Bags of popcorn are passed around as the lights dim. Shock turns into laughter when a group of men suddenly burst into song and dance. An angry woman yells and points at the airplane that crashed into her roof while subtitles scroll across the screen translating her words.
Wait… subtitles?
In an effort to expand the student body’s knowledge of Chinese movies, the College of Mass Communications is hosting a Chinese film festival.
“This is part of the college’s effort to be more global,” says EMC Professor Robert Spires. “In this case, to show you Chinese movies are more than kung fu and Jackie Chan.”
For four nights, students will screen a film and then participate in a discussion led by Xu Xun, a master’s of mass communication candidate.
While several students came because of extra credit being offered by some professors, others felt that it is important to see films from other countries.
“I believe mass communication isn’t just about us,” says David Kamp, a freshman majoring in mass communication. “So what better way to learn about another culture than by either going there or watching a movie about it?”
To start off the festival, students were treated to the 2009 film “Gao Xing.”
“Gao Xing,” which according to Xu means “being happy,” follows a farmer and his friend as they leave the countryside in hopes of earning a better living in a more urban area. When they arrive in the city of Xi’an, the two work as trash men who sell collected materials to factories that will recycle them.
While running his route, the title character Gao Xing becomes infatuated with a local masseuse girl who owns the same pair of shoes he carries in his suitcase for his future bride. As he continues to court the girl, many crazy tests and trials arise that could ruin his dreams of getting the girl and building his own airplane.
Yes, one of the dreams of the main character is to build his own plane out of some of the materials he collects. This goal leads to some very interesting and hilarious moments in the film, including a scene where the entire city sings a song to the tune “Ode to Joy.”
The film had something for everyone. Hopeless romantics cannot help but be drawn in by the adorable sight of a grown man blushing at a simple kiss on the cheek. Fans of comedy will have a hard time not laughing at the sight of the friend Wu Fu being chased by a woman in curlers and a robe.
And for all those musical fans, there is an alleyway showdown worthy of “West Side Story.”
Even though the film was made in China for a Chinese audience, it presented concepts that are known all over the world. The film highlights the value of hard work and determination as well as the importance of friendship.
Not only did students have the chance to watch a great movie for free, but the discussion after the film showed that they learned something new about Chinese culture. Although the film was fiction, there were some realistic elements to it, including Gao Xing’s choice of profession.
“The director is trying to portray the lowest level of society, and show that even these people can find happiness,” Xu says. “But this is real-life.”
Students were also introduced to some of the differences between American filmmaking techniques and Chinese filmmaking techniques.
According to Spires, American filmmakers will inform the public when a camera crew is going to be filming scenes on a particular street. In China, that is not always the case.
“Many [Chinese] movies are shot without the people knowing,” Spires says. “It is the normal street life swirling around these people.
The film festival will be held every Sunday in November. Movies start at 6 p.m. in Mass Comm 103 and a discussion will be held immediately after. Upcoming movies include “You Shoot, I Shoot”, “If You Are The One” and “The Sun Also Rises.”
Fans of foreign films should definitely swing by and see what China has to offer.
The films viewed during the festival will not be films that are typically thought of as Chinese like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” After watching the films scheduled to be shown, most will probably be shocked that they ever thought that was the best movie to ever come from China.
Chinese Film Festival brings cultural awareness
Published: Thursday, November 5, 2009
Updated: Thursday, November 5, 2009
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