Since 2008 AEMS has been curating the ongoing documentary and independent film series AsiaLENS at the Spurlock Museum in Urbana. Each film is accompanied by a local or visiting expert who leads the audience in a post-screening discussion. All screenings are free and open to the public.
For full film descriptions, please visit: AEMS AsiaLENS and CEAPS event calendar
AsiaLENS Film Screenings of Fall 2024
Sep 25, 2024, 6:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
In the 1920's and 1930's, African American musicians in Shanghai became crucial to define that era. This documentary is about a story of "the half has never been told," that is the history of jazz as experienced by African American and Chinese musicians in China from past to present. This film traces the story of some of the important historical figures past and present that shaped part of the Chinese music scene, featuring musicians Jasmine Chen and Theo Croke. A virtual discussion with the filmmaker, Marketus Presswood took place after the screening.
(Marketus Presswood | 2023 | USA/China | Documentary)
Co-sponsored by Center for African Studies, Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures, and Spurlock Museum of World Cultures
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Oct 1, 2024, 5:00 pm
108 Coble Hall (801 S Wright St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
Breaking the Cycle captures the political awakening in Thailand after the rise and fall of Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a young politician seeking to end the country’s recurring cycle of military coups. The film explores the 2019 Thai general election, which marked the end of five years of full military rule and ushered in a new wave of young politicians who challenged authoritarian norms and inspired a once-in-a-generation youth movement.
This special screening is part of a GETSEA simulcast, with the film shown simultaneously at nineteen (19) universities across North America. A virtual post-screening discussion took place with filmmakers Aekaphong Saransate and Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn via Zoom.
(Aekaphong Saransate & Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn | 2023 | Thailand | Documentary)
Presented in partnership with the Graduate Education and Training in Southeast Asia (GETSEA).
For full details and participating institutions, visit: https://get-sea.org/events/getsea-simulcast-film-screenings
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AsiaLENS – "Padauk: Myanmar Spring" (Film Screening & Discussion w/ CEAPS Director Matt Winters)
Oct 23, 2024, 6:00 pm
Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
Padauk: Myanmar Spring takes the viewer to the streets of Myanmar during the heady days following the February 2021 military coup. Through Nant, a young, first-time protestor, we meet three human rights activists whose lives have been turned upside down by the coup. The film captures the resilience and courage of those rising up to demand democracy and justice in the face of violent repression. The screening was followed by a discussion led by Matt Winters, Director of the Center for East Asian & Pacific Studies (CEAPS).
(Jeanne Hallacy and Rares Michael Ghilezan | 2022 | Myanmar/USA | Documentary)
Co-sponsored by the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies and the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures
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AsiaLENS – "1923 Kanto Massacre" (U.S. Premiere Screening & Discussion w/ Dr. Jinhee Lee)
Nov 13, 2024, 6:00 pm
Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 marked a moment of unprecedented material destruction and cultural rupture in modern Japan. As the earthquake and ensuing fire devastated Tokyo and surrounding areas, fear and misinformation gave rise to a violent massacre of Koreans and other marginalized groups. 1923 Kanto Massacre reconstructs the course of this orchestrated violence and explores how this dark chapter of history has been obscured and suppressed for a century. The documentary sheds light on the "forbidden truth" that still haunts the descendants of victims and survivors.
The screening was introduced by Dr. Jinhee Lee, UIUC alum, Creative Producer of the film, and Professor of History and Chair of Asian Studies at Eastern Illinois University. A post-screening discussion and Q&A was moderated by Dr. Matt Winters, Director of the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies (CEAPS).
(Kim Tae-yeong and Choi Gyu-seog | 2024 | Korea | 116 min | Japanese/Korean/English with English subtitles | Documentary)
Co-sponsored by the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, and the Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures
AsiaLENS Film Screenings of Fall 2023
Oct 16, 2023, 5:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
Above and Below the Ground depicts the Indigenous women activists and punk rock pastors leading Myanmar’s first country-wide environmental movement. When the Myanmar army and a Chinese corporate giant force Indigenous Kachin people off their ancestral land to build the massive Myitsone Dam, grandmother Lu Ra stands her ground. We see her struggle to save the sacred confluence and build a movement, mentoring young female law student Hkawn Mai. A Kachin punk rock band made of pastors, BLAST, also takes action, transforming their love songs into protest anthems. The film follows these individuals through their journey of activism, from their underground beginnings during Myanmar’s military junta rule, to supposed “democratic” reforms and a sudden military coup. During such periods of fledgling democracy and dictatorship–in Myanmar and globally–the film asks how ordinary people can use the power of music, community organizing, and women’s leadership to challenge authoritarianism.
A production of Rhiza Collective in association with Ethnocine Collective.
Directed by Emily Hong;
Produced by Maggie Lemere, Ja Nang Tsen, and Emily Hong.
(Emily Hong | 2023 | Myanmar/USA | Documentary)
Presented in partnership with the Graduate Education and Training in Southeast Asia (GETSEA). The in-person anchor screening and discussion was held at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with Director Emily Hong and Producer Maggie Lemere. Twenty additional universities, including UIUC, participated simultaneously and joined the discussion via Zoom.
For more information and full list of sponsors and participating institutions, visit: http://bit.ly/GETSEASimulcast
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AsiaLENS – Try Harder! (Film Screening & Discussion w/ Director Debbie Lum & Subject Ian Wang)
Nov 3, 2023, 6:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
At San Francisco’s top-ranked public high school, Lowell High, the seniors are stressed out. In this majority Asian American student body, they know they’re seen as “robots” or “AP machines” by college admissions officers. Try Harder! reveals the intense pressures of the American college admissions process, exploring how race, class, and stereotypes intersect to shape students’ experiences and aspirations. With humor and heart, Director Debbie Lum follows a group of students through this rite of passage, spotlighting their dreams and challenges as part of the most diverse generation in U.S. history.
Alongside its wide release from Sundance to public television, the film’s Impact Campaign centers student voices in conversations on mental health, educational equity, and visibility of AAPI stories in college admissions discourse.
Following the screening, there was a post-film discussion with Director/Producer Debbie Lum and film subject Ian Wang, moderated by David Chih, Director of the Asian American Cultural Center.
(Debbie Lum | 2022 | USA | 85 min | Documentary)
Co-sponsored by the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, Asian American Cultural Center, Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, Humanities Research Institute, Ebert Center for Film Studies, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and the Yellow Peril Redux Project at UIUC.
Note: The film includes a health class scene discussing sex and contains some cursing. Viewer discretion advised for young children.
AsiaLENS Film Screenings of Spring 2023
AsiaLENS - “CHOSEN” (Film Screening & Discussion w/ Filmmaker Joseph Juhn)
Feb 14, 2023, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
With only two Korean Americans elected to U.S. Congress since 1903, five Korean Americans run for U.S. Congress in 2020. CHOSEN offers a glimpse within the campaigns of these candidates with vastly diverse backgrounds and competing political views including David Kim, the only underdog with limited resources vying to be the first gay Korean American representative.
An award winning lawyer turned filmmaker, Joseph Juhn has a passion for telling diasporic narratives. His second feature documentary “CHOSEN” had its World Premiere at the Jeonju International Film Festival in May 2022. The complex dynamics of Korean American communities represented in the film will be further explored in our post screening discussion with the filmmaker.
(Joseph Juhn | 2022 | USA | 89 minutes)
Co-sponsored by Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
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AsiaLENS - “Alternative Facts: The lies of Executive Order 9066” (Film Screening & Discussion)
Mar 7, 2023, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*In-person event and post-screening discussion with Nikkeijin Illinois curator Jason Finkelman.
This documentary film sheds light on the people and politics that influenced the signing of the infamous Executive Order 9066 which authorized the mass incarceration of nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans, and exposes the lies used to justify the decision and the cover-up that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
In today’s unsettling climate of fear, "fake news" and targeting of immigrant and religious communities this story is a cautionary tale about democracy in the United States and the dire consequences of allowing politics and misguided rhetoric drive decisions about public policy.
(Jon Osaki | 2019 | USA | 65 minutes)
Co-sponsored by Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
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AsiaLENS - “Far East Deep South” (Film Screening & Discussion w/ Filmmaker Baldwin Chiu)
Apr 11, 2023 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
This award winning film exploring the seldom-told history of Chinese immigrants living in the American South during the late 1800s to mid-1900s presents a very personal and unique perspective on immigration, race and American identity.
When a Chinese-American man from California, travels to Mississippi to visit the grave of his father who abandoned him as a baby, he and his family stumble upon surprising revelations that change their lives. Along the way, they meet a diverse group of local residents and historians, who shed light on the racially complex history of Chinese immigrants in the segregated South. Their emotional journey leads them to discover how deep their roots run in America but how the Chinese Exclusion Act separated their family for generations.
(Larissa Lam and Baldwin Chiu | 2019 | USA | 76 minutes)
Co-sponsored by Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Fall 2022
AsiaLENS - BAATO (Film Screening + Discussion)
Sep 13, 2022, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to public
Baato tells the story of a young village family on an annual migration along the route of a coming transnational highway. Partially complete, the highway project will transform this roadless Himalayan valley permanently and open up a direct transport route between Nepal and China –bringing new challenges, new opportunities, and ultimately a new way of being to those who live along its path. The documentary is a visual feast that glimpses the effects of development and globalization from the perspective of those affected most directly –it is a journey through the heart of a changing Nepal.
(Lucas Millard, Kate Stryker | 2020 | Nepal, USA | 81 minutes)
Co-sponsored by Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
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AsiaLENS - “Jimmy In Saigon” (Screening + Discussion w/ Filmmaker)
Oct 11, 2022, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to public
Jimmy in Saigon is a feature documentary by Los Angeles-based filmmaker Peter McDowell and executive producer Dan Savage. Originally from Illinois, Peter chronicles the story of Jim, his eldest brother, and a Vietnam War veteran. In 1972, when Jim was 24 and Peter was only 5, Jim died under mysterious circumstances while living as a civilian in Saigon.
Through over 200 of Jim’s letters, candid interviews with Jim’s friends and family, and filming of the truth-seeking journey that led him across the United States, Vietnam, and France, Peter creates an elegiac work that examines grief, family secrets, war, drug use, sexuality, and healing, amounting to a celebration of a short but powerful life.
(Peter McDowell | 2022 | 89 minutes)
Both Peter and Jimmy are Urbana-Champaign natives, and both graduated from University of Illinois High School (Uni High) in Urbana. Peter received his BA in French at the University of Illinois in 1989.
Co-sponsored by The Spurlock Museum of World Cultures, The Yuen Tze Lo and Sara De Mundo Lo Scholars Studio Fund, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Any content or views expressed in the material showcased are those of the author(s) or creator(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
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AsiaLENS - “Jimmy In Saigon” (Encore Screening)
Oct 16, 2022, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to public
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AsiaLENS - “Now is the Past – My Father, Java & the Phantom Files” (Film Screening + Discussion)
Nov 15, 2022, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to public
During the Second World War, Japanese film editor Chounosuke Ise made numerous propaganda films in Japanese-occupied Indonesia. Their purpose was to justify Japan’s hegemony in Asia, claiming liberation of these countries from colonialism. Chounosuke Ise’s son, filmmaker Shin-ichi Ise, traces the path taken by his father, who barely spoke about the war or Indonesia, and was seemingly reluctant to discuss what he had done there.
Shin-ichi Ise’s quest takes him to film studios in Jakarta that were built by forced laborers, to eyewitnesses who recall the atrocities committed by the Japanese military police, and to women who fled from rapists. It turns out that the propaganda films—130 of them—are stored at the Dutch National Archive in The Hague. Here, at last, Shin-ichi Ise can watch his father’s propaganda films, on subjects such as Japanese efforts to control malaria and the work of railway laborers. “Why did he make them?” he wonders. And what would he have done in the same situation? History is clearly not finished; now is the past, and the past is now.
(Shinichi Ise | 2021 | Japan | 88 minutes.)
Co-sponsored by Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Spring 2022
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Spring 2022
AsiaLENS: Americaville/Adam James Smith (In-person screening+conversation with filmmaker)
Americaville
A film by Adam James Smith.
2020. 80 minutes.
In-person screening and conversation with filmmaker Adam James Smith.
February 8, 2022 7pm
Admission Free
FACE MASKS REQUIRED TO BE WORN
SPURLOCK MUSEUM
600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL
“Americaville” is a feature documentary on living the American dream in China's Wild West. Hidden among the mountains north of Beijing, a Wild West themed community promises to deliver the American dream to its several thousand Chinese residents. In Americaville, Annie Liu escapes China’s increasingly uninhabitable capital city to pursue happiness, freedom, romance, and spiritual fulfillment in the town; only to find the American idyll harder to attain than what was promised to her.
More info: www.americavillefilm.com
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AsiaLENS: A is for Agustin/Grace Pimentel Simbulan (In-person screening+conversation with filmmaker)
A is for Agustin
A film by Grace Pimentel Simbulan. 2019. 74 minutes.
In-person screening and conversation with filmmaker Grace Pimentel Simbulan.
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 - 7pm
SPURLOCK MUSEUM
600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL
Admission Free
FACE MASKS REQUIRED TO BE WORN
Living in a remote corner of the Philippine islands, Agustin is a tribesman who loves to sing, but never had the opportunity to learn to read or write. When his boss cheats him out of his wages seemingly for the thousandth time, 40-year old Agustin decides to enroll in grade 1. Over the next six years, however, Agustin becomes increasingly torn between two realities – the children’s world in school, and the increasing challenges of the world outside. This film invites audiences to hope and dream with Agustin, and to understand the harsh reality that makes his optimism and the optimism of many Indigenous peoples ultimately so fragile.
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AsiaLENS: Abandoned/Eri Kitada (In-person screening+Online conversation with scholar)
Abandoned: The Stories of Japanese War Orphans in The Philippines and China
A film by Hiroyasu Obara. 2020. 98 minutes.
In-person screening. Online conversation with scholar Eri Kitada (Rutgers University-New Brunswick)
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 - 7pm
SPURLOCK MUSEUM
600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL
Admission Free
FACE MASKS REQUIRED TO BE WORN
Addressing issues around family and transnationalism, citizenship and empire, and history and memory across East and Southeast Asia, this documentary film traces forgotten and disappeared Japanese communities in the Philippines and former Manchuria by shedding light on the perspectives of migrants’ children now approaching the end of their lives. Testimonies in the film illuminate the afterlives of communities and families grappling with the legal, economic, and emotional questions of the historically fraught diaspora.
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Fall 2021
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Fall 2021
AsiaLENS: Everyday Is A Holiday/Theresa Loong (Virtual Screening + Online Filmmaker Discussion)
Virtual Screening:
Friday, September 10, 2021, 5pm - Friday, September 17, 2021, 5pm
(A link to view the film will be emailed to registered participants on September 10, 2021.)
Online Filmmaker Discussion:
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, 4pm CT
Register for virtual screening 9/10-9/17 + online discussion 9/14
*This event is co-sponsored by the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
*This event is supported by the U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) program.
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AsiaLENS: Jeronimo/Joseph Juhn (Virtual Screening + Online Filmmaker Discussion)
Virtual Screening:
Friday, October 8, 2021, 5pm - Friday, October 15, 2021, 5pm
(A link to view the film will be emailed to registered participants on October 8, 2021.)
Online Filmmaker Discussion:
Tuesday, October 12, 2021, 4pm CT
Register for virtual screening 10/8-10/15 + online discussion 10/12
*This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
*This event is supported by the U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) program.
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Virtual Screening:
Friday, November 5, 2021, 5pm - Friday, November 12, 2021, 5pm
(A link to view the film will be emailed to registered participants on November 5, 2021.)
Link: https://vimeo.com/636646570
Password: KLWest39!
Online Filmmaker Discussion:
Tuesday, November 9, 2021, 4pm
Register for virtual screening 11/5-11/12 + online discussion 11/9
*This event is co-sponsored by the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures.
*This event is supported by the U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) program.
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Spring 2021
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Spring 2021:
*Edo Avant Garde
Facebook event page
A film by Linda Hoaglund.
2019. 83 minutes.
Online Viewing:
Friday, February 19, 5pm - Friday, February 26, 5pm
(A link to view the film will be emailed to registered participants on February 19, 2021.)
Online discussion with filmmakers Linda Hoaglund.
Tuesday, February 23, 2021 - 4pm (registration required)
Register for virtual screening 2/19-2/26 + online discussion 2/23
Presented in partnership with Spurlock Museum and co-sponsored by the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Japan House, and Krannert Art Museum.
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*Finding Yingying
A film by Jiayan Shi.
2020. 98 minutes.
Online Viewing:
Friday, April 2, 5pm - Friday, April 9, 5pm
Online discussion with filmmakers Jiayan “Jenny” Shi, Brent E. Huffman, and Shilin Sun.
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 - 5pm (registration required)
Register for virtual screening 4/2-4/9 + online discussion 4/6
(Viewing link/password will be included in the zoom registration confirmation email.)
For full film descriptions, please visit: AEMS AsiaLENS and CEAPS event calendar
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Fall 2020
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Fall 2020:
*Norman Mineta and His Legacy: An American Story
Facebook event page
A film by Dianne Fukami and Debra Nakatomi.
2018. 60 minutes.
Online Viewing:
Friday, Oct 23, 2020, 5 pm - Friday, Oct 30, 2020, 5 pm
The link was provided on these dates only.
Online discussion with filmmakers Dianne Fukami and Debra Nakatomi.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020 - 4pm (registration required)
https://illinois.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vEf4Ee8yRzSHV7A54p8dHQ
Presented as part of Spurlock Museum's exhibition "Debates, Decisions, Demands: Objects of Campaigns and Activism.”
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*Hiroshima Nagasaki Download
Facebook event page
A film by Shinpei Takeda.
2009. 73 minutes.
Online Viewing
Friday, Nov 6, 2020, 5 pm - Friday, Nov 13, 5 pm
The link was provided on these dates only.
Online discussion with filmmaker Shinpei Takeda
Tuesday, November 10, 2020 - 4pm (registration required)
https://illinois.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6lmNyQ74Sbe3Y9k20ckNSw
(Except for online screening, all onsite film screening will be shown at the Spurlock Museum, Knight Auditorium on 600 South Gregory Street, Urbana, Illinois.)
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Spring 2020
AsiaLENS – "The Man Who Built Cambodia" (Film Screening & Discussion)
Feb 11, 2020, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
This film explores the life of Vann Molyvann, a visionary architect whose work symbolized a new national identity for Cambodia after gaining independence. At the heart of a cultural renaissance, Molyvann developed a bold architectural style known as New Khmer Architecture, blending modernist ideals with traditional design. As the country changed through war, regime shifts, and modernization, Molyvann returned in the 1990s only to find his contributions increasingly marginalized, with many of his buildings neglected or demolished. This poignant documentary traces both his personal story and Cambodia’s turbulent modern history.
(Christopher Rompré & Haig Balian | 2015 | Cambodia | 37 min | Documentary)
Introduction and post-screening discussion TBA
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Mar 10, 2020, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
Day of the Western Sunrise is an animated, Japanese-language documentary about the crew of the tuna trawler Daigo Fukuryu Maru, or The Lucky Dragon No. 5. On March 1, 1954, the fishermen aboard the Lucky Dragon survived Castle Bravo, the largest thermonuclear explosion ever detonated by the United States. The film recounts how their lives were forever altered by this event and explores the enduring human and environmental consequences of nuclear weapons testing.
A post-screening discussion followed with Jason Finkelman (Asian Educational Media Service) and Michael Koerner (Lecturer, Department of Chemistry).
(Keith Reimink | 2018 | USA/Japan | 75 min | Japanese with English subtitles | Documentary)
Distributed by Daliborka Films
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AsiaLENS – "Americaville" (Film Screening & Discussion w/ Director Adam James Smith)
Apr 14, 2020, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
Hidden among the mountains north of Beijing, a replica of the Wyoming town of Jackson Hole promises to deliver the American dream to its several thousand Chinese residents. In Americaville, Annie Liu escapes China’s increasingly uninhabitable capital city to pursue happiness, freedom, romance, and spiritual fulfillment in Jackson Hole—only to find the American idyll harder to attain than what was promised to her. This feature documentary explores the cultural paradox of longing for a dream that may not translate across borders. Following the screening, there was a discussion with filmmaker Adam James Smith.
(Adam James Smith | 2020 | China/USA | 80 min | Documentary)
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Fall 2019
AsiaLENS – "Remittance" (Film Screening & Discussion w/ Heather M. Gifford)
Sep 10, 2019, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
Remittance is a realistic portrayal of low-wage migrant workers in Singapore, shot on location with a cast including actual domestic workers. The film follows Marie, a foreign domestic worker from the Philippines, and immerses viewers in her joys, hopes, and challenges. Through Marie’s emotional and economic journey, the film explores the global dynamics of labor commodification and the sacrifices made by women exported from poor countries to serve wealthier nations.
A post-screening discussion was led by Heather M. Gifford, Predoc Fellow, Department of Sociology, University of Illinois.
(Patrick Daly & Joel Fendelman | 2016 | Singapore/Philippines | 90 min | English/Tagalog | Drama)
Distributed by Outcast Films
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AsiaLENS – "Lovesick" (Film Screening & Discussion w/ Sulagna Chakraborty & Mara Thacker)
Oct 8, 2019, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
In India, how do you find love if you're HIV-positive? Lovesick follows Dr. Suniti Solomon, who discovered India's first case of HIV in 1986, and later began matchmaking her HIV-positive patients. Shot over eight years, the film interweaves Dr. Solomon’s personal and professional journeys with those of her patients, offering a compassionate and hopeful exploration of love, stigma, and resilience.
A discussion followed with Sulagna Chakraborty, PhD student in Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology, and Mara Thacker, South Asian Studies & Global Popular Culture Librarian.
(Ann S. Kim & Priya Giri Desai | 2018 | India/USA | 74 min | English/Hindi | Documentary)
Distributed by Women Make Movies
Co-sponsored by the International and Area Studies Library
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AsiaLENS – "Drokpa: Nomads of Tibet" (Film Screening & Discussion w/ Mark Frank & Hilary Brady Morris)
Nov 12, 2019, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
Presented as part of International Week
Set in the high plateau of eastern Tibet, Drokpa offers an intimate portrait of a nomadic family facing rapid environmental degradation and sociopolitical pressure. With Asia’s major rivers sourcing from these grasslands, their disappearance has far-reaching consequences. The film reveals how once-lush landscapes are turning into deserts, threatening an ancient way of life on the brink of irreversible change.
A post-screening discussion featured Mark Frank, PhD in East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Hilary Brady Morris, PhD candidate in Musicology at the University of Illinois.
(Yan Chun Su | 2016 | Tibet/USA | 79 min | Tibetan with English subtitles | Documentary)
Distributed by Collective Eye Films
AsiaLENS Film Screenings for Spring 2019
AsiaLENS – The Silk Road of Pop (Film Screening & Discussion w/ Liwei Zhang)
Feb 12, 2019, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
The Silk Road of Pop offers a vibrant portrait of the Uyghur pop music scene in China’s Xinjiang region. Through hip-hop crews, rock stars, and traditional musicians, the film captures the energy and identity of Uyghur youth. As they navigate life under increasing repression, music becomes a form of cultural resistance and self-expression in a society striving to silence them. Post-screening discussion was held with Liwei Zhang, Department of Political Science, Jilin University (China) and VASP Scholar at UIUC.
(Sameer Farooq & Ursula Engel | 2013 | China/Canada | 53 min | Uyghur/Mandarin with English subtitles | Documentary)
Distributed by Smoke Signal Projects
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AsiaLENS – The Song Collector (Film Screening & Discussion w/ Stefan P. Fiol)
Mar 12, 2019, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
Set in the remote Himalayas of Ladakh, The Song Collector follows Morup Namgyal, a legendary folk artist determined to preserve his culture’s disappearing musical traditions. As development accelerates, the film examines the tensions between modernization and cultural heritage, presenting a Buddhist-inspired vision for balancing the two.
Post-screening discussion was gekd with Stefan P. Fiol, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology, College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati.
(Erik Koto | 2016 | India/USA | 54 min | Ladakhi with English subtitles | Documentary)
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AsiaLENS – Finding KUKAN (Film Screening & Discussion)
Apr 9, 2019, 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium (600 S Gregory St, Urbana, IL 61801)
*Free and open to the public
KUKAN was the first American feature documentary to win an Academy Award in 1942—and then it was lost. Finding KUKAN follows filmmaker Robin Lung’s investigation into the film’s history and its two unsung creators: Chinese American playwright Li Ling-Ai and cameraman Rey Scott. Her journey brings to light a forgotten legacy and the overlooked role of Asian American pioneers in wartime storytelling.
Post-screening discussion TBD.
(Robin Lung | 2017 | USA/China | 75 min | English/Mandarin | Documentary)
Distributed by New Day Films