WWU's Cinema East Film Series to screen 'Flowers of Shanghai' Nov. 30

The next film in the Cinema East series is Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 1998 feature Flowers of Shanghai, which screens at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at the Pickford Film Center (1318 Bay Street) in downtown Bellingham.

Flowers of Shanghai is based on a late 19th-century novel about brothels in late Qing dynasty Shanghai. The story centers on several prostitutes and their wealthy customers as it weaves through the intricate and highly formalized social codes of the world portrayed.

“The extraordinary cinematography by Mark Lee similarly weaves through the opulent interiors in expertly-staged long takes, lit only by oil lamps. The effect is like nothing else in recent cinema,” said Jeff Purdue, series curator and librarian from Western Washington University Libraries.

Purdue noted that this was the first Hou film set outside of Taiwan, adding that it remains one of his most beautiful and hypnotic films, and that Cinema East will be presenting a restored print that shows off the film’s extraordinary beauty.

Co-sponsored by Western Libraries and the Pickford Film Center, each film in the Cinema East series, (formerly known as the Masters of Asian Cinema series), begins with an introduction from select speakers including local professors, artists, and educators. Flowers of Shanghai will be introduced by series curator and WWU librarian Jeff Purdue.

Please note that Pickford Film Center requires proof of vaccination to enter. Masks are still required, except while actively eating or drinking. Please see the Pickford's "Proof of Vaccination & Covid Policy" for more information.