FREE ADMISSION

"The World"
Shijie (dtr. Jia Zhangke, 2005)
139 mins.

Acclaimed Chinese director Jia Zhangke casts a compassionate eye on the daily loves, friendships, and desperate dreams of the twenty-somethings from China's remote provinces, who come to live and work at Beijing's World Park. From the sensational opening tracking shot of a young dancer's backstage quest for a Band-Aid to poetic flourishes of animation and clever use of text-messaging, Jia pushes past the kitsch potential of this surreal setting. The Village Voice called Jia Zhangke "the world's greatest filmmaker under forty," and The World is his funniest, most inventive and touching work to date.

All films have English subtitles.

Organizer and curator: Howard Y. F. Choy, Assistant Professor of Chinese, School of Modern Languages "Mountain Patrol" and "Riding Alone for Thousand Miles" are made possible with the support of the Education Office of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Houston. Thanks to Ren Changsong, Lu Peiming, and Li Haizheng. Special thanks to the Student Success Center.