Archive--1998--

College to co-host Chinese film festival
by Jacob Nesheim

City College will co-host "A Celebration of Chinese Film: Five Decades of Outstanding Chinese Cinema," set for Friday and Saturday.

City College professors Peter Haslund and Joe White organized the special, free event. Haslund, who has taken several "Study Abroad" programs to China, said the festival would offer students a new look at China.

"I think the film festival is going to be a wonderful thing," Haslund said. "When I've taken trips to China, my students always come home with a new concept of the world and culture." Haslund said being familiar with other countries reduces the likelihood of going to war with them.

Sarah Aresco, studying biology at City College, thinks the festival is a perfect tool to aid international relations.

"The films being shown are all going to be really good," she said. "I think that they will let people see that human nature is the same no matter where you're from. This is incredibly important. If the world could only understand how much everybody has in common with each other, I bet it would be a much safer and sounder place to live."

On Friday there will be two movies at the Fiesta Five Theatre. The first, "Red River Valley," will be shown at 9:30 a.m. The movie was filmed in Tibet and is the true story of how the British invaded Tibet in an effort to "civilize" them.

Following this, at 11:45 a.m., "Boys and Girls" will begin. This is the story of high school friends, their families and teachers who are faced with problems in a rapidly changing China.

This film will be followed by an informal lucheon with Chinese filmmakers. The event will then travel

to City College for the remainder of the day.

At 1:30 p.m. there will be a panel discussion in the Fe Bland Forum with Chinese film industry members. After the discussion, "The Story of Qui Ju," directed by Zhang Yimou, will be shown.

The internationally recognized director will give an introduction to his film. Haslund called Yimou an exciting part of the festival. He is China's equivalent to Oliver Stone or Steven Spielberg.

On Saturday there will be two more movies played at the Fiesta Five. "Concerto of Life" will be shown at 9 a.m. This is the story of a young pianist's struggle during revolutionary times. He wants to be a musician, but "western" idears are not accepted by the people of his country. This movie features the music of Rachmaninof.

At 10:45 a.m. "The Opium War" will be shown. This visually compelling movie has a cast of thousands. It is the story of how the British stole Hong Kong. Following this film, the festival heads back to City College.

"Live at Peace," the story of an eccentric, old woman, will be shown in the Fe Bland Forum at 2:30 p.m. The woman's life is changed dramatically with the help of a caretaker.