Part of Tales from the New Chinese Cinema
Friday, April 29, 2011, 7:00 p.m.

Introduced by series curator, Cheng-Sim Lim

Dir. Zhu Wen. 2010, 77 mins. Digital projection. With Mao Yan, Thomas Rohdewald, Jinzi, Ye Feng, Gouzi. One of the most original voices of post-socialist China, novelist/filmmaker Zhu Wen has crafted a droll, surreal, and ironic tale in which East meets West . . . or does it? Thomas is a painter trekking through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, and Mao the scruffy “innkeeper” who lodges him. Gradually, what appears to be reality shifts. Who is the butterfly, who is the philosopher?

Preceded by:
21G (Ershiyi ke)
Dir. Sun Xun. 2010, 27 mins. Digital projection. A disturbing and enchanted voyage through what the filmmaker describes as a “world without specific time . . . in which we live in vanity . . . There is no law, no rule . . . lying and being lied to only . . .”

Tickets to Friday evening screenings are $10 ($7.50 for students and senior citizens).

Download the program notes