Monday, Aug 6, 2007 6:48PM /
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I read this article in
Le Monde that a downloadable video game called "Incorruptible Warriors" (清廉戰士), produced by a government agency, has become a hit in China. I couldn't find any English articles that is as good as
Le Monde, but the one on
Switched.com came the closest.
Sounds like a fun game? But I couldn't help but feeling a bit disturbed, especially after having read the following (roughly translated from
Le Monde):
... One of the conceptual artists states, "the game, inspired by the historical events during the Imperial period, consists of killing the corrupt officials, combines 'education for anti-corruption and entertainment'.... [It] is aimed just at the young internet users... "I really felt that I've accomplished something when I punished one of the evil officials," said one player in the
Beijing Daily... After having captured, tortured, and killed enough of the corrupt officials, their children and even their concubines (who walk around naked on the screen,) the winners are rewarded in entering into a kind of paradise where 'Integrity' and 'uprightness' are the two fundamentals....
I found it ironic that the Chinese government agency felt the need to "teach" the young people... maybe it's the government officials who are the ones in need of an "education" about anti-corruption? I'm afraid that the "lesson" here for the young people isn't anti-corruption, but rather, ultra-violence is the solution for an 'ideal' society... and as if killing isn't good enough, it's best to slaughter the whole family and humiliate the women in public... in order for one to 'gain' a place in paradise...
I'll leave you with this article from
The Nation. An amazing and in-depth article if you have time or care enough to read on.
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Friday, Aug 3, 2007 7:16PM /
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I went to see a Bergman film yesterday, The Seventh Seal, to remember this master and to celebrate the fact that I've finished my second rewrite (actually more like to take my mind off of my scrīpt...) I got to the cinema early and picked up one of their monthly issues to read about the coming-soon films and related articles. Then I saw this heading, "It's A Man's Man's Man's World"... sounded interesting, so i read on... and the first few paragraphs just grabbed my heart:
"In June, the American Film Institute published its annual rundown of the 100 greatest American movies. How many female filmmakers made it to the list? None.... In May, Cannes celebrated its 60th birthday by inviting 35 directors to shoot a short homage to cinema. The result, Chacun Son Cinéma, was graced by the contribution of a single female, Jane Campion. Her segment, The Lady Bug, featured a woman in an insect outfit being unceremoniously stomped on in a movie theatre. Spot the metaphor.... There have been powerful women in the film industry since the days of Mary Pickford, but the fact remains that in the canon of great movie directors, female filmmakers are noticeable by their absence. Despite that poor showing at Cannes, however, it's France that offers a glimmer of hope for how women can compete in this man's world...." I was surprised by the AFI "statistics", but I quickly reminded myself it's America, so it's expected... but I was really stunned to know that the similar thing happens in France, and in Cannes no less... actually, most of all, I was shocked that they didn't invite Agnès Varda (French New Wave 'directrice' of Vagabond, Cléo from 5 to 7) to make a homage!! Or Claire Denis, or Lynne Ramsay...
The article went on with the interview of Pascale Ferran, the French female director whose film Lady Chatterley won the César this year in France. She talked about her experience of being a female director etc... "The problem, is that, [Ferran thinks,] there is still an institutional bias towards female directors. While Ferran suggests this is less true in the world of independent cinema, she is forced to concede that of seven women from her film school class she's the only one to have been offered a feature film." Then I remembered what Kelly Reichard (Ode, Old Joy) told me. I was so lucky to have one of my film heroines to be my first directing teacher! During my very first day of film school, my very first directing class, the 12 of us - young, innocent, hopeful film students - all sat around a long table staring at Kelly at the head of table, waiting for her to say the first word. I thought it'd be like what we've heard before at orientation, "Welcome... psyched to have you guys... enjoy and challenge yourself in the next few years etc..." She smiled and finally opened her mouth, "Ladies first.... think really hard if this is what you wanna do, it's *not* your world, especially if you're like this big (she raised up her pinky), let alone being a minority, you're gonna work and fight twice as hard compared to the boys, so if you're not cut out for this, you shouldn't be here..." I was sitting across the table from my classmate Nicole (an African-American), who was the only other pinky-size-female-minority in the classroom... we just stared at each other, completely traumatized... Up to this date, Nicole still feels resentful of Kelly's "opening speech", thinks that it's just too cruel and discouraging... on the contrary, I found it extremely inspiring and motivating (after the first few traumatized minutes.) And I was (and still am) very grateful for that. From time to time, especially during the down moments, her words and her image at that table would come back into my head.
Both Kelly and the article was right on. Personally, I try not to delve into the gender issue too much (and can't really...) I just want to continue to make films and strive to make good films that I hope would speak to both man and woman... but this article got me thinking... though I do have quite a few filmmaking heroines, most of the ones whom I admire are male (and half of them dead anyway...) There are quite a number of female filmmakers/film students out there (I think 50% was female in my year at film school,) so why aren't there more female directors' features? Are we that shit? Are we not as good as the male directors?
I think Ferran is right about the problem being the institutional bias. It's less obvious in the independent world but it still exists. I sat through many "biz/pitch" meetings in which those "macho" producers just stared at me with their patronizing eyes, wondering if I could even direct... Frankly, I know my projects aren't the most commercial, so it's hard to try to raise fund for them, be it for a man or a woman... But sometimes, I do wonder if I'd have an easier time if I just wanted to make an 'Asian-American romantic comedy,' so I could play the Nora Ephron role with an ethic twist. Once in a blue moon, a female director would get a chance to prove herself, like Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, Strange Days,) but how many Bigelows do we know? So if the institutes, the systems, the studios don't give enough chances for female directors to make features... it is no wonder we don't see their films out often... and since there *seemingly* aren't that many female director films... the big $$ bosses wouldn't want to take risk to give them a chance to direct a feature... the vicious cycle continues.... It's the same kind of vicious cycle for the more challenging independent filmmaking, the problem always goes back to: the big $$ bosses are biased and don't want to take risk.
I'll leave you with this, from the same article I read:
"If a new generation of female filmmakers is to emerge, the powers that be need to open their eyes to the contribution that women have made and will make to world cinema. After all, this is a man's world, but it wouldn't be nothing without a woman."
k.
p.s. The Seventh Seal was really sublime, I walked out crying...
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Tuesday, Jul 31, 2007 8:21PM /
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Two great filmmakers bid us farewell within two days (and really three within a month)... it's just too much for me, really.
Italian film director Michelangelo Antonioni died today at the age of 94. Another huge loss for cinephiles around the world. "Blow Up" (1966, starring Vanessa Redgrave) was one of his international hits... man, that was a great film...
Like Derek said, I shouldn't feel too sad as both directors did live their lives to the fullest, and have created many great films throughout their careers. Also like Bergman, Antonioni passed away
in his home peacefully surrounded by family members.
One thing I love when I was reading this article about Antonioni, he had suffered a stroke in 1985 that left him partially paralysed, but he continued to work behind the camera and make films.
"Filming for me is living," he said.
I think that sums up everything...
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Tuesday, Jul 31, 2007 3:15AM /
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The US Congress is voting this week on H.R. 969, a bill that will dramatically
boost solar and wind energy. If it passes, it'll be like taking 37 million cars off
the road, it'll be the biggest
step in two decades toward a clean planet and
affordable
energy. Big oil and coal are
fighting the bill hard, because it would undercut their stranglehold on the economy. If you care about this issue, please join and sign the petition:
http://pol.moveon.org/cleanenergyfuture/
Spread the word, people.
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Monday, Jul 30, 2007 7:33PM /
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Yet another film-maker legend has left us...
Ingmar Bergman, the Swedish film director/master, has died today at the age of 89. An important figure in modern cinema, this master made over 50 films in his career, and many of his classics and masterpieces are well loved and admired by film students and film buffs: "Persona", "Cries and Whisper", "Seventh Seal", "Wild Strawberries"... the list just goes on...
I still remembered watching "Persona" for the first time... it forever changed my view on film-making. A while back, I even made a little short film called "A Rainy Day" as an homage to Bergman. (The weirdest is, I was just talking about Bergman yesterday with my friend Dollan... we were planning to go see "Seventh Seal" as it's being shown this week... I can't believe that he's just passed away today...)
There is a really good book written by Olivier Assayas and Stig Björkman, called "Conversation avec Bergman" ("Conversation with Bergman")... I'm sure they have an English version. The French film-maker Assayas' interview with Bergman... it's so inspiring to read the two filmmakers chatting about cinema. If you have time, definitely check it out:
First Edward Yang, now Bergman, one by one, these film legends have left us... it's sad and makes me cherish *cinema* even more... and reminds me to keep on fighting what I believe in and not to give up and surrender to the "show business"...
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March 20, 2008
March 20, 2008
March 20, 2008
