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

a few time consuming things to do over the next 2 weeks, not too exciting, check out the brief version of the list here . be back around 11/1 (unless "something film related that must be blogged about" comes my way). for Burma stuff & other non-film stuff check out the Year 200007 blog. there are a couple of things that i need to post there in the coming days. - Sujewa

check one out here . and then explore the site for more. funny. - sujewa

Nice to see Laura Bush taking an interest in the situation in Burma. Here's the first paragraph of a long Post article re: the First Lady's work on behalf of the Burmese people: "It's a long way from the broad expanse of Texas to the lush forests of Burma , from the boots-and-broncos rodeo in nearby Waco to the bloody crackdown against barefoot monks in Rangoon . Yet that troubled faraway land somehow has gotten under the skin of a former librarian from the Lone Star State and vaulted toward the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda." Read the rest here . - Sujewa

Read about the new independent movie by a dependent 27 year old, at The Onion . Thanks GreenCine Daily for the link :) Also check out Filmmaker Mag blog re: the Onion article. - Sujewa

Found these today, looks interesting & promising, check 'em out: Can We Make A Movie With You? Art House Queen Sun In Libra, Moon In Taurus - Sujewa

On YouTube . Buy the film Ten Minutes Older , which contains Int. Trailer. Night & other short films by different directors, here . Jarmusch talks a bit about the short in this GreenCine interview . - Sujewa

Saw Darjeeling Limited . Nice to look at; nice images of India, the train looks cool, some of the music & shots looked good together, and there are some very sad moments in the movie. The banter between the brothers was amusing at times. Darjeeling was OK, I liked it more than I liked Life Aquatic. I'll probably check it out again on DVD. :: From a 10/11 CCN article re: Anderson: "Anderson, the middle of three brothers, grew up in Houston. At the University of Texas he met Owen Wilson, who was at first put off by Anderson's eccentric getup of duck-hunting boots and shorts." Check out the full article here . - Sujewa

Filmmaker Francesco Uboldi has several Burma related projects. Here are brief descriptions & links: On the Road to Bagan "On the road that leads from from Mount Popa to Bagan – the main tourist site in a country, Myanmar, which only recently has opened its borders to visitors – a farmer speaks of his everyday toils. Listening to his words, gradually the account throws light on the wider social and political situation in former Burma. The country has been subject to a ferocious military dictatorship since 1962." :: The Burmese Fable (in production) "A journey into the Golden Land, the charming country of thousands pagodas, among monasteries, temples, and a deep, archaic spirituality. Villages scattered among rice fields, mounted in between rivers, lakes, and mountains. Simple lives, smiling faces, an unreal quietness. And a journey underneath the surface of this rural paradise, beyond the appearance of political propaganda. The military regime, the social instabili

This National Geographic article from '05 says we (humans) are somewhere around 200,000 years old - the species, as "modern" humans. 200,000 years is a very long time. What exactly happened on Earth; what kinds of interesting things did humans do in various cities, villages & caves & who knows where else, during all that time? Assembling a comprehensive history of the species might be a cool thing to do (i think i feel a new blog coming on :). So I would have to say this is both year 2,007 according to the modern calendar, and also year 200,007 in the number of years (more or less, maybe give or take a few thousand years? :) that the species has been alive & kicking; year 200,007 in the age of the "modern" human. The mind, as they say, boggles. UPDATE : Check out my new blog Year 200,007 . - Sujewa

Latest from the BBC, a report on Burma post-crackdowns. Here is a bit: " The government is also trying to play down the scale of the protests and the ensuing crackdown, saying they were the result of a few "destructive elements" fomented with the help of outside broadcasters such as the BBC Burmese Service and Voice of America. But I did not meet anyone in Rangoon who actually believed this. The people I spoke to said unanimously that the protest marches were part of a popular movement borne out of grinding poverty, and that most of those who took part were not active members of pro-democracy or opposition groups - they were just monks and ordinary civilians." Read the rest here . - Sujewa

Saw the Justin Lin mockumentary Finishing the Game tonight through IFC In Theaters, had a great time. The movie feels pretty much like a documentary that may have been made in the 70's (complete with fake sponsor credits). I do not think a lot of reviewers & critics get this movie (see many of the lukewarm at best critical responses at the recent GreenCine Daily round up of Game reviews), but I certainly had a great time watching the process of finding a replacement for Bruce Lee play out in all its 70's production design/Asian-American issues/70's identity & other politics filled glory. I am looking forward to checking Game out again at some point soon. There was a little bit of sadness and also a heart warming quality mixed in with the low key humor and 70's re-creation in Game. Sweet. And now, the link to the Cinematical review of Finishing the Game (i think they liked it as much as i did). Here is a little bit: "The high points of the film are sidespli

Notes from the candle light vigil for Burma I got to the International Buddhist Center (which is primarily a Sri Lankan Buddhist temple) in Wheaton, MD around 6:30 PM tonight, with about 50 candles in hand. I was not sure about how many people may show up to the event. By 7 PM there were about 60 - 75 people at the temple; Sri Lankans/Sri Lankan-Americans, Burmese/Burmese-Americans, & other Americans - mostly Sri Lankans in the crowd - ready for the candle light vigil. The head monk at the temple, Bhante Uparatana, introduced the event. Brief speeches about the situation in Burma and in praise of activism that celebrates & supports the Burmese pro-democracy movement were given by a lay (non-monastic) staff member from the IBC and also by Dr. Sein Win, Prime Minister of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB). The 7 or so Buddhist monks present chanted, candles were lit, it was a beautiful & moving sight & experience. In closing the event I said

Check this page out for theatrical opening dates for About A Son, AJ Schnack's wildly creative documentary about Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain. Don't wait for the DVD, see this movie in a movie theater, where you can get lost in the images & sounds & think about things in the dark. Even though the movie is about a world famous rock star, it is definitely a real indie movie, and probably should receive lots of awards for the very creative way it deals with its subject. Check it out ! I'll see it again when it opens in DC later this month. - Sujewa

Candle Light Vigil for the people of Burma (Myanmar) in support of their peaceful struggle for democracy Sunday October 7, 2007 :: 7 PM At International Buddhist Center 2600 Elmont Street (see map & directions below) Wheaton, MD 20902 phone: 301-946-9437 website: http://www.thebuddhistcenter.us/ media contact: Bhante K. Uparatana, 240-460-6385, kuparatana@gmail.com An opportunity to show your solidarity with & appreciation for the work of the Buddhist monks & other pro-democracy activists & ordinary people hungry for freedom in Burma. Additional Information In Burma (Myanmar) a non-violent pro-democracy movement is working to end the misrule of the country for the past 15 years by military dictators. In the last few weeks, various protests, Buddhist monk led marches and other actions gained international attention due to the size of the number of people involved. The Burmese military junta violently cracked down on the peaceful protesters, beating many, also shooting an

Go to this page and click on Burma's Saffron Revolution link to see the video of the Wed 10/3 US Senate hearing on the recent pro-democracy protests in Burma (Myanmar). Good stuff. The Senators were very motivated & interested, looks like there will be some very targeted & useful financial/banking restrictions crashing down on the junta, plus many other useful things to come - quite possibly. Check out the hearing here . - Sujewa

Read all about the doc Wasted Orient here . - Sujewa

One of the elements of the founding mythology of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka always bothered me; that was that when Prince Vijaya (the founder of the Sinhala people/race & Sri Lankan civilization according to the ancient chronicle Mahavansa) came to Sri Lanka he encountered various groups of people already living there, people with trappings of civilization, but then the story of Prince Vijaya moves on, just focusing on what his dynasty and kings after them did in Sri Lanka, without looking at who these other people - the Yaksas - that Vijaya encountered were. Looks like a new book provides the answer to the question of who those people were. I received the '07 published book The Lost Dynasty: Uncovering Sri Lanka's Secret Past in the mail today, and the book is an intoxicating feast of historical material, amazing new interpretations, and beautiful photographs. Anyone familiar with ancient Indian mythology will have heard of the Ramayana; an epic poem that tells the story o

To many engaged in filmmaking & distribution in America, how much money a movie makes is a very, very important issue, and is in fact deeply connected to their survival, jobs, self-esteem, how much love they get, and many other essential things. However, there does seem to be something incredibly vulgar (and i am not the first person to express this) about the obsession that the mainstream media has about how much a movie makes, $s wise - at the box office. This obsession has also creeped into indie film media. In the "we are mostly just making entertainment products for making cash" areas of the entertainment industry; such as porn, video games, and most Hollywood or mainstream European movies or even Bollywood movies for that matter - all perfectly useful things to many people by the way - there is no issue re: movies making money; movies must make money, a lot of it, end of conversation. Even in the independent film world, making money is important. The indie film scen

Sylvester Stallone was in Burma filming John Rambo recently. A Herald Sun article talks about what Stallone witnessed. Here is a segment from the article: "He returned before the Burmese military's violent crackdown against monks and residents participating in the largest pro-democracy protests in Burma in two decades. Burmese journalists estimate between 40 and 50 people have been killed since last Wednesday, with details emerging of some of their fates. The Burmese army has also waged a war against ethnic groups - raping women and killing innocent victims. Hardest hit have been the Karen - one of several minority groups seeking greater independence and autonomy." Read the rest here . And later in the article: " "This is full scale genocide. I want an 'R' and I want the violence in there because it is reality. It would be a whitewashing not to show what's over there,'' he told Associated Press." Read all about it here . And here'

Check out the blog for the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival here . - Sujewa

From this Daily Mail article. Here is the intro: " Thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle, a former intelligence officer for Burma's ruling junta has revealed. The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: "Many more people have been killed in recent days than you've heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand." " Read the rest here . Well, the junta is not down with peaceful protesters, so maybe an invasion by a UN peacekeeping force is necessary. Actually, maybe NATO, as in Bosnia. Or, most likely, it will just fall on the Burmese people themselves, including exiles & the million or so refugees living on Thai border, to liberate themselves from the junta through war. - Sujewa

From this article at Mizzima news . Here is a segment: "I don't know where this battalion will be posted as they have been ordered to move back to base. I don't know if they will be deployed in Rangoon to kill protesting monks and students. But it is a reinforcement. That's why our people have attacked them," Pado Mann Sha told Mizzima. Read the rest here . If true, get used to news like this Burma, as non-violent protesters get beaten down & killed, armed action against the military dictatorship will increase. Either way, in the end, the junta will be out of power because 400,000 people (the size of the Burmese armed forces when i last checked on it) can't keep 50 million angry people (or the total population of Burma) down for long. The change could have come peacefully but looks like the junta has chosen the violent path. it won't be pretty. - Sujewa

i took a break from checking out burma news & other sunday pm work & checked out this lively conversation between ian svenonius and ian mackaye: part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 - sujewa

From UC Campaign for Burma website : " China is paralyzing UN Security Council action on Burma. They are the main economic, military, and political supporters of the military junta. For fifteen years China has refused to press its closest ally to allow its people human rights, and used its veto power to block the UN Security Council from acting. As a result, the UN is making the same mistakes it made on Darfur and Rwanda. We are calling on people of conscience throughout the world to boycott the 2008 Chinese Olympics, join our efforts.

From this BBC article: " Thousands of people have taken to Britain's streets to support pro-democracy protestors in Burma. The Burma Campaign UK said an estimated 3,000 people attended a march in London, which was the biggest protest for Burma in the UK so far. Gatherings were also held in Newcastle and Brighton." Read the rest of the article here . - Sujewa

From this BBC article that outlines world response to pro-democracy movement/recent protests & marches in Burma: " INDIA Relationship: It has close economic and diplomatic ties with Burma. It has expressed concern over the current crisis but generally maintains a careful silence over the situation, describing it as an internal affair of Burma. Former Defence Minister George Fernandez has described India's current position as "disgusting". Interests: India is concerned above all with protecting its oil interests in Burma, signing a new deep-water exploration deal in the same week that protests got under way. India also sells arms to the military regime in Rangoon. But as the world's most populous democracy, India is under pressure from the West and from activists at home to take a stronger stand in support of democratic forces in Burma. Comment: "As a close and friendly neighbour, India hopes to see a peaceful, stable and prosperous Myanmar, where all

This first video is some footage of DC protesters outside the Chinese Embassy on Fri 9/28/07 afternoon: This video is of Buddhist monks from several countries (i know for a fact that several Sri Lankan monks are in that line up) chanting in front of the Chinese Embassy in DC, as a part of the same protest shown above: - Sujewa

Check out the video at the pro-democracy group in exile National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma's web site . Here is a description of the video: " "In Hiding" is a detailed account of human rights abuses committed by the Burma Army against ethnic minorities inside Burma over a one year period. It is an unrelenting documentary of disturbing images and firsthand stories; unadulterated evidence that the brutal military dictatorship of Burma continues its tyranny. And yet the film shows a people who resist the Burma Army and who, despite incredible difficulty, have hope. (Credit: Free Burma Rangers)" Check it out here . - Sujewa

Check out the photos here . Looks like this protest happened on 9/27/07. - Sujewa

Update on the short film project here . - Sujewa

check out a photo here (at some hard working photo-bloggers Flickr page, my photos will be up tomorrow (Sat) on this blog). the photo was taken in front of the Burmese Embassy it looks like. That small sign with the blue letters, in the background (read "Free Burma Now!"), is the one that i made/was holding for much of the time (rest of the time Ms. Amanda was holding it). more Burma protest photo links coming as i find them. Update : about a dozen photos from today's protest can be found here . Update : Channel 4 DC/NBC news segment with some footage from the protest in front of the Chinese Embassy Update: a blog entry with a list of Free Burma protests world wide Update 9/29/07 : a YouTube video , of one of the several places that the protest & march group demonstrated on Fri 9/28 - sujewa

Weather wise it was a lovely day for a protest & march. About 300 or so people gathered in front of the Burmese Embassy in Washington, DC today; Burmese people, various types of Americans, others, Buddhist monks, etc. There were signs expressing our concern for the peaceful protesters in Burma. We chanted & shouted about the need to free Burma, end the violence, free political protesters. Then the protest moved down to the Chinese Embassy, several blocks away, on Connecticut Ave. There were 300 - 500 protesters in front of the Chinese Embassy. A group of about 7 Buddhist monks (from various countries; Sri Lankan, perhaps Burmese, maybe Vietnamese or Thai also) addressed the crowd & chanted prayers. Then various speakers gave small speeches about the situation in Burma; the growing call for boycott of the '08 Olympics in China if China does not do anything positive & significant re: the situation in Burma, and plans for additional protests were announced. Pro

"Please use your liberty to promote ours" - 1991 Nobel Peace Prize receipient (& democratically elected & currently imprisoned leader of Burma) Aung San Suu Kyi Is two people blogging about something a blog-a-thon? :) Maybe. But, as the Burmese military dictatorship clamps down violently (some estimates say hundreds of protesters killed as of today & hundreds of monks in detention), protests outside of Burma will need to continue in order to get the world to push the Burmese junta into doing the right thing (like not beating & shooting peaceful protesters for one, also releasing the elected leader of Burma from a decade plus long house arrest). I am off to go to a protest & March in DC (see info. on protest & march at post below). Will blog stuff re: Burma later. In the meantime, here is Camera Stilo re: the US indie film bloggers re: Burma blog-a-thon. If you are an indie film blogger & you write about Burma this weekend, let me know or lea

Protest is organized by US Campaign for Burma . On Fri 9/28/07 at 4:00 PM protest (against current violent opposition to peaceful protesters in Burma) at the Burmese Embassy followed by a march to the Chinese Embassy along Connecticut Ave NW. Addresses & Directions: Burmese Embassy (meet there at 4 PM) 2300 S Street NW Washington, DC 20008 Directions to the Burmese Embassy from the Dupont Circle Station on the Red Line: - Exit station using Connecticut Ave & Q St NW exit - Walk approx. 2 blocks NW on Connecticut Ave NW - Turn left on S St NW - Walk approx. 2 blocks W on S St NW. Then march to (walking east on S St NW, and then north on Connecticut Ave NW to the Chinese Embassy): Chinese Embassy 2300 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC From a USCB e-mail passed on to me today by a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk in Wheaton, MD: "We are calling upon the one country that has military, economic, and diplomatic leverage over Burma to do something. That country is China. As host of th

Finally a news item that connects the film world (not indie film, but close enough for now :) and the pro-democracy protests in Burma, from US Campaign for Burma website , the introduction to the letter (letter dated 9/6/07): "Today, over 25 Hollywood celebrities sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging him to "personally intervene" to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient. The letter was organized by the US Campaign for Burma and Human Rights Action Center and led by Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston. Click Here to Read the Lette

From US Campaign for Burma website: " Show Your Solidarity With the Saffron Revolution We are working on bringing in as many world leaders, celebrities, news agencies on board with this story, but you need to play your part as well. It will not just be Americans working for this, but a global movement as well. Starting this Wednesday (September 26th) we will begin a global week of ACTION. With an explosion of action we will make sure that everyone from world leadersto your next door neighbors have their eyes focused on Burma. Having this global focus will not only help in the protection of those demonstrating, but also make sure that the calls of the monks and civilians gets turned into international action. HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO: - Be a part of our 88,000 signatures campaign. I am asking people to collectively gather 88,000 signatures from around the world, calling on Chinese President Hu Jintao to compel Burma towards valid national reconciliation. Sign the petition here o

Here is the website for US Campaign for Burma , the Washington, DC based activist group that is working to bring democracy to Burma. Lots of information there about the current situation in Burma & how you can help the Burmese people. - Sujewa

Read about the junta's crackdown on peaceful protests here at Mizzima News . When peaceful protests are crushed, more Burmese might turn to violence & armed rebellion in order to improve their living conditions, as the people written about in this article at The Independent have had to do. - Sujewa

Mizzima News ; "Specializing in Burma related news & multi-media." Check them out for a lot of info. & updates re: the largely peaceful (on the side of the people at least), Buddhist monks led revolution/anti-junta protests going on in Burma right now. - Sujewa

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