Like his fellow Sixth-Generation filmmaker Jia Zhangke, Wang Xiaoshuai (Beijing Bicycle; Shanghai Dreams) has learned much from Taiwanese master Edward Yang, whose work frequently places intimate family stories within a politically charged historical framework. Brimming with youthful energy and featuring lovingly detailed evocations of a specific time and place, 11 Flowers demonstrates Wang’s deep engagement with mainland China’s complex cultural history. Set in a riverside community in southwest China in 1975, the film follows a young boy who negotiates the onset of puberty while trying to decipher the anxious whispering around him—of Red Guards clashing with conservatives, and of a killer running loose in the woods. Jonathan L. Knapp
Written by Wang, Lao Ni. Photographed by Dong Jinsong. With Liu Wenqing, Wang Jingchun, Yan Ni, Zhang Kexuan. (110 mins, In Mandarin & Shanghainese with English subtitles, Color, 35mm)
(in conjunction with) San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
Each year, the Center for Asian American Media brings us the best in contemporary cinema from Asia and the Asian diaspora. The thirtieth installment of this adventurous festival at the PFA Theater features films and documentaries from China, the Philippines, New Zealand, Cambodia, South Korea, the United States, and a rarity from Burma. An intimate conversation with child star and playwright Cherylene Lee, a poetic meditation on the 2011 Japanese tsunami, an unusual look at a women’s prison in Kabul, and the epic Asian American indie feature In the Family round out a week of discoveries and revelations.
We anticipate having filmmakers and special guests in person at many of the screenings—please check bampfa.berkeley.edu for the latest updates. For even more national and regional cinema, alternative media, and special events, check the complete festival schedule at caamedia.org.
Steve Seid, Video Curator
A presentation of the Center for Asian American Media.
Program notes are adapted from the festival catalog.
Special admission prices apply:
General admission: $12; CAAM and BAM/PFA members, UC Berkeley students: $10 (limit 2 tickets per person per program); Non-UC Berkeley students, seniors, and disabled persons: $11 (limit 1 ticket per person per program). Advance tickets for festival programs at the PFA Theater are available at the PFA Theater box office and BAM/PFA admissions desk, online, or by phone at (510) 642-5249. Please note that our second-feature discount does not apply to these programs. Tickets are nonrefundable, and may not be exchanged.
PFA General:
2575 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 92027
(510) 642-1412
