Place: 25 West 43rd Street, Room 1000,
between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan

Movie Lineup After This Our Exile (Hong Kong, 2006) Aaron Kwok plays gambler Sheng, while Charlie Young portrays his wife who can no longer tolerate his violence and leaves the family. Sheng then forces his son (Ian Iskandar Gouw) to commit petty theft to simply survive. The child ends up in a juvenile detention center and does not meet his father again until 10 years later, when his innocent emotional attachment to his father has already been replaced by a more complex feeling mixing affection, disappointment, and despair. Director Patrick Tam aptly captures the nuances in a changing family in which the father tragically does not know that his shortcomings will eventually destroy the family. The carefully designed cinematography and classical music give the film a strong artistic flavor, probably explaining the film's popularity at international film festivals. Tam first made his name with his daring 1982 work Nomad (starring Leslie Cheung, Cecilia Ip, Pat Ha, Ken Tong), but stopped directing after My Heart is That Eternal Rose in 1989. He has been involved in many notable films and did the film editing for Wong Kar Wai's Days of Being Wild and Ashes of Time. His recent project as the editor for Johnnie To's Election was seen as preparation for his return to the director's chair.   Nobody Knows (Japan, 2004)   Yuya Yagira was named Best Actor at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for his moving portrayal of the older brother trying desperately to support his three younger siblings in writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda's masterful work NOBODY KNOWS. Kore-eda (MABOROSI, AFTER LIFE) also produced and edited the film, which was nominated for the Palm d'Or and was Japan's entry for the Academy Awards. Yagira stars as Akira, a determined and resourceful 12-year-old boy forced to take care of Kyoko (Ayu Kitaura), Shigeru (Hiei Kimura), and Yuki (Momoko Shimizu) every time their mother, Keiko (Japanese pop star and TV actress YOU), goes away for extended periods of time. Akira does the shopping, Kyoko does the laundry, Shigeru causes trouble, and Yuki is endlessly cute. However, in order to remain in their new apartment, the three younger children are not allowed outside or else the landlord, who does not know they live there, will evict them. Akira tries to teach his sisters and brother, as none of them attends school, with varying success. They have no friends, save for Saki (Hanae Kan), an offbeat outsider. When Keiko disappears and the money starts running out, the children are faced with severe problems, and tragedy lurks. Kore-eda based this powerful tale on a true story of abandoned children, and he has filmed NOBODY KNOWS with a documentarian's eye, lending it added reality that makes it that much more heartwarming and, ultimately, heartbreaking.   Made In India? (USA, 2006)   Meet Deepti Paul. She is 27 years old – Indian – and it’s time to get married. That’s what her parents and extended family think. It doesn’t matter that Deepti grew up American and is currently living on her own in New York City, happy and independent. Her family believes that Deepti’s only chance at lasting happiness lies in marrying a South Indian Orthodox Syrian Christian male. And of course, every relative knows just the right guy for her. And guess what- she has consented to go to India and give their traditional values a chance. But only on one condition –she gets to document the entire process. Will Deepti learn how to bridge the gap between her two cultural lives? Will she resist her traditions, culture, and family? Or, will she finally know what it takes to be Made in India.   What Time Is It There? (Taiwan, 2001) From acclaimed director Tsai Ming-Liang (Vive L'Amour, The River) comes the quirky story of Hsiao Kang (Lee Kang-Sheng) who sells watches in the streets of Taipei for a living. A few days after his father's death, he meets Shiang-chyi, a young woman who leaves for Paris the very next day. She persuades him to sell her his own watch, which has two dials, so that she can keep Taipei time as well as local time, on her upcoming trip. Troubled by the behavior of his mother who prays constantly for the return of her late husband's spirit, Hsiao Kang takes refuge in the memory of his brief encounter with Shiang-chyi. In an effort to bridge the miles between them, he runs around setting all the watches and clocks in Taipei to Paris time. Meanwhile, in Paris, Shiang-chyi confronts events that seem to be mysteriously connected with Hsiao Kang.   Beshkempir: The Adopted Son (Krygyztan, 1998) Inspired by an old custom, first-time writer/director Aktan Abdikalikov illustrates the semi-autobiographical story of a young boy named Beshkempir. This is a coming of age story and one of discovery, when Bashkempir discovers that his parents are not his biological parents. This film was produced and made in Kyrgyztan.   A Tale of Two Sisters (South Korea, 2003) Based on a Korean folk tale, A TALE OF TWO SISTERS is a highly acclaimed horror film from director Ji-woon Kim. The film delicately balances a slow, building atmosphere of dread with sudden horrific shocks through stately, handsome cinematography and a suitably spooky musical score. Soo-mi (Su-jeong Lim) and Soo-yeon (Geun-yeong Mun) are sisters, released after a spell in a mental hospital to return to their father's gothic mansion. Once home, they meet their new stepmother (Jung-ah Yum), who they mistrust and suspect of some vague wrongdoing. Around the same time, perhaps uncoincidentally, a series of strange events begin to occur, apparently the work of a poltergeist. Already struggling with the presence of their new stepmother, the ghostly actions threaten to destabilize the girls' fragile mental states. A TALE OF TWO SISTERS joins RINGU and JU-ON in the cycle of films rejuvenating Asian horror.   The Clay Bird (Bangladesh, 2002) Young Anu (Nurul Islam Bablu) navigates an uncertain life as East Pakistan heads toward revolution in Tareque Masud's drama. Anu's fundamentalist father, Kazi, ignores his depressed mother; his little sister is ill; and his uncle grows bitter toward the military rule. To ensure Anu's devoutness, Kazi sends him to a strict Muslim boarding school, where Anu struggles to adapt to his harsh new surroundings while political tensions ruin his family.   Last Life in the Universe (Thailand, 2003) Shy Kenji is a Japanese librarian in Bangkok who lives within a neatly organized world and fantasizes about committing suicide, but gets interrupted every time he attempts to end his life. While at work, he becomes obsessed with a beautiful girl he spots through the bookshelves. Later, while attempting to jump off a bridge, he watches her die when she is hit by a car. Kenji attempts to comfort the girl's sister, Noi, but eventually returns home, where he is visited by his loutish brother and a Yakuza-linked associate. A scuffle between these visitors results in their deaths. Scared and confused, Kenji retreats to Noi's messy home, which he systematically cleans while they get to know each other and help each other through painful issues in their lives. Tragic and blackly comic with elements of gangster cinema and toilet humor, LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE is a touching work that refuses easy categorization. Pen-ek Ratanaruang's film boldly takes its time to unfold, allowing viewers to savor Christopher Doyles's (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE) lush visuals. With Kenji, Asano Tadanobu has created a protagonist who says more with his silences than most characters do with dialogue. Japanese film fans will also enjoy director Takashi Miike's raucous cameo as a Yakuza boss.   Isabella (Hong Kong, 2006)   Edmond Pang Ho Cheung is one of the new generation of directors emerging in Hong Kong, renowned for his witty and entertaining works which all met with critical acclaim. His latest Isabella entered the 56th Berlin International Film Festival as the only Chinese-language film. Thanks to Peter Kam's music which enriches the film's nostalgic and exotic mood, Isabella successfully captured the Silver Berlin Bear for the Best Film Music in February, 2006. Stylized camera angles and sentimental music in Isabella reminds us of Wong Kar Wai's movies, but like other Pang Ho Cheung movies, Isabella also offers an end twist and a subtle connection to larger social or historical issues. Chapman To (Initial D) and Isabella Leong (Bug Me Not) play father and daughter in the film, and they deliver an ambiguous and sophisticated relationship that is most intriguing. The story is set in Macau on the eve of handover when Macau people are expecting a new era to come. Policeman Shing (Chapman To) also turns a new page in life when he meets the 17-year-old girl Yan (Isabella Leong), who claims to be his daughter. To Shing, starting anew in the present is a confession of the past. He tries to redeem his sins against Yan's deceased mother (JJ Jia) through Yan, whereas Yan attempts to re-live her mother's life vicariously, through a new connection with her long-lost "father". The dilemma between past and present subtly echoes with other elements in Isabella. When Macau is looking forward to start anew after a century's Portuguese colonization, viewers will enjoy in Isabella a labyrinth-like Macau that resembles a southern Europe town, abundant in her former sovereign Portugal. The movie guest-stars multiple award-winning actor Anthony Wong Chau Sang and Steven Cheung from Boy'z, and co-stars new Mainland actress JJ Jia and Derek Tsang, famous actor Eric Tsang's son who co-writes Isabella with Pang. Isabella is also a breakthrough for Chapman To as it marks his first leading man role, as well as his first project as a producer, with his new company he co-founded with Pang.

Workshop Instructor
TBA

Workshop Coordinator
Antony Wong

25 West 43rd Street, Room 1000 New York, NY 10036   
Tel: 212-869-0182 - Fax: 212-869-0181 - info@aaari.info