AsiaLENS
AEMS Documentary and Independent Film Series
at the Spurlock Museum
AsiaLENS is a series of free public film screenings and lecture / discussion programs -- organized by AEMS in collaboration with Spurlock Museum -- presenting recent documentary and independent films on issues reflecting contemporary life in Asia.
Local and visiting experts introduce the films and lead audiences in post-screening discussions.
All AsiaLENS screenings are FREE and open to the public.
Spurlock Museum screenings are held the second Tuesdays of September, October, and November for Fall 2015. The Spurlock Museum is located at 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL.
Full schedule for Fall 2015 is listed below.
Information on past screenings:Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015
AsiaLENS Upcoming Fall 2015 Calendar:
Cotton Road
Tuesday, September 8, 2015 - 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL
Agrarian Utopia
Tuesday, October 13, 2015 - 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana IL
Bitter Seeds
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL
Cotton Road
Directed by Laura Kissel. 2014. 72 minutes. In Chinese and English with English subtitles.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015 - 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum, Knight Auditorium, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL
Introduction and post screening discussion led by Joy Yang Jiao (Ph.D. Candidate, Institute of Communication Research, College of Media, UI)
Description:
Americans consume nearly 20 billion new items of clothing each year. Yet few of us know how our clothes are made, much less who produces them. Cotton Road follows the commodity of cotton from South Carolina farms to Chinese factories to illuminate the work and industrial processes in the global supply chain.
Winner of the Fork in the Road award at GreenTopia Film Festival 2015.
Resources:
For more information visit the film website.
View a trailer of the film here.
Reviews:
Ecouterre Interview
Agrarian Utopia
A film by Uruphong Raksasad. 2009. 121 minutes. In Thai with English subtitles.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015 -7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum, Knight Auditorium, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL
Introduction and post screening discussion led by Matthew S. Winters (Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, UI).
Description:
Facing seizure of their own lands, two families found themselves farming together on the same field, hoping to get through just another rice-farming season like every year. But no matter how much the world is evolving, how much the country is going through economic, political and social changes, they still cannot grasp that ideology of happiness.
Resources:
Information on purchasing available at Alexander Street Press website.
Reviews:
New York Times
Bitter Seeds
Directed by Micha X. Peled. 2012. 88 minutes.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - 7:00 pm
Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory Street, Urbana, IL
Introduction and post screening discussion led by Rini Bhattacharya Mehta (Assistant Professor, Program for Comparative and World Literature, UI).
Description:
Bitter Seeds examines the epidemic of suicides among India’s cotton farmers who are deeply in debt after switching to genetically modified seeds.
Resources:
Visit Teddy Bear Films for information on the filmmaker and production.
Educational Distribution by Bullfrog Films.
Co-production of ITVS.
Reviews:
Filmmaker Magazine
Last Updated July 6, 2015.
