Event Date

Sunday, September 7 2008 : 2:00pm – 12:00pm

Location

The Center

Description

Banned in Beijing, out in New York! Comrades: The Chinese LGBT Film Festival is a weekend showcase of work from a gay film festival that authorities banned in Beijing. The images and words of these new filmmakers give New Yorkers a glimpse into the hidden lives of gay Chinese. The festival includes both commercial and independent work that shows the broad spectrum of lesbian, gay and transgender experience as it is lived day-to-day in China.

The old Communist term "comrade" has a secret meaning -- it's used by some gay and bisexual people in China to refer to themselves. It was taken as the title of the film festival in order to stand alongside our Chinese comrades, whose work cannot always be freely seen in their own country.

The films to be screened in Comrades were taken from two festivals organized by students in Beijing. The first film festival was in 2001. Because of the politically sensitive nature of expressing homosexuality in China, it was vaguely dubbed as a “Comrade Cultural Festival.” The authorities, not understanding the meaning of the term, approved the student activity. Planned with no budget, the event depended on the work of volunteers and all publicity posters were drawn by hand.
With the success of the opening of the 2001 festival in Beijing, the first of its kind in China, it attracted the attention of media as well as the authorities. The festival was eventually cut short by the Chinese National Security Agency.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 7:00pm

Banned by the government, East Palace, West Palace may be the first Chinese film to explore the subject of homosexuality in China. It follows A-lan, a young gay writer who was arrested for cruising a well-known haunt for homosexuals. While describing the persecution homosexuals face in Chinese society, he manages to weave a tale intent on provoking his arresting officer to question his own sexuality.

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2:00pm

Making its New York premiere, Tangtang is a film that explores the possibilities of life and the illusions of reality through the life of a transvestite performer.

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 7:45pm

Also debuting in New York is Butterfly, a film about a schoolteacher trapped in a stifling marriage whose chance encounter with a seductive singer reawakens memories of her adolescent lesbian fling and paves the road to self-discovery.

 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2:00pm

In Welcome to Destination Shanghai, filmmaker Andrew Cheng captures a city fallen victim to moral and economic decline. Through a collection of vignettes involving young male sex workers, aging actresses, born-again virgins, and others on the fringes of the sprawling city, Cheng exposes the sordid heart of a glittering metropolis once dubbed the "Paris of the East."

 

Asia Catalyst is bringing these films to New York to highlight the work of some of China's most promising young filmmakers. As an organization that supports grassroots human rights advocacy, Asia Catalyst links up with activists in Asia to inspire, create and launch innovative, self-sustaining programs and organizations that advance human rights, social justice and environmental protection. Partnering with the LGBT Center and freeDimensional, Asia Catalyst hopes to promote creative, effective campaigns for social justice in Asia by celebrating the power of film and art to inspire and catalyze change.

Price

Friday, September 5, Reception 6:00pm, Screening 7:00pm, $15

Saturday, September 6, Screening 2:00pm, $12

Saturday, September 6, Reception 6:00pm, Panel Discussion 7:00pm, Screening 7:45pm, $12

Sunday, September 7, Screening 2:00pm, $12

A weekend pass (September 5-7, 2008), $35

Tickets purchased for 10 or more will receive their tickets at discounted price of $10 per ticket. Please contact Yojani Hernandez at via phone (212-620-7310) or email (yhernandez@gaycenter.org). 

For more information, visit http://www.asiacatalyst.org/comrades.html
For tickets, visit http://www.gaycenter.org/node/796

Purchase

Advanced ticket sales are closed. Please purchase tickets at the door.

 

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