most underated directors in Chinese cinema. In our 1998 CFS, Sexuality in Chinese Film, Twin Bracelets was an audience favorite. This year, we will feature her latest film, Spring Cactus, Ms. Huang will be on hand to introduce it. Other films from Taiwan include Chang Tsao-chi's Ah Chung and Darkness and Light and Cheng Jo-fei's Where is My Love? a film about a gay writer faced with the tough decision of coming out of the closet in Chinese society.

Confirmed Titles

ALL FILMS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

Ah Chung

7:00 23 March
1:00 31 March

Ah Chung deals with a young man's anger and sorrow with his ever-struggling family. Ah Chung vents his anger on his fate by becoming a masochist. He joins the Ba Chia Chiang, a religious group that travels to the country side giving masochistic performance to the gods. Joining the ritual group is not by his own will, but by his mothers' belief of bringing blessing to the family. And yet ã with a senile grandfather, retarded younger brother, an alcoholic father who rapes his elder sister, the tragedy continuesä

Director: Chang Tsao-chi
Cast: Liu Sheng-chung, Chiou Shio-Min, Tsai Chieh-Der
(Hong Kong, 1994)

Darkness and Light

9:00 23 March
3:00 31 March

This is a story about the ways of life and changes that set in to alter its paths. It begins with Kang-Yi, a bright 17-year-old, who returns home for summer vacation. Her blind father owns a massage parlor which barely makes ends meet, while he raises her slightly retarded younger brother, Ah Kee. She encounters 18-year-old Ah Ping, the handsome newcomer to the village and their blossoming relationship affects those around them. With a non-professional cast and extensive improvisation, the award winning director Chang Tso-chi has successfully portrayed a touching story of growing up.

Director: Chang Tsao-chi
Cast: Lee Kary-yi, Tsai Ming-chiou, Shie Bau-huei, He Huang-ji, Lu Ing, Fan Jr-uei
(Taiwan, 1999, 102 mins)

Durian, Durian

5:00 24 March

Durian, Durian is an extension of the life of Fan, the illegal immigrant girl in Little Cheung (Chan's previous movie). Fan strikes up a friendship with fellow immigrant Yan, a prostitute who must endure the harsh conditions of her job on one side of the border (HK) while she tries to turn her profits into a success on the other side of the border (China). The title of the movie comes from the pungent smelling tropical fruit and gives an interesting interpretation of the immigrant life in Hong Kong. Most of the script is improvised, and the movie intimately ties Little Cheung with the relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Director: Fruit Chan Gor
Cast: Qin Hailu, Mak Wai-Fan, Mak Suet-Man
(China, 1994, 35mm, 134 mins)

Gangs

1:00 1 April
1:00 7 April

Gangs is a realistic portrayal of troubled adolescent boys in the modern society. One critic hails "more realism than Hong Kong cinema can handle." This is a precursor to Ah Mon's critically acclaimed film Spacked Out. Gangs is a film which set a new trend in the cinema's treatment of Hong Kong's disillusioned youth and has established itself as a classic commentary on contemporary society, adolescence and the search for identity and acceptance.

Director: Lawrence Ah Mon
Cast: Hoh Pooi Dung , Leung Sap Yat, Ma Hin Ting
(Hong Kong, 1988, 94 mins)

In the Heat of the Sun

7:00 22 March
8:30 29 March

The story is set in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution. Due to lack of adult supervision at a time of great political unrest, a group of young boys led by Ma Xiaojun (Xia Yu) wander in the City, riding their bikes, having fun, chasing girls, enjoying each day under the bright sun, oblivious to their tumultuous surroundings.

Director: Jiang Wen
Cast: Xia Wu, Ning Jing, Si Qin, Gau Wa
(China, 1994, 35mm, 134 mins)

Little Cheung

7:30 4 April (Walker Art Center)

Little Cheung is a cute nine-year-old boy who makes food deliveries for his father's restaurant in Hong Kong. He encounters all types of wacky characters and gets into a number of interesting situations. The story doesn't end there though; he also develops a close relationship with Fan, a mainlander illegally living in the city. Fruit Chan's direction is amazing in this small and intimate story of the frenetic lifestyle of a boy growing up in the always changing city of Hong Kong. The attention to detail is so real that you can almost feel every part of the megalopolis.

Director: Fruit Chan Gor
Cast: Yiu Yuet-Ming (as Little Cheung), Mak Wai-Fan (as Fan), Mak Suet-Man (as Man)
(Hong Kong, 2000, 107 mins)

Postman

9:00 6 April

A young boy Xiao Du, is hired as a Beijing postman. He can't resist in reading the mail that he delivers, and finds himself entering the secret lives of the people in "District of Happiness". At first just as an outsider, but the more he reads, the more he feels the obsession to be involved in other's secret and disordered world. After a tragic incident, his own life is also changed foreverä

Director: He Jianjun
Cast: Feng Yuanzheng, Liang Danni, Pu Cunxin, Huang Xin
(China/HK, 1995, 101 mins)

Seventeen Years

7:00 5 April
7:00 6 April

A young girl at the age of seventeen accidentally kills her step-sister during an altercation over five yuan. Twelve years later on Chinese New Years, escorted by female prison guard, she returns home for the first time to be re-united with her mother and step-father. The film narrative examines the lost year's between murderer- daughter and her estranged family from both sides, what was missed during those seventeen years of separation on account of her actions.

Director: Zhang Yuan
(China, 1999, 90 mins)

Sons

9:00 5 April

"Zhang Yuan, one of the filmmakers who launched Chinese independent cinema, learned about the plight of his downstairs neighbors, a retired couple (former professional dancers) and their two deadbeat sons who hit hard times following the father¼s commitment to a mental institution. The director went to the mental hospital, "borrowed" Mr. Li, and re-enacted the family¼s troubles with the four family members playing themselves in the film. The title was suggested by the father himself, who told Zhang Yuan, "Only some men are fathers, but all men are sons.""
Harvard Film Archive

Director: Zhang Yuan
Cast: Li Maojie, Li Wei, Li Ji
(China, 1996, 95 mins)

Spacked Out

8:30 31 March
3:00 7 April

Director Lawrence Ah Man is scheduled to appear with his film.

After twelve years of "Gang's" release Ah Mon revisits the youth theme, but this time spotlighting female counterparts. Cookie, Sizzy, Banana, and Bean Curd are four delinquents trying to find the perfect slacker attitude, yet they're also struggling to develop their personal identities. While their life revolves around karaoke and shopping, they also encounter more serious issues like sex and drugs. This film is a wonderful portrait of a pregnant teenager who tries to change her path in life. Ah Mon's done it again in creating a tangible storyline built around the impressionable teenagers of young Hong Kong.

Director: Lawrence Ah Mon
Producer: Johnnie To
Cast: Debbie Tam, Christy Cheung, Angela Au, Maggie Poon, Vanesia Chu
(Hong Kong, 2000, 90 mins)

Spring Cactus

5:00 31 March
3:00 1 April
5:00 7 April

Director Yushan Huang is scheduled to appear with her film.

Spring Cactus is a story about trust.

Xiao Lan grew up in an environment like that of many others: she had a home she wasn't sure she could go back to; she had a group of friends she wasn't sure she could trust. She never bothered to think over and analyze such time-bound problems. For her, being young was the only way one could combat this environment: there was no need to dwell upon being hurt and all that. Yet, upon her good friend Xiao Lan's suicide, she finally realized that some things were heavier, much graver than she had originally thoughtä

Director: Yushan Huang
(Taiwan, 1999, 105 mins)

Time and Tide

midnight 23 March (Riverview Theatre)
9:00 24 March (Metropolitan State University Auditorium)

Two very different individuals, Tyler (Nicholas Tse) and Jack (Wu Bai), meet by accident in a toy store and strike up a friendship. Tyler is a bodyguard for a triad boss and Jack is a mercenary who has just returned from Brazil. Their past and present collide, threatening themselves and the people they love. Will they have a future in a city without an identity? Time and Tide is a high-octane action film about love, friendship, loyalty and responsibility. The title of the film is taken from Basia's debut CD from 1987, Time and Tide.

Director: Tsui Hark
Cast: Nicholas Tse, Wu Bai, Candy Lo and Cathy Chui
(Hong Kong, 2000, 113 mins)

This film is not yet rated. For future information, please consult www.filmratings.com

Where is My Love

9:30 22 March
7:00 29 March

When facing the tough decision of "getting out of the closet," a gay writer meets another homosexual. Only then does he realize the right decision to undertake.

Director: Chen Jo-fei
(Taiwan, 1995, 57 mins)

Xiao Wu

5:00 24 March

A young boy spends his time wandering on the street, pick-pocketing. After going through family troubles, friend's betrayal, his first love, and crackdown from the Police, all the tension builds on and forces him to grow upä

Director: Jia Zhangke
Cast: Wang Hongwei, Hao Hongjian, Zu Baitao
(China, 1997, 107 mins)

Admission

$ 8.50 for Double Features
$6.00 for Single Admission
$4.00 for seniors and children between 5-12 years old (Free for children under 5 years old)

Series Pass: $ 30 for the whole series with a free Festival Booklet

Group Tickets: Available upon arrangement with Asian Media Access

Most Showings are held at Auditorium, Metropolitan State University, St. Paul Campus, 700 E. 7th Street, St. Paul. A few showings are at Walker Arts Center as indicated.