A production of China Century Entertainment, Inc., Celebration of Chinese Cinema, 2001 will run at Village East Cinemas (187 Second Ave. @ 12th St.) from February 1-8, 2001 and Chelsea Cinemas (23rd between 7th and 8th Ave.) from February 9-15, 2001.
 

From the official press release:   Celebration of Chinese Cinema 2001... will lead a full fledged North American Tour of 50 cutting-edge Chinese films to "further China Century's mission to present a nuanced version of China's historical, political, economic and cultural relevance to Americans", according to President, David Buckley. These re-mastered pristine prints include modern English subtitles and new translations. Together, they honor China¹É°É°É°É(s 50th anniversary with films that span the past 50 years covering China's history from ancient to modern. This collection of crowd-pleasers represents a wide range of genres, including action/adventure, historical drama, romance, and cinema verite, that promise to educate and entertain.   Film highlights, include "Outcast" (Directed by Mr. Yao Shougang) a tragic saga, which like Joan Chen's "Xiu Xiu," tells the story of a young girl in the midst of the Cultural Revolution who suffers from rejection by traditional patriarchal Chinese society as she takes on the task of raising a young boy alone; "A Soul Haunted by Painting" (Directed by Ms. Huang Shuqin) explores the true story of a young woman painter named Pan Yuliang who flees to Paris to seek the artistic freedom of which she is deprived in traditional China, eventually achieving great recognition with her work "Bathing Woman"; "Woman Human Demon" chronicles the story of a girl¹É°É°É°É(s coming of age in the Peking Opera Company as she becomes the first woman to play one of the great male mythical characters; "The Swordsman in Double-Flag Town" (Directed by Mr. He Ping), a classic swordsman story of honor and revenge that follows a man who lives out his father's dying wish to claim his bride, but when he kills a man who attempts to rape his her, he unleashes the anger of Lethal Swordsman, the rapist's brother and the most feared swordsman in town.; "The Silk Road," (Directed by Wang Xinjun) is a powerful historical account of well known explorer and diplomat, Zhang Qian who brought the Great Han Dynasty's civilization to the Western regions.   This dynamic program, featuring special panel discussions, insider screenings, educational screenings, (NYU, Princeton, Columbia), live entertainment, celebrity hosted galas and an invite only dinner with dignitaries will culminate in a special concluding program, entitled "Made in America". Led by NYU film Professor, Richard Brown, this provocative program investigates Chinese-US relations by challenging 9 Chinese Directors to shoot their impressions of New York City in one day.