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Thoughts from accross the pond…

After the last weeks screening, CUEAFS organiser and university lecturer Spencer Murphy discussed one of the important aims of the society is by exposing the audience to films from the entire spectrum of the East Asian region we are better able to examine cinema from each country within Asia in its own right and acknowledging their individual approaches and styles – rather than just “Asian” as a filmic category.

I knew that this is not just a challenge faced by UK audiences; having originally grown up in Australia I have few recollections of cinemas screening films from Asia, even those that specialised in independent or foreign productions.

What I never experienced though was how- if at all, Asian films are received and interpreted within Australian universities and what opportunities there are to critically examine them.

It’s lucky for me then that my 24 year old sister Amanda, a student at Sydney University, Australia majors in Film studies and the CUEAFS weekly film screenings gave us the opportunity to open up a new topic for discussion.

Even though we may have similar tastes, the kinds of films we have access to will surely play a huge role in shaping those opinions. What we found was that despite the many Asian cultural influences within Sydney, their major university still places very little emphasis on exploring their cinema:

“In every film course I’ve done, only 2 have included an Asian film and both were Wong Kai Wai.

There is some Asian Cinema subjects but you can’t join from a purely film discipline. The prerequisite is that you have to approach them from a major in Asian studies – so you are looking at them from within their cultural context rather than any artistic merit.”

This is where the society tries to encourage a more considered approach to viewing a film than we might usually deem necessary. We are shown films that often have limited or no general release in the UK and most of the time audiences come to a screening with no prior knowledge of the story or style.

“It’s quite difficult to seek out Asian films on your own – I wouldn’t say that on a theatrical level here you would find much outside of Jackie Chan and the most popular films you’d have to say are martial arts, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

I may be wrong but it seems there isn’t as many independent films coming out of Asia – or when they do come out they tend to be billed as ‘genre films’ and perhaps that’s the only way the distributors can find an audience for them.

I don’t think that it’s because there isn’t a demand – there just isn’t a widespread understanding of how Asian films fit in to a global tradition of cinema”

 So while watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster may be an enjoyable 2 hours, it is unlikely to challenge or inspire your opinions in any profound way. When you allow yourself to be caught entirely off guard by a film totally foreign to your preconceptions, whether you end up enjoying the film or not you will certainly remember it.

From outback to on track for Steve Cropley

From modest beginnings growing up in the rural Australian town of Broken Hill, Steve Cropley was a long way from his current title as Editor in Chief of the world’s oldest motoring magazine Autocar.

Described by him as a place where “you have to wait for things to happen”, that is precisely what he did for most of his childhood; when the towns water supply arrived by train twice a week it brought with it an introduction to the world of journalism through a delivery of magazines and international media that the young Cropley eagerly consumed.

At his Coventry Conversation on Thursday 28 January the student journalists present were as eager to know how he got his big break and in typically humble fashion, he doesn’t hesitate to admit that luck was the major factor.

He also acknowledges from experience the importance of determination, adaptability and your relationship with the reader, which he describes as “one of the real pegs in the sand”.

Since 1978 he has been based in the UK, referring to it as “the headquarters of good journalism”. He joined the 114 year old Autocar (Haymarket Publishing) in 1991 and after 35 years in the industry he has also helped establish the careers of many graduates that have made a good impression during work experience.

He admitted this is the only way they hire for the magazine but was also optimistic about the future of those formally studying the profession: “You’re in the zone and the dye will be cast in the next few years.”

While he expresses his joy for journalism as the “love of turning a phrase” his true passion is clearly in the subject matter, the cars he writes about. It is a love for the way they set you free but also “how they  an transform your life” and in respects to his career, they certainly have.

Goemon

Goemon, which was released in May last year to a less than enthusiastic reception is the 2nd film by director Kazuaki Kiriya and like its predecessor Casshern (2004), received criticism for a “style over substance” approach to storytelling. Of course without having much knowledge of the formula for martial arts fantasy films and despite little commercial success I suspect that for the keen audience, this is a big part of the appeal.

 It is 1582 and from the onset our anti hero Goemon Ishikawa (Yôsuke Eguchi) appears to be Japans answer to Robin Hood; the friend of the masses and a self proclaimed “master thief”, he slaughters his enemies with skilful ease and theatrical violence.

Naturally his airbrushed pop-star good looks mask a tortured soul and in between his grand quest he also battles many personal demons from his past that motivate him to avenge the death of his family.

Upon some minor research I discovered that the character of Goemon is based on a Japanese legend whose largely disputable origins have been the subject of many Kabuki plays – he is a true icon of Japanese culture.

 The most memorable aspect of the film is definitely lies in the visuals. More in line with a computer game or music video aesthetic, the screen is saturated with intensely bright colours that are in some cases overexposed and in sharp contrast. Kiriya uses highly stylised CGI to loosely represent historical events and Japanese traditions in a surreal setting and a heavy beating drum and classical musical score work to good effect to compliment the scale of the imagery and at the very least, make for a rich viewing experience.   

 It may sound a tad pedantic but the film would have benefited from better translation. The simplistic language and in some instances, totally inappropriate wording doesn’t do justice to the ambition of many dramatic scenes.

Then again, the exaggerated acting and cheesy dialogue may be parts of the genre that are lost on this unaccustomed viewer. Unfortunately as a result, the film really alienates a potential audience by not offering more developed characters and a less superficial experience. Aside from the epic battle scenes and choreographed sword fights, there is also a briefly explored love story but ironically enough, even at 128 minutes long many characters are not given enough screen time.

However the plot is already so convoluted from using personal flashbacks to establish the storyline and with so many characters being introduced throughout, is often difficult to follow. So much so, that I am reluctant to divulge many other details of the film as I am unsure of them myself.

London Theatre – “We are in real need of a young generation of talent”

A spirit of renewed optimism and the opportunity for unexplored career options was to be found by the attendees at the TheatreCraft event at the London Coliseum last week.

 Held on Wednesday 2 December and free to attend for anyone aged 17-25 years, the event offered over 40 taster workshops facilitated by leading theatre industry practitioners and 22 information stalls representing West-End theatres, drama schools and creative societies.

The National Skills Academy was one of the principal sponsors for this event and representing them was the Education and Curriculum Manager Robert West, who graciously spoke to me about changing perceptions to a career in the arts.

Despite the ongoing fears perpetuated by the media of declining job opportunities for new graduates and those considering degree courses for the future, West is adamant that this is an industry that has major growth potential:

“Despite the recession happening, other recessions have always shown that investment in the creative culture industry has stayed pretty steady throughout that. People will still go out to the theatre, in some cases even more so.”

The National Skills Academy is an employer-led centre that works with the government and training providers to improve skills in all sectors, one of those being Creative and Cultural skills, to provide today’s businesses with tomorrows talent.

“Creative choices is a website that is run by Creative and Cultural Skills- the skills council for the theatre industry. It is really a one stop shop for information, advice and guidance for people who want to get into the industry and those that are already in the industry.

We are a membership organisation with 180 members from large commercial operations like Wembley Arena to the independent centres like Battersea Arts Centre.”

 The aim is to shift students and other potential industry practitioners’ focus from often highly competitive and unstable careers onstage to the burgeoning opportunities available backstage, such as events production and technical roles:

“We’ve already done research which has shown that technical theatre jobs are estimated to increase significantly by 2017 as they believe there will be a short fall in technical theatre – because it’s an aging industry, technology is moving further forward and this year for the first time ever live music outsold recorded music.

So the problem actually isn’t the shows, it’s serving the show- Just looking at things like the Olympics for example, the cultural Olympics have so many events they need to put on but they haven’t got the crew for it - Often the problem for students is the lack of awareness that there are those jobs available” which events like TheatreCraft and the National Skills Academy training are trying to address.

 “You could make a very good career being a lighting technician because if you can light a theatre show, you can light a fashion show or a corporate event so you’ve got more opportunity”

The Chief Executive of the English National Opera Loretta Tomasi spoke of the greatly rewarding nature of a career in theatre in the event’s opening speech; no doubt something that is already well acknowledged by the attendees:

“I think it’s the greatest profession imaginable. It will wreak havoc on your family obligations and your social life; It’ not a TGI Friday profession but then again you won’t be sitting there looking at your watch.”

 

Breathless

It’s a rare opportunity when as a member of the “passive audience” you are offered the option to participate in the media-making process but that is exactly what is expected of you when you watch a film in a test screening.

While Ik-jun Yangs debut film, Breathless already had its world premier at Pusan International Film Festival in October 2008 their UK distribution company Terracotta films was looking for feedback on the best way to market such a complex film to a British audience.

 The film impacts on opening as the shaky camera work and fast paced editing reveal the gruesome details of a domestic assault when main character Sang-Hoon comes to the rescue of the battered woman in the street. Shockingly, he then slaps her himself, exclaiming: “Why do you just take it?”

 You might consider Ik-jun Yangs character, Sang-hoon as the anti-hero; totally devoid of any compassion or remorse and seemingly incapable of relating to others with anything other than his fists. But even from our introduction to him as brutal “debt collector” for his loan-shark boss Man-Sik, (Man-shik Jeong) we recognise that his story runs deeper than that of senseless thug.

Perhaps it is our faith in the instinctive goodness of human nature that leads us to immediately question the motives and reasons behind people’s malevolence or it may be that we are so regrettably familiar with the victim-turns-perpetrator outcome that we have come to expect it.

His tragic history unfolds through the interwoven stories of the lives affected by violence and abuse; his half-sister and nephew Hyung-in, his gangster associates and from his first confrontation and developing friendship with brash and equally foul-mouthed schoolgirl Yeon-Hee, played beautifully by Kim Gol-Bi.

While Tarrantino may even blush at the gritty scenes of savage violence and copious use of expletives, although spoken in Korean, they loose none of the confronting effect.

While Sang-hoon struggles to forgive his father, recently released from prison for the murder of his mother and sister, Yeon-Hee is also without a mother and must care for her handicapped father, a Vietnam War veteran who suffers from psychotic and aggressive episodes. It is through their exchanges that we witness a relationship of understanding and respect between men and women, something clearly lacking in their brutal and aggressive society.

Set against a minimum of musical tracks but with the resonance of every punch relayed in shocking clarity, even with its unflinchingly limitless violence it is the juxtaposed scenes of tenderness and innocence that really awaken you to the Ik-jun Yang’s message of the film.

“I want to say ‘fuck you’ to the world through my films,” he said. We feel unstable in this world because we want things to be safe all the time, but we need to be courageous,”

The semi-autobiographical Breathless was truly a labour of love for Ik-June Yang who sold his house, worked with friends and scrounged for money to create an honest exposé of the cyclical nature of violence and what it takes to escape it.

 

Tom Hunter – “ART HAS GIVEN ME A VOICE”

Tom Hunters belief in the power of art and in particular photography to invoke social change meant, in his words: “You could do something useful in society” as he spoke of his body of work to Coventry University students today.

Now 44, he recently moved out of the squat in Hackney, one of London’s most crime-affected boroughs, which he had called home for 15 years.

He is most identified with his images that had documented the changing realities of the borough and the increasing gentrification of the East End in collections such as Life and Death in Hackney (2000, White Cube, London) and Interior Lives (2008, Geffrye Museum, London).

The Travellers Series 1996-1998

 Un-denying and unapologetic of the strong political commentary underlying his images, it was this aspect that I was most interested in. Having been a faithful resident of Bow in Hackney’s neighbouring council Tower Hamlets for the two years of my time in London, there was a definite local pride to be found in the parts of London many wished didn’t exist. The sense of community in these suburbs was palpable and the vibrant arts scene to erupt out of some of the poorest and most neglected streets gave proof to the persevering nature of the creative spirit.

Opposing the dominance of IKEA-imposed uniformity, Hunter views his neighbourhood as “living art” and his surroundings are obviously a continuing inspiration for him, and for me.

East End is still my favourite part of London to visit and it is an ephemeral energy that is recognised by Hunters desire to “Capture the beauty of people living their lives on a day to day level”.

When in 1997 he came home to find an eviction letter addressed to “Persons unknown” he was inspired to create his project of the same name. With arguably his most famous work to date, Woman reading a Possession Order, he won the John Kobal Photographic Portrait Award in 1998.The Persons Unknown series was influenced by the Dutch 16^th Century artists in style, imagery and intentions. The visual narratives are constructed around the residential squatters of his building and display the desire to portray ordinary people and elevate their status in much the same way Johannes Vermeer broke convention of commissioned paintings by portraying the middle class and their routine.

 In 2006 The National Gallery in London commissioned Living in Hell and Other Stories photographs, to be displayed alongside the iconic artworks from their collection of the Old Masters which were his visual inspiration. 

Being the first artist in the Gallery to exhibit photography this was an obvious turning point in his career but one that came with a rather ironic controversy over the “offensive” nature of his images. 

While the subject matter was illustrating real events reported in the Hackney Gazette and using arrangements taken from Gauguin to Velazquez  it is bewildering how the public is expected to overlook the graphic depictions of hedonistic lifestyles and inexplicable violence of the greats.

This may be because of photography’s greater verisimilitude and the audiences’ ability to detach themselves from actions and events portrayed in a painting whilst not recognising the equal level of artificiality in photography.

Although Hunter’s work has previously focused on representing the people and community that he has been apart of since 1986, the universal translatability of meaning in his work has meant exhibiting internationally to great reception and acclaim.

Acoustic Sundays

The Herbert Art Gallery, in conjunction with their More than Two-tones music exhibition (on until 3 January 2010) have opened their doors to those seeking refuge from the winter cold with their Acoustic Sundays afternoon music sessions.

By offering a platform for musicians from a variety of musical styles to perform in a relaxed and intimate setting they are also offering an afternoon of free entertainment for residents and visitors alike.

Organising these is Jessica Pinson, Herbert Art Gallery Events Officer: “Some people come because they know they’re going to see a particular band, but some people are just sitting in or come because they hear something free is on”.

 Yesterday’s session was opened with a Coventry local,  25 year old folk singer Sarah Ruddick whose talents have seen her become one of the 20 finalists in the Open Mic UK competition.

An accomplished singer songwriter, she has played at the Leamington Peace Festival and The Godiva Festival and will now compete at the National final on Sunday 6 December at The Willows, Slaford, Manchester.

Her set included many original songs including Heal, So here I am and One Word and she finished off with an acapella version of the folk song House of the Rising Sun.

 Afterwards, we were treated to one half of Midlands band Jamsons Nook with Karen Milne (on drums) and Ben Wainwright (guitar and vocals) singing music from their newly released self-titled debut album.

Ben initially started the set solo with some relaxed, easy listening tunes and a voice one listener likened to Eagle-Eye Cherry. When Karen joined on drums, they upped the ante in the music stakes by performing songs from their unique range of Latin fused folk-funk and the atmosphere was considerably livelier for it.

 Mrs Pinson highlighted the main benefit of such a venue and was agreed upon by performers Jamsons Nook and Sarah: “It’s a place where you can have a drink but it’s not all about drinking; there’s always something else going on”.

It is perfect for a Sunday afternoon, when the realities of the miserable weather outside can be viewed from the cosy setting of the gallery cafe with a hot chocolate or cake in hand and the company of friends.

 The next music session will be the last on the 6^th December where Declan Bennet, Atlum Schema and Verity Pabla will be playing.

A Piece of Our life – Kakera

Written and directed by Momoko Ando

Kakera centres on two very different women, Haru, a college student who is frustrated with her slobbish and indifferent boyfriend and her unfolding love with medical artist Riko, whose infatuation with Haru opens many challenging questions about love and identity for both.

Love Vibes - Erica Sakurazawa

The daughter of an acclaimed actor-director Eiji Okuda, 27 year old Momoko Ando has adapted her debut film from Erika Sakurazawa’s best-selling Manga novel ‘Love Vibes’(1996) – itself categorised as Manga style Josei, aimed at mature female readership portraying realistic everyday experiences.

By selecting films that were made for their local audience and so representative of their own true culture, Kakera’s UK distribution company Third Window Films aims to remedy the misconceptions of East Asian Cinema brought about by styles like Asia extreme (which are made entirely with a western audience in mind) and ensure that the viewer experience is authentic.

L-R: Eriko Nakamura and Hikari Mitsushima as "Riko" and "Haru"

Very rarely do we watch a film with absolutely no prior knowledge of its origins; the director, an actor, the story or its historical context all shape our opinions of it before the  first image has even appeared.

Most of our exposure to Hollywood films, even those considered outside the realm of “mainstream” involve storylines that attempt to neatly encapsulate the human experience from the perspective of the writer/director and their predictable formula is often seen as reassuring.

Not being able to anticipate the direction of a storyline can be a very daunting experience for the viewer. Coupled with the very alien nature of Asian culture to a western audience and there is the individual fear that we will not be able to interpret the storyline through the varied means we use for familiar media. We place too much of our focus on the dialogue which is understood through subtitles and miss most of the communiqué that floats before us on screen.

After watching the film and feeling uneasy about interpreting its ambiguous conclusion, I tried to reflect back on the many sequences that would help me develop a more complete opinion.

I thought I had reached a moment of clarity when speaking to Third Window Films MD Adam Torel about my need for a reference point from which to establish an interpretation of the film. Without hesitation he was able to offer me the genre of  “Coming of age” film and likened Momoko Andô as the Japanese equivalent of Virgin Suicides director, Sophia Coppola.

While this gave me immediate catharsis this was still not to satisfy me; It’s not reasonable to appreciate a film simply for its connection or similarity to another.

It was only the following day that I was reminded by my lecturer that a film is not only the result of story and characters but it is also a sensory experience; that rather than viewing the unfamiliar with anxiety and reservation, simply accepting the individual moments of a film can be a liberating experience.

And Kakera delivers so many moments that resonate on later recollection. The delicate acoustic soundtrack by James Iha (former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist) and the beautiful Cinematography by Hirokazu Ishii underscore the refreshingly candid exchanges between Haru and Riko and display a sense of innocence and uncertainty.  These instances of rare intimacy are juxtaposed against a suburban backdrop of Tokyo that offers an insightful look at Haru and Rikos complex and multilayered lives.

Due to be released in April 2010 in Japan and the UK
Visit: www.thirdwindowfilms.com

Resist the temptation to think – Vivienne Westwood at The Tabernacle

Being a child of the post-MTV generation, there have been little events in my existence that have made me feel that I was part of the kind of revolutionary change that we often equate with the past decades. Yes, we have experienced catastrophic tsunamis, terrorist attacks and triumphs (depending how you see it) over dictatorial communist regimes but in my personal suburban upbringing the closest I came to opposing the establishment was ditching school to attend a 200 000 strong Anti-Iraq war rally in the streets of Sydney in 2003.

Perhaps it’s because we don’t ever recognise change until viewing it retrospectively.  Since the internet has lead to such an inundation of information we have become cynical and impatient, with a desire only for what is obvious and immediate. But as a benefit of this, I would say we have become much more discerning and involved in the process of acquiring knowledge so are more easily able to recognise when the facts we’re presented with are not adding up.

This skill came in handy when I had the romanticised notion of attending a reading by none other than fashion revolutionary Vivienne Westwood in the form of her Active Resistance to Propaganda manifesto. As the title suggests, this looked to be my opportunity to witness a radical new concept being unleashed onto the public, the sort of theory that could end up defining an era. So on November 1, while everyone at the venue was drinking, socialising and networking I dutifully lined up for half an hour outside The Tabernacle theatre in order to secure a prime seat in what I expected to be a moment in history.

You may have wondered why since my last reference to this event (28^th October), where I expressed my anxiety at the possibility of ending up out of my depth with the manifestos content, I made no reflections/observations after the event.

While I struggled to define my own interpretation, weeks of procrastination then lead to the fear that my initial thoughts had become stale so I shelved the idea of a critical analysis. This was because I could never decide on a single approach to explaining a manifesto which as I saw, lacked any cohesion of its own.

In truth I was a little thrown off by the chosen format of the event; I was expecting an academic style lecture filled with historical references, inspirational quotes and radical ideas for change offered up to an audience eager to see it happen.

Enthusiastic they were; arty types sat next to fashionistas and environmentalists but I hope it was their wide-eyed idolatry of the manifestos creator and not of the content itself that was the driving factor behind their rapturous final applause.

You see what we received was a rather bizarrely mish-mash “play” of sorts performed by children of the The Young Stars Academy playing characters such as Alice (of Wonderland fame), Pinocchio, the artist Whistler and Protagoras. Their lines were interspersed with Vivienne’s occasionally perceptive but mostly inconsistent explanations of the core message: “art gives culture and that culture is the antidote to propaganda…. the aim of the manifesto is to encourage all intellectuals in the fight against propaganda” 

Confused? That seemed to be the unintended result of anyone trying to explore her message in any depth and certainly for anyone like myself who was hoping for a practical application in their lives.