I can't think of a better way to tap into another culture right at home than watching their movies. Which is why A Lean Night—FRESH! is such a great place to start for anyone who wants to submerge into an entirely different place in life. The series, running from May 2011 to November 2011, will be showing a collection of modern classic films in September 2011 based on the Back to School theme. Relevant yet intriguing topics such as globalisation, internet, and financial crisis are featured to display how modern technology and mindset have changed our pace of life.
One that I am looking forward to is the BAFTA Outstanding British Film Award and Cannes Jury Prize winning Fish Tank. Andrea Arnold tells the tale of Mia, a rebellious high school dropout, and her life growing up in an Essex council estate with a broken family, as well as being in an "it's complicated" relationship. Watch the trailer here and immerse into the lives of British council estate residents.
Another piece that is further than our wildest dreams would be Tulpan by Sergei Dvortsevoy, which gives a sneak peek to a world so unfamiliar to us that, as Roger Ebert said, it might as well be Mars. The protagonist, Asa, returns to the Great Kazakh steppe after completing his service with the Russian Navy, dreaming to start a nomadic life. But it is actually more difficult in practice, as he can't get his own herd without getting a bride first. The only single woman around, however, isn't too keen about the size of his ears. Wow, a place with too many single men and too little single women? Sounds like somebody's been listening to Kong Girls' prayers! Check out the trailer here.
Want to learn more about movies? There will be an after-screening discussion for Paranoid Park with film critic Thomas Shin immediately after the movie on 24 September 2011. The Cannes 60th Anniversary Prize winning piece by Gus Van Sant is about the thought streams and actions of a skater boy who accidentally caused the death of a security guard. Gus Van Sant, famous for his debut Good Will Hunting, portrays juvenile crime with a simple view, not aiming to blame or to preach. Watch its trailer here.
Interested? Get your tickets now, sit back, and enjoy the show at none other than the agnès b. Cinema in the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Just an early shout, they are showing the Mourning Forest for their October/November rundown, so take a quick peek here and watch out as the next batch of movies comes around!