ARTHOUSE FILM NEWS - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene at Facets, Chicago 11/29/23

This BBC article provides some answers. - Sujewa

Latest re: the situation in Burma & the UN's response to it, at the BBC site . - Sujewa

Full disclosure: one of my relatives is a Buddhist monk, belonging to the same school of Buddhism - Therevada - that the Burmese monks belong to, and having been raised Buddhist (although I am no longer one; happily agnostic now) in Sri Lanka, and being aware of the activist nature of the Buddhism taught in Therevada Buddhist countries (initially as a revolt against Hinduism, and in more recent times as an anti-colonial & anti-despotic force - which has in Sri Lankan history also sadly led to, at times, being an anti-minority (Tamil/Hindu/Christian, etc.) voice; very un-Buddhist IMO, anyway, a different subject for a different day there), the monks led protest in Burma is of great interest to me. This event in Burma is probably the first time in my life that I've seen the social engagement & activism potential (and, as I can see, activism mandate) in Buddhism being wielded as a weapon (a non-violent weapon) at such a large scale (a recent monk led march was estimated to hav

BBC article about how Burmese bloggers are working around tight internet restrictions to tell the world about people's protests & government reprisals. Ko Htike's blog w/ updates from Burma. - Sujewa

Saw Hollywoodland last night, very good movie, but the use of motion picture film & the period production design kind of kept me at a certain distance from the movie. Saw the film Cache tonight, another very good movie. Enjoyed (well, enjoyed might be the wrong word given the subject matter of Cache, but lets say an aesthetically engaging experience) it a lot more, was able to get into it more because the director Michael Haneke used video (HD most likely) to shoot the film, all the lighting was as natural as could be, star Juliette Binoche looked like an ordinary person/more approachable/vulnerable/and thus more likeable in this movie (compared to a handful of other movies I've seen her in). So, motion picture film is definitely more visually beautiful, but video resonates more emotionally, a higher degree of emotional beauty in that medium, at least for me. Motion picture film is like a well lit/studio photo of a hot model, a stranger. Video is like a good photo, take

Heard about this book while visiting a relative last night. Sounds very interesting, I am ordering a copy to check out. Claims to have proof of a pre-Vijaya (Indian prince credited with starting Sri Lanka in the 6th century BC) dynasty that traded with other kingdoms & states in various parts of the world. Here is the Amazon link for the book, title The Lost Dynasty: Uncovering Sri Lanka's Secret Past - by Nishantha Gunewardena. A description from the Amazon page: " It is the story of a king, shrouded in mystery, introduced as fiction, betrayed by history, unveiled by a tsunami that reintroduces himself, his kingdom, and his dynasty ... as true history. For centuries Sri Lankans and many historians have believed that the Sri Lankan civilization begins with the arrival of Vijaya, the supposed first king and progenitor of the Sinhalese, from northeastern India in the sixth century BCE. "If so," the author asks, "how is it that Egyptian Pharaohs, Prophet Moses

BBC report on YouTube re: the latest wave of Buddhist monks led anti-junta protests in Burma: Related: a video using probably a Burmese song, dedicated to the monk protesters: - Sujewa

At the Evening Class blog . Here is a segment: " Michael Guillén: I'm sure I'm not the first one to express that it's somewhat startling to have the best African feature at the Toronto International be the work of a Korean-American and a White guy. [Laughter.] How did that come about? Lee Isaac Chung: Thank you for saying that. It came about originally because my wife had been doing volunteer work in Rwanda for the last three summers. She does art therapy and she wanted me to come with her. We had just been married and it was the first summer after we'd been married. She wanted us to go together and she asked me to volunteer as well to do something. I figured cinema and filmmaking is all that I know that I could teach so I figured we were going to teach it. But as I was looking at the sort of films that were coming out of Rwanda, it seemed a little sad that there was nothing that focused on contemporary Rwanda. Everything just seemed to recreate what went on with

BBC writes about a report re: London's film industry & its lack of ethnic diversity. Read the article here . Here is a segment: "The report from the TUC found the sector tended to recruit a workforce largely drawn from white people and those with high-income backgrounds." More here . Thanks Cinematical for the link. - Sujewa

Read all about it at Amir's blog . Planned release dates are: Whale in December '07, Plain Us in March '08, Micro in May '08, as I understand it. All three films are said to be related. More here . - Sujewa

Read about it at Wild Diner Films blog ; the latest update on my new film - the short 2 Actors. - Sujewa

Read the Washington Post article about the closing of another art house in DC, after a 20 year long run. The last movie I saw there was Mutual Appreciation a few months ago (or maybe late '06?), with director Andrew Bujalski present for a Q & A afterwards. Here is a little bit from the article, summing up other DC art house closings: " In June 1996, the Biograph in Georgetown closed after a nearly 30-year run as an independently owned, single-screen art house that was "the closest thing to a true underground cinema the D.C. area has ever seen," according to an article in The Post. The next year, Palisades residents protested the closing of a theater by the predecessor to AMC Loews, Cineplex Odeon. It became a CVS Pharmacy . In June 2002, the Janus 3 in Dupont Circle, which once had its own film club and midnight showings of experimental films, closed. In May 2000, the Embassy was resurrected as Visions Bar Noir, a two-screen venue at the crossroads of the D

Check it out, & read about it, here . - Sujewa

Check it out here . By Nelson Kim. - Sujewa

Check it out here . - Sujewa