Chinese cinema makes rare appearance in UCLA series
By Daily Bruin Staff
Dec. 3, 2000 9:00 p.m.
 UCLA Film and Television Archive "Scenery" is one of the
films playing at the James Bridges Theatre in Melnitz Hall for The
Film and Television Archive’s upcoming series.
By Ryan Joe
Daily Bruin Contributor A new generation of Chinese directors has
emerged from China despite sanctions by the Chinese government.
Known as The Sixth Generation, the group of radical filmmakers has
had films banned or censored in their native country. Some of these
films, however, are premiering in the United States in the UCLA
Film and Television Archive’s series, “New Chinese
Cinema: Tales of Urban Delight, Alienation, and the Margins.”
Now showing at the James Bridges Theater in Melnitz Hall, the
series began Saturday and will continue until Dec. 10. After that,
however, the films may vanish into the world of archived history.
“For a lot of these films this is probably the only time
you’ll see them,” said Cheng-Sim Lim, the series
programmer, in a recent phone interview. “One or two of them
may get picked up for commercial distribution but most of them
probably won’t because they’re not necessarily
commercial films. They’re very serious films.” The
sixth line of filmmakers since the beginning of Chinese cinema, The
Sixth Generation is more controversial than their predecessors,
aptly named The Fifth Generation. “The Chinese Fifth
Generation directors are the ones that are probably the most famous
in this country,” Lim said. These directors include the likes
of Chen Kaige who helmed “Temptress Moon” and
“Farewell My Concubine.” Yet while the Fifth Generation
was generally content with filming historical Chinese glories, the
Sixth Generation chooses to depict urban, contemporary China.
Because most of The Sixth Generation were graduates after the
Tiennamen Square Massacre and were impacted greatly by capitalist
changes to the Chinese economy, they have different experiences and
perceptions of China. The differences between the Fifth and Sixth
Generations are evident not only in subject matter but also
cinematic artistry. “In contrast to the lush visuals of
(Fifth Generation directors) Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, the Sixth
Generation tends to be far grittier, using a lot of hand-held
cameras,” Lim explained. “The work is raw in contrast
to a polished, burnished aesthetic.” According to writer and
producer You Ni, the Chinese government has met many of the Sixth
Generation filmmakers with hostility and censorship. “For
years and years, Chinese films were like the other Chinese
businesses,” said Ni, whose films “Scenery” and
“Postman” will be featured at the festival. “The
government controlled them and the government hired you.”
With the dawn of the 1990s, however, came the advent of the Chinese
independent filmmakers. “By the old system, (the Chinese
filmmakers) had to wait for years and years (to work) and never got
a chance to do something they wanted to do,” Ni said.
“We didn’t have an interest to be rich, young
filmmakers. We decided to pool our money together and buy film.
That was the start of Chinese independent movies.” These
independent films were completed and circulated in international
festivals where they achieved recognition. This recognition,
however, was accompanied by a Chinese governmental crackdown.
“The government made the decision: no independent films in
China. Everything had to stop,” Ni said. “We
couldn’t make movies for five years. We were blacklisted. We
couldn’t find jobs in the film industry and all of the
studios could not rent any machines to us, could not support us,
anything.” Nevertheless, the Sixth Generation persisted in
making films, and distributing them outside of China. Ironically,
most of the Chinese population will never see these films ““
the very films that represent important aspects of Chinese society.
The filmmakers are essentially documentarians. “(The Sixth
Generation filmmakers) are showing China sincerely and
honestly,” Lim said. “They are films that are taking a
serious look at contemporary Chinese society, looking at it, warts
and all, and not trying to propagandize.” Despite the
governmental threats and punishments, Ni and her Sixth Generation
peers have continued to make movies. For Ni, there is no other
option. “It’s all I know how to do,” she said.
Lim feels that the featured Chinese motion pictures are an
important contribution to the film culture of Los Angeles and the
nation. “They’re urban poetry but they’re also
very reflective,” she said. “They don’t try to be
eye-candy in any way.” According to Lim, the films represent
a cutting-edged facet of Chinese cinema: brooding, socially
introspective, permeated with a down-to-earth aesthetic.
“Basically we are bringing in work that we feel is important,
is interesting, is incredible filmmaking, that people will not
normally have a chance to see,” Lim said. FILM: “New
Chinese Cinema: Tales of Urban Delight, Alienation and the
Margins” is now showing at the James Bridges Theater in
Melnitz Hall. Admission is $6 general and $4 for students, seniors
and UCLA Alumni Association members. For more information call
(310) 206-8013. For a program schedule call (310) 206-FILM or visit
www.cinema.ucla.edu.
"NEW CHINESE CINEMA" The UCLA Film and
Television Archives premieres special screenings of Chinese films
through Dec. 10 at the James Bridges Theater. Thursday Dec. 7 at
7:30 p.m. "City Paradise" (Du Shi Tian Tang) Directed by Tang
Danian *West Coast premiere "Rainclouds over Wushan" (Wushan Yunyu)
Directed by Zhang Ming Saturday Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. "So Close to
Paradise" (Yuenan Guniang) Directed by Wang Xiaoshuai *U.S.
premiere "Xiao Wu" Directed by Jia Zhangke Sunday Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.
"Scenery" (Feng Jing) Directed by Zhao Jisong *North American
premiere "Mr. Zhao" (Zhao Xiansheng) Directed by Lu Yue SOURCE:
UCLA Film and Television Archive Original Graphic: YU WANG/Daily
Bruin Senior Staff Web Adaptation: STEPHEN WONG
