24 City
May 08 - May 14, 2009
(Jia Zhang-ke, China, 2008, DigiBeta, 112 min)
US Theatrical Premiere!
Panel discussion about making hybrid works of fiction and documentary on Wednesday, May 13 after the 7pm screening
24 City is eloquent testimony to a China that is vanishing with each swing of the wrecking ball. Blending fiction and documentary, Jia Zhang-ke puts a human face on the consequences of rapid industrial and economic growth in China. Shot in Chengdu in Sichuan province, 24 City documents the development of state-owned Factory 420 from the 1950s to the present. Once booming, it was demolished in 2007 to make room for an upscale apartment complex. Grounded by interviews with real factory workers and performances by three of the country’s most important actors (Joan Chen, Lu Liping, Zhao Tao), the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, just four days after a massive earthquake devastated parts of Chengdu.
"In 24 City you can see China repurposing what come across as very American ideas about the pursuit of happiness, success and especially money. Mr Jia is one of the most original filmmakers working today, creating movies about a country that seems like a sequel." —Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
Join us for a panel discussion about making hybrid works of fiction and documentary on Wednesday, May 13 after the 7pm screening!
About the panelists:
Serge Gregory has made ten narrative, documentary and experimental short films since 1997. His films have been exhibited at the Seattle International Film Festival, One Reel Film Festival, Seattle Art Museum, Northwest Film Forum, Library of Congress, and a variety of museum, gallery and alternative venues in the North America and Europe.
Jay Kuehner is a Seattle based writer and film critic. He is a contributing writer for CINEMA SCOPE magazine, GREEN CINE DAILY, indieWIRE and SENSES OF CINEMA as well as free-lance submissions to various other print and online publications.
Moderated by Katherine Leggett. Katherine Leggett's short films have screened at over 40 festivals, including Sundance, Full Frame, SXSW and Silverdocs and have been broadcast on the Sundance Channel and CBC in Canada. She received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Madison-Wisconsin and a M.A. in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University.
Watch the trailer: