Agent/Advocate: Brave Creators
Our AGENT/ADVOCATE section highlights a select crop of visionaries who dare to tap into the most controversial and sensitive issues of our time. More than merely seeking provocation, these artists push their audiences to question troubling political, economic and cultural realities.
March 16, 2013
When Night Falls
Acclaimed director Ying Liang, “one of the world’s best young filmmakers” (The New Yorker), dramatizes the controversial real-life tale of Yang Jia, a young man who stabbed six policemen to death in Shanghai after being abused by officers. “A movie China doesn’t want you to see” (The New Yorker).
Land of Hope
An earthquake and nuclear crisis forces two Japanese families to decide what is worth sacrificing in the name of safety. Alternately naturalistic and surreal, this first feature inspired by the 2011 Tohoku-Fukushima disaster shows how love and loyalty can put people on opposite sides of the evacuation border. From the director of Suicide Club and Love Exposure.
March 17, 2013
Reluctant Fundamentalist
Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist chronicles the life of a Pakistani man altered by 9/11. From New York City in 2001 to Lahore ten years later, Changez (Riz Ahmed) loses his grip on the American Dream and ends up disillusioned with the country he used to love.
12:00 pm
Midnight’s Children
Auteur Deepa Mehta (Water, SFIAAFF ’06) returns to the festival with her much-anticipated collaboration with writer Salman Rushdie, an adaptation of his award-winning novel Midnight’s Children. Born at the exact moment of India’s independence, Saleem leads “midnight’s children,” those born in India’s first hour, all with magical powers.
6:00 pm
Old Romances
“Old places are like old lovers to me, you never forget them,” says director Royston Tan. In this sequel to the documentary Old Places, Tan takes us on a fond outing to experience Singapore through the recollections of everyday citizens.
881
Singapore’s resident bad-boy Royston Tan pays tribute to his country’s kitschiest love—getai, stage musicals that are part small-time Vegas revues and full-time campy fun—in this delirious comedy involving the Papaya Sisters, who dream of winning a national contest.
7:45 pm
March 20, 2013
15
High-velocity angst in an artificial Eden, Royston Tan’s irreverent first feature dredges up an underworld of teen dropouts, druggies and dead-enders in Singapore. The screening of 15 will be followed by a conversation between Royston Tan and the critic/artist/filmmaker Valerie Soe.
7:00 pm
March 21, 2013
Indian Bastards from Hell (formerly Das Racist)
After the West-Coast premiere of Dosa Hunt, stay for a Q&A with filmmaker Amrit Singh as well as a special set by Indian Bastards from Hell. Mix and mingle with special guests and be prepared for some delicious treats—including, you guessed it, mouth-watering DOSA! Take a moment to see the Asian Art Museum’s newest exhibition, China’s Terracotta Warriors. A perfect convergence of film, music, art and food: this is an event you cannot miss.
Co-presented by CAAM and the Asian Art Museum. Ticket details on page.
6:00 pm
When The Bough Breaks
Two young girls and their brother struggle to improve their lives—with little to no help from their parents—in this powerful, unblinking documentary on the underclass in China, directed by one of China’s top female filmmakers. Winner, Best Documentary film, 2012 Millenium Festival. This screening is presented in partnership with the Oakland Museum of California.
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