Celebrating it’s 8th Anniversary this coming Lunar New Year, the Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies along with Ateneo Celadon, will again be celebrating this year’s Chinese New Year with the Spring Film Festival 2014.
What began in 2007 and was first celebrated in Trinoma, and moved to Edsa Shangri-la Plaza the year after (and has been celebrated there ever since), the Spring Film Festival has reached out to places outside of Metro Manila like Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and CDO. This year, Naga, Dagupan and Baguio join in on the Chinese New Year celebration, with the showcase of 8 Chinese films.
Other places where this year’s Spring Film Festival will be showcased (schedule for these places still unavailable, as of posting):
- FDCP’s Cinematheques
- Ateneo de Davao
- Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan
- University of Baguio
- University of San Carlos
- Philippine Universal Institute
- Ateneo de Iloilo
When it first began, Shangri-la was offering a discounted fee of Php100 for each film, which I think later on decreased to Php50, and has later moved on to become a free-admission event. The number of Chinese movies has also increased, from 4, to 6, and now to 8!
Each movie is in Mandarin, with English subtitles, so as to maintain authenticity and originality. Sometimes, subtitles or dubbing just don’t do the original dialogue justice.
Official poster above care of Ateneo Celadon.
OTHER ACTIVITIES:
Chinese Painting Exhibit – January 24 to February 6
Chinese Painting and Crafts Workshop – February 1 (from 2-4PM)
These are the rundown of movies that will be presented in this year’s Spring Film Festival..
Snowfall in Taipei (Running Time: 100 minutes)
May, a singer from mainland China, suddenly lost her voice and had conflicts with Ah Lei, her producer and secret lover. In anger, she came to Old Town of Jingtong where she met Xiao Mo, a warmhearted man. Xiao Mo helped May find a dwelling place, and introduced her to work at a local restaurant. Thanks to their constant contacts, they made a good impression with each other. May found happiness and consolation from the old streets of the small town, and her voice was getting better and better. However, May had left her heart at another place. Gradually, Xiao Mo understood that when one deliberately disappears, one wants to be looked for by others. Along with a sudden appearance of Jack, a muckraking journalist, the situation began to develop towards the uncontrolled direction.
City Monkey (Running Time: 90 minutes)
He Zhipeng is a senior student in high school who lives in a big old Beijing hutong yard with his mother and grandmother. He loves parkour, an extremely dangerous sport in most people’s eyes. With his good psychology and physique, he becomes the star player of “City Monkey” parkour club. But his mother strongly disapproves it and hopes he could focus only on his entrance exams to university. Clashes of different concepts, rebellion of the youth, and persistence to the ideal are unavoidable problems for them. What would the two generations do?
Aftershock (Running Time: 135 minutes)
Tangshan, 1976. Two seven-year-old twin children are buried under the rubble of the devastating earthquake. The rescue team explains to their mother, Li Yuanni that freeing either child will almost certainly result in the death of the other. She is forced to make the most difficult decision of her life and must choose between her children. Li Yuanni has no idea that her decision is overheard by her daughter Fang Deng, the female twin. Although she has been left behind as dead, the little girl miraculously survives for several more days before being pulled clear by another rescue team who believe that she is simply a corpse. She wakes up in the pouring rain next to the dead body of her father. Suffering from the emotional shocks of the disaster and the painful memory of her mother’s choice, Fang Deng refuses to reveal her identity. She is adopted by a middle-aged Chinese couple and years later moves to Canada to marry. Shadowed by the traumatic experiences of the earthquake and devastated by her mother’s decision to abandon her, she continues to be emotionally withdrawn throughout her adult years.
Where is My Home (Running Time: 90 minutes)
Mrs. Geng is a simple village mother who raised two children on her own. Her son made his way to the city and offers to have her come live with him and his family. Despite the improved material conditions of the city, Mrs. Geng cannot help feeling isolated and lonely. It takes some time for her children to understand how she feels, and they rebuild their family’s affection.
The Go-King and His Son (Running Time: 90 minutes)
Liu Yishou, an amateur Go player, is called by his friends “the king of Go”. Liu Yishou has been laid off quite a long time ago and now, with no other skills to make a living, teaches Go in a humble training course for children. Life has been hard, and his wife has decided to divorce him. His young son, Xiaochuan, has chosen to stay with him through his difficulties. On an unexpected occasion, Xiaochuan displayed an amazing talent for Go, and his father vowed to support him to further develop his gift for the game. They confronted challenges, but with courage, persistence and profound love between father and son, they eventually arrived at the destination towards which they were heading.
1911 Revolution (Running Time: 120 minutes)
As the country enters the new century, China is facing a crisis. Two warring factions have emerged, starvation amongst the citizens is rampant and political reforms have made matters worse. The seven year old Emperor and his mother, Empress Dowager Longyu (Joan Chen), are out of sync with people’s needs after 250 years of total power. As Huang Xing (Jackie Chan) arrives from his studies on modern warfare in Japan, he finds himself picking up his sword to lead a rebellion against the powerful Qing Dynasty and the New Army.
Let’s Fall in Love (Running Time: 90 minutes)
Tan Momo, who showed his natural gift in music in his childhood, entered the Conservatory of Music to learn to play Guqin (seven-stringed plucked instrument) smoothly. His teacher placed great hopes on him and his girlfriend Xia Fei had the greatest esteem for him. Upon their graduation, Momo, Xia Fei and other young people who cherished dreams finally walked out of the campus and began to experience the ups and downs in real life. While in front of conflicts between their ideals and family relation, love and morality, what would they choose…
Li Mi Conjecture (Running Time: 90 minutes)
Due to the intervention of her parents, taxi driver girl Li Mi had to break up with her long-term boyfriend, Fang Wen, who had disappeared from her life yet seemed to remain connected. For four years, Li Mi had continued to search for his whereabouts in a constant tug-of-war between hope and despair. An eerie murder was witnessed, leading her to a man nearly identical to her missing lover. Could he be the one she has been looking for? Her life suddenly changes. Then come terrible yet pitiful drug dealers, and irascible but highly duteous police detectives…Behind the cascades of mysteries, compromises lie still between those who were once in love.
Movie Schedule:
January 24, 2014 (Friday)
Thei-Go King and His Son – 12PM
1911 Revolution – 2:30PM
January 25, 2014 (Saturday)
Where is My Home – 12:15PM
1911 Revolution – 2:30PM
Li Mi Conjecture – 5PM
Aftershock – 7:30PM
January 26, 2014 (Sunday)
Aftershock – 12PM
Thei-Go King and His Son – 2:45PM
1911 Revolution – 5:15PM
Let’s Fall in Love – 7:45PM
January 27, 2014 (Monday)
Snowfall in Taipei – 12:30PM
City Monkey – 2:45PM
Where is My Home – 4:45PM
Aftershock – 7:30PM
January 28, 2014 (Tuesday)
Li Mi Conjecture – 1PM
Let’s Fall in Love – 3:30PM
Where is My Home – 5:30PM
1911 Revolution – 7:30PM
January 29, 2014 (Wednesday)
Li Mi Conjecture – 12:45PM
Snowfall in Taipei – 3:30PM
Aftershock – 5:45PM
Let’s Fall in Love – 8PM
January 30, 2014 (Thursday)
City Monkey – 1PM
Thei-Go King and His Son – 3PM
1911 Revolution – 5:30PM
Snowfall in Taipei – 7:45PM
January 31, 2014 (Friday)
Aftershock – 12:30PM
City Monkey – 3:15PM
1911 Revolution – 5:15PM
Where is My Home – 7:45PM
February 1, 2014 (Saturday)
Li Mi Conjecture – 12:30PM
1911 Revolution – 2:30PM
Snowfall in Taipei – 5PM
Aftershock – 7:30PM
February 2, 2014 (Sunday)
City Monkey – 12:45PM
Aftershock – 2:45PM
Let’s Fall in Love – 5:30PM
1911 Revolution – 7:30PM
For more information, please call the Ateneo Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies at (63 2) 426-6001 local 5208-5209; 5280.
For tickets, please call Shang Cineplex at (63 2) 633-2227.
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All photos and details for the event were provided by Ateneo Celadon, for promotional purposes.