Arts & Humanities

Everyday Lives: Chinese Films from the 1980s

The Yale University Council on East Asian Studies will present seven films produced in mainland China during the mid- to late-1980s. Turning their cameras away from revolutionary heroes, these directors explore the lives of ordinary people in contemporary China. Yet the films are anything but ordinary. While, on the one hand, they portray the contours of the mundane, they also reveal anxieties about an era of reform, exploring the social and historical complexities behind the everyday.
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The Yale University Council on East Asian Studies will present seven films produced in mainland China during the mid- to late-1980s. Turning their cameras away from revolutionary heroes, these directors explore the lives of ordinary people in contemporary China. Yet the films are anything but ordinary. While, on the one hand, they portray the contours of the mundane, they also reveal anxieties about an era of reform, exploring the social and historical complexities behind the everyday.

All films are shown on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the Whitney Humanities Center, 53 Wall St., and are free of charge. All films are 35mm.

October 1

In the Wild Mountains, 1985 Director: Yan Xueshu Original Story: Jia Ping’ao

October 15

The Black Cannon Incident, 1986 Director: Huang Jianxin

October 29

Sacrificed Youth, 1985 Director: Zhang Nuanxin

November 5

Story of Women, 1989 Director: Peng Xiaolan

November 12

Samsara, 1988 Director: Huang Jianxin Screenplay: Wang Shuo

December 3

King of the Children, 1987 Director: Chen Kaige Original Story: Ah Cheng

December 10

Trouble Shooters, 1988 Director: Mi Jiashan Screenplay: Wang Shuo, Mi Jiashan

For more information, please call the Council on East Asian Studies at 432-3426.