Chicken Poets (2002/ 94 min)
Undecided about his future, Yun Fei, an unknown young poet, goes to visit an old university friend in the suburbs of Beijing to seek his advice. He discovers that his friend has gone into business, and is successfully breeding black chickens. Discouraged, and on the point of giving up writing, Yun Fei meets a young girl who can’t see colors, who encourages him to persevere. But even this new relationship is not enough to inspire him to write. It’s at this point that he buys a pirate record whose magical powers bring him the success he’s longed for. Sudden fame does not seem to solve everything, however. This first film, a deliberately allegorical visual fantasy, focuses on the 30-something generation in China, who have to adapt to a materialistic society very different from the political utopia of their childhood.
Directed by Meng Jinghui
Not Rated, 94 minutes
Mandarin language with English subtitles
Tickets: $6, $5 faculty/staff, $4 seniors, and $3 all students
Buy tickets online or call the ticket office at (574) 631-2800.
Sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, with additional support from the College of Arts and Letters, Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, Henkels Visiting Lecture Series, the Office of Undergraduate Studies, Center for Asian Studies, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Liu Endowment for Excellence in Support of Asian Studies, Asian Pacific Alumni Board, Department of Film, Television, and Theatre, Kaneb Center, International Student Services and Activities, and Campus Ministry.