Under Mao's Red Sun: China's Cultural Revolution on Film Continues Saturday, October 18, 2008, 7:00 pm
RED ART
Directed by Hu Jie, Ai Xiaoming
China. 2008. 70 min. DVcam. Under Mao's leadership, art was made to serve the "workers, peasants, soldiers, and the cause of socialism." A large amount of artwork, including billboard-scaled paintings and mass-produced posters, was created to promote the Party's ideology. In this film, the filmmakerstwo of China's most active independent documentary filmmakerstalk to artists, including Liu Chunhua (who created the famous painting-turned-poster Mao Goes to Anyuan) about their participation. Other interview subjects include former Red Guards, academics, and collectors of Cultural Revolution relics and memorabilia who discuss the significance of these artworks then and now. Director Hu Jie in person for Q&A. (In Chinese with English subtitles.)
Exhibition Opening Lecture: Inside the World of Islamic Calligrapher Mary McWilliams, Harvard Art Museum, Arthur M. Sackler Museum Tuesday, October 21 at 6:00 pm  In Islamic culture calligraphy has retained its status as the quintessential art form, and calligraphers are considered the most highly esteemed artists. According to Islamic tradition the first thing created by God was the pen, and the practice of calligraphy constituted an expression of piety. Co-curator Mary McWilliams, Norma Jean Calderwood Curator of Islamic and Later Indian Art, Harvard Art Museum, Arthur M. Sackler Museum gives an introduction to the exhibitions "Traces of the Calligrapher: Islamic Calligraphy in Practice,
ca. 1600-1900" and "Writing the Word of God: Calligraphy and the Qur'an." Members-only opening lecture. Free admission. Advance registration highly recommended.
Shanghai Quartet & Friends Thursday-Friday, October 24-25, 2008 at 8:00 pm  One of the world's most outstanding string quartets presents works by contemporary Chinese composers including Chen Li, Bright Sheng, Zhou Long and Chinese folk songs from the Cultural Revolution period. Joined by guest musicians Wang Guowei (on erhu, October 24 and 25) and Min Xiao Fen (on pipa, October 25).
Originally formed in Shanghai, this versatile ensemble is known for their passionate musicality, virtuosic technique, and multicultural innovations. The Shanghai Quartet melds the delicacy of Eastern music with the power of Western repertoire, from traditional Chinese folk music to the most challenging classical works. (Photo by Jean-Luc Bernard)
"An ensemble with such virtuosity and style
[the] Shanghai Quartet holds audiences breathless." The Washington Post.
Watch interview with First Violinist Weigang Li online here.
Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom: Creativity and the Revolution Panel Discussion Sunday, October 26, 2008, 3:00 pm Journey to the past for first-hand accounts from artists who experienced the turbulent Cultural Revolution. Artists explain how the revolution has affected their subsequent creative lives over the past three decades. Panelists include First Violinist of Shanghai Quartet Weigang Li, choreographer/dancer Yin Mei, and visual artist Hongtu Zhang.
Postponed - New Dates to be Announced Yin Mei Dance - Empty Tradition: City of Peonies/City of Paper -- Excerpts  Experience an exhilarating performance that merges personal history, contemporary dance, and visual art. Choreographer and performer Yin Mei weaves the story of her experiences during the Cultural Revolution into a collaborative duet with Tibetan dancer Sang Jijia. They are joined by art/technologist Christopher Salter in presenting an excerpt from their new work "City of Paper" and an excerpt from Yin Mei's older work "Empty Tradition."
Santouri
Directed by Dariush Mehrjui
Iran. 2007. 106min. 35mm
Thursday, November 13 2008, 7:00 pm
 Celebrated Iranian filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui (The Cow, The Pear Tree) will premier his latest film Santouri. Originally approved by the Iranian authorities and shown at the government-sponsored Fajr Film Festival, Santouri won the Best Actor and Audience Award. Yet it was banned indefinitely before its scheduled opening in Tehran. The film features two popular stars, Bahram Radan and Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies), as a musician couple whose deep love for each other is no match for a devastating addiction to heroin. ((In Persian with English subtitles)
"Santouri the Music Man, a harrowing account of a greatly gifted artist's slide into heroin addiction, is another sweeping yet incisive film from Dariush Mehrjui, one of Iran's most accomplished and courageous filmmakers for four decades." Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Q&A with Dariush Mehrjui moderated by Jamsheed Akrami, Film Professor, William Paterson University after the screening, followed by reception.
With support from the Iranian-American Society of New York and The NY Persian Parade
Around New York Author Ian Buruma- The China Lover Thursday, October 16 at 6:30 pm Location: Japan Society, 333 East 47 Street, New York, NY 10017 The actress Yoshiko Yamaguchi's life reflects a host of tensions that embody the development of modern Japan. Japanese by nationality, Yamaguchi was born in 1920 in Manchuria and became a "Chinese" film star, known as Ri Koran. In this program, Ian Buruma, a scholar of Japanese film, and the author of the new novel "The China Lover" explores Yamaguchi's eventful life the personality, the actress and the political figure. Moderated by Tom Vick, Film Programmer, Freer and Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian Institution. Followed by a reception. $10-$8 Japan Society/Asia Society members, $5 seniors/ students. To register please click http://www.japansociety.org/event_detail?eid=75d46add Or call Japan Society at 212-715-1258 Eiko & Koma
October 28-November 2, 2008
Tuesday Wednesday at 7:30
Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm
Sunday at 2:00pm
Location: The Joyce Theater -175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street, NYC
 See Eiko & Koma, joined by two young Cambodian performers Charian and Peace, in their visually stunning performance of Hunger. A passionate portrayal of primal urges, these internationally celebrated artists draw you in with their intensity as they portray the universal experience of hunger. Hunger for love, hunger for nourishment, hunger for life. Featuring live Japanese, Tibetan and Indonesian folk music as well as live painting, this riveting performance will move you like no other. (Photo by Takahiro Haneda)
Hunger is a Joyce Theater commission.
Co-commissioned by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
Produced by Inta, Inc. in association with Asia Society. Tickets: $39, $25, $19 To register please visit www.joyce.org or call The Joyce Theater at 212-242-0800
Special Discount:
Mention "Cultural Code" to receive 25% discount on $39 or $25 tickets (available on phone or walk-in purchases only). Valid for all performances. Tickets subject to availability. No refunds or exchanges. Four tickets maximum per order. Not valid in combination with any other offer or for prior sales. Offer expires Sunday, 11/2/08. | 
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