Next Masters of Asian Cinema Film: “Yi Yi “ June 5
The next Masters of Asian Cinema film is Edward Yang’s Yi Yi, which screens at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay Street).
The film story follows a family over the course of the year as they each navigate their own crises. Yang's leisurely pace and richly detailed characters make this a story of great depth and emotional resonance. Thematically, it recalls aspects of several of his films. It stars Wu Nien-jen, who was one of the founders of the New Cinema in Taiwan, and who acted in some of Yang’s films previously. Elaine Jin, another star of the film, had also acted for Yang before.
“The film has a kind of autumnal feel about it with even the younger characters engaged in reflection and stock-taking,” explained series curator and librarian Jeff Purdue. “The result is an immensely moving and satisfying film that has deservedly received many awards, including a Best Director prize at Cannes in 2000 for Yang.”
Co-sponsored by Western Libraries and the Pickford Film Center, the Masters of Asian Cinema series continues the rich tradition that began with the Masters of Japanese Cinema series, one of the Pickford's longest running and most popular series.
Each film in the Masters of Asian Cinema series begins with an introduction from select speakers including local professors, artists, and educators. Yi Yi will be introduced by Sam Ho. Based in Bellingham and Hong Kong, Sam is a curator, researcher, teacher, writer, and critic. He specializes in the study of Hong Kong Cinema, but has also written extensively and curated programs around the world on various aspects of film. He served on the jury for the prestigious Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan in 2016.
For more information about this series, please contact Jeff.Purdue@wwu.edu