14:20-14:50 Ticket pick-up at the reception desk (for UCCA members who RSVPed)

14:50-15:20 Exclusive UCCA members-only guided tour

15:00-15:30 Ticket distribution at the reception desk (for UCCA members who didn’t RSVP and non-members)

15:30-17:00 Screening

17:00-18:00 Q&A

Time to Read Poems

Director: Lee Soojung

Genre: Documentary

Country: Korea

Runtime: 74 min.

Language: Korean with English and Chinese subtitles

This film depicts five free spirits trying to escape from the chains of life in order to find life’s true meaning, something that everyone dreams of realizing, yet ends up accepting as nothing but a fantasy. The film gives voice to those who try to cope with the ordeal of being imprisoned and free at the same time. Another name for freedom is poetry.

To read poems is to enter a formless collection of times, not a purpose-oriented time that exhibits an array of things to be done. In this sense, the film seems to be a poem itself. It does not march forward to a certain thematic consciousness, but instead develops in an open structure with simple mise-en-scène. By doing so, it makes audiences ask themselves: “Is my life indeed okay?” The film chooses to remind “me” of “myself” instead of removing it. “I”, revealed in text and voices, am the center of the network and the protagonist of the “time to read poems”. The film follows, finds and investigates me as who I am.

Lee Soojung (Director)

After a stint in the directing department for veteran director Im Kwon-taek, Lee began making documentaries for the National Cinema Research Center and Hankyoreh Film Production House. Following this, she moved into TV documentaries and produced narrative films before trying her hand at independent documentaries in 2011. Her films include: Jinsuk & Me (2012) and Cruel State (2015).

New Asian Scenery

New Asian Scenery was co-founded by Lantern Cine-Club and Blackfin. Following a monthly schedule, New Asian Cinema has already consecutively held five events in Beijing between the end of 2016 and the first half of 2017, for which attendees included Vietnamese director Minggui Zhang, Japanese director Kiyoshi Sato, Malaysian director Kek Haut Lau, Japanese director Tetsuya Mariko, Indonesia director Wicaksono Wisnu Legowo and Singaporean director Daniel Hui. All of these directors brought their works to Beijing and engaged with local audiences and members of the film industry in China. By focusing its efforts and endeavors in Asia, New Asian Cinema aims to, through screening events, create a consolidating, community-building platform that brings together filmmakers and cinephiles, and in this way promote further collaboration between Asian filmmakers, and contribute to Asian film industries’ potential for growth and development.

Lantern Cine-Club

Founded in 2015, Lantern Cine-Club has screened more than a hundred independent films and hosted several directors—along with their film teams—to share insight into the making of their works. Audiences are brought “on scene” as the creators share unforgettable commentary, bringing the action on screen to life and offering new interpretations for viewing the work.

Blackfin

Blackfin Production is a production company focusing on investment, production, and distribution of art films and independent documentaries. Based in Beijing, it has branch offices in Hangzhou, Hong Kong, and Paris, which are responsible respectively for production, project development, international sales and acquisition. For the past three years since its founding, Blackfin has discovered several young promising directors. Their films have been selected for many international film festivals, including Kaili Blues (2015) by Bi Gan (the Best Emerging Director, Special Mention for First Feature in Festival del film Locarno 2015, the Best New Director in Golden Horse Award 2015), Mr. Zhang Believes (2015) by Qiu Jiongjiong (selected at Sign of Life of Festival del Film Locarno), This Worldly Life (2015) by Zhai Yixiang (the Best Feature Film at K26 of Filmfest Hamburg 2015, the Best Art Contribution at FIRST), Knife in the Clear Water (2016) by Wang Xuebo (the New Currents Award in 21st Busan International Film Festival), and Free and Easy (2016) by Geng Jun (the Special Jury Award in Cinematic Vision in 2017 Sundance Film Festival). Director Zhai Yixiang’s new film Mosaic Portrait won the Grand Prize, a million TWD award from the Taipei Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (FPP). Blackfin Production aims to continue working towards its cinematic dreams with an international outlook, persist in making art films, and introduce greater diversity to the film industry both in China and abroad.

BARCO