AEMS News

AAS 2021 - CALL FOR FILMS

Nov 24, 2020 11:30 am142 views

Established as an Association for Asian Studies (AAS) conference program in 2011, AAS Film Expo is curated and organized by the Asian Educational Media Service (AEMS), a program of the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Due to the continued uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the AAS 2021 Annual Conference is being presented March 21-26, 2021 in an entirely online format on an Eastern Standard Time schedule.

Documentary and independent films on issues reflecting contemporary life in Asia will be presented throughout the dates of the conference with on-demand, asynchronous viewing options. Access to the films will be offered for registered attendees of both the free and paid areas of the virtual conference. Films will only be available to view during the six days of the conference.

CALL FOR FILMS - AAS Film Expo 2020

Oct 30, 2019 10:30 am72 views

The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) annually hosts the premier North American conference of Asia scholars devoted to scheduled programs of scholarly papers, roundtable discussions, workshops, and panel sessions on a wide range of issues in research and teaching, and on Asian affairs in general. The upcoming AAS conference is scheduled on March 19-22, 2020 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts.

AAS Film Expo was established as a conference program in 2011 by the Asian Educational Media Service (AEMS), a program of the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Documentary and independent films on issues reflecting contemporary life in Asia are projected in a dedicated screening room with a schedule running from Thursday through Saturday. An “on demand” screening area allows additional viewing opportunities for attendees who miss scheduled screening times.

We welcome the submission of films related to Asia produced by scholars and independent filmmakers. Criteria utilized in the selection process include timeliness, broad appeal to the scholarly community, and examples of new field work. All films presented in the conference are promoted in a special AAS Film Expo booklet which includes contact information for distributors or filmmakers who self-distribute. In addition to the Film Expo booklet distributed to conference attendees, film listings are included in the AAS Annual Conference Program Addendum and on the AEMS website: http://aems.illinois.edu. When possible, short post-screening Q&A’s are arranged with filmmakers or film representatives in attendance or via online video conferencing. We can not offer funding to attend the screening.

AsiaLENS: Drokpa: Nomads of Tibet

Oct 30, 2019 9:45 am60 views

AsiaLENS Screening
Tuesday, November 12, 2019 - 7pm
Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL

Drokpa: Nomads of Tibet
Directed by Yan Chun Su. 2016. 79 minutes.

Post-screening discussion with Hilary Brady Morris,
PhD Candidate, Musicology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Presented as part of International Week.

The grasslands of the Tibetan plateau are home to the source of Asia’s major rivers. Nearly half of humanity depends on this water for survival. Tibetan nomads, known as DROKPA have roamed on this land for thousands of years. Set in the high plateau of eastern Tibet, Drokpa is an intimate portrait of the lives and struggles of an extended family of Tibetan nomads whose life in on the cusp of irreversible change as once lush grasslands are rapidly turning into deserts, revealing the unprecedented environmental and sociopolitical forces that are pushing the Tibetan nomads to the edge of their existence.

AAS 2019 FILM EXPO | MARCH 21-23 | Denver, Colorado

Mar 9, 2019 9:45 am285 views

Mar 12 | AsiaLENS Screening | The Song Collector

Mar 9, 2019 9:30 am45 views

The Song Collector
Directed by Erik Koto.
2016. 54 minutes.

Introduction and post-screening discussion with Stefan P. Fiol Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019 - 7pmSpurlock Museum, Knight Auditorium, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL

AsiaLENS featured story at readbuzz.com

Sep 11, 2018 8:30 am26 views

AsiaLENS embraces Asian storytelling

by Taylor Cygan, September 10, 2018

The AsiaLENS film series has long been a staple at the University of Illinois, providing viewers with international films often unknown or fairly inaccessible to those stateside.

Go to readbuzz.com article

AsiaLENS screening @ Spurlock museum - October 18

Oct 13, 2016 7:00 pm0 views

Threads: The Art and Life of Surayia Rahman
Directed by Cathy Stevulak. Produced by Cathy Stevulak and Leonard Hill.
2015. 30 minutes. In Bengali and English with English subtitles.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016 - 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana IL

A special pre-screening introduction by co-producer Leonard Hill will be presented by the Spurlock Museum Guild Lecture and Performance Series. Madhu Viswanathan, the Diane and Steven N. Miller Centennial Chair in Business, will lead a post-screening discussion with Leonard Hill.

Special Engagement: Join a discussion with co-producer Leonard Hill earlier in the day at the Asian American Cultural Center's (1210 West Nevada Street, Urbana, IL) Food for Thought program at 12:00 pm.

A self-trained and passionate artist, Surayia Rahman is an unconventional Bengali woman who frees herself, other women and families from poverty and social hardships, by guiding hundreds of underprivileged women in Bangladesh to create masterworks of exquisitely hand-embroidered art that has been gifted to dignitaries and admired in collections throughout the world.

For more information on this and future events: http://www.aems.illinois.edu/events/asialens.html

AsiaLENS Screening @ Spurlock Museum - Nov 10

Nov 10, 2015 11:00 am0 views

Bitter Seeds
by Micha X. Peled

Tusday, November 10, 2015 - 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana

Description:
Bitter Seeds examines the epidemic of suicides among India's cotton farmers who are deeply in debt after switching to genetically modified seeds.

For more information, please visit the AsiaLENS Website.

CALL FOR FILMS - AAS Film Expo 2016

Oct 15, 2015 8:00 am300 views

The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) annually hosts the premier North American conference of Asia scholars devoted to scheduled programs of scholarly papers, roundtable discussions, workshops, and panel sessions on a wide range of issues in research and teaching, and on Asian affairs in general. The upcoming AAS conference is scheduled for March 31-April 3, 2016 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Washinton State Convention Center, WA.

AAS Film Expo was established as a conference program in 2011 by the Asian Educational Media Service (AEMS), an outreach program of the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Documentary and independent films on issues reflecting contemporary life in Asia are projected in a dedicated screening room with a schedule running from Thursday through Saturday. An “on demand” screening area allows additional viewing opportunities for attendees who miss scheduled screening times.

We welcome the submission of films related to Asia produced by scholars and independent filmmakers. Criteria utilized in the selection process include timeliness, broad appeal to the scholarly community, and examples of new field work. All films presented in the conference are promoted in a special AAS Film Expo booklet which includes contact information for distributors or filmmakers who self-distribute.

In addition to the Film Expo booklet distributed to conference attendees, film listings are included in the AAS Annual Conference Program Addendum and on the AEMS website: http://aems.illinois.edu. When possible, short post-screening Q&A’s are arranged with filmmakers or film representatives in attendance or via online video conferencing.

For more information, please download the AAS Film Expo Submission Form.

*** DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS DECEMBER 7, 2015 ***

News and Reviews - Summer 2015, Issue #57

Oct 6, 2015 8:00 am0 views

The Summer 2016 issue of News and Reviews is available online here.

Issue #57 features:

Letter From The Editor

Film Review: Golden Gate Girls

Film Review: Mrs. Judo

Film Review: Spilled Water

Website: Digital Asia

Support AEMS

News and Reviews Archive

About AEMS

LIKE us on Facebook

Oct 1, 2015 8:00 am134 views

You can follow our news and events on Facebook.
We're looking forward to the next AsiaLENS screening on Nov. 10.
Our AAS Film Expo 2016 call for films is now open!

AEMS Library New Releases

Apr 24, 2015 8:00 am26 views

AEMS is happy to announce that eleven new DVDs have been added to our documentary film collection.

Browse the new titles below. For more information about each film, including whether a film has been reviewed in News & Reviews, click for links to our database. To borrow one of the titles, please email our librarian, Kristin, at aems@illinois.edu or proceed to our catalog if you have a library account.

Ai Weiwei the Fake Case
A film by Andreas Johnsen. 2014. 89 minutes.

After 81 days of solitary detention world famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is put under house arrest. He suffers from sleeping disorder and memory loss, 18 cameras are monitoring his studio and home, police agents follow his every move, and heavy restrictions from the Kafkaesque Chinese authorities weigh him down. Journalists, the art world and his family all want a piece of him and on top of that he is met with a gigantic lawsuit from the Chinese government, soon to be named ‘The Fake Case’. Ai Weiwei is shaken, but during the year on probation he steadily finds new ways to provoke and challenge the mighty powers of the Chinese authorities in his fight for human rights. Ai Weiwei strongly believes that China is ready for change. And he will do everything to make it happen.

Bitter Seeds
Directed by Micha X. Peled. 2012. 88 minutes.

Bitter Seeds examines the epidemic of suicides among India’s cotton farmers who are deeply in debt after switching to genetically modified seeds.

Embrace
A film by Dan Smyer Yu and Pema Tashi. 2011. 55 minutes.

Through the narratives of a father and a son, two tantric yogis of two generations, this film illustrates both the transcendental and inter-sentient dimensions of Tibetan sacred sites and of their ecological significance. It documents a ritualized relationship of people and the place of their dwelling and natural surroundings.

Memory of Forgotten War
A film by Deann Borshay Liem and Ramsay Liem. 2013. 37 minutes.

Unknown or forgotten by most Americans, the Korean War divided a people with several millenniums of shared history. Memory of Forgotten War conveys the human costs of military conflict through deeply personal accounts of four Korean American survivors whose experiences and memories embrace the full circle of the war: its outbreak and the day-to struggle for survival, separation from family members across the DMZ, the aftermath of a devastated Korean peninsula, and immigration to the United States. Each person reunites with relatives in North Korea conveying beyond words the meaning of four decades of family loss. Their stories belie the notion that war ends for civilians when the guns are silenced an foreshadow the future of countless others displaced by ongoing military conflict today.

The Mosuo Sisters
Directed by Marlo Poras and Yu Ying Wu Chou. 2013. 80 minutes.

The Mosuo Sisters follows Juma and Latso, young women from one of the last remaining matriarchal societies, as they are thrust into the worldwide economic downturn and lose their jobs. Determined to keep their family out of poverty, one sister sacrifices her dreams and stays home to farm, while the other leaves to try her luck in the city.

Returning Souls
Directed by Tai-Li Hu. 2012. 85 minutes.

In this documentary film by Tai-Li Hu of Academia Sinica, Taiwan, a unique case of repatriation unfolds as the villagers of the matrilineal Amis tribe in Taiwan recover the ancestral souls residing in the pillars of their ancestral house, toppled by a typhoon and now on display in a museum. Bringing back the ancestral souls, begins the difficult reconstruction of a new ancestral house.

Somewhere Between
A film by Linda Goldstein Knowlton. 2012. 88 minutes.

Of the roughly 80,000 girls who have been adopted from China since 1989, a decade after China implemented its One Child Policy, the film intimately follows four teenagers: Haley, Jenna, Anna and Fang. These four wise-beyond-their-years yet typical American Teens reveal a heartbreaking sense of self-awareness as they attempt to answer the uniquely human question, "Who am I?" Issues of belonging, race and gender are brought to life through these articulate subjects, who approach life with honesty and open hearts.

Surviving the Tsunami ‒ My Atomic Aunt
A film by Kyoko Miyake. 2013. 52 minutes.

Film director Kyoko Miyake remembered Namie, a fishing village ravaged by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, as her childhood paradise. Revisiting her family’s hometown after 10 years abroad, Miayke’s multilayered documentary examines the disaster’s profound personal, social and environmental impact.

What's for Dinner?
A film by Jian Yi. 2013. 29 minutes.

Meat is now central to billions of people's daily needs. The environmental, climate, public health, ethical, and human impacts are enormous and remain largely undocumented. What's for Dinner? explores this terrain in fast-globalizing China through the eyes of a retired pic farmer in rural Jiangxi province; a vegan restauranteur in Beijing; a bullish young livestock entrepreneur; and residents of the province known as the "world's factory" contending with water polluted by wastes from pig factory farms. They personalize the vast trends around them, in a country on the cusp of becoming a world power. Given that every fifth person in the world in Chinese, what the Chinese eat and how China produces its food, affects not only China but the world too.

Tales of the Waria
Directed by Kathy Huang. 2011. 56 minutes.

Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Muslim population. It is also home to a community of transgendered individuals known as warias, biological men who live openly as women. In this eye-opening PBS documentary, four warias search for romance and intimacy. Along the way, they encounter unique obstacles that force them to make extraordinary sacrifices to keep the ones they love.

To The Light
Directed by Yuanchen Liu. 2012. 69 minutes.

To the Light delves into the hopes and struggles of the mining families of Sichuan, in western China. The father of two, Luo originally became a coal miner to pay the fine for violating China’s One Child Policy. The mines are notoriously dangerous and thousands are killed every year. Going deep underground, the film exposes the perils faced by these miners, the slim rewards, and dire consequences when things go wrong. In spite of the risks, the working poor continue to flock to the mines, unable to heed the warning that earning a living wage may also mean dying for it.

CALL FOR FILMS: Association of Asian Studies (AAS)

Nov 5, 2010 9:00 am742 views

AEMS at the Association of Asian Studies (AAS)

We are pleased to announce that at the next joint AAS-ICAS meeting in Honolulu March 31-April 3, the Asian Educational Media Service (AEMS) will be organizing the non-stop video screenings held in conjunction with the meeting. This year all screenings will be held in a state-of-the-art 300 seat theater at the conference site, and we hope to be able to invite some of the filmmakers for Q&A. We are interested in films related to Asia which you may want to suggest. Films produced in Asia are welcome, but they must have English narration or subtitles.

About twenty to thirty videos will be selected for scheduled showings. Criteria utilized in the selection process include timeliness, broad appeal to the scholarly community, and examples of new field work. All films included in the program will be listed in the AAS Annual Meeting Program Addendum and described in handouts or brochures that will be available at the meeting. We will also supply a list of distributors and contact information. Films the length of a typical class period (40 minutes or less), or which have segments the length of a class period, are encouraged (but are by no means necessary).

If you have seen a film you would like to recommend, please let the filmmaker (or AEMS) know. Filmmakers wishing to apply can find the instructions and application form here: http://www.aems.illinois.edu/downloads/AAS_Submission.pdf . The deadline is for submission December 10th, 2010.

AsiaLENS Screening - Nov 2 - Unmistaken Child

Oct 22, 2010 9:00 am0 views

Unmistaken Child

by Nati Baratz, 2008, 102 minutes.
In English, Tibetan, Hindi and Nepali with English subtitles.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 7:00 pm
***Presented as part of Asian Film Festival 2010: Visualizing Tibet***
Spurlock Museum, Knight Auditorium, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL

Discussion led by Alexander L. Mayer (Associate Professor, East Asian Languages and Cultures and Religious Studies, UI)

Description:

Unmistaken Child follows a Tibetan monk’s four-year search for the reincarnation of his beloved teacher, which leads to a remarkable quest on foot, mule and even helicopter, through breathtaking landscapes and remote traditional Tibetan villages. Along the way, he listens to stories about young children with special characteristics, and performs rarely seen ritualistic tests designed to determine the likelihood of reincarnation.

Resources
Official website: Unmistaken Child

Unmistaken Child Film Trailer

Reviews
New York Times

Awards
Full Frame Inspiration Award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2009
Anne Dellinger Special Jury Award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2009
The Charles E. Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award (Honorable Mention), Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2009
Best Documentary Feature, River Run Film Festival, 2009
Special Jury Prize, Independent Film Festival of Boston, 2009

Asian Film Festival 2010: Visualizing Tibet | November 2-7

Oct 2, 2010 8:00 am1 views

AEMS and the IL/IN East Asian National Resource Center present:
Asian Film Festival 2010: Visualizing Tibet

November 2 - 7, 2010
Tuesday through Sunday

Spurlock Museum
600 S. Gregory Street
Urbana, IL

With a special Thursday night film event at:
The Art Theater / 126 W. Church Street, Champaign, IL

All films are in Chinese or Tibetan with English subtitles.
FREE ADMISSION
Seating will be first come, first served, and theater will be cleared between screenings.

Special Guests:
Elliot Sperling, Associate Professor, Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Arjia Rinpoche, Director, Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center, Bloomington, IN
Lynn True, Film Director, Summer Pasture

Co-sponsors: Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH), Weber State University, Kham Film Project, AsiaPacificFilms, Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies UI

Supported with funding from the U.S. Department of Education National Research Centers Program

Film Festival Schedule

Tuesday, November 2
7:00pm - Unmistaken Child (Nati Baratz, 2008, 102 min)

Thursday, November 4 (Art Theater, Champaign,IL)
7:30pm - Kundun (Martin Scorsese, 1997, 135 min)

Friday, November 5
7:00pm - Summer Pasture (Lynn True and Nelson Walker, 2010, 86 min)
9:15pm - Serfs(Nongnu)( Li Jun, 1963, 88 min)

Saturday, November 6
1:00pm - Milarepa (Neten Chokling, 2006, 90 min)
3:15pm - Tantric Yogi (Chenaktsang Dorje Tsering, 2005, 50 min)
7:00pm - The Search (Pema Tseden, 2009, 112 min)
9:20pm – Song of Tibet (Xie Fei, 2000, 95 min)

Sunday, November 7
1:00pm - The Search (Pema Tseden, 2009, 112 min)
3:15pm - Milarepa (Neten Chokling, 2006, 90 min)

Chinese Cinema from the Fifth Generation to the d-Generation

Sep 17, 2010 8:00 am0 views

***** SPECIAL EVENT *****

Chinese Cinema from the Fifth Generation to the d-Generation
Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 3:30 pm

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

Kevin Lee, Vice President of Programming and Education of dGenerate Films, will present a special lecture on contemporary, independent film and filmmakers in China.

Free and open to the public.

dGenerate Films Website

AsiaLENS Screening - Oct 5 - 1428

Sep 17, 2010 8:00 am0 views

1428
by Haibin Du, 2009, 117 minutes.
In Mandarin with English subtitles.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum, Knight Auditorium, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL

Discussion led by Kevin Lee (Vice President of Programming and Education, dGenerate Films).

Description:

Awarded as the Best Documentary at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival, 1428 is a stunning exploration of the 8.0 earthquake that shook China’s Sichuan province in 2008, causing 70,000 deaths and 375,000 casualties. Directed by Du Haibin, 1428 goes beyond the filtered official visits portrayed in mainstream media, documenting the aftermath some seven months after the Great Sichuan Earthquake took place at exactly 14:28 on May 12, 2008. While villagers are preparing for the Lunar New Year, and promises made for housing everyone through the winter seem tough to keep, a never-ending parade of tourists arrive with New Year‘s Day, buying DVDs of the most horrific scenes, souvenir albums of corpses being pulled out of the ruins, and photo-taking in front of Beichuan, the town most severely hit, where tens of thousands of people perished in seconds.

Resources:

Official website: dGenerate Films has film descripton, credits, and trailer

Global Lens International Film Series at University YMCA

Sep 1, 2010 8:00 am0 views

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

Sep 1, 2010 8:00 am2 views

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

Aug 25, 2010 9:00 am4 views

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

Jul 8, 2010 9:00 am0 views

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.

Jul 8, 2010 8:00 am11 views

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!

Mar 31, 2010 8:00 am0 views

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

Mar 23, 2010 11:00 am18 views

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!

Feb 9, 2010 8:00 am0 views

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!

Nov 4, 2009 4:00 pm0 views

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

New Essay: Teaching Chinese History in the Women of Chinese Cinema

Jun 23, 2009 9:00 am0 views

New Essay: Teaching Chinese History in the Women of Chinese Cinema

Summer 2009 Newsletter now available!

Jun 9, 2009 9:00 am0 views

Summer 2009 Newsletter now available!

Summer Hours Begin in June

Jun 1, 2009 8:00 am0 views

Beginning this week, the AEMS library switches to reduced hours for the summer:

Monday - Friday, 9 - 4
Our Saturday hours are discontinued indefinitely.

Schools out, but the movies are still here - drop in and check out those films you've been meaning to see! And don't forget about our extensive collection of curriculum units when you're planning for fall.

Community Event for Teens and Adults: Introducton to Anime. Wednesday, April 29, 4:00-8:30 pm at the Urbana Free Library

Apr 16, 2009 8:00 am0 views

Community Event for Teens and Adults: Introducton to Anime. Wednesday, April 29, 4:00-8:30 pm at the Urbana Free Library, Lewis Auditorium. This is an event for high school students and teachers that is open to the public. The featuring invited speaker Melek Ortabasi, with presentations by David Fleming and Rachel Lenz. This event is co-sponsored by the Urbana Free Library and AEMS.

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