Upcoming!
May 16 – 20th in MC1307
(SAIC: 112 S. Michigan Ave)
(open to the public)
Curated by Zihan Loo
Eye and Ear Clinic, in association with the FVNMA Department and the International Arts Administration Student Group, presents Mythic Reincarnations – four features and five short films by Apichatpong “Joe” Weerasethakul. The series is held in honor of Weerasethakul, who will be conferred an honorary Ph.D by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago at the 2011 Commencement Ceremony.
Weerasethakul was born in Bangkok in 1970 and grew up in northeastern Thailand. He obtained his Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1998. He started making film and video shorts in 1994 and completed his first feature, Mysterious Object at Noon, in 2000. He works in a variety of media, and his practice includes video and film installation work. His latest feature won the Palme d’Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
The films selected in this series span his career, ranging from his earlier work made in Chicago to his later feature films. Weerasethakul has often been hailed as one of the most original filmmakers of our time; his work elegantly depicts the ephemeral and mystical in an affective yet subtle light.
—————————-
Comrades in Time
May 16 (Wednesday), 6 p.m.
- The Anthem, 2006 – 5min
- Syndromes and a Century, 2006 – 105min
Syndromes and a Century is a film in two parts, which sometimes echo each other. The filmmaker’s parents, who were both doctors, inspire the two central characters. The first part focuses on a woman doctor and is set in a space reminiscent of the world in which the filmmaker was born and raised. The second part focuses on a male doctor and is set in contemporary Thailand. Pearls of wisdom, descriptions of syndromes and fragments of time crystallize in luminous atmospheres and dot the modern architecture of the film, creating a charming, quiet incantation. The Anthem, a short that features the Thai tradition of playing the National Anthem before every feature film presentation, precedes this screening.
This screening will be introduced by Vipash Purichanont (MA Arts Admin and Curatorial Practice Candidate). Vipash, a curator and art critic from Thailand, will speak about how Apichatpong’s films are received in his home country and the state of contemporary Thai society and politics.
—————————-
Blissfully Yours
May 17 (Tuesday), 6 p.m.
- Blissfully Yours, 2002 – 135min
Apichatpong’s second feature follows a relationship between Roong and her Burmese lover, Min, an illegal immigrant, as they journey into the jungle, a place free of societal inhibitions. A film ahead of its time, Blissfully Yours was censored in Thailand for its sensuous depiction of sex, and it won the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
This screening will be introduced by Blake Heo (FVNMA Graduate Student). Blake will be sharing the affective relationship he has with Apitchatpong’s films.
—————————-
Exquisite Corpse
May 18 (Monday), 6 p.m.
- Morakot (Emerald), 2007 – 11min
- Mysterious Object at Noon, 2000 – 85min
- A Letter to Uncle Boonmee, 2009 – 18min
- 0116643225059, 1994 – 5min
A series of shorts bookend Apichatpong’s first feature film, Mysterious Object at Noon, a part fiction, part documentary, and part pseudo-documentary about several unrelated lives in Thailand. The film crew set out on an expedition across Thailand, from the north to the south, documenting their trip, while the participants engage in the surrealist game of ‘Exquisite Corpse’, continuing and retelling the stories of others.
The shorts included in this selection include Morakot, conceived initially as a video installation on an abandoned hotel in Bangkok; A Letter to Uncle Boonmee, the short film that subsequently was developed into the award-winning feature Uncle Boonmee who can recall his Past Lives*; and 0116643225059, one of the films he made while pursuing his studies in Chicago.
This screening will be introduced by Shellie Fleming (FVNMA Faculty). Shellie will be sharing insights into her experience working with Apichatpong during his time at SAIC.
—————————-
Between Men
May 19 (Thursday), 6 p.m.
- Mobile Men, 2008 – 3min
- Tropical Malady, 2004 – 118min
The winner of the Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, Tropical Malady is Apitchatpong’s most recognized film, known for its ground breaking normative depiction of a homosexual relationship between the two main protagonists, a soldier named Keng and a country boy, Tong. The film is disrupted by the appearance of a beast that slaughters cows. Then begins the tale of a soldier who goes alone into the heart of the jungle, where myth is often real. The short Mobile Men features two men from different parts of the world filming each other with a camera.
Roundtable with Apichatpong Weerasethakul
May 20 (Friday), 2.30 p.m.
Introduced and moderated by Daniel Eisenberg (FVNMA Faculty)
Filmmaker in attendance
Films will be screened from DVD in Thai with English subtitles
Events will be held at MC 1307 Screening Room, Maclean Building
*Concurrent ticketed event at the Gene Siskel Film Center:
Uncle Boonmee who can Recall his Past Lives, 2010, 113 minutes
May 14 (Saturday), 5:15pm
May 19 (Thursday), 7:45pm
Filed under: Film by eyeandear
No Comments »
