Events
Cinema
Monday, June 04, 2007 - Friday, June 15, 2007
Love in Asia and Europe
Second Annual Asian-European Short Film Showcase
How is love portrayed in European film?
Does this differ from its depiction in Asian film?
How do couples relate to one another?
What changes are evident within cultures?
Expanding to feature four Asian and four European countries, this second annual showcase, focusing on the theme of romantic love, features films from Japan, France, Korea, Italy, China, Spain, India, and Germany. The medium of film provides a unique opportunity to view and compare cultures in Asia and Europe. Over the course of two weeks, pairings of Asian and European short films, many of which won national and international awards, will screen on eight evenings, followed by discussions addressing the films’ cultural contexts and topics. The closing evening will present a short film from each country, followed by a discussion and reception.
No charge; reservations are required as seating is quite limited in some venues.
Funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Schedule:
Monday, June 4, 6:30 pm
Goethe-Institut, 812 Seventh St. NW
RSVP to info@washington.goethe.org or 202-289-1200 ext. 177
Germany:
Sunday in August (Sonntag im August)
2004, 15 min., Director: Marc Meyer
A young couple together for a day at a lake experience the fine line between love and hate.
The Swimmer (Der Schwimmer)
2004, 15 min., Director: Klaus Hüttmann
1980’s GDR: What appears to be simply a day of sun at the beach becomes an escape from an oppressive life.
China:
About Life (???????)
2004, 13 min., Director: Yu Shui
Life is full of possibilities and uncertainties. The slightest difference in the sequence of life may lead to substantial changes. Love may be lost, or even life….
And I Knew (Dan Wo Zhidao)
2004, 15 min., Director: Huang, Kai Kevin
Jane, Sam and I were childhood friends. Fifteen years later, we meet again, in the new booming Shanghai. We three have changed, but our love for one another hasn’t.
Discussion will follow.
Tuesday, June 5, 6:30 pm
Istituto Italiano di Cultura, 3000 Whitehaven Street NW
RSVP to 202-518-0998 ext. 1 or iicwashington@esteri.it
Italy:
Dedications of Love (Dediche d’amore)
2005, 12 min., Director: Alessandro Merluzzi
When Caludio attempts to write a dedication inside a book, circumstances conspire against him. Not to be deterred, he is determined to create something more than a simple love dedication.
Only One (Soltanto uno)
2005, 14 min., Director: Joseph Pelliccia
Elena, a painter, is finishing her final portrait in preparation for a show. When she calls her friend Andrea, a seduction game starts. Love always reserves some surprises.
Does it Matter?
2004, 8 min., Director: Ashley Monti
In this short film, adapted from a poem in La Voz, a boy experiences rejection and begins to question why people care about his sexual orientation.
Korea:
My Night with Ms. Marple (?????? ???)
2006, 16 min., Director: Kim, Serang
Dong-ah, a girl with a scarred face, happens to meet a blind boy named Hyun-woo. After spending a day together, they come to know one another better.
Spring (?? ???)
2006, 16 min., Director: Yoon, Yonghoon
Hyaejin can’t develop a positive attitude about new love due to her last love. Today, she takes a man with whom she has recently fallen in love to Yong-mun Mountain, where she broke up with her former boyfriend.
Discussion will follow.
Wednesday, June 6, 6:30 pm
Alliance Française, 2142 Wyoming Avenue NW
RSVP to 202-234-7911 or alliance@francedc.org
France:
Princess of the Road (Les Princesses de la Piste)
2005, 37 min., Director: Marie Hélia
Céline and Katia are looking for adventure on a Saturday night in Brest, France, and see graffiti in a bar bathroom: “All women have the right to love,” followed by a phone number. They make the call and get ready for a wild time…
Le Baiser
2005, 5 min., Director: Stéfan Le Lay
A young woman has a movie date with a young man to exchange their first kiss. But a technical problem with the film prevents them from showing their love.
India:
True Love is Just Filmi
2003, 15 min., Director: Bernd Luetzeler
When Pooja bumps into Rahul and they fall in love, they find themselves victims of a filmi masala formula that starts taking over control of their lives. As situations reincarnate, will they ever find their way out of this trap?
Discussion will follow.
Thursday, June 7, 6:30 pm
Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan, 1155 21st St. NW
RSVP to Jiccrsvpspring07@embjapan.org or 202-238-6901
Japan:
Why is One-Way Love so Painful?
2004, 10 min, Director: Masanobu Kimura
Is love all about timing? Is the pain of a broken heart not a waste? This is a story about a boy who struggles to confess his love to his childhood friend.
49 Days of Happiness
2004, 24 min., Director: Hide
Mika, whose family died in an accident, is lost in sadness and solitude.
Sohei, her classmate and admirer, stands by her as she copes with her loss. In one summer, Mika gets a taste of both happiness and misery.
Spain:
Ana+Manuel
2004, 11 min., Director: Manuel Calvo
Dumped by Manuel, Ana can think of nothing better to do than to replace him with…a great…big…hairy dog…with an enormous mouth.
The Best Typist in the World
2005, 18 min., Director: Rafa Piqueras
Ernesto Casanova has always struggled to be a great typist, and at 35, he really is. He works as a typist in a law firm, and he is secretly in love with his boss’s secretary. Life is nice and easy…until his boss buys a computer.
Discussion will follow.
Wednesday, June 13, 6:30 pm
Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan, 1155 21st St. NW
RSVP to Jiccrsvpspring07@embjapan.org or 202-238-6901
France
Pacotille
2003, 12 min., Director: Eric Jameux
Thierry and his girlfriend haven’t been getting along. When he invites her to get into his car and offers her a pendant engraved with a romantic message, she misinterprets the gift.
French Kiss
2004, 18 min., Director: Antoine Peretjatko
In life, luck only happens once, unless you are really lucky. So should you chat with Kate the American?
Japan
Heart on Fire
2005, 8 min., Director: Yorico Murakami
In a lonely house on a hill, a sad lonely young woman sits, allowing a steady succession of empty days and nights to pass her by, until an unlikely disturbance forces her to begin her life anew.
Japanese Tradition – An Armchair Theory
2004, 30 min., Director: Junji Kojima
How will he win her love? Will the traditional Japanese approach be effective? Theories on how to find a girlfriend and the customs of dating and marriage puts Japanese tradition to practical and comic use in this film within an instructional video.
Discussion will follow.
Thursday, June 14, 6:30 pm
Goethe-Institut, 812 Seventh St. NW
RSVP to info@washington.goethe.org or 202-289-1200 ext. 178
China
Fragrance of the Jade (???)
2007, 22 min., Director: Zhao Long
One old town, two youths, a desirable but unattainable love….
Italy
Lu’ Does Not Make Miracles (Lu’ non fa miracoli)
2005, 18 min., Director: Francesco Rugiriello
A man is being chased by two robbers, a nun, and an old tramp, all linked to one another in Rome. A film about life’s miraculous coincidences.
My Family is Magical and Immense (La mia famiglia è magica e immensa)
2005, 11 min., Director: Dario Jurilli
Based on a recent event in Italy which shocked the nation, this film begins with a split-screen image: a boy and a girl are being interviewed separately in an imaginary TV studio. They speak about private thoughts, but never reveal their true intentions. When they finally meet one another, they look at each other in silence.
Discussion will follow.
CLOSING EVENT
Friday, June 15, 6:30 pm
Istituto Italiano di Cultura, 3000 Whitehaven Street NW
RSVP to 202-518-0998 ext. 1 or iicwashington@esteri.it
Spain
Syntony (Sintonie)
2005, 9 min., Director: Jose Mari Goenaga
A woman is listening to the radio in her car. Love might or might not be closer than she expects…
China
To Be Determined
Germany
Morning Flirt (Morgenschwarm)
2004, 9 min., Director: Thomas Fröhlich
For a middle-aged man, every day follows the same routine: wake up, metro, work. Every day, that is, until the day a charming woman changes his life.
Japan
Origami
2005, 11 min, Director: Hiroshi Okuda
When he upsets his girlfriend by not listening to her story, a man tries to make it up to her with origami.
France
Penpusher
2005, 8 min., Director: Guillaume Martinez
A day like any other in the Parisian metro – or maybe not? A young man sits quietly reading his book. A young woman is seated next to him. Something quite unexpected occurs between them which none of the other travellers
seems to notice.
Korea
Slowly
2005, 14 min., Director: Kim, Jong-kwan
One rainy day, a woman gets on the bus. She spends an evening with a man and leaves.
Italy
Philosophical Speculations on the Portraits of Pleasure
(Le speculazioni filosofiche intorno al piacere)
2006, 10 min., Director: Francesco Uboldi
A young couple has a birthday to celebrate. The lovers search for some privacy, but gradually realize that the pursuit of pleasure may follow very winding roads.
India
Date
2006, 4 min., Director: Aparna Jayakumar
Although neither has much money, a young man and woman carefully prepare for their date in the throbbing city of Mumbai, where reality rewrites romance. Can love stay buoyant despite this?
Discussion and reception with DJ will follow.
Information
Date: Monday, June 04, 2007 - Friday, June 15, 2007
Time: See event description
Venue: Various venues
Organized by: Italian Cultural Institute in Washington, DC
In collaboration with: Japan Information and Culture Center of the Embassy of Japan, Alliance Francaise, KORUS House of the Embassy of Korea, Chinatown Community Cultural Center, Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain, Embassy of India, Goethe-Institut
No charge; reservations are required as seating is quite limited in some venues
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