In a nutshell, Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film. On SATURDAY, MAY 10, locations the globe over will be linked for a live, powerhouse program of films, music, and speakers.
Here in Shanghai, we decided to take things up a notch. In addition to the globally-shared programme — 24 shorts hand-picked from 2500 submissions from 100 countries — Pangea Day Shanghai will feature recent works from locally based filmmakers.
MAIN ROOM SCHEDULE (all with director/producer Q&As post-screening)
6 to 7:15pm: “A Farewell Song” by Arthur and Luther Jones
A documentary by Arthur and Luther Jones (LostPensivos Films). Chinese with English subtitles.
After distinguished careers in China’s state-run orchestras, four musicians retire to enjoy family life and the relative freedoms of the 21st century. But the prospect of one last – and independent – concert reunites them and calls them back to the stage. This is more than a farewell to the music they love; it is their chance to pass it on, renewed, to a wider audience. As the event draws near, a sudden tragedy compels them to reflect on their shared past: five decades of remarkable music that has kept them going through hardship and upheaval.
“A Farewell Song” has played at many festivals the world over, and scooped several awards including the Special Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2007 Syracuse International Film Festival.
Q&A with director Arthur Jones and producer Luo Tong following the screening.
7:15 to 7:45pm: Shorts by ShanghHigh Productions
“Chuantong (Tradition)” (2006) directed by Severin Bonnichon and Hector Nanquette; “Simple Horror Movie” (2006) directed by Severin Bonnichon and Svetlina Pavlova. English and Chinese with English subtitles.
ShangHigh Productions presents two recent shorts: “Chuantong (Tradition)” ruminates on the nature of homosexual relationships in modern-day Shanghai, and the accompanying inner turmoil. The experimental “Simple Horror Movie” is a satirical jab at today’s Hollywoodified horror genre. “Chuantong (Tradition)” won the audience award the 2006 Meiwenti Short Film Contest in Shanghai, and “Simple Horror Movie” walked off with the jury’s prize.
Q&A with the directors following the screening.
7:45 to 9:00pm: “Shanghai Gloaming: The Shadow of the City” by Eric Ransdell
A documentary by Eric Ransdell (FLY Films). English and Chinese with English subtitles.
“Shanghai Gloaming: The Shadow of the City” is an observational documentary that follows art photographer Greg Girard on his five-year project photographing Shanghai’s disappearing lanes, houses and historic neighbourhoods. The fruits of this project have been exhibited internationally, and can also be found in the book “Phantom Shanghai”. This film is an opportunity to not only see remnants of Old Shanghai through Girard’s lens, but also to understand the tales of their residents as the photographer cozies up to his subjects.
Q&A with producer Norman Wong following the screening.
9:00 to 10:00pm: Shorts by Ukachi Arinzeh
English, Chinese and Spanish with English subtitles.
Ukachi Arinzeh is a Shanghai-based independent filmmaker who has worked on projects for the likes of Current TV and “Chappelle’s Show”. Here, he presents a quartet of shorts filmed across three continents:
* “Skating in the Hai” explores the surge of skateboarding in Shanghai and how the movement has connected young people of different nationalities.
* “Red Ink” looks at the evolution of and changes occurring in present-day China by examining the development of Chinese contemporary art.
* Young, talented rappers in Cuba find their voices and liberation through the underground hip-hop scene in “I Am Hip Hop”.
* “The Bush and the Cross” examines how traditional Ibo culture attempts to coexist with the teachings of the Catholic church in small-town Nigeria.
Q&A with Ukachi Arinzeh following the screening.
10:00 to 11:45pm: “Soul Carriage” by Conrad Clark
A feature film by Conrad Clark (Practice Productions). Chinese with English subtitles. www.soulcarriage.com
A young migrant worker takes a journey through industrial Zhejiang Province in an attempt to return the body of a dead co-worker to his family. A beautifully shot, affecting look at life, loss and loneliness in rapidly changing China.
“Soul Carriage” won the Best Feature Film Award at the 2007 Rome Asian Film Festival; and Beijing-based British director Conrad Clark won the Best New Director Award at the 2007 San Sebastian Film Festival for his directorial debut.
Q&A with producer Wendy Kuan following the screening.
11:45pm to 1:45am: “A State of Mind” by Daniel Gordon
A documentary by Daniel Gordon (VeryMuchSo Productions). English and Korean with English subtitles. www.astateofmind.co.uk
Following two young gymnasts and their families in the lead up to the Mass Games – the most elaborate human performance on Earth – “A State of Mind” peers into one of the world’s least known societies, North Korea. Aside from exploring the choreographed, socialist realism spectacle that is the Mass Games, the film also looks at everyday life in the DPRK. From Juche, the state-mandated belief system of the DPRK, to evidence’s of the omnipresence of Kim Il Sung – the ‘Eternal President’ who died in 1994 but remains Head of State – “A State of Mind” is a fascinating observational piece on an opaque state.
Q&A with co-producers Nick Bonner and Simon Cockerell, who are currently making a romantic comedy in North Korea, following the screening. For those who have seen “A State of Mind”, another VeryMuchSo film called “Crossing the Line” – about American defectors to North Korea during the Cold War – will be screened simultaneously. To reserve a spot, email panthea.lee (at) gmail.com
2:00 to 6:00am: PANGEA DAY GLOBAL PROGRAMME
(Note: Please come at least 15 minutes early for the films you want to see.)
In addition, a SECOND (itty bitty) ROOM will feature works -- from experimental video art to full-length feature documentaries -- by Patrick Carr, Daniel Gordon, Zero Lin, ShangHigh Productions, Haolun Shu, Eric Siu, Richard Trombly, and Norman Wong throughout the night. More information to come soon.
What's more, there will be:
-LIVE ART by Nial O'Connor, in association with Hitotoki Shanghai
-PHOTOGRAPHY by Adam Dean and Chen Rui Yuan
-WINE from The Merchant
-FOOD from Haya’s Mediterranean Cuisine
...and lots of good people, including you. Come join us for a 12-hour marathon of ideas and images.
