8 & 9 september

ASIAN ANIMATION SHORT FESTIVAL

Monologue of Dreams

Asian Movie Night x KloosterKino

 

 

NL Terwijl de herfst onze ogen kleurt met gele tinten en bladeren ons omhullen in een knusse deken, brengt Asian Movie Night deze september samen met KloosterKino het speciale korte filmprogramma 'Monologue of Dreams' naar Cavia. Dit programma onderzoekt de complexe en universele thema's die door de lens van Aziatische verhalenvertellers worden geportretteerd. Tijdens deze reis zullen we ons verdiepen in symbolische en surrealistische elementen, de alomtegenwoordigheid van machtsdynamiek aanpakken en de discussie aangaan over het gevoel ergens bij te horen en zelfgenezing, op collectieve en boeiende manieren.

Monologue of Dreams, mede samengesteld door Minhong YU en Maarten van Gageldonk, bevat 8 verschillende werken uit Zuid-Korea, China, Japan, Iran en Armenië, zoals Sensor Ship (2021, KR), The Song of Flying Leaves (2023, IR/AM), Bird in the Peninsula (2022, JP/FR), A Dog Under a Bridge (2022, CN), It's a Grey, Grey World (2022, IN), Persona (2022, KR), Mui (2021, CN) en I'm Late (2021, JP/FR). Alle films worden vertoond in hun originele taal met Engelse ondertiteling.


EN As autumn paints our eyes with shades of yellow and leaves wrap us in a cozy blanket, this September, Asian Movie Night is teaming up with KloosterKino to bring you the special shorts program 'Monologue of Dreams'. This program explores the complex and universal themes portrayed by the lens of Asian storytellers. Through this journey, we will delve into symbolic and surreal elements, address the omnipresence of power dynamics, and engage in the discussion about the sense of belongings and self-healing, in collective and captivating ways.

Monologue of Dreams, co-curated by Minhong YU and Maarten van Gageldonk, features 8 diverse works from South Korean, China, Japan, Iran and Armenia, such as Sensor Ship (2021, KR), The Song of Flying Leaves (2023, IR/AM), Bird in the Peninsula (2022, JP/FR), A Dog Under a Bridge (2022, CN), It's a Gray, Gray World (2022, IN), Persona (2022, KR), Mui (2021, CN) and I'm Late (2021, JP/FR). All films are screened in their original language with English subtitles.

PROGRAM:
19:00 | Introduction
19:10 | Film screening
19:54 | 5 minute break
20:00 | Film screening
20:40 | BoBo Nail Salon (see down below)
22:00 | end

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Vrijdag 8 september, 19:00
Zaterdag 9 september, 19:00

SPECIAL

Asian Animation Short Festival – Monologue of Dreams

 

Sensor Ship

Jina Yoon | 2021 | KR | 2’
 

 

EN Pun definitely intended! In this voyage of Sensor Ship, Jina Yoon creates a thought-provoking film using surrealist and grotesque illustrations of contorted bodies accompanied by a soothing voice.

 

The Song of Flying Leaves

Armine Anda | 2023 | AM & IR | 13’
 

 

EN Suna, a young girl, lives in a forest and sleeps in the leaves. One day, she meets a two-hundred-year-old man, who offers to pass on to her a hidden technique ... Armenian actress, writer, producer and director Armine Anda has crafted a beautiful meditative short with a teacher to remember.

 

Bird in the Peninsula

Atsushi Wada | 2022 | FR & JP | 16’
 

EN Seemingly a sly commentary on manhood standards and gender roles, Japanese director Atsushi Wada's latest short dips into a sort of ritual mysticism. Children dance to music under the supervision of their teacher. A young girl attends the scene and comes to disturb their ritual. Bird in the Peninsula received a Special Mention at the 2022 Berlinale.

 

A Dog Under a Bridge

Rehoo Tang | 2022 | CN | 13’
 

EN "I'm a dog who lives in the park under a bridge. Awoooooooo!" A Dog Under a Bridge started with filmmaker Rehoo Tang walking under a bridge in China. Here was a quiet, deserted, and wild park with people who seemed abandoned by society and who tried to eliminate the loneliness in their lives. To fit in, he imagined himself as a stray dog living alone. Rehoo Tang ended up winning the Jury Award for Best Graduation Film in Annecy.

 

It’s A Gray, Gray World

Seyed Mohsen Pourmohseni Shakib | 2022 | IR | 6’
 

 

EN In a completely gray world, the colourful identity of a conservative young man is accidentally revealed by a playful boy. People are terrified of this, calling the police to arrest the young man. But the young man managed to escape, returning the next day to defend his right to freedom. An Iranian short with a vital message to the world, and the Iranian regime.

 

Persona

Sujin Moon | 2022 | KR | 7’
 

 

EN persona (noun) - the particular type of character that a person seems to have and that is often different from their real or private character

In her graduation short film, animator Moon Su-jin depicts the nightmarish process of being encroached on by the persona. Just how big is the gap between 'me' and 'my persona'? Persona was the first Korean animated short to compete for the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

Mui

Weng Chon Wong | 2021 | CN | 8’
 

 

EN During a short bus trip, a young man and his elderly grandmother are confronted with horrible memories. Amidst grandma's usual nonstop nagging, it feels as if suffering will persist simultaneously in the past in the present. Coming from Macao director Weng Chon Wong, the film is a wonderfully weird mix of styles and emotions.

 

I’m Late

Sawako Kabuki | 2021 | FR & JP | 11’
 

EN I'm Late focuses on an important but underdiscussed topic. Known for her work on the female body, filmmaker Sawako Kabuki zooms in on the experience of being "late" with your period. Her trademark colourful style is again married here with her keen eye for vulnerability.

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BoBo Nail Salon ‘From Heart to Fingertip’:
BoBo Nail Salon program is an exploration of nail art and the experiences of women in the service industry. It aims to promote understanding of Asian culture and provoke contemplation not only about the position of Asian women in society across various cultural contexts but also about the broader societal context in which all women exist.

In this program, the artist, identifying herself as an Asian female, create an interactive and conversational space within the confines of a private setting, discussing the power dynamics between service providers and recipients. The project involves the nail art industry, which often perpetuates stereotypical impressions of Asian women. As a participant, you are required to offer a secret as payment, using something concealed within your heart, to exchange for the artist's meticulously designed nail art. You can select only one nail on which to have the art applied.

About Asian Movie Night (AMN):
Asian Movie Night is a roaming film initiative which introduces a wide range of Asian films of various genres to the public in the Netherlands, with curated themes and after-movie talks to open up relevant discussions on timely subjects. With our love for Asian cinema, which has still a lot to offer to the Dutch movie scene, we bring in different narratives and aesthetics to a broad audience through collaboration with different venues. Our aim is to foster cross-cultural understanding and cultivate a sense of empathy across differences through an experience centered around film.
 

About KloosterKino:
KloosterKino is the place to be for animated shorts in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Three times a year we show the best animated shorts from all over the world in a friendly setting. The screenings take place in a historic cloister, which dates back to 1909, and are not subject to admission. KloosterKino shows work by young filmmakers, but also pays attention to classic animated film. Throughout the year we also work with other festivals and cultural organizations to arrange screenings of animated shorts.

About the curator:
Minhong Yu (1990), a Chinese-born curator, visual artist and cultural bridge-builder, currently resides in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She has obtained design and art degrees from Sandberg Instituut (Masters at Gerrit Rietveld Academie) and China Central Academy of Fine Arts. Living a life in-between two continents, Minhong embraces her dual cultural background, allowing it to inform and enrich her creative processes. Through her visual languages, she weaves a compelling dialogue between her Eastern roots and Western experiences, exploring the nuanced complexities of identity and the sense of belonging. Minhong is the creative producer from AMN. She is also a special events curator at the CinemAsia Film Festival and the guest curator for the Leiden Shorts and The One Minutes. She embraces unique perspectives and contributes to the collective tapestry of cultural exchange and understanding, with a specific focus on the Asian diaspora films of her peers.

About the co-curator:
Maarten van Gageldonk is the Head of Program of Kaboom Animation Festival, the largest animation festival in the Netherlands. He also teaches in the Master of Animation at the Master Institute of Visual Cultures (MIVC) in Den Bosch. In recent years he co-edited the book Animation and Memory (2020), published by Palgrave Macmillan.

About the manicurist:
Bo Wen (1985) is a Chinese artist who currently resides in Amsterdam, pursuing her passion as a painter. Bo's artistic journey primarily unfolds on the canvas of oil and acrylic paintings, where she explores the themes of flora and nature. Bo crafts a space where the power of silence is unveiled, inviting viewers into moments of contemplation and reflection. Her canvases act as portals into her inner world, where the harmonious interplay between nature and emotion takes center stage in a profound and deeply personal discourse. In addition to her role as a painter, Bo will also play a unique role as a manicurist, she will offer an unconventional avenue for artistic expression.