Sunday, November 27, 2005
King of Rubbish Dumps and others
http://www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp#
From the Freer Gallery (Washington, D.C.) web site:
These great recent films from Vietnam have rarely, if ever, been shown in the United States. Don't miss this rare chance to enjoy a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam's people, culture, and history. Each film is in Vietnamese with English Series cosponsored by the Embassy of Vietnam and the Vietnam Cinema Department. Travel costs provided by the Ford Foundation.
Glorious Time in Me Thao Hamlet
Friday, December 2, 7 pm
At the turn of the twentieth century, Nguyen, a wealthy nobleman, loses his lover in a car accident and, in the madness of his grief, forces his employees and servants to rid his vast estate of all modern technology. When the authorities begin to move in, Tam, a musician Nguyen shelters from the police, devises a desperate plan to cure his friend. Featuring intricate period details and mesmerizing performances of traditional Vietnamese music, this film by Nguyen Viet Linh, one of Vietnam's foremost female directors, blends history, legend, and fantasy into a haunting tale of love and loss. 2002 / 90 min.
Sandy Lives
Sunday, December 4, 2 pm
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, a man returns to his seaside village after a twenty-year absence. His wife has remained faithful, but he has remarried and fathered a daughter. Together, members of this unconventional family must find a way to get along while they pick up the pieces of their war-torn lives in this poetic and beautifully realized film by Nguyen Thanh Van. 1999 / 90 min. Preceded by Ceramic Traders, a compelling documentary by Nguyen Truing Giang that offers a rarely seen glimpse into the daily life of Vietnamese craftspeople. 2004 / 36 min. / video. A brief tour of Vietnamese Ceramics is offered at 1:15 pm; meet at the Freer info desk.
King of Rubbish Dumps
Sunday, December 11, 2 pm
Mixing gentle humor with gripping realism, this film from Do Minh Tuan follows the exploits of Trong, the self-appointed ruler over a community of poor people who scavenge a garbage dump for things to sell. When he falls in love with a pretty florist, his tough-guy attitude melts, and they collaborate on a scheme to turn the junk around them into art. 2002 / 100 min. Preceded by Night Cyclo Trip, a delightful short film by Bui Thac Chuyen about a young man from the country whose first night on the job as a bicycle taxi driver must be one of the worst ever. 2000 / 27 min. A brief tour of Vietnamese Ceramics is offered at 1:15 pm; meet at the Freer info desk.
Lost and Found
Friday, December 16, 7 pm
This well-crafted tragicomedy tells the story of an eccentric mathematician whose decision to pretend to be the father of his student's unborn child throws his personal and professional life into turmoil. Director Vuong Duc brilliantly captures the contradictions of contemporary Vietnam, in which cultural change and explosive economic growth often clash with time-honored traditions. 2003 / 97 min.
Deserted Valley
Sunday, December 18, 2 pm
Guests: Pham Nhue Giang, director; Nguyen Thi Hong Thai, Deputy General Director, Vietnam Cinema Department Set in a remote village among one of Vietnam's many ethnic minorities, this breathtakingly beautiful film follows three teachers whose personal lives threaten to pull them away from the pupils they have grown to love. This moving, deeply humanist work is one of the truly great contemporary Vietnamese films. 2002 / 90 min. Please join director Pham Nhue Giang for a discussion following the film. A brief tour of Vietnamese Ceramics is offered at 1:15 pm; meet at the Freer info desk.
From the Freer Gallery (Washington, D.C.) web site:
These great recent films from Vietnam have rarely, if ever, been shown in the United States. Don't miss this rare chance to enjoy a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam's people, culture, and history. Each film is in Vietnamese with English Series cosponsored by the Embassy of Vietnam and the Vietnam Cinema Department. Travel costs provided by the Ford Foundation.
Glorious Time in Me Thao Hamlet
Friday, December 2, 7 pm
At the turn of the twentieth century, Nguyen, a wealthy nobleman, loses his lover in a car accident and, in the madness of his grief, forces his employees and servants to rid his vast estate of all modern technology. When the authorities begin to move in, Tam, a musician Nguyen shelters from the police, devises a desperate plan to cure his friend. Featuring intricate period details and mesmerizing performances of traditional Vietnamese music, this film by Nguyen Viet Linh, one of Vietnam's foremost female directors, blends history, legend, and fantasy into a haunting tale of love and loss. 2002 / 90 min.
Sandy Lives
Sunday, December 4, 2 pm
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, a man returns to his seaside village after a twenty-year absence. His wife has remained faithful, but he has remarried and fathered a daughter. Together, members of this unconventional family must find a way to get along while they pick up the pieces of their war-torn lives in this poetic and beautifully realized film by Nguyen Thanh Van. 1999 / 90 min. Preceded by Ceramic Traders, a compelling documentary by Nguyen Truing Giang that offers a rarely seen glimpse into the daily life of Vietnamese craftspeople. 2004 / 36 min. / video. A brief tour of Vietnamese Ceramics is offered at 1:15 pm; meet at the Freer info desk.
King of Rubbish Dumps
Sunday, December 11, 2 pm
Mixing gentle humor with gripping realism, this film from Do Minh Tuan follows the exploits of Trong, the self-appointed ruler over a community of poor people who scavenge a garbage dump for things to sell. When he falls in love with a pretty florist, his tough-guy attitude melts, and they collaborate on a scheme to turn the junk around them into art. 2002 / 100 min. Preceded by Night Cyclo Trip, a delightful short film by Bui Thac Chuyen about a young man from the country whose first night on the job as a bicycle taxi driver must be one of the worst ever. 2000 / 27 min. A brief tour of Vietnamese Ceramics is offered at 1:15 pm; meet at the Freer info desk.
Lost and Found
Friday, December 16, 7 pm
This well-crafted tragicomedy tells the story of an eccentric mathematician whose decision to pretend to be the father of his student's unborn child throws his personal and professional life into turmoil. Director Vuong Duc brilliantly captures the contradictions of contemporary Vietnam, in which cultural change and explosive economic growth often clash with time-honored traditions. 2003 / 97 min.
Deserted Valley
Sunday, December 18, 2 pm
Guests: Pham Nhue Giang, director; Nguyen Thi Hong Thai, Deputy General Director, Vietnam Cinema Department Set in a remote village among one of Vietnam's many ethnic minorities, this breathtakingly beautiful film follows three teachers whose personal lives threaten to pull them away from the pupils they have grown to love. This moving, deeply humanist work is one of the truly great contemporary Vietnamese films. 2002 / 90 min. Please join director Pham Nhue Giang for a discussion following the film. A brief tour of Vietnamese Ceramics is offered at 1:15 pm; meet at the Freer info desk.
