MoMA Announces ContemporAsian Films

ContemporAsian is organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art, and William Phuan, independent curator.

In the monthly exhibition ContemporAsian, MoMA showcases films that get little exposure outside of their home countries or on the international festival circuit, but which engage the various styles, histories, and changes in Asian cinema. The films in the series include recent independent films and little-seen classics.

From September’s opening feature, a stylistically flamboyant series of surreal urban vignettes of social and racial strife offset by characters who break into song Stevie Wonder—style (Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly, 2008, Indonesia), to October’s intimate portrait of a resilient octogenarian, featuring venerated actress Anita Linda in a tour de force performance (Adela, 2008, Philippines), the films showcased encompass a variety of styles and themes.

In November, a South Korean film explores the aftermath of a romantic breakup, in which a sticky financial situation gives rise to a revealing roadtrip (My Dear Enemy, 2009), while in December, a Taiwanese film depicts the struggles of two illegal migrant workers trying to build a relationship in a culture alien to both of them, even as they live in fear of deportation (Sincerely Yours, 2009.)

The film series highlight the richness and diversity of Asian Cinema. One contemporary Asian film is featured each month in a weeklong engagement:

September 11–17, 2009
October 14–19, 2009
November 20–27, 2009
December 10–16, 2009 -- www.moma.org