| Username |
Post |
| ashu |
Posted
on 30-Jan-02 03:33 AM
With support from the Embassy of The People's Republic of China in Kathmandu,
with sponsorship from the Nepal Himalaya Border Trans Trade Association
and
with collaboration with World Cultural Net,
THE KATHMANDU FILM ARCHIVE (KFA)
presents
<>
A three-day Chinese Movie Festival
to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival in Kathmandu.
<>
***********************
Thursday, February 7 at 4:30 pm
Director Zhang Yimou's movie: "The Road Home" (83 mins)
Friday, February 8 at 4:00 pm
Director Hu An's movie: "Shadow Magic" (90 mins)
Friday, February 8 at 5:30 pm
Director Chen Guohing's movie: "The Birth of a Shooting Star" (110 mins)
Saturday, February 9 at 3:00 pm
Director Huo Jianqi's movie: "Postmen in the Mountains" (90 mins)
Saturday, February 9 at 5:30 pm
Director Zang Yang's movie: "Shower" (90 mins)
Place: Russian Cultural Center, Kamal Pokhari.
FREE entrance passes available at the venue,
also at Mike's Breakfast in Naxal, and
at the office of Himalaya Border Trans Trade Association in Maha Bauddha.
A very special thanks to Trailokya Aryal, a KFA volunteer and also an active sajha.com visitor, for taking great initiatives to get this movie festival going.
Also great thanks to Surendra Man Sthapit, Neeraj Nepali, Deepak Sarkar, Bijyendra Shrestha, Sabin Nepal and others who have worked very hard
behind the scenes to put together this Festival.
|
| Gosaikunda |
Posted
on 30-Jan-02 07:26 PM
Ashu bro,
yo notice ko homepage/source chhaina? Bhae deu na.
|
| Trailokya Aryal |
Posted
on 30-Jan-02 08:45 PM
Dear Gosaikunda,
There's no homepage or source for the festival, but we will later put on a web sit of KFA. If you are in town, come see the movies. You won't be disappointed. And this goes to all.
Trailokya Aryal
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 30-Jan-02 10:11 PM
Trailokyaji and Ashu:
Great news. I am also glad to see active involvement in local projects of Trailokyaji.
I guess Road Home is serious contender of this year's Oscar foreign movie
nomination. Of course, Amelie seems to be a sure shot.Lagan from India, Amores
Perros from Mexico, and The Circle from Iran are other films likely to be nominated
this year.I only wish this will continue as tradition in KTM. Kathmandu seriously
needs to be refined, and serve (lead) the nation as what it truely is: Cosmopolitan
cultural center.
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 31-Jan-02 01:40 AM
From NYT.
Beware the Yikes of March
JOHN TIERNEY
IT was not officially exam period at New York University, but Prof. Anders Henriksson was busy yesterday giving a history test at a campus deli. He was expecting the worst.
Dr. Henriksson, a professor of history at Shepherd College in West Virginia, is the compiler of "Non Campus Mentis" (Workman Publishing), which is a history of the world taken verbatim from term papers and exams at American and Canadian colleges. In this chronicle from the Stoned Age to the Berlin Mall, Judyism is a monolithic religion with the god Yahoo. Gothic cathedrals are supported by flying buttocks. Hitler terrorizes enemies with his Gespacho. Caesar is assassinated on the Yikes of March and declares, "Me too, Brutus!"
How widespread is this ignorance? Dr. Henriksson demonstrated by giving a 27- question quiz, with 16 needed to get a passing grade (roughly 60 percent):
In one sentence or less, identify Winston Churchill, Otto von Bismarck, Mohandas Gandhi, Nikita Khrushchev, Benito Mussolini, Sigmund Freud, Florence Nightingale and Adam Smith. In what countries are Warsaw, Caracas, Antwerp, Shanghai, Lagos and Pearl Harbor?
In what year did the United States Civil War end? World War I? When was the Russian Revolution? When did World War II start? When did American women get the right to vote in national elections? When was Napoleon defeated at Waterloo? When did Hitler become German chancellor?
Find an error in each of these excerpts from student essays contained in Dr. Henriksson's book:
¶"Martin Luther Junior's famous `If I Had a Hammer' speech.`'
¶"John F. Kennedy worked closely with the Russians to solve the Canadian Missile Crisis."
¶"Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill and Truman were known as the `Big Three.' "
¶"Athena the Hun rampaged the Balkans as far as France."
¶"Ferdinand and Isabella conquered Granola, a part of Spain now known as Mexico."
¶"Good times ended when England suffered civil war between the Musketeers and the Round Ones."
The quiz was taken by five male and five female N.Y.U. undergraduates, chosen unscientifically by me at the Campus Eatery, a deli on West Fourth Street. Dr. Hendriksson graded leniently, but only one of the 10 students passed, and just barely with a 17. The average grade was 10 of 27. They all knew who Freud was, but that was about the extent of their common knowledge.
A freshman economics major identified Adam Smith as an American president, and Florence Nightingale as a knight. A junior history major called the nurse a "famous poet" and located Caracas in Ohio.
A junior majoring in politics said the English civil war pitted the Round Ones against the "Square Ones." (It was the Roundheads versus the Cavaliers.) Other students placed Athena the Hun's rampage in the Spanish and the Austrian parts of the Balkans. Granola was called a part of Spain now known as "Florence."
The dates, not surprisingly, proved trouble for everyone. One student put the Civil War's end in 1770 instead of 1865. The Russian Revolution was moved to 1850 (the correct answer was any year from 1917 to 1920). Only one student knew that World War I ended in 1918, and only two knew the next world war started in 1939. No one put Waterloo in 1815, women's suffrage in 1920 or Hitler's rise in 1933.
You could interpet these results as a rebuke to American education, but the one foreign student in the group — a German sophomore majoring in business — flunked, too. He placed Warsaw in Austria.
Dr. Hendriksson was neither surprised nor indignant at the results. "I'm not trying to launch a jeremiad against the American school system," he said. "But I do want to show that the base of common knowledge isn't as wide as we commonly assume. Our culture doesn't put a high emphasis on history."
But at least we sometimes recognize the limits of our knowledge. "I love it in student essays when they know they're going astray," Dr. Henriksson said. "They start trying to get philosophical about lack of knowledge, and they just get into more trouble." He paused and quoted one such philosopher.
"Thus has our stream of consciousness developed a waterfall," Dr. Henriksson said, smiling as he savored the student's wisdom. Then he opened his book and fondly read its concluding rumination from a student essayist:
"It is now the age of now. This concept grinds our critical, seething minds to a halt."
Me too, Brutus!
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| ashu |
Posted
on 31-Jan-02 01:41 AM
I forgot to give credit to Sandhya Rajkarnicar earlier. A graphic artist by profession, Sandhya has volunteered her time and expertise to design the
brochure for this Festival. Thanks, Sandhya.
On another note, the KFA is run voluntarily by busy professionals (all pursuing various full-time professions in Kathmandu) who are all big movie fans, and who get together informally and after work to think of ways to put on more Movie Festivals in Kathmandu.
As plans stand, in June, the KFA will join forces with Alliance Francaise in Kathmandu to present a French Movie Festival.
Plans to hold Japanese and Iranian Movie Festivals (the latter with Iranian/Middle Eastern/Turkish food) are also being hatched -- let's see who they go.
All of you not in Kathmandu can become KFA's well-wishers and either send us movies in DVD or VHS formats (as Biswo is about to do as soon as we find someone willing to carry those tapes to Kathmandu) for our library or, if you are in Kathmandu, just show up at our screenings or come join us as volunteers.
Whatever we do, we intend to have fun -- watching movies from around the
world right here in CatManDo.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| ashu |
Posted
on 31-Jan-02 01:43 AM
Sorry folks,
By mistake, I posted that piece from NYT (above) in this thread.
My apologies.
ashu
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 05-Feb-02 04:39 AM
Spring Festival, which marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, is one of the most important festivals of China.
Although China has adopted the use of Western Gregorian calendar, the Chinese people still celebrate their traditional Chinese lunar new year with great festivity.
Since this new year marks the beginning of spring, it is also known as Spring Festival. This is the time to visit relatives and friends, exchange greetings and
eat jiaozi. At this time, Chinese homes are adorned with such auspicious imageries as folk prints, pictures of door gods and red luck-bringing couplets. Indeed, the whole of China looks colorful and vibrant during Spring Festival. The Spring Festival lasts for 15 days— from the beginning of the new moon to the fifteenth day.
Each Chinese New Year is associated with an animal. This year is the Year of the Horse. Chinese people believe that people born in different years have different but predictable characteristics.
MOVIE: Shadow Magic
The movie's time-line is set at the end of Qing Dynasty or in the beginning of the 20th century. Laymen, an European film artist, comes to Beijing to show films. Liu Jinglun, a photo studio clerk ends up working with Laymen. Tan Xiaoling, the daughter of a Peking Opera maestro, comes to see a film and ends up falling in love with Liu. Liu shoots a few scenes of Peking Opera “Ding Jun Mountain" for a movie. The movie proves to be popular. Unfortunately, Laymen is driven out of the country by Empress Dowager Ci Xi because of an accident during a film-show. Despite the ups and downs of their lives, Liu and Laymen remain good friends.
Duration: 90 minutes
Director Hu An
Starring: Xia Yu, Liu Peiqi and Xing Yufei
Produced by: Xi’an Film Studio
***********
MOVIE: The Postmen in the Mountains
Against a backdrop of beautiful landscape this film eulogizes the profound sentiments that exist between the postman and the villagers. On his retirement, the old postman of the mountain village lets his son be his successor. On the son's first day of work, the father, together with his beloved dog, crosses over mountains after mountains to introduce the new postman to the villagers. Little by little, the son is touched by an exchange of sincere feelings between the old country postman and the busy village head, the blind granny and unsophisticated villagers. Along the way, he finds that his misunderstanding with his father is also no longer there.
Duration: 90 minutes
Director: Huo Jianqi
Starring: Teng Rujun, Liu Ye and Zhao Xiuli
Co-Produced by Xiaoning Film Studio and Beijing Film Studio
*****************
MOVIE: The Road Home
Directed by Zhang Yimou (the acclaimed director of "Red Sorghum"), this movie tells a simple but touching love story. Zhao Di, a young and beautiful girl with clever hand and quick mind, falls in love with a humorous young teacher. She is the first girl in Shiliba village to choose her lover at her own freewill. Her sincerity eventually wins the heart of Teacher Luo. They are in love with each other in a traditional yet romantic way. However, an unexpected tragedy falls upon them: Luo is denounced as a Rightist for no reason. Zhao Di, though ill herself, tries every means to search for Luo at great risks to her life. After experiencing all kinds of twists and turns, Luo settles down in a village school, leaving the village not even once until death.
Duration: 83 minutes
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring : Zhang Ziyi, Sun Honglei and Zheng Hao
Produced by Guangxi Film Studio
**********************
MOVIE: Shower
This movie attempts to unveil conflicts that lie between traditional and contemporary cultures. Lao Liu, a long-time owner of a bathhouse, lives with his Erming, his second son who is mentally impaired. Daming, his elder son, has been away from home for many years, running his own business in the south. Upon receiving a mistaken message that his father has passed away, he hurries home only to find his old father, his mentally retarded brother and a crumbling bathhouse. He is in no mood to stay home for long. But the ensuing events interrupt his plans to leave home. Meantime, he starts to learn about his father's business and tries to acquire a better understanding of his father as well as of the broad world.
Duration: 90 minutes
Director : Zhang Yang
Starring : Zhu Xu, Pu Cunxi and Jiang Wu
Produced by: Xi’an Film Studio
*************
MOVIE: The Birth of a Shooting Star
The film is about the true story of how the first atomic bomb was designed and detonated in China over forty years ago. When China was facing foreign embargo and was threatened with nuclear weapons, Chinese servicemen and scientists, with their talent and unyielding spirit, achieved to produce the first Chinese atomic bomb and succeeded in its trial explosion. They created the miracle by going through unimaginable difficulties in the western region of China, a region plagued by strong wind and sandstorms with harsh weather conditions.
Duration: 110 minutes
Director: Chen Guoxing
Starring: Li Xuejian and Li Youbing
A Co-production by Beijing Film Studio and Production Center of Movie Channel
About the Organizers
Nepal Trans Himalaya Border Trade Association (NTHBTA) is an organization of Nepali traders engaged in trade with China. Fully recognized by the HMG, the organization aims at promoting bilateral trade between the People’s Republic of China and Nepal. The organization is also involved in solving related business problems and difficulties, and suggesting better trade solutions to HMG.
World Culture Net
World Culture Net aims at promoting cultural exchange programs of various countries, at all levels—from school students to professionals— in Nepal and other countries. WCN has been actively involved in professional exchange programs with countries such as the People’s Republic of China, Japan, Korea and so on. WCN has regularly organized various cultural, economical and professional exchange programs between Nepal and the People’s Republic of China. In the past, WCN put on a Chinese Acrobatics show, hosted a visit of Chinese photographers, held regular film screenings and China-related photo exhibitions and so on. Likewise, it has been sending Nepali artists, photographers, journalists and students to China on study tours. For further info: wcnglobal@wlink.com.np
The Kathmandu Film Archive
The Kathmandu Film Archive (KFA) is an initiative by young, professional, film-loving Nepalis who want to see first-rate movies from around the world in Kathmandu on a regular basis. The KFA is staffed by volunteers who donate time, and energy and are passionate about seeing good movies. The KFA’s mission is to contribute to the cultural vibrancy and vitality of Kathmandu by screening finest movies from around the world.
Initially set up as a collaborative effort between Martin Chautari and the Godavari Alumni Association, the KFA now plans to expand its partnership with other like-minded cultural centers and networks to promote good movies in Kathmandu. For further info: kfateam@yahoogroups.com
|
| Trailokya Aryal |
Posted
on 05-Feb-02 07:56 AM
Greetings,
If anyone from Kathmandu is reading this, and watching good movies interests you, come watch some of the best chinese movies by some of the best directors of china such as Zhang Yimou , Hu An etc.
WOW! the idea that got picked up over coffee at Mike's has finally turned into a reality. Ashu dai, thanks for all the hard work you put into it. And a special thanks to Surendra ji, Sandhyaji, neerajji and deepak (WCN) for working hard to organzie the festival.
This has also taught us a valuable lesson on team-work, fund raising and definately running here and there (plus, taught us that presses in nepal can't be trusted:-)
See you all at the festival.
Trailokya
|
| Da Ge |
Posted
on 05-Feb-02 11:23 AM
Have you guys contacted Araniko Samaj? Supposedly, it is 'the' organization of ex students to chinese colleges and univeristies.
If I were in Nepal, I would definitly go. Zhang Yi Mo has always been my favorite chinese movie director. I have not seen "The Road Home" but I have seen his other movies like "Raise the red lantern", "Ju Dou", "Red Sorghum" and more and these are excellent mvies. I must have been losing my touch in chinese movies since I have not seen single one in the list. May be I should go and check the movies.
My experience regarding some of the internationally acclaimed chinese movies is that chinese people in china are more reluctant to accept them. Many of my classmates few years ago would not go to see "Farewell to my concubine" because, according to their claim, it depicted the chinese culture as a uncivilized culture. They accused the movie makers for cashing in the dark side of chinese culture.
I was wondering how we feel if somebody makes the movie or literary work based in some of the darkest side of our culture. Just trying to see how everybody else think.
|
| Trailokya Aryal |
Posted
on 05-Feb-02 12:08 PM
>Have you guys contacted Araniko Samaj?
>Supposedly, it is 'the' organization of ex
>students to chinese colleges and
>univeristies.
Actually, we did. But things didn't wok out quite well with them, so, we decided to work with the World Cultural Net. Let's hope that working with Arniko Samaj gets a little easier next year.
>Zhang Yi Mo has always been my favorite
>chinese movie director. I have not seen "The
>Road Home" but I have seen his other movies
>like "Raise the red lantern", "Ju Dou", "Red
>Sorghum" and more and these are excellent
>mvies. I must have been losing my touch in
>chinese movies since I have not seen single
>one in the list. May be I should go and
>check the movies.
Zhang Yimou is one of my fav. directors. he started out as a cinematrographer, so camera-work in his mkovies are just amazing. very recently, Time magazine's asian edition had a cover story on his new venture "hero". The Road Home (wo de fu qin, mu qin) is also a very good movie. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.
>My experience regarding some of the
>internationally acclaimed chinese movies is
>that chinese people in china are more
>reluctant to accept them. Many of my
>classmates few years ago would not go to see
>"Farewell to my concubine" because,
>according to their claim, it depicted the
>chinese culture as a uncivilized culture.
>They accused the movie makers for cashing in
>the dark side of chinese culture.
You have raised an interesting point. Yes, people in China don't think that the Fifth Generation or the emerging Sixth Generation movies aren't made for the Chinese audience, but there's also a significant chunk of population who await the movies of directors such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Hu An.
farewell My Conccubine, as far as my litttle knowledge goes, is Chen kaige's(the director of the movie) autobiography. since he couldn't show his homo-erotic relationship, he chhose to depict his and his partner's life through the actors of beijing opera. And homosexuality in China was accepted. there are many instances in Chinese history where the emperors/others had eunuchs/young boys to satisfy their desire. Homosexuality was present even in the roman empire, so, the movie doesn't really depict the chinese society as uncivilized or backward/primitive one.. Its justa perfect example of recreating the past to depict the present reality.
>I was wondering how we feel if somebody
>makes the movie or literary work based in
>some of the darkest side of our culture.
>Just trying to see how everybody else think.
What do you mean by the dark side of Culture? Culture changes every minute/every second.. and according to Ruth Benedict (Patterns of Culture, Columbia Uni Press, 1930s), the perception of normal/abnormal varies from society to scoiety. So, the phrase "dark side of culture" is, i guess a very strong of a phrase.
BUt, I too would love to see movies that depict the problems of contemporary nepali society in an artistic/creative way.
Trailokya
|
| Digital Maniac |
Posted
on 05-Feb-02 12:25 PM
Have you guys seen "Witch from Nepal" with Chat Yuan Fat. Heard that some of it is shot in Nepal (Chitawan). There is a witch from Nepal who is evil and fights with Chat Yuan Fat's character.
|
| Da Ge |
Posted
on 05-Feb-02 02:11 PM
>>Have you guys contacted Araniko Samaj?
>>Supposedly, it is 'the' organization of ex
>>students to chinese colleges and
>>univeristies.
>
>Actually, we did. But things didn't wok out
>quite well with them, so, we decided to work
>with the World Cultural Net. Let's hope
>that working with Arniko Samaj gets a little
>easier next year.
>
>
>>Zhang Yi Mo has always been my favorite
>>chinese movie director. I have not seen "
>The
>>Road Home" but I have seen his other movies
>
>like "Raise the red lantern", "Ju Dou", "
>Red
>>Sorghum" and more and these are excellent
>>mvies. I must have been losing my touch in
>>chinese movies since I have not seen single
>
>one in the list. May be I should go and
>>check the movies.
>
>Zhang Yimou is one of my fav. directors. he
>started out as a cinematrographer, so camera-
>work in his mkovies are just amazing. very
>recently, Time magazine's asian edition had
>a cover story on his new venture "hero". The
>Road Home (wo de fu qin, mu qin) is also a
>very good movie. Watch it, you won't be
>disappointed.
I can see Zhang Yimou not being very popular in chinese societies.
His failed affair with reknowned actress Gong Li and his endeavors
to expose some of the old traditions in silver screen may not be easily
ignored in the closed society of china which feels more comfortable to
sweep some of it under the carpet. In my experience, my friends who
were from rural part of china were more unforgiving to him than their
counter part from urban china. His most disliked movie among my chinese friends
was "Qui ju goes to court". I thought it was a wonderful movie. It does poke fun
of face saving phenomenon in contemrory chinese society.
>>My experience regarding some of the
>>internationally acclaimed chinese movies is
>
>that chinese people in china are more
>>reluctant to accept them. Many of my
>>classmates few years ago would not go to
>see
>>"Farewell to my concubine" because,
>>according to their claim, it depicted the
>>chinese culture as a uncivilized culture.
>>They accused the movie makers for cashing
>in
>>the dark side of chinese culture.
>
>
>You have raised an interesting point. Yes,
>people in China don't think that the Fifth
>Generation or the emerging Sixth Generation
>movies aren't made for the Chinese audience,
>but there's also a significant chunk of
>population who await the movies of directors
>such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Hu An.
>
>farewell My Conccubine, as far as my litttle
>knowledge goes, is Chen kaige's(the director
>of the movie) autobiography. since he couldn'
>t show his homo-erotic relationship, he
>chhose to depict his and his partner's life
>through the actors of beijing opera. And
>homosexuality in China was accepted. there
>are many instances in Chinese history where
>the emperors/others had eunuchs/young boys
>to satisfy their desire. Homosexuality was
>present even in the roman empire, so, the
>movie doesn't really depict the chinese
>society as uncivilized or backward/primitive
>one.. Its justa perfect example of
>recreating the past to depict the present
>reality.
I agree with you completely.
>
>>I was wondering how we feel if somebody
>>makes the movie or literary work based in
>>some of the darkest side of our culture.
>>Just trying to see how everybody else think.
>
>What do you mean by the dark side of Culture?
> Culture changes every minute/every second..
>and according to Ruth Benedict (Patterns of
>Culture, Columbia Uni Press, 1930s), the
>perception of normal/abnormal varies from
>society to scoiety. So, the phrase "dark
>side of culture" is, i guess a very strong
>of a phrase.
>
>BUt, I too would love to see movies that
>depict the problems of contemporary nepali
>society in an artistic/creative way.
>
>Trailokya
You are right about culture changing everyday. "Dark side" may have been strong word but the weakness and problems did exist in any society and they still exist every where. In the progress of changing and developing, when a society finds its past weakness and problems, it seems very easy to sweep them under the rug refusing to acknowledge them they existed. I guess that's why literary critics and independent intellectuals are needed for the society.
Some of the topics I would love to see movie or literarature about:
1. Sati Pratha (I know it has been abolished for a while)
2. Cast System (specially treatments toward untouchable)
3. Segragation between Taraibasi and Pahadiya
4. Rotten treatment women receive.
5. So forth...
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