20/20 Film Exchange Program

Introduction

AFI: Project 20/20 is a film exchange program that enhances cultural exchange, understanding and collaboration through filmmakers and their films from around the world. For this Film Exchange Program, we are happy to present Chinese Director Zhang Jia Rui, along with American Directors David Boyle, Amie Williams, and Jay Craven. During select screenings, these directors will introduce their films to the audience and participate in discussions afterward. This Film Exchange Program promotes cultural awareness and challenges stereotypes, while presenting a fresh, clear vision of the common values people share.  The American Center for Educational Exchange is pleased to present this program in cooperation with the American Film Institute, Beijing Normal University, and the U.S. State Department’s Global Cultural Initiative in partnership with the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.

Biographies

Zhang Jiarui (The Road, When Ruoma Was 17, Flower Belt Bride)
Director Zhang was born in Chengdu, China in 1958, with a love for film and theatre. He studied philosophy at Sichuan University, and after failing to pass the entrance exams to the China Drama Academy became a journalist for two years, but continued to write plays. Zhang officially returned to his calling in 1985, when he began to study directing at the Beijing Film Academy. When Ruomo Was Seventeen, Zhang's big-screen directorial debut, won awards in Beijing, Berlin, Montreal, Los Angeles and other festivals around the world.  In addition to the three feature films presented at this film exchange, Director Zhang’s fourth feature film is currently finishing production.

David Boyle (Big Dreams, Little Tokyo)  
It's hard to believe that even though Boyle was a student at Brigham Young University for a short time after returning from his Mormon mission, he is virtually untrained in the art of filmmaking. With a background of dabbling in independent endeavors and animation, Boyle's strongest asset in his projects is the ambition and innovation that many other potentially bright stars lack. Working from the time he returned from his mission to write the story, get the financing together, cast, and finally film, the non-stop drive of this young filmmaker is what ultimately helped him to turn into reality what many only dream.

Jay Craven   (Disappearances)
In 1975, Jay Craven founded and directed Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, which grew into New England's largest independent film and performing arts presenter. In 1991, Craven left Catamount Arts and founded Kingdom County Productions, a nonprofit media arts organization. He is a professor of film studies at Marlboro College, in Marlboro, VT.

Amie Williams   (No Sweat) 
Williams has produced and directed four  feature-length documentaries: FALLON, NV: DEADLY OASIS (2003), about a childhood leukemia cluster in a small military town in Nevada; STRIPPED AND TEASED: TALES FROM LAS VEGAS WOMEN (2001); ONE DAY LONGER: THE STORY OF THE FRONTIER STRIKE (2002); and UNCOMMONGROUND: FROM LOS ANGELES TO SOUTH AFRICA (1994). These films have won numerous awards, including the International Documentary Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Media Grant, the SONY/Streisand Award for emerging female filmmakers, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Peace Grant, the A.F.I. Independent Film and Videomakers Award, and a National Arts Council grant to tour Japan and Singapore to show her work.

Movie Descriptions

Beautiful Ohio
Chad Lowe makes his impressive directorial debut with BEAUTIFUL OHIO, a solid coming-of-age tale that centers on the complex family dynamics and changing social attitudes of the early seventies. Simon and Judith Messerman are enlightened, modern parents who have high hopes for their children's futures.  Much of their attention is focused on their quirky and gifted son Clive, whom they expect to win an upcoming mathematics competition.  Clive is an uneasy genius who frequently disconnects from the family by slipping into his own unique method of communication. Meanwhile, his teenage brother William struggles to make his own way while living in his older brother's formidable shadow.  Adding to the relationship complications is Clive's provocative and free-spirited girlfriend, Sandra (Michelle Trachtenberg), who may be hiding secrets of her own.

Big Dreams, Little Tokyo
BIG DREAMS LITTLE TOKYO is the story of Boyd, who aspires to succeed in the world of Japanese business, but finds himself mostly on the outside looking in. Meanwhile, his roommate Jerome is a Japanese-American who has always felt too American to be Japanese, but too Japanese to be American. He aspires to be a sumo wrestler but finds his weight and blood pressure thwarting his dreams. Together they struggle to find their place in a world where cultural identity is seldom what it seems. This charming and quirky comedy paints vivid characters and conflicts while finding the humor and drama in the disconnects of language and culture in the modern global community.

Disappearances
Kristofferson stars as schemer and dreamer Quebec Bill Bonhomme in a spellbinding tale of smuggling, a family's mysterious past, and a young boy's rite of passage. Bill, desperate to raise money to preserve his endangered cattle herd through a long winter, resorts to whiskey smuggling, a traditional family occupation. He takes his son, Wild Bill, on an unforgettable trip that will long remain etched in the viewer's mind.

Life After Tomorrow
The Broadway musical "Annie" was meant to help lift the U.S. out of its mid-1970s doldrums. After a rocky start, the show became a smash hit. Thousands of young girls flocked, not only to see "Annie", but also to audition for parts in it. Dozens of women lucky enough to fill those roles (including Sarah Jessica Parker) reveal the highs and lows of their experiences as child actresses in a cultural phenomenon.   Filmmakers Gil Cates, Jr. and Julie Stevens (a former "Annie" orphan herself) offer a balanced perspective. Some girls used the show as a springboard to greater success; others struggled to accept that their careers peaked at age 10. All of them reveal how "Annie" had a lasting impact on their lives.

No Sweat
Blasting the screen with sure-footed confidence, director Amie Williams has crafted a powerful documentary that shines a light on the popular American Apparel clothing line and the bigger issues that surround the garment industry in America.
An all-American tale about an all-American garment - the T-shirt - this documentary takes a wild ride into the bowels of the Los Angeles garment industry. Mostly undocumented workers at American Apparel and SweatX are offered better wages, benefits, even a shot at worker-ownership. But what's really behind the label? 
Amie Williams follows her subjects with a seamless flow of kinetic energy - weaving together day-in-the-life verité footage with interviews, from workers, owners and buyers - creating a vibrant, informative documentary. NO SWEAT is an evocative and riveting mosaic of the big picture that makes up the garment industry.

Stephanie Daley
Pregnant forensic psychologist Lydie Crane is hired to learn the truth behind the case of 16-year-old Stephanie Daley, who is accused of concealing her pregnancy and murdering her infant.  An infant is found dead in the trashcan of a Vermont ski lodge. Outside, 16-year-old Stephanie Daley collapses in the snow. When the unassuming teenager is accused of concealing her pregnancy and murdering her newborn, forensic psychologist Lydie Crane conducts a series of interviews to determine the truth behind Stephanie's state of denial.

Offside
Modern life and cultural prohibitions bump up against each other in this gentle comedy. Eschewing any rigid narrative structure, the film is a free-flowing, whimsical look at women (and men) in 21st century Iran.  Iran's World Cup-qualifying soccer match looms as a frantic father searches for his daughter. Although Iranian law declares soccer attendance "male only," he fears she may try to sneak into Tehran stadium. He is right. She, and a half-dozen other young women, disguised as boys in baggy clothes and baseball caps, are caught and held in an enclosed area. As the crowd roars nearby, the young women match wits with their reluctant soldier captors. In one supremely ironic moment, a soldier asks the captive women why they are making his life so difficult. This droll sensibility infuses OFFSIDE.

The Road
THE ROAD is a sweeping drama that covers five decades in the life of Li Chunfen (Zhang Jingchu), a young ticket girl in rural Communist China, whose destiny turns on the dictates of her government and the route of the Xiangyang bus.  As a young woman, Chunfen is loyal but naïve. She never once doubts that the driver of the bus, her boss, Master Cui (Fan Wei) and the party leadership have her best interests in mind. It is not until she falls deeply in love, that she is exposed to the consequences and sacrifices of life in Communist China. Even then, Chunfen's loyalty to her country is unfaltering. Zhang Jingchu convincingly handles the transition from naïveté to maturity, delivering a standout portrayal of a woman whose strength of spirit is as unfaltering as her loyalty, and who despite her history, builds a new life for herself in 21st century China.

Shoot the Messenger
SHOOT THE MESSENGER is a bold, funny, and controversial film directed by the politically explosive Nigerian-Brit filmmaker, Ngozi Onwurah. The story chronicles an idealistic Black professional who decides to become a teacher in order to enhance the lives of young Black students. In a twist of irony, the well-intentioned professor finds himself pitted against the students he initially pledged to help and soon becomes a target of the Black community. Feeling betrayed, the young teacher directs his feelings of resentment and rejection against all Black people and adopts the belief that Black people are essentially the root of all evil. This laugh-out-loud comedy brilliantly satirizes conceptions of racial identity and cultural norms. Cleverly written, with a spectacular performance from the film's leading actor, SHOOT THE MESSENGER is a refreshing contribution to an African film aesthetic that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Flower Belt Bride
Fengmei and A-Long have recently become a married couple but their Hua Yao Yi minority culture, in China's Yunnan province, dictates they must live separately for three years before the traditional custom of "Returning Home" can be observed for their family.
A-Long is a teacher for the girl's dragon dance team in their village. Fengmei is free-spirited and enjoys her independence and has a habit of driving A-Long crazy. Now, in rebellion of the tradition, she has set her sights on being the "Dragon's Head" leader of A-Long's dance team.

When Ruoma Was 17
This simple yet engaging film tells the story of 17-year-ol Ruo Ma, a member of the Xjani tribe, who are a racial minority from Yunnan Province. Ruoma has always lived a quiet, rural life, but dreams of a glamorous, cosmopolitan lifestyle beyond her financial reach.  When a photographer named Ming offers Ruoma the chance to make money as a model, she jumps at the opportunity, even if it is just posing in tribal wear for the amusement of tourists. Ruoma quickly falls in love with Ming and the notion that he may be her ticket out.

Program Calendar:

* Director will be available following the movie for discussion

Wednesday, November 21

*6:00 pm          No Sweat   (USA)

*8:00 pm          The Road  (China)

Thursday, November 22

6:00 pm            Life After Tomorrow  (USA)

8:00 pm            Beautiful Ohio  (USA)

Friday, November 23

*6:00 pm          Big Dreams, Little Tokyo  (USA)

*8:30 pm          Flower Belt Bride (China)

Saturday, November 24

10:00 am          Offside  (Iran)

*12:00 pm        When Ruoma Was 17 (China)

*2:30 pm          No Sweat  (USA)

*4:30 pm          Flower Belt Bride  (China)

*6:30 pm          Disappearances  (USA)

9:00 pm            Stephanie Daley (USA)

Sunday, November 25

*10:00 am        When Ruoma Was 17  (China)

*12:00 pm        Disappearances  (USA)

2:30 pm            Shoot the Messenger (UK)

*4:30 pm          Big Dreams, Little Tokyo (USA)

*6:30 pm          The Road  (China)

9:00 pm            Beautiful Ohio  (USA)

All foreign (non-Chinese) films will have Chinese subtitles