The YAMAGATA Documentary Film Library Friday Theater（November 9 Fri）

November 9（Fri）

Screenings at the Yamagata Documentary Film Library present documentaries and movies rarely shown on television or in theaters, including works from the Film Library vaults.

 

The Red Rain on the Equator　15:00-（single screening）

YIDFF 2011 New Asian Currents

Dir: Nova Goh / MALAYSIA, TAIWAN / 2010 / 132 min

●Notes

The director learned of both his family’s past and the revolutionary movement in his hometown of Borneo when he received a letter from his mother. The film reveals the forgotten history of the Malaysian independence movement and unearths the story of the former guerrilla fighters who threw their entire being into the subsequent revolution. While the revolutionaries now lead ordinary lives, their youth is brought back to us through private footage recorded of their training and life in the mountains. Using the historical stage of the invasion as a backdrop, the film explores that Chinese identity which lives just beneath the equator.

 

●Director’s Statement

I think I am a collector rather than a film director. Instead of collecting things, I collect stories, especially from those communists who appear in front of my camera—how great they are! They had a strong faith in turbulent times, they believed in a beautiful dream without any doubt, all through a revolution that lasted for half a century. Even though they failed, something beautiful was left behind in the flow of time. When they are walking on the street, they look no different from any ordinary people, but when you look into their eyes—it’s different, there’s something you can never take away from them; they experienced a thrill whose preciousness exceeds any other human being’s experience.

The “wonderful world” never comes true at the end of any revolution, but wonderful things happened during all revolutions, and wonderful memories are kept after all revolutions—as long as the people still believe in revolution.

Nova Goh

 

 

Denok & Gareng　18:40-（single screening）

YIDFF 2013 New Asian Currents

Dir: Dwi Sujanti Nugraheni / INDONESIA / 2012 / 89 min

●Notes

Denok fled her home at 14, and after becoming pregnant met and married Gareng. The young couple left the big city to live together in the home of Gareng’s family, beginning anew by starting a pig raising business. They worry about the challenges that confront them one after another—Gareng’s father’s disappearance and the debt he leaves behind, as well as the discipline and school fees of their children. Nevertheless, the family discusses their problems thoroughly, deciding upon unique ideas to keep going. Though serious fights are inevitable, their household is tied together by a strong bond, and an atmosphere brimming with optimism.

●Director’s Statement

Personally, I have learned a lot from Denok and Gareng’s life—their spirit to love, how they accept and face the problems that continue to come their way, and their courage in laughing about themselves and their lives. Not many people have that courage. Daring to laugh at oneself means to look at one’s own life from greater distance. That’s why I admire Denok and Gareng. I believe their daily life-struggle should be seen. Their courage should be shared through a film that portrays them carefully and sincerely. I want to place Denok and Gareng into the center of our perception, because their existence is hardly looked at when we pass by.

Dwi Sujanti Nugraheni

 

 

[Venue]The YAMAGATA Documentary Film Library (Yamagata Big Wing 3F)
[Admission]Free admission for members (Member’s fee: free)
[Presented by]YIDFF (NPO)
[Contact]e-mail：info@yidff.jp (YIDFF Yamagata office)