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All About Lily Chou-Chou
Date & Time: 16, 24/09 7:30pm
Special Jury Award, Shanghai International Film Festival, 2002
Japan /2001 /Col /35mm /146mins
In Japanese with English Subtitles
Director: Shunji Iwai
Cast: Hayato Ichihara, Shugo Oshinari, Yu Aoi, Ayumi Ito
Bullied at school, young lad Hasumi seeks sanctuary with pop star Lily Chou-Chou and websites devoted to her. Hasumi becomes acquainted with another Lily-phile called Blue Cat in cyberspace and the two decide to meet in person at an upcoming concert. But this encounter turns out to be a date beyond anyone’s expectations. In this film, Shunji Iwai takes a look at youth culture in the 21st century and the cultural phenomenon of bullet board systems. Under the skin of this seemingly lighthearted tale, All About Lily Chou-Chou is loaded with brutality, repression, insecurity and rage. The shaky camera work and lush colours evoke a youthful world that is both poetic and beautiful.
Fish Tank
Date & Time: 17/09 7:30pm; 25/09 2:30pm
Outstanding British Film, BAFTA Awards, 2010
Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival, 2009
Best Director, Most Promising Newcomer, British Independent Film Awards, 2009
UK /2009 /Col /35mm /118mins /Category III (+cat 3 logo)
In English with Chinese &English Subtitles
Director: Andrea Arnold
Cast: Katie Jarvis, Michael Fassbender, Harry Treadaway, Kierston Wareing
Ill-tempered teenage girl Mia lives with her single-mother and younger sister in Essex. Expelled from school, she fools around all day long. Apart from breaking into abandoned apartments to practice her dance moves, she is most enthusiastic about freeing a tethered horse in the nearby traveller encampment. One day, her mother’s drunken boyfriend makes a mistake. Through this mistake, Mia finds out what men are all about and learns the harsh realities of life. First-timer, Katie Jarvis was spotted by director Andrea Arnold while she was arguing with her boyfriend in the street. To ask Jarvis – an untrained actress - to play the character of Mia was to ask her to be herself. The lives of UK’s council estate residents have never been reflected in such a realistic and succinct way.
Waltz with Bashir
Date & Time: 18/09 7:30pm; 24/09 5:30pm
Best Foreign Language Film, Golden Globe Award, 2009
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, Academy Awards, 2009
Nominated for Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival, 2008
Israel, France, Germany /2008 /Col /35mm /87mins
In Hebrew, Arabic, German & English with Chinese & English Subtitles
Director: Ari Folman
Cast (voice): Ari Folman, Ori Sivan, Ronny Dayag
Waltz with Bashir belongs to a rare genre of film called animated documentary. This is an account of the massacre committed by Christian Phalangist militia in Palestinian refugee camps during the Lebanon War in 1982. Opening with a recurring nightmare told to him by his compatriot, retired officer/director Ari Folman realises that he cannot recall any memory of the massacre. So he sets out to interview his old army cohorts, trying to reconstruct the images of the mass slaughter. The video footage of these interviews was subsequently converted into animation. By interlacing 2D, 3D animation, Flash animation and live-action footage, real and surreal scenes were created. These moving images were then assembled to a backdrop of music, resulting in a work that serves as a witness to an age of chaos and confusion.
Tulpan
Date & Time: 23, 25/09 7:30pm
Grand Prix Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival, 2008
Best Film & Best Director, Tokyo Film Festival, 2008
Kazakhstan, Germany /2008 /彩色 /Col /35mm /100mins
In Kazakh & Russian with Chinese & English Subtitles
Director: Sergei Dvortsevoy
Cast: Askhat Kuchinchirekov, Samal Yeslyamova, Ondasyn Besikbasov
After completing his naval service with the Russian Navy, Asa returns to the Great Kazakh steppe to live a nomadic life with his elder sister’s family. He dreams of owning a herd of sheep, a yurt and a satellite dish capable of receiving eighty TV channels. Yet, this is harder than it sounds. According to a local rule, Asa cannot get a herd without a bride. In the neighbourhood, there is only one unmarried young woman and she is troubled by the size of his ears. It seems that Asa has to stick with his Western-culture-loving friends and try every possible way to win her heart…
Paranoid Park
Date & Time: 24/09 2:30pm; 25/09 5:30pm
There will be an After-Screening Discussion on 24/09 with Film Critic Thomas Shin. Conducted in Cantonese.
60th Anniversary Prize, Cannes Film Festival, 2007
France, USA /2007 /Col /35mm /90mins
In English with Chinese Subtitles
Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Gabe Nevins, Daniel Liu, Jake Miller
Alex, aged sixteen, rides a train clandestinely with a friend whom he has just met at a park. They are spotted by a security guard and end up in a scuffle with him. During the melee, the guard loses balance and is run over by an oncoming train. This fatal incident becomes Alex’s top secret. Although he attempts to deal with a numbing personal life, interpersonal relationships continue to evolve. With his camera, Christopher Doyle not only captures the wavering lights, he also records the teenager’s repressed personality. Van Sant approaches juvenile crime with disarming simplicity. He is not attempting to preach nor complain, but to present an immaculate portrait of the protagonist’s innermost secret.
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