Welcome to the first official Subway Cinema News post of Spring. It’s warm(-ish) and sunny(-ish) and bunnies are coming up out of their burrows and bears are looking for honey and you’re getting ready for this summer’s New York Asian Film Festival.

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But this week…politics! First up, there’s the opening of BURMA VJ at Film Forum, which’ll run for two weeks. A documentary about the massive September 2007 street protests in Burma, it’s comprised almost entirely of video footage taken by VJs (video journalists) who were associated with underground journalism group, The Democratic Voice of Burma, whose members risked torture and imprisonment by taking this footage and smuggling it out of the country to be screened. Come on, the least you can do is buy a ticket. (More info)

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Okay, it’s not a movie but you do NOT want to miss this. Here’s the description of “Bodies of Pyongyang:”

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“Around thirty girls wearing North Korean schoolgirl uniforms are situated inside a (70″x70″x70″) clear plexiglass cube box, which is located off a street intersection. These tightly packed schoolgirls try to move about the enclosed cube box expressing their emotional pain and struggle. Red strings symbolizing their dual inner states of suppression and resistance entangle the girls further confining their freedom to move within their already limited and hermetic space.”

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And, of course, the schedule of appearances:

SUNDAY April 19, Abe Lebewohl Park / St. Mark’s Church
SATURDAY April 25, Foley Square
SATURDAY May 2, Washington Square Park
SATURDAY May 9, Tompkins Square Park

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More details. And you know you need more details.

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Also on the political tip is next week’s Korea Society event, “Korean Women Filmmakers: A Screening and Discussion with Yim Soon-Rye” on Wednesday, April 22 @ 6pm (reception begins, event begins at 6:30pm). There aren’t that many female directors in the Korean film industry (although the majority of producers are women) and Yim will screen both her documentary on the subject (KEEPING THE VISION ALIVE: WOMEN IN KOREAN FILMMAKING) and her short film (THE WEIGHT OF HER) this evening. (More info)

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The Japan Society is screening their second-to-the-last film in their wildly popular Tora-san series this coming Friday, April 17 @ 7:30pm. It’s HEARTS AND FLOWERS FOR TORA-SAN and it’s more of the same…which is why these movies are so good. Being dependable and pleasant is a real achievement these days, any way you slice it, and Tora-san is nothing if not 100% dependable and 150% pleasant. (More info)

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TOKYO! the three-part film by Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-Ho (THE HOST) is STILL playing at the Landmark Sunshine at all hours of the day and night. (Read a review)

Comments (0) Apr 17 2009