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  • Global Lens International Film Series at University YMCA

    Center for Global Studies at the University of Illinois is sponsoring two opportunities to view Global Lens 2010 films this Fall at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign.  First at Allen Hall, then again at the University YMCA.

    Global Lens 2010

    International Films at Allen Hall
    Selected Wednesdays at 7pm
    Main Lounge of Allen Hall
    1005 W. Gregory, Urbana
    FREE!

    August 25 – Adrift (Vietnam)
    September 1 - Becloud (Mexico)

    September 22 – Gods (Peru)
     
    October 13 – Leo’s Room (Uruguay)
     
    October 27 – Masquerades (Algeria)

    November 3 – My Tehran For Sale (Iran)

    November 10 – Ocean of an Old Man (India)
    November 17 – Ordinary People (Serbia)
     
    December 1 – The Shaft (China)
     
    December 8 – Shirley Adams (South Africa)

    ________________________________________

     

    UNIVERSITY YMCA
    LATZER HALL
    EVERY THURSDAY - 5:30 PM
    SEPTEMBER 30 — DECEMBER 9


    corner of Wright St. & Chalmers St.

    www.universityymca.org
    217.337.1500

    University YMCA Screening Dates and Titles

    9/30: Adrift
    10/7: Becloud
    10/14: Gods
    10/21: Leo’s Room
    10/28: Masquerades
    11/4: My Tehran for Sale
    11/11: Ocean of an Old Man
    11/18: Ordinary People
    12/2: The Shaft
    12/9: Shirley Adams

    Sponsored by:
    Center for Global Studies and University YMCA
    Centers for: East Asian & Pacific Studies; Latin American &
    Caribbean Studies; European Union; Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies;
    the Title VI Program of the US Department of Education;
    and Krannert Art Museum and the University of Illinois Press.

    Global Lens 2010 films:

    ADRIFT (CHOI VOI), dir. Bui Thac Chuyen, Vietnam, 2009  

    A young wife, ignored by her immature spouse, is caught in a love triangle between her best friend and a handsome stranger during a languorous summer in Hanoi. (FIPRESCI-Venice International Film Festival; U.S. premiere)

    BECLOUD (VAHO), dir. Alejandro Gerber Bicecci, Mexico, 2009  

    After years of separation, three boyhood friends reunite in Mexico City to overcome a tragedy that scarred their neighborhood, and childhood, years before. (Special Mention-Morelia International Film Festival)

    GODS (DIOSES), dir. Josué Méndez, Peru, 2008

    A wealthy industrialist's working-class fiancée plunges into the extravagance of her lavish new life as her future stepchildren self-destruct in a series of desperate attempts to escape their privileged upbringing. (Best Peruvian Feature-Lima Latin American Film Festival)

    LEO'S ROOM (EL CUARTO DE LEO), dir. Enrique Buchichio, Uruguay, 2009

    Shaken by a recent breakup, a troubled but handsome young man dreams of the future and cautiously explores his sexuality with the encouragement of an old friend and a sympathetic therapist. (Official Selection-San Sebastian International Film Festival)

    MASQUERADES (MASCARADES), dir. Lyes Salem, Algeria, 2008  

    In a dusty Algerian village, a well-intentioned fib suddenly turns a gardener into a mogul, forcing him to choose between the happiness of his narcoleptic sister and his newfound celebrity. (Best Feature-Dubai International Film Festival; Algeria's official submission to the foreign language category of the 2009 Academy Awards)

    MY TEHRAN FOR SALE, dir. Granaz Moussavi, Iran, 2009  

    An ailing actress fighting for political asylum, and waiting to clear Australian immigration, recounts her attempts to live, work and love in Tehran's thriving yet turbulent arts subculture. (Official Selection-Toronto International Film Festival; U.S. premiere)

    OCEAN OF AN OLD MAN, dir. Rajesh Shera, India, 2008  

    In the devastating aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, an elderly British schoolteacher comes to grips with his own loss as he searches for missing students on the remote Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar. (New Currents-Pusan International Film Festival; North American premiere; first film ever to be shot on India's Andaman and Nicobar islands)

    ORDINARY PEOPLE, dir. Vladimir Perisic, Serbia, 2009

    One quiet afternoon, a busload of young soldiers is unexpectedly forced to question the morality of their profession after being enlisted to execute civilian prisoners at a remote facility in the Serbian countryside. (Best Film-Sarajevo Film Festival)

    THE SHAFT (DIXIA DE TIANKONG), dir. Zhang Chi, China, 2008

    In three intertwined stories, a father, son and daughter fight to hold onto hope and family as they face the harsh realities of life in a poor western Chinese mining town. (New Directors/New Films)

    SHIRLEY ADAMS, dir. Oliver Hermanus, South Africa, 2009

    In the depressed Cape Town neighborhood of Cape Flats, a single mother contemplates her fate and cautiously accepts the help of an overeager social worker as she struggles to care for her paraplegic and suicidal son. (Best Actress-Durban International Film Festival)

    The Global Lens film series, sponsored by the Global Film Initiative, is an annual, touring film program of narrative feature films from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org .

  • Global Lens International Film Series at Allen Hall

    Center for Global Studies at the University of Illinois is sponsoring two opportunities to view Global Lens 2010 films this Fall at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign.  First at Allen Hall, then again at the University YMCA.

    Global Lens 2010

    International Films at Allen Hall
    Selected Wednesdays at 7pm
    Main Lounge of Allen Hall
    1005 W. Gregory, Urbana
    FREE!

    August 25 – Adrift (Vietnam)
    September 1 - Becloud (Mexico)

    September 22 – Gods (Peru)
     
    October 13 – Leo’s Room (Uruguay)
     
    October 27 – Masquerades (Algeria)

    November 3 – My Tehran For Sale (Iran)

    November 10 – Ocean of an Old Man (India)
    November 17 – Ordinary People (Serbia)
     
    December 1 – The Shaft (China)
     
    December 8 – Shirley Adams (South Africa)

    ________________________________________

     

    UNIVERSITY YMCA
    LATZER HALL
    EVERY THURSDAY - 5:30 PM
    SEPTEMBER 30 — DECEMBER 9


    corner of Wright St. & Chalmers St.

    www.universityymca.org
    217.337.1500

    University YMCA Screening Dates and Titles

    9/30: Adrift
    10/7: Becloud
    10/14: Gods
    10/21: Leo’s Room
    10/28: Masquerades
    11/4: My Tehran for Sale
    11/11: Ocean of an Old Man
    11/18: Ordinary People
    12/2: The Shaft
    12/9: Shirley Adams

    Sponsored by:
    Center for Global Studies and University YMCA
    Centers for: East Asian & Pacific Studies; Latin American &
    Caribbean Studies; European Union; Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies;
    the Title VI Program of the US Department of Education;
    and Krannert Art Museum and the University of Illinois Press.

    Global Lens 2010 films:

    ADRIFT (CHOI VOI), dir. Bui Thac Chuyen, Vietnam, 2009  

    A young wife, ignored by her immature spouse, is caught in a love triangle between her best friend and a handsome stranger during a languorous summer in Hanoi. (FIPRESCI-Venice International Film Festival; U.S. premiere)

    BECLOUD (VAHO), dir. Alejandro Gerber Bicecci, Mexico, 2009  

    After years of separation, three boyhood friends reunite in Mexico City to overcome a tragedy that scarred their neighborhood, and childhood, years before. (Special Mention-Morelia International Film Festival)

    GODS (DIOSES), dir. Josué Méndez, Peru, 2008

    A wealthy industrialist's working-class fiancée plunges into the extravagance of her lavish new life as her future stepchildren self-destruct in a series of desperate attempts to escape their privileged upbringing. (Best Peruvian Feature-Lima Latin American Film Festival)

    LEO'S ROOM (EL CUARTO DE LEO), dir. Enrique Buchichio, Uruguay, 2009

    Shaken by a recent breakup, a troubled but handsome young man dreams of the future and cautiously explores his sexuality with the encouragement of an old friend and a sympathetic therapist. (Official Selection-San Sebastian International Film Festival)

    MASQUERADES (MASCARADES), dir. Lyes Salem, Algeria, 2008  

    In a dusty Algerian village, a well-intentioned fib suddenly turns a gardener into a mogul, forcing him to choose between the happiness of his narcoleptic sister and his newfound celebrity. (Best Feature-Dubai International Film Festival; Algeria's official submission to the foreign language category of the 2009 Academy Awards)

    MY TEHRAN FOR SALE, dir. Granaz Moussavi, Iran, 2009  

    An ailing actress fighting for political asylum, and waiting to clear Australian immigration, recounts her attempts to live, work and love in Tehran's thriving yet turbulent arts subculture. (Official Selection-Toronto International Film Festival; U.S. premiere)

    OCEAN OF AN OLD MAN, dir. Rajesh Shera, India, 2008  

    In the devastating aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, an elderly British schoolteacher comes to grips with his own loss as he searches for missing students on the remote Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar. (New Currents-Pusan International Film Festival; North American premiere; first film ever to be shot on India's Andaman and Nicobar islands)

    ORDINARY PEOPLE, dir. Vladimir Perisic, Serbia, 2009  

    One quiet afternoon, a busload of young soldiers is unexpectedly forced to question the morality of their profession after being enlisted to execute civilian prisoners at a remote facility in the Serbian countryside. (Best Film-Sarajevo Film Festival)

    THE SHAFT (DIXIA DE TIANKONG), dir. Zhang Chi, China, 2008  

    In three intertwined stories, a father, son and daughter fight to hold onto hope and family as they face the harsh realities of life in a poor western Chinese mining town. (New Directors/New Films)

    SHIRLEY ADAMS, dir. Oliver Hermanus, South Africa, 2009  

    In the depressed Cape Town neighborhood of Cape Flats, a single mother contemplates her fate and cautiously accepts the help of an overeager social worker as she struggles to care for her paraplegic and suicidal son. (Best Actress-Durban International Film Festival) 

    The Global Lens film series, sponsored by the Global Film Initiative, is an annual, touring film program of narrative feature films from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.globalfilm.org .

  • AsiaLENS Screening - Sept. 7 - Journey of a Red Fridge

     Journey of a Red Fridge

    Journey of a Red Fridge
    by Lucian Muntean and Natasa Stankovic, 2007, 52 minutes.
    In Napali with English subtitles.

    Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 7:00 pm
    Admission Free

    Spurlock Museum, Knight Auditorium
    600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL 

    Discussion led by Ritu Saksena (Associate Director, Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, UI).

    Journey of a Red Fridge is a documentary that follows the trek of a 17 year old porter named Hari through Nepal’s stunning mountain landscapes and rough social terrain, in a four-day effort to deliver a large refrigerator. Along the way, we discover the local culture and gain insight into the economic and social conditions that have allowed child labor to make up 25% of the country’s workforce.

    Official Film Website: Luman Docs

     

     


  • AsiaLENS Documentary Film Series - Fall 2010

    We are pleased to announce the schedule for the Fall 2010 AsiaLENS documentary film series at the Spurlock Museum.

    AsiaLENS is a series of free public film screenings and lecture / discussion programs -- organized by AEMS in collaboration with the Spurlock Museum -- presenting recent documentary films on issues reflecting contemporary life in Asia.

    Local and visiting experts introduce the films and lead audiences in post-screening discussions.

    All AsiaLENS screenings are FREE and open to the public every first Tuesday of the month during Fall and Spring semesters at the University of Illinois.

    The Spurlock Museum is located at 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL.

    Full schedule for Fall 2010 is listed below.  Click here for more information on the films in AsiaLENS - Fall 2010.

    Journey of a Red Fridge - Tuesday, September 7, 2010 - 7pm

    1428 - Tuesday, October 5, 2010 - 7pm

    Unmistaken Child - Tuesday, November 2, 2010 - 7pm

    Burma VJ - December 7, 2010 - 7pm

  • Can't Go Native? - New MPG film title now available on DVD.

    Can't Go Native? is the latest title by David Plath released by MPG. 

    Can't Go Native? is a portrait of anthropologist Keith Brown’s ongoing involvement through the evolution of a Northeastern Japanese community, addressing the benefits of long term research as populations continue to age.  [READ MORE...]

  • News: AEMS featured as Library of the Week!

    The Asian Educational Media Service Library was featured as Library of the Week by the Lincoln Trail Libraries System.  Read the interview with AEMS staff and see the wonderful video created by LTLS staff Michelle Ralston.  [Read more...]

  • Film Review: To Tell the Truth - The Liu Binyan Story

    This documentary film traces very well the life and career of the foremost practitioner and perhaps even the founder of the so-called reportage school of Chinese literature.  As far back as the Hundred Flowers Movement of 1956, Liu dared to stand up and challenge the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from within for not living up to its stated ideals.For his troubles, along with hundreds of thousands of other students and intellectuals, the film shows how he was purged and imprisoned for many years at the start of the CCPs Anti-Rightist Campaign of 1957. [Read more...]

  • Chat and Renew on our home page!

    AEMS Library is experimenting with some new services. Since we no longer have student assistants, we ask that you call ahead before visiting to make sure that a staff person is available for you. You can reach us at (217) 333-9597.

    To make contacting us even easier, we've added a chat box to our home page. Whenever the chat icon is green, you know we're ready to answer your questions. Just click on "Chat with AEMS" and a window will open.

    We also added a link to the home page for renewing library materials. Now you can renew your videos from the comfort of home, just by logging in with your barcode (on the back of your AEMS card) and your PIN number (last four digits of your phone number). Let us know what you think! Send an email to aems@illinois.edu

  • Fall 2009 Newsletter Online Now!

    The debut online only AEMS News and Reviews is now available for download.

  • Temporary library hours: M, W, F 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm. Please call for other times: 265-0640.

    Temporary library hours: M, W, F 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm. Please call for other times: 265-0640.