[Tlc] TLC-films

[justinm at ucr.edu]

FYI.
Thanks,
justin

Enjoy a Weekend Full of Films at the Freer! 
Friday, September 26-28
Meyer Auditorium*
 
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This weekend 2 groundbreaking films from Southeast Asia! 
On Friday, start the weekend by seeing the first Lao feature film produced in over 30 years.  Conclude the weekend by experiencing one of the most provocative films to emerge from Indonesia, and meeting one of its directors, Fatima Tobing Rony.
 
Good Morning, Luang Prabang
Friday, September 26, 2008, 7:00 PM
Not only is this the first ever Thai-Lao co-production, but it is also the first feature film made in Laos in more than three decades. Co-directed by Anousone Sirisakda and Sakchai Deenan, it tells the story of a Lao-Australian photographer who, while on assignment in Laos, connects with his cultural roots and falls in love with the beautiful tour guide who shows him around.
Laos/Thailand / 99 min. / Lao with English subtitles

Chants of Lotus
Sunday, September 28, 2008, 2:00 PM
In Person: Fatima Tobing Rony, co-director.
This four-part omnibus film by directors Nia Dinata, Upi Avianto, Fatima Rony, and Lasja F. Susatyo brings into sharp relief the diverse social situations facing women in modern-day Indonesia. In Cerita Pulau (Chant from an Island), a shameful tragedy prompts a midwife to consider performing an abortion, even though the act is forbidden by the locals. Cerita Yogya (Chant from a Tourist Town) looks at the mushrooming cottage industry of Internet venues that cater to teenagers with raging hormones. In Cerita Cibinong (Chant from a Village), a single mother arrives home from work to find her daughter has been abducted by a local syndicate that traffics in women. Finally, Cerita Jakarta (Chant from the Capital City) observes Laksmi, a middle-class woman of Chinese descent who contracted the AIDS virus from her recently deceased husband. Descriptions adapted from the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.
Indonesia / 2007 / 102 min. / Bahasa Indonesia, Javanese, and Sun with English subtitles
 
Intended for mature audiences.
 	 
DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival.
The mission of this popular film festival is to promote the artistic development of Asian Pacific American filmmakers in the greater Washington, D.C., area. This year's event runs from September 25 to October 4. Three of the festival's films are shown at the Freer. 
 
Siamese Connection
Saturday, September 27, 2008, 2:00 PM
Seen as a curse in their homeland, two brothers conjoined at the chest left Siam (now Thailand) in 1829 to tour the world. They adopted the names Chang and Eng Bunker and became famously known as the "Siamese Twins" in P.T. Barnum's circus. Chang and Eng eventually settled on a farm in North Carolina, where they were well-respected fathers and landowners. In his documentary Josh Gibson used archival footage and artistic reenactments to explore the twins' legacy, which has inspired a play, a musical, and a novel about their lives. Also shown are the annual Bunker family reunions with the descendants of their twenty-one children.
United States / 2008 / 75 min. / video / English
 
Long Story Short
Saturday, September 27, 2008, 4:00 PM
After the sudden death of his mother, twelve-year-old Hector must go to the Philippines to live with Lita, a grandmother he has never met, in a country he does not know. Lost in an unfamiliar place and living with an extended family with which he cannot communicate, Hector looks for ways to fit in. He gets into trouble when he falls in with a group of street kinds, but he begins to find his way when meets a photographer named Jose. Learning to shoot photos, Hector comes face to face with the challenges of human relationships. A story of clashing cultures, family, and forgiveness, Ron Morales' coming-of-age film has a big heart.
United States / 2008 / 82 min. / English and Tagalog with English subtitles
 
Santa Mesa
Saturday, September 27, 2008, 6:00 PM
After the sudden death of his mother, twelve-year-old Hector must go to the Philippines to live with Lita, a grandmother he has never met, in a country he does not know. Lost in an unfamiliar place and living with an extended family with which he cannot communicate, Hector looks for ways to fit in. He gets into trouble when he falls in with a group of street kinds, but he begins to find his way when meets a photographer named Jose. Learning to shoot photos, Hector comes face to face with the challenges of human relationships. A story of clashing cultures, family, and forgiveness, Ron Morales' coming-of-age film has a big heart.
United States / 2008 / 82 min. / English and Tagalog with English subtitles

*Free tickets are required for films in the 300 seat Meyer Auditorium, located in the Freer Gallery. Up to two tickets per person are distributed at the auditorium one hour before show time.
1050 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20013
202.633.1000
Metro: Smithsonian
www.asia.si.edu
publicaffairsasia at si.edu
 

______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
3046 INTN
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu