AMES Presents- FILM Screenings: "Meishi Street" (2006) and "The Gangster's God" (2006)
- Sponsors:
Asian & Middle Eastern Studies (AMES), Asian Pacific Studies Institute (APSI), Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), Duke University Center for International Studies (DUCIS), Program in Arts of the Moving Image (AMI), Cultural Anthropology, and Women's Studies Program
- Location:
- When:
to
Double features from China and Taiwan: "Meishi Street" (Ou Ning, 2006, a.k.a. "The Story of Zhang Jinli"), which focuses on a Beijing restaurant owner's efforts to prevent the process of demolition that threatens to destroy not only his business but also his entire neighborhood. "The Gangster's God" (He Zhao-Ti, 2006)Every Lantern Festival in Taidong, a group of men strips bare above the waist, and wearing nothing but red shorts, stands on a sacred palanquin, allowing people to pound their bodies with bottle rockets, singeing their skin. They are believed to be human incarnations of the god Handan. The "Scorching of Handan" has in recent years become a major event in eastern Taiwan. Those who take part in the ritual have always been shrouded in mystery, and rumored to be members of the gangster underworld. The documentary "The Gangster's God" enters the heart of these men's universe, recording their dramatic lives. Contact: richm021@duke.edu or 668-2603
Movie/Film, Student, and International