MCLC: Hidden China film series

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: Lulu Chen <luciachn at gmail.com>
Subject: Hidden China film series
***********************************************************

Dear List Members,

I'm writing on behalf of the Jacob Burns Film Center to call your
attention to our upcoming series "Hidden China," an unprecedented look at
Chinese independent cinema, running from October 4-25. Curated by Zhu
Rikun, celebrated producer, curator, and founder of the Fanhall Studio,
this series will present 17 programs of uncompromising independent film
from China, with introductions and post-screening discussions with Mr. Zhu
and the filmmaker Wang Wo. Please find the press release below.

JBFC is located one block from the Pleasantville stop of the Metro-North
Harlem line, just 30 miles north of Manhattan.

Series URL: http://www.burnsfilmcenter.org/films/film-series/detail/56644

Thanks!

Lu Chen

=======================================================

Jacob Burns Film Center Announces “Hidden China” Film Series, an
Unprecedented Look at Independent Chinese Cinema Series curated by latest
International Fellow Zhu Rikun

Pleasantville, NY – September 24, 2012 – Producer Zhu Rikun and filmmaker
Wang Wo, both natives of China, are the two newest international fellows
to take up residence at Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) this October,
coinciding with our “Hidden China” film series. Zhu Rikun is one of the
best known figures in Chinese independent cinema. In 2001 he founded
Fanhall Studio, a production and distribution company whose goal was to
stimulate the development of independent Chinese cinema. He produced many
of the hardest-hitting Chinese films in recent years, including such major
works as Xu Xin’s Karamay and Li Hongqi’s Winter Vacation. Mr. Zhu was the
organizer of the Beijing Independent Film Festival and the Songzhuang
Documentary Film Festival, both of which helped flourish Chinese
independent film. Wang Wo is a filmmaker and artist, and a teacher at the
Li Xianting Film School, the first independent film school in China. Mr.
Zhu and Mr. Wang will be at JBFC throughout the month of October.

While at the JBFC, Zhu Rikun will work on postproduction of a new film
with Wang Wo, a close associate and designer of Zhu’s Fanhall Studio
complex. Mr. Zhu is the curator of the JBFC film series “Hidden China,” a
special look at a group of uncompromising movies that reveal a China we
might not otherwise see. The series, which runs from Oct. 4-25, includes
17 programs with introductions and post-screening discussions with Zhu
Rikun, Wang Wo, and other figures in Chinese cinema. This series includes
four films by Chinese activist, artist, and filmmaker Ai Weiwei, three
films by current JBFC Filmmaker-in-Residence Wang Wo, and a program on
Chinese animation. What makes “Hidden China” so unique is the fact that
many films in this series have never been screened in the United States
and, according to a recent New York Times article
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/business/global/indie-filmmakers-feel-he
avy-hand-of-beijing.html?pagewanted=all>, are just as difficult to see in
China. 

“This is a look behind the scenes, an uncensored and uncompromising vision
of one of the most dynamic and rich cultures on earth, but one that
remains largely hidden for most of us behind the high walls of language
and distance and official censorship. It’s a very rare opportunity to see
these unflinching films guided by our latest international Fellows: Zhu
Rikun, one of the most influential producers of independent Chinese
Cinema, and Wang Wo, a celebrated documentarian,” said Brian Ackerman,
JBFC Programing Director. For more information on “Hidden China,” please
visit the series page
<http://www.burnsfilmcenter.org/films/film-series/detail/56644> on the
JBFC website.

Inspired by her lifelong efforts to create a more harmonious world, the
Kathryn W. Davis Fellowship for International Understanding Through Film
makes it possible for filmmakers, educators, and programmers from around
the world to live, work, and teach on the JBFC campus. As ambassadors of
their region, Fellows provide insight into the dynamics of their culture
through film, media, community engagement, and teaching.
Fellows have opportunities to screen their films, lead seminars on the
cinema of their region, teach courses, provide professional development,
and use the Media Arts Lab’s production facilities to work on their latest
projects. Previous Fellows have come from Thailand, Burkina Faso, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Israel, Spain, Iran, and Romania.

The Jacob Burns Film Center is a nonprofit cultural arts organization
dedicated to: presenting the best of independent, documentary, and world
cinema; promoting 21st century literacy, and making film a vibrant part of
the community. Located on a 47,500 sq. foot, three-building campus in the
center of Pleasantville, the JBFC is just 30 miles outside of New York
City. Since the opening in 2001, over 1,000,000 people have seen over
4,500 films from more than 40 countries. The campus includes the 27,000
sq. foot Media Arts Lab, the JBFC’s state-of-the-art education center, a
creative and educational community for storytellers in the digital age,
offering one-time workshops, intensive courses, and weekend programs for
children and adults of all ages. To learn more about the Jacob Burns Film
Center and Media Arts Lab, visitwww.burnsfilmcenter.org
<http://www.burnsfilmcenter.org/>.

# # #
Contact: Lori Zakalik (lzakalik at burnsfilmcenter.org) 914.773.7663, ext.
434 <tel:914.773.7663%2C%20ext.%20434>
Abby Popper (apopper at burnsfilmcenter.org) 914.773.7663, ext. 424
<tel:914.773.7663%2C%20ext.%20424>