Experiencing another culture through film
The University of Idaho Confucius Institute’s visiting instructor from South China University of Technology Jianhong Lu expressed her desire to expose students and the Moscow community to Chinese culture.
Lu said she and the directors of the institute agreed film is a great medium to communicate aspects of Chinese culture to an American audience.
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Lu teaches a course on Chinese film appreciation and elementary Chinese language courses at UI and at Moscow High School. She has an advanced degree in Chinese film history and theory, so she said she is comfortable with Chinese cinema and has the educational background to run the event.
Since Lu has the appropriate educational background, she said she chooses quality films for the American audiences.
Lu selects films based on a system. She said she has to consider the film to be excellent, the director of the film should be famous and the film needs to be related to Chinese culture. She shows films by famous directors because their films are high quality and easily accessible for American audiences. Lu said she prefers to show films that reflect modern China instead of ancient China.
Institute directors guided Lu through the process of marketing and finding a location, she said.
Chinese Movie Night started at the beginning of this year, and Lu plans to show seven films throughout year. The shows occur from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month during the school year.
Lu gives a brief description at the beginning of a viewing by describing the film’s background and the director. She also encourages open discussion after the film.
She recently showed “Confucius,” a biological drama about the ancient Chinese philosopher. Lu chose to show this film during September to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the Confucius Institute’s establishment.
“From a very ancient time [Confucius] has influenced Asian society and his concepts and quotes are still useful to us in our daily lives,” she said.
Lu has the final two films of the year selected. “Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles” will be shown on Oct. 8. Lu chose the film because it depicts the relationships between fathers and sons in Chinese culture. “A Simple Life” will be shown on Nov. 12 and it offers a look into the roles of the elderly in Chinese society, Lu said.
Chinese Movie Night will continue in February after the holiday break. Lu has been here for a year and thinks she will be here for two more years. She hopes that Chinese Movie Night in Moscow will continue after she returns home. Lu hopes the program will reach the lives of the local community.
Christopher Dempsey can be reached at [email protected]