ContemporAsian
March 19, 2008–Ongoing
Watch the Flower in the Pocket trailer
Watch the Megane trailer
Asian cinema is fast becoming a cinema without borders. Digital filmmaking and international coproductions are rapidly transforming an industry in which the transnational flow of talent and resources, even between the U.S. and Asia, has become the norm. In the monthly exhibition ContemporAsian, MoMA showcases films that get little exposure outside of their home countries or on the international festival circuit, but which engage the various styles, histories, and changes in Asian cinema. Presented in special weeklong engagements, the films in the series include recent independent gems by both new and established filmmakers whose work represent the rapidly transforming visual culture of the region. Not only are audiences given the rare chance to enjoy these undistributed films on the big screen—they also experience the diversity and richness of Asian cinema in all its many forms.
Organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, and and William Phuan, independent curator, with additional support from Asian CineVision.
Related Film Screenings
Upcoming
Ghost Town
2008. China. Directed by Zhao Dayong. Zhao’s tremendously rewarding film illuminates the alienation and marginalization of the denizens of one of China’s countless remote villages. Divided into three parts, this epic documentary takes an intimate look at its varied cast of characters, bringing audiences face to face with people who were unceremoniously left behind by China’s new economy. Zhao displays great compassion and respect for the squatters and other inhabitants of the village, and he patiently teases out the special places and attachments to which they cling. Cleverly structured and beautifully shot, the film is a gratifying, if ultimately heartbreaking, testimonial to the talent and commitment of China’s vanguard independent documentary movement. Print courtesy of dGenerate Films. 169 min.
Ramchand Pakistani
2008. Pakistan. Directed by Mehreen Jabbar. With Nandita Das, Rashid Farooqi, Syed Fazal Hussain. When an eight-year-old Pakistani boy accidentally crosses the border into India, both he and his father are apprehended and thrown into an Indian jail. As they languish in prison for five years, the boy’s mother, unaware of their whereabouts, struggles to build a new life by herself. Based on actual events, Ramchand Pakistani portrays the absurd price exacted on an ordinary family who are haplessly caught in the political crossfire between India and Pakistan, while also exposing the religious and social discrimination faced by lower-caste families in Pakistan. In Urdu, Hindi; English subtitles. 103 min.
Past
Ling yi ban (The Other Half)
2006. China. Ying Liang. 111 min.
An Evening with Kazuhiro Soda
The filmmaker introduces his debut feature, Campaign, as part of Contemporasian. The film will also be shown on April 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, with no filmmaker introduction.
Senkyo (Campaign)
2007. Japan. Kazuhiro Soda. 119 min.
Senkyo (Campaign)
2007. Japan. Kazuhiro Soda. 119 min.
Mukhsin
2006. Malaysia. Yasmin Ahmad. 94 min.
Tirador (Slingshot)
2007. Philippines. Brillante Mendoza. 86 min.
Dinner with the President: A Nation's Journey
2007. Pakistan. Sabiha Sumar, Sachithanandam Sathananthan. 82 min.
Herbert
2006. India. Suman Mukhopadhyay. 142 min.
Megane
2007. Japan. Naoko Ogigami. 106 min.
Megane
2007. Japan. Naoko Ogigami. 106 min.
Kamome Shokudo (Seagull Diner)
2006. Japan. Naoko Ogigami. 106 min.
Hyazgar (Desert Dream)
2007. Mongolia/China. Lu Zhang. 123 min.
Flower in the Pocket
2007. Malaysia. Liew Seng Tat. 97 min.
Babi buta yang ingin terbang (Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly)
2008. Indonesia. Edwin. 77 min.
Dajang Soembi, perempoean jang dikawini andjing (Dajang Soembi, the Woman Who Was Married to a Dog)
2004. Indonesia. Edwin. 7 min.
Adela
2008. Philippines. Adolfo Alix Jr.. 88 min.
Meitjin haru (My Dear Enemy)
2009. South Korea. Lee Yoon-ki. 123 min.
Qilu tiantang (Sincerely Yours)
2009. Taiwan. Rich Lee. 96 min.
Ghost Town
2008. China. Zhao Dayong. 169 min.